The white ceramic walls and the cold metal table inside the interrogation room grew even bleaker with the presence of two broad-shouldered policemen staring meaningfully at Faisal.
"Mario Guzman, Mexico. Kevin Gates, America."The scar-faced officer paused, glancing at Faisal with a faint, almost polite smile. He flipped through the papers in his hand before continuing."Felix Albrecht, Germany. And finally… Al Saleem, from Arabia."
The officer with the scar approached the table and sat directly across from Faisal."You've had quite a lot of identities, my friend. Yet none of them ever lasted long. You change your name and your life every time you move from one place to another."
Another officer dragged a chair from the corner and sat down with them.
"Come on, my friend. Don't be stubborn. You should know by now that you can't keep running forever. You should've prepared for this day. I suggest you tell us everything—confess to us—and maybe, just maybe, you'll get a lighter sentence."
Faisal sat there, silent and distant, not even bothering to look at either of them. His face was cold and indifferent, as if he existed in another dimension entirely.
"Richard…" said Faisal softly, his tone calm and polite—nothing like a man under interrogation."What?" replied the scar-faced officer.
"Banana." Faisal answered."I want a sweet banana right now. I'll talk to you once I get my banana."
Richard stared blankly at him — if this man were just an ordinary criminal, he would've been beaten black and blue for that kind of attitude.But he couldn't lay a finger on him, not this time. So, he swallowed his anger and sighed."One banana for table number three," he muttered sarcastically, because Faisal was treating the interrogation room like his own private café.
Ten minutes later.Three neatly arranged bananas sat on a plate in front of Faisal. Their yellow color looked fresh, even with a sticker seal on the skin that made them appear premium.When Faisal looked at them, he turned to the two officers and shook his head."This isn't the kind of banana I meant," he said plainly."Then what do you want?" Richard snapped, his patience wearing thin.
Faisal looked down innocently—at the lower half of both officers. Instantly, they panicked."Hey! I'm married, damn it!"Reflexively, both of them bent over and covered their "valuables," stumbling back in alarm.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Richard barked.Faisal tilted his head, sighing. "I was pointing at your wallet, genius. You've got all that cash, and this is the best banana you can buy?"He pulled the plate closer, inspecting the fruit."And such poor quality, too."
Richard went speechless for a moment."Listen, you bastard! That's the best banana from the most expensive fruit shop in this city! It wasn't cheap, just so you know!" Richard pointed furiously at the plate."And why the hell are you commenting on my wallet?! Do you even know how little cops get paid?" His voice cracked with frustration."It's hard being an honest cop and still having enough to eat! And now you're rejecting my damn bananas?" Richard slammed the table, his face red."You think I'm Jeff Bezos, huh?!"
"Use this instead," Faisal said calmly, tossing a leather wallet onto the table.
Robert quickly snatched it and, in a nervous motion, slipped it into his own pocket."How did you do that?" he asked coldly.
Faisal leaned back, a faint smirk on his lips."Robert… I took your wallet the moment you brought me into this room."
Robert froze, his eyes narrowing."How did you do it?" he asked again, this time with more force.
Faisal closed his eyes and exhaled softly."You know I move from place to place, right? Tell me—where do you think I get money without a job? Who would ever hire someone Asian with no clear background?"
The room fell silent.
"So, you're just a pickpocket?" Richard finally spoke, half mocking, half uncertain.He glanced at Robert—his partner for nine years—as if seeking confirmation."You sure we didn't grab the wrong guy?"
"You heard him yourself. He said he travels around. What kind of pickpocket can cross countries that easily?" Robert replied coldly.
"Ah, yeah! You're right!" Richard exclaimed, suddenly excited as if he'd discovered something big.
Robert raised an eyebrow, watching his partner—nine years together and the man still managed to be unbelievably dense.
The silence returned.
"Well, whatever it is… maybe you should just buy the banana I want," Faisal broke the quiet.
"You're really obsessed with bananas, huh?" Richard said flatly.
Robert sighed, his patience nearly gone."Fine. What kind of banana do you want now?"
Faisal smiled faintly. "About seven blocks from here, there's a fruit stall. Tell the seller you want bananas with blackened skins."
The two officers exchanged a confused, suspicious look.
Twenty-five minutes later.
Three black bananas and three yellow ones sat neatly on a plate in front of Faisal.
"Want me to add some cola and mayo?" Richard mocked, clearly annoyed.
Faisal stared at the black bananas for a long time, his lips curling faintly—as if what he saw wasn't fruit, but something only he could understand."Ahem. All right, we can begin now," Faisal said softly to the two officers.
Both men sat across from him, eyes fixed on Faisal."You might want to get a laptop or a typewriter, because this will take quite a while," he added calmly.
"Use the typewriter," Richard said to Robert, who nodded and went to fetch one from the storage room.
A few minutes later, Robert returned with a dusty old typewriter.
"Look at all that dust… Humans really have forgotten this thing," Faisal murmured, sounding strangely nostalgic.
Richard groaned, unable to hold back his irritation."What now? Were you a repairman for these things or something?"
Faisal ignored the jab and replied casually, "Not at all. It's just… people have forgotten how much this thing once did for them. Now it's just left to rot, gathering dust with other useless relics."
Robert, still wiping the typewriter clean, asked, "So, do you use these often?"
"Not really," Faisal answered shortly.
"Then why do you look so… sentimental about it?" Richard asked, curiosity seeping through his tone.
"This thing could save us all," Faisal said simply.
"Save us from what?" Richard asked again, and Robert nodded, equally curious.
"Anything typed on this machine can't be hacked or traced by them," Faisal replied calmly.
"And who exactly are they?" Robert asked again.
"You know who they are. You've spent your entire lives hunting them, haven't you?" Faisal smiled faintly.
Both officers froze.Their hearts pounded so loudly they could hear it.Silence fell again, thicker this time.Robert and Richard exchanged uneasy glances, their throats tight, words stuck somewhere deep.
So, they went back to what they were doing—Richard lost in thought, Robert quietly wiping dust from the keys.
Click-clack… click-clack… The sound of metal keys echoed through the cold ceramic room.
Faisal picked up one of the black bananas, brushing the surface gently, feeling the dust between his fingers."Hmm? This banana… it's dirty," he murmured.
Richard frowned, confused. "How do you know we've been digging into them?"
Faisal glanced at him, a faint smile on his lips. "You really think I don't know why you're holding me here?"
He smiled again, watching Richard grow more uneasy."One thing's certain — I'm here because I want to be. Not because you caught me by mistake. Not because I slipped up. My friend… if I didn't want you to find me, you never would've."
Richard snorted. "Hmph, they say birds of a feather flock together. If you're one of them, I guess you'd have to be just as slippery."
Faisal tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. What did that proverb have to do with this?"Well… I'll take that as a compliment," he said, smirking slightly. He decided to let it go—he still needed these two men alive.
Robert, silent until now, finally spoke."All right… shall we begin?" he said, firm and focused.
"Fine. But before that, I need to tell you something," Faisal replied, his eyes locked onto theirs.
"What is it?" Robert asked.
"I've been watching you both for a very long time—ever since the day you first heard about them and decided to investigate," Faisal said. "You would've stopped long ago if you knew how meaningless it all really is."
He paused, studying their faces."And I even heard that one of you received a warning message from them," he added sharply.
The moment the word warning left his lips, Richard slammed the table.
"Hmm? I assume that was you who got the warning, right?" Faisal said calmly.
"Get to the point! Stop with the riddles!" Richard snapped, his eyes bloodshot, staring at Faisal with fury and fear tangled together.
Faisal held his gaze—calm, steady, unnerving. His stillness alone made both officers uneasy.
When Richard finally broke eye contact, Faisal closed his eyes, lifted his chin, and took a deep breath.
"You both have strong determination, and I respect that," Faisal said, opening his eyes again, his voice lower now."But the ones you're going up against… they're not some street thugs or petty criminals. You've already felt their influence once—and that was just a taste."
Silence swallowed the room once more.Both officers lowered their heads, unable to say a word.