CHAPTER 27: Interrogation

The room was more relaxing than Adam had expected. The walls had a soothing beige on the top and a forest green towards the bottom. Good lighting too, not just fluorescents. It felt like a business meeting room. Sure, there was a wall with the two-way mirror. Also, his hands were handcuffed to a cold metal table that was bolted to the floor, but at least the room felt calm. It was a good thing too, because the policeman had spent the entire ride telling Adam how awful he was and how they were throwing the book at him. So much abusive language had been hurled at him, but no one had even said what he was being arrested for. Just one more oddity. It had still taken Adam all his willpower not to explode in that car.

According to his senses, people had come into the observation area and looked at him, but he hadn’t heard anything said or done. No discussions and no drawn guns, at least. At the moment it was a mystery when they would show or what was going to happen. Adam just tried to stay calm but ready, letting it play out.

After another ten minutes the door opened and in walked a single man. He was not quite middle aged but looked weathered. The way he styled his hair hadn’t help up even though it was early in the morning. He wore a dress shirt, tie, and pants. They looked fine but clearly not expensive clothes, as if he knew what the dress code was but wasn’t trying to look cultured. There was a shoulder holster and gun, while holding a file folder in his hands.

“You sure are in a lot of trouble, Adam Clemens,” he said as he slapped the folder on the table and pulled out the chair across from Adam. “I’m Detective Baker and this folder has a written report of all your crimes and we are planning to persecute them to the fullest extent possible. I assume you are already aware of what is in this?”

“No,” Adam said calmly, keeping his anger suppressed. “When they arrested me in the classroom they didn’t tell me what the charges were. Is that normal?”

Det. Baker frowned at that. “No, I’m sure they must have told you the charges before reading you your rights. You probably didn’t pay attention.”

“I can always ask a classmate if they did or did not. I’m sure someone recorded the whole exchange.”

“Classmate?” Det. Baker opened the file and looked between it and Adam. “Why would you have classmates?”

“Because they arrested me in the middle of class. If I’m as bad as you say, then shouldn’t they have arrested me without people around? I thought that odd.”

Det. Baker’s frown changed to confusion. “Of course they wouldn’t have arrested you in a class room. That would make no sense. But why would a 20-year-old be in class anyway?”

“I don’t know about that. I’m only 17,” Adam stated. Det. Baker looked back to the folder for a few moments before looking at Adam’s eyes.

“You are Adam Clemens, right? The folder says you are 20.”

“I am Adam Clemens and 17 years old. You can check the ID in my pocket. I expected it to be looked at, but they didn’t even bring me for processing, just brought me here.”

Det. Baker’s eyes went glassy for just a few seconds, and then focused on him full of rage.

“Trying to confuse me won’t work. The folder has it all in it. All your crimes. We have 27 different misdemeanors and felonies listed, and there is no way you are getting out of this!”

Adam felt his heat pulsing quicker. The hate being shown to him made him want to reach across the table and beat Det. Baker. He wanted to explode at everyone here. It would be so easy to show them all that they needed to follow his rules. Adams heart pounded in his ears, and blood was rushing through him. His skin was heating up and turned redder.

Then his thoughts turned to the battle with the goblin chief. I am not a one trick pony. Adam didn’t need to use his rage or strength. There were more effective tools available.

“…trespassing, breaking and entering, assault...” While Adam had been controlling his anger, Det. Baker had been reading the charges.

Forming a tendril inside himself, he reached towards the space where the detective’s essence was. He created just the tiniest connection and started pushing a feeling of skepticism of the charges. He really emphasized a desire to know more about them.

“…attempted murder, taking an officer’s weapon, and finally grand theft.”

Obviously, all the charges were bogus, but the last one caught Adam’s attention.

“Theft?” he asked, surprised.

“All those and that is the one that confuses you?” Det. Baker asked with disdain. Adam ignored it and continued.

“What did I steal?”

“That’s a stupid question. You know what you stole.”

“What does the folder say I stole?”

The detective opened the folder and flipped through it. “A small crystal.”

Then it clicked for Adam. All of this seemed to have multiple purposes, but they must want whatever the crystal did. That meant the crystal was more valuable than Adam had first thought. He assumed the rifts were a staging area for an invasion, but all invaders should have one of those. Now it seemed likely that it would be worth a lot more than that. No one on earth should know about the crystal, since his group got the title for being first to clear a rift.

“What color is the crystal?” Adam asked, trying to get the detective to think while he pumped the skepticism through the connection.

“What does it matter the color?” The detective searched through the folder twice before responding. “It doesn’t say.”

“Then what size is the crystal?”

“Hmm, it isn’t listed in here.”

“How are you to know what this crystal is if there are no descriptions of it? How do you even know a crystal was stolen?” Adam pushed.

“The owner of the warehouse contacted the mayor who brought it to our attention,” Det. Baker answered after another sweep through the folder.

“The warehouse hasn’t been used by a company for a decade.”

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“That doesn’t mean it isn’t still owned by someone.”

“All those warehouses are full of debris. Teenagers have been playing in them for years.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Are you a detective or not? Why would there be something of value in the warehouses?”

“Well, that’s because…” Det. Baker’s eyes went glassy again and Adam widened his connection, which cleared them slightly.

“How do you even know it was me?”

“…cameras.” Det. Baker answered, shaking his head to try and clear it.

“Those warehouses have no cameras.”

“The body cams on the police you attacked,” he answered with a bit of hesitation.

“Those body cams identified me and showed me doing all those things, including stealing the crystal?”

“Well, probably not all those things,” Baker frowned at the folder while trying to concentrate. His eyes kept fogging and then clearing in turn. Adam widened the connection further and sent in a sense of trust in Adam, similar to what he felt from his group’s connections.

“You’ve seen this camera footage?” Adam pushed.

“No, but it should be written in this report.” Det. Baker’s conflicting thoughts were clearly showing now. Adam was getting close.

“Can I see the camera footage? If you have irrefutable evidence, I might be willing to plead.”

“Yeah,” the detective answered with confusion. “Yeah, I’ll go try to get it.” He stood, a bit in a daze, and walked out of the room, leaving the doorway cracked open. Adam was glad to see the glassy eyes had not returned. He suspected his influence was countering it enough now.

Quickly pulling out his phone, he sent a text to Ed. “Need links to only the footage of me getting tased and shot by the cops. Don’t include the fight.”

In just a few minutes a link came back. Adam checked it just to make sure. The drone’s camera was unable to show everything clearly, but it was enough with the sounds to know what happened. He sent off a few group texts to reassure everyone and was a bit surprised to find out they were inside the station making a stink for him. He smiled at that.

A few minutes later Det. Baker came back in. He had left frowning but now he was scowling.

“No footage?” Adam asked, startling Baker, as if he forgot Adam was there.

“What? No. They said there was a server glitch after it was uploaded.”

“Can’t they just upload it again from the cams?”

“They said the cameras were wiped, which is not standard procedure,” Det. Baker answered honestly.

“Are you a detective or not?” Adam asked seriously.

“Yeah, this smells damn rotten. But I was so sure of your guilt. Not just that these crimes were committed but that it was you committing them. I’m having trouble getting any details on any of them though. When I look at them without emotion, I can’t see a court condemning you without significantly more evidence and details than is listed.” There seemed to be a conflict within the detective that was causing him to share more than he intended. Adam’s connection was having a strong influence without controlling the man.

“Who even pointed you in my direction? It was only last night that it happened.”

“It was…uh…wait, I’m not sure,” Det. Baker was sweating with effort as he tried to remember something. “I remember the briefing and how angry I felt afterwards. Everyone felt furious at you, which is odd. We aren’t supposed to react like that. They also had several very clear images of you. What I remember most though is that the person delivering it was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” His eyes started to get glassy again.

Adam used that moment to delve through the connection and into the area of Baker where the memories were kept. He saw one shining brighter than the others and headed for it. Oddly, it had a gray line wrapped around it that ran off into several other memories. Adam touched the shining memory and…

The captain entered the briefing room. Everyone was in here. Computer screens that should have shown charges and write ups about the case were blank. Confusion reigned as this type of response was only used for the worst crimes, which had never been needed at this station. Everyone was muttering and no one knew what was happening.

A solemn expression was etched into the captain’s face. It was so disturbed that it felt like he would never be able to smile again.

“A heinous crime has been perpetrated. We are to put all our resources into finding the man who committed it. This will be a top-level man hunt.” He paused for effect and looked around the room, conveying the seriousness. “Here to give the briefing is miss…” Static buzzed in the detective’s brain and the name failed to register. All that was unnecessary though as the door opened and the most beautiful…grotesque…woman he had ever seen walked in the door.

The memory snapped and Adam found himself forced back into his own mind. Det. Baker was holding his head, clearly in pain, holding himself up with a hand pressing on the table. Adam sent some peace and reassurance through the still active connection and watched as it seemed to help reduce whatever had happened in that memory.

“That was weird,” said Det. Baker. “I was thinking about the woman and then everything felt wrong. Now I can’t remember any of the briefing. My anger at you is gone too.”

“Glad to hear that last part. Would you like to see what really happened last night?” Adam asked.

“You have video of it?” Surprise streaked across Baker’s face.

“Yes. My group has recorded all our activities recently.”

“Criminal?” Det. Baker asked him suspiciously.

“Not that I’m aware, and if they are, then they probably won’t be much longer.”

“What do you mean by that?” questioned Det. Baker until he saw Adam raise his cell phone to him. “Weren’t you handcuffed?”

“Was I?” Adam shrugged.

“Don’t be a smart ass…” Det. Baker started but then stopped as he watched what was playing on the phone. Looks of surprise, then horror, then disgust flashed through him. He replayed the video three times.

“This can’t be you,” he said.

“It is,” responded Adam.

“But you got shot in the neck! This person would never have survived!” Adam pulled down the neck of his hoody and turned, showing the scar in the same places the video showed what happened. “That’s not possible!” he shouted at Adam.

“Detective Baker. What is and is not possible has changed. All that blue on me was from goblin invaders that the [System] brought. I was healed by my group. That warehouse we were in was the goblins base and we spent the day eradicating them. Protecting people. The woman who gave you my picture was also an invader, but one that can manipulate the mind.”

“Goblins? Like Lord of the Rings?” Det. Baker slumped over with his hand to his head. He was having trouble accepting it all.

“Sure, like Lord of the Rings. Here,” Adam reached to his phone and brought up the web site Ed set up with their videos. He played a few. Det. Baker was stunned as we watched fight after fight from the group, and then Adam turned on the videos of himself fighting.

“This has to be special effects,” Det. Baker moaned desperately.

“I can go lift a car for you if it would help you accept it. As far as I’ve seen on the internet, my group contains the only people in the world who have gone above level zero.”

“W-what about you? You were so much stronger than them in those videos. What level are you and why don’t you have a tag?”

“I don’t know if I have a level or class. I didn’t get a class from the system because my soul was full. No class means no tag, apparently.”

“Those fights you showed were brutal. How would a level zero fare?”

“Poorly,” answered Adam. “I’m not sure how we are supposed to get stronger when they can start so much higher than us. The goblins started at level 4 and the chief was 25. The jump would have been impossible for even my group if I hadn’t been there.”

Despair seemed to hit the detective. “How are we going to survive, or even continue with our jobs? To protect and serve has no meaning without the ability to enforce it,” Det. Baker said morosely.

“The world is being invaded. We took out the weakest group in the area. Those goblins weren’t meant to be difficult. Before the stronger races show I think we are going to have a lot of casualties. This is a game, and we have no advantage.”

“Then we’re doomed?” The depression was palpable.

“At least not in the short term. My group and I can handle things for now if we are kept in the loop. I think, for a while at least, you’ll need us when faced with invaders. Let the police stick to human work.”

“Why not just come work for us? Maybe train us or help us level?”

“No. I’m not going to work for an organization that will endanger us by forcing rules onto us that don’t apply within the [System].” Adam paused for a moment and then looked down at his phone, then back at Det. Baker’s eyes. “It seems you are about to get your first chance to need us.”

“What do you mean?” Det. Baker asked with confusion.

Not a moment went by before the door was hastily opened and another man, this time in a uniform, stuck his head in.

“Baker, we’re in trouble. Five officers down, a city block on fire, ambulance overturned, and hostages taken,” the officer hurriedly said. “Chief called for anyone not already in the field.”

Det. Baker kept his eyes on Adam’s. “What are we dealing with, Shultz?”

The office coughed with embarrassment and then whispered, “Elves.”