“I dreamt of drowning. I don’t know how really. I’ve never… really had to hold my breath longer than 10 maybe 15 seconds tops, but…. but I remember the sensation of pain tearing through my lungs from the lack of air and then eventually from the ice cold water filling them…” I stared down at a gleaming steel table as I recounted my dream. I looked up into the searing bright light front of me and asked the man behind it, “What do you think it means?”

                There was a pause before the light responded to me with venomous condescension, “If I were to guess Minister Weiss, I would say it would have something to do with you being woken up with a bucket of water every morning.”

                He paused and I could hear him smiling. I know I could hear him smiling. He always smiles at the worst… at the cruelest times. “However, Minister Weiss, it could have something to do with the sack of guilt you carry around with you everywhere.” The voice got deeper, meaner, “I mean you are one of the people responsible for the deaths of oh… what is it now half a million people now that everything is all said and done. That’s completely ignoring the war as well, and that adds another 20, 30, hell maybe even 50 million more to that list, and there’s no end to that in sight.”

                “…that’s not true…,” I mumbled childlishly.

                I heard the voice smile again, “Oh really? Then would you care to elaborate who might be guilty then, Minister Weiss? I mean that’s your only hope of getting out of this hole and getting some real food and sleep again. I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to not feel the drowning anymore?”

                My eyes glazed over and I wobbled around in my chair a bit before I steadied myself. I rubbed my eyes and felt a little bit of sense come back to me thanks to the flickering anger I felt. I smiled weakly at the interrogator, “Yeah? What guarantee do I have that you won’t just leave me in this pit to rot for the rest of my days?” I tried to laugh in defiance but after one chuckle my ribs consumed me with pain and I had to grit my teeth. I continued after taking a few moments to collect myself, “I know what the Ghost’s do to prisoners convicted of treason. For all the world cares I’m already dead.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

                The voi-… interrogator shot back icily, “Well, a traitor to the Emperor should be dead to the world, especially one as effective as you and your little group. You all had a nice 20 years enjoying wealth, power, and prestige.” He sighed, “Did you have to throw it all away for that extra bite at the pie? I mean there’s plenty to go around.”

                I slowly shook my head feeling a deep ache in my muscles as I did so, “I mean ambition’s a hell of drug.” I felt my mind slipping again and I just stared blankly into the light. After what felt like five minutes of blankly staring into the brightness I decided I had enough, “Coffee, black. That’s the price to tell you when and where it began.”

                I felt the smile again as the interrogator responded, “Oh but of course. We are nothing but gracious to people who cooperate.” I heard a snap, a few whispered lines, the door to the room cycle, and then silence again. While I waited, I took the time to glance around the room and see if there was any sort of identifying marks on the concrete cube I found myself in. I tried to move my chest to get a better view but the pain was to much, so I relied on my aching neck to find anything fresh and new, however I found… nothing. Every seam was flush and sharp and there was no sign of cracks anywhere. If I could feel anything but pain and exhaustion, I’m sure it would have been a sense of fear or unease. This room was just to perfect.

                I think three minutes passed before I heard the door cycle again. I saw a plain paper cup filled with a steaming black sloshing liquid slide into the light. “Well Minister Weiss, we have fulfilled our end of the bargain now we expect you to do the same.”

                I ignored the smiling menace and moved my chained hands to take a sip from the cup enjoying the burning sensation on my tongue and a bit more awareness return to my mind. “A deal is a deal I suppose. Well it started at a small gathering at the villa the Duke of Burgundy has outside of Bern.” I blew out of my mouth, “I’d say it was mid-December of 2014? It was something like three weeks after the Parliamentary elections, and the selection of the new Emperor. Lord Vance called five of us their in order to talk about…”

                I was only able to explain about half of the meeting before I felt a sharp pain in my chest and my head begin to spin. I barely registered it as my head slammed into the table and I heard a chair scrape somewhere very far away. My eyes fazed out and the last thing I heard before darkness consumed me was, “Fuck you old man. You’re not allowed to die yet.”