"What is happening?" The noise outside of my room was a mixture of screaming and shouting and warning alert, everything seemed chaotic and I couldn't figure it out without stepping out.
And, somehow, within a minute… the chaos itself came to me instead of waiting for me. My door cracked open, four full armed security guards stepped in my room, making me fall off my bed, utterly stunned, as if I had just awakened from a nightmare.
"What— what's happening?!"
Silas was standing behind them and looking at me in shock as if he didn't even imagine that I would be sleeping in my bed and looking like a complete mess.
Me, either.
I just didn't imagine that I could change my clothes in less than one minute, nor that I could pretend to be asleep this easily— wait no.
I used to do this every time I got home late and my mom suddenly came to see me… Maybe that's why I'm a professional.
"You are arrested until the investigation is done with you. Change your clothes and follow us."
"Arrested?"
"There's a report about dealing with the Disaster Management Authority. You can't use any of your permissions unless the interrogation is done."
"...?"
It couldn't be Alex, since he was in the Vessel. So there's someone else?
Agh—
"Can I sleep there?"
"...?"
"Can I sleep there until all of this is done?"
"...?"
Nobody seemed to take my question seriously but it was a matter of life and death for me so I took my pillow and just gave it to one of the security guards.
"Make sure that it's fine to use there, you'll hold it for me."
All of the five people in front of me gave the most confused expressions ever, and I didn't care much… I just went to the cabinet, picked up my suit and wore it as if nothing so serious was happening.
"Okay, I'm done."
"Your hair is a mess" Silas commented while throwing a small comb at me. "You can fix it on the way to the interrogation room."
Nice.
I wasn't the only one who seemed suspicious to the guards this time.
"Okay."
On the way out, I felt as if every eye on the building was watching me. Of course that was terrifying but not as the fact that Silas has made the comb work as a Telepathy device…
I was being led to the interrogation room like a criminal, idly tending to my hair as though I were some sort of madman.
"When did you even return! You just gave me a heart attack!"
Silas's voice was too loud in my head.
"Two minutes before the raid."
"What? How?"
"I'm just a professional don't-worry-I'm-home-already son."
"Ha?"
"I heard you tell them that I was sleeping so they had to wait for you until you woke me up. That's why I pretended to be asleep."
He was definitely planning to call me in order to get out of the Vessel as fast as I could, but fortunately… I was already out at that point.
"Did you get what you went to find?"
"Yes. The mission has been completed. How many minutes will this comb work like this?"
"Three minutes every three hours for four days."
"Okay then, I'll talk to you in three hours."
"Fine."
I put the comb on my suit pocket then. One of the guards was looking at me so I gave him a smile before asking: "my hair is in good shape now?"
"It still needs a haircut but it's good."
I knew it. All the people here were crazy. He must looked at me as if I'm out of my mind instead of answering at that level of seriousness.
"So you are here again, Sir Nathan."
The green-demon of the HR team greeted me then moment I walked in the company's main building. "So you came so voluntarily this time without using violence."
"Violence isn't my way to deal with such things." I gave her a crooked smile. "Sarcastic is."
"So full of yourself."
"Any problem with that?"
"Beside being considered as a traitor but acting as if it's the normal thing to do? No."
"Oh, that will make going to that honesty Vessel room comfortable this time, since it well make this thing go faster."
"So you'll die faster the moment you lie, you mean?"
"It kills liers?!"
"I didn't tell you the first time?"
No you didn't! You witch! You said 'facing consequences', not being killed!
Agh—
Calm down, Nathan. Calm down.
You can survive this.
Lies could easily become facts with a little modifications.
"If you want to go to the normal interrogation room, we can do it."
"How much time it will take if you did?"
"One week, more?"
"And with the Vessel?"
"Two days."
"Stick to the plan then."
"As you wish."
She sounded like I was choosing my end myself. What made her so sure that I was a traitor? Noone knew. She just seemed to love acting like the boss.
"Here."
We where in front of that room again. Familiar unpleasant feeling filled me.
"Go inside."
I was about to open the door, but then remembered something so I turned to the guards.
"I need my pillow."
"Here."
"Thank you very much. I appreciate it."
I took it, then opend the door to the familiar sight and sat on the chair. The pillow took its place on the table.
"So, Sir Nathan." I wished that anyone but the demon hold the investigation but it seemed like a useless wish. "Do you know why are you here?"
"The guards said something about the Disaster Management Authority. I don't know anything besides that."
"Right…" she wrote something on the paper then lifted her head to face me again. "There's a report that you've been seen with agents from the Disaster Management Authority. Did that happened?"
"Yes."
My answer surely shocked her because the pen in her fingers suddenly stopped.
"Yes?"
"Yes."
"So you are confirming that you have connections with them?"
"No." I lifted my shoulders casually. "In this company I've been told that I have a bad luck."
"So?"
"It all happened just because of my bad luck."
"I need specific details."
"It will be a boring story, are you sure?"
"Please take your situation seriously."
Okay—
I leaned back, barely suppressing a yawn.
"Last weekend, I was walking in the nearby main street in order to return to my room, then suddenly found myself in the a Vessel that looked like a festival. One agent from the Disaster Management Authority came and help me with few people to get out. By the way, I didn't even know that a thing called a Disaster Management Authority is even exist at that point."
"...?"
"When I came out, two agent checked our information and tried to erase our memories. That's all."
I have nothing to hide, and there's nothing that could be held against me.
"So that's all your interactions with agents?"
"I saw one in the street two times by chance, he didn't even recognize me."
She was frequently looking at the light in the wall or getting ready to see me suddenly choke and die, but nothing happened… as if all the plays she planned have gone into vain.
"Ah, there's a thing!" I remembered that I wasn't the only one to be honest here so I took every advantage I could from that. "They say that I'm working in the 'spring' company. What was that?"
"The registered name of the company."
"But why I couldn't recall the name even though I feel like I know it?"
"No one can recall the name unless he got the permission to."
"...?"
Top secret, ha?
"Okay, is there any other questions you need to ask?"
"Did you share any of the company's information with anyone?"
"No."
"Did you get eventually in another Vessel outside the company beside the Festival?"
"No."
"Okay. Then you must wait until we finish other investigations."
"Here?"
"What?"
"Am I supposed to wait here?"
"Yes. This is a Vessel so it has less chances that you will 'eventually' got in another one while you are under arrest. It'll take one or two days. The bathroom is out there."
She pointed at the side and a door appeared.
"What about eating and sleeping?"
"Do you think that this is a hotel?"
"The accused is innocent until proven guilty."
Her exhale showed me how much she was annoyed, but regardless of that… she took out a card from her pocket and put it on the table.
"This will do."
"A card?"
"Just swipe it there and whatever you want will appear. Though it has a limit."
Now this seems more like a hotel without a bed.
"Don't try to get out. You're not allowed to."
That was the last thing she said before getting out of the room.
"Nice, Very nice…"
I looked around, made sure there weren't any cameras anywhere then pretended to get something from my pillow. A blanket showed up, from the pillow, which was my belt's pocket in fact.
I put it on the floor, then the pillow, then took off my jacket and lay down to sleep.
Surprisingly, I did fall a sleep without much struggle.
And didn't wakeup until the next day.