[Lauchenoiria]

(Joint post with [nation]Xiomera[/nation])

Adelina Sasaki scanned her badge and entered a security code into the lock on Cētlalhui's cell. The warning chime sounded as the door slid open. She stepped inside, and sat down opposite the prisoner. She opened a notepad and took out a pen, then looked up at Cētlalhui.

"I have been informed you speak English. Is this correct?" She asked, her face expressionless and her tone neutral.

Cētlalhui looked at his interrogator with confusion evident on his face. "That's right....but who are you exactly? I haven't even had the honor of speaking with anyone from ASI yet...or a doctor, for that matter," he added sarcastically, waving his hand towards his badly bruised face. "But a foreigner is asking me questions? How curious."

"My nationality is not important. You are Cētlalhui, former Secretary of Justice, is that correct?" Adelina said, making a note.

"I suspect you already know who I am. Your new bosses must've told you that before you were sent in here. I was a former Justice Secretary, yes, so I am somewhat familiar with this sort of process," Cētlalhui retorted. "But who you are is important - I wouldn't think that the government would want to let foreigners see just how massively Tepilcayotl failed with security, letting me get close enough to shoot an Emperor, after all." Cētlalhui sighed, giving a slight smirk. "They must be quite desperate to resort to such measures."

"So you admit to shooting the Emperor?" Adelina asked, ignoring the queries about her identity.

"Should I deny it?" Cētlalhui laughed, his laughter taking a slightly manic tone. "Half of Tlālacuetztla saw it in person. Everyone else has seen it on TV, no doubt. Why bother with futile denials? You all know I did it. But you assume I would want to hide from it. You're wrong. I was proud to shoot him."

"Why did you shoot the Emperor?" Adelina asked, making more notes.

"Why? You really can't be Xiomeran, to even ask that," Cētlalhui said, his voice jumping from amused to angry in a heartbeat. "The Emperor is the pinnacle of this system that uses people up and throws them away. You shouldn't be so eager to help them, whoever you are. They'll do the same to you," he laughed. "They throw all of us away, in the end."

"You are angry, I see. A common reason why someone may make an unwise decision. Yet you show no regrets. I have interviewed many terrorists who show similar emotions," she said, nothing something down. "Are you a member of any political organisations, legal or otherwise?"

"I am not a terrorist....I am an aggrieved citizen whose government took everything away from him, despite his loyalty and devotion and hard work. Because I made one mistake. You ask what organizations I was in? I was in the Patriotic Youth Corps as a kid. I was a member of the GCL, like every good and loyal citizen. What good did that do me? I'm still sitting here, answering silly questions, and probably going to die." Cētlalhui's expression grew sullen. "Is there a point to this questioning?"

"I would not call attempting to assassinate your Emperor the action of a 'good and loyal citizen', Cētlalhui. The point of this questioning is to ascertain your motivations for this crime and to establish your actions in the lead-up to your attack. What did you do on the day before you shot the Emperor?"

"I was a good and loyal citizen, you foreigner gasbag, before they fired me and left me with nothing," Cētlalhui snapped. "Topilpopoca drove me to this by mistreating me. He deserved what happened to him. You want to know what I did the day before? I sat at the home I was about to lose, doing nothing, as I've done every day since he fired me. I ate breakfast. Maybe dinner. I took a crap. Does any of that help you?" Cētlalhui said, his voice cracking.

"Insulting me will not help you. When did you make the decision to shoot the Emperor?”

"Weeks ago. I was just waiting for the right time. When I heard he would be at the plaza giving a speech about his meeting on Manauia Island, I knew that would be the best opportunity to get close to him where security might have a gap. The bastard never could resist public speeches," Cētlalhui said. "I was right, too. Is he dead yet?"

"Emperor Topilpopoca is going to make a full recovery. You failed," she said, looking up and studying his reaction.

Cētlalhui's expression sank, then grew angry again. "That can't be true. I shot him three times. He's older than dirt. You're lying," he shouted.

"There is no reason to raise your voice. I am not lying to you, but believe as you wish, I really don't care. Did you work alone?"

"What? Yes, I did. I don't have anyone, anymore. Palma left me, took our son...." Cētlalhui's voice trailed off. "Topilpopoca can't still be alive....it can't be all for nothing...."

"Did your wife or anyone else have any knowledge of your plans?" She asked, staring impassively, showing no regard for his emotions. She found them interesting, but had no empathy for him whatever, and not even her interest showed on her face.

"No, she didn't. Didn't you hear me? She left me. She doesn't even talk to me anymore. Do wives throw away their husbands if they fail so readily where you're from as they do here?" Cētlalhui replied bitterly, his voice cracking again. "And who else would know? Literally everyone abandoned me after Topilpopoca fired me. So-called friends, family, everyone...."

Adelina couldn't help but chuckle a little at the comment about wives throwing away their husbands. To a Kerlian, marriage was both rather uncommon, and often thrown away. The amusement was the first emotion she had shown all night.

"What is your opinion of One Huenya?" She asked after she had finished chuckling.

"I am so glad the utter collapse of my life is amusing to you," Cētlalhui said bitterly. "One Huenya? I used to think they were terrorists, radicals, anti-Xiomeran. Now I wonder if they don't have the right idea."

"Have you ever had any contact with any individuals from One Huenya?"

"Oh please. I was Secretary of Justice. One of the people responsible for putting them in jail. Do you think they would have anything to do with me even if I had wanted to join them? You're not very good at this," Cētlalhui said irritably.

"What did you believe would happen after you shot the Emperor? Did you plan to escape?" She asked, making a note. Though she did not address his comment on her competency, she vowed internally to punish him for it later.

"I knew I wouldn't escape. I didn't even plan to try. You don't get it. I wanted to be caught. I am going to be a martyr for the cause of bringing down this rotten country. I want a trial. No one will be able to deny the truth of what I say then," Cētlalhui said, his eyes alight with the notion.

"Good to know," she said, noting something final down. "That concludes my preliminary questions, unless you wish to make any further statements at this time?"

"Just this. I know Nopalliztli and Tepilcayotl and the rest of the craven Council will see what you write about me. I give them the same warning I gave you: Xiomera is a rabid beast that eats its own. Their time will all come. Whether it's being backstabbed like I was, or something like One Huenya....they will all be sitting where I am right now. And so will you," Cētlalhui said with finality. "I wonder if you all will think about what you did to me then."

"That will conclude my preliminary interview. I will be back tomorrow, Cētlalhui, and if I was you, I would not look forward to it. Pleasant dreams," she said, standing up and signalling to the guard she wished to leave.

Upon leaving the cell, Adelina spotted her colleague Valerie Sharpe waiting for her.

"How did it go?" Valerie asked. She was more emotional than Adelina but not in the same way as Mariya. She could feel empathy when necessary, but had the ability to convince herself that whatever she was ordered to do was right. She had a son back in Kerlile who lived with her sister, a rarity for a RR employee - the vast majority were childless.

"He was quite talkative. Admits what he did. I have some interesting notes on his responses and what they show about his psychology. It will go together with what we have already. It should be easy to put together an interrogation regime. I anticipate we will be finished with this quickly," Adelina responded.

"Excellent, so we're off to a good start then, ma'am?" Valerie smiled.

"Indeed we are. Now, go fetch me a Xiomeran who can do something about the temperature in that cell. It's time we made him a little uncomfortable."

"Yes, ma'am," Valerie nodded and hurried off as Adelina went through her notes, her face still expressionless.

Back in his cell, Cētlalhui sat silently. He had no idea still who had just questioned him. He also had no idea why he had told her as much as he did. Perhaps, it was because it just didn't matter anymore.

He had planned to shoot himself after shooting as many members of the Council as he could. Xochiqui had foiled that plan. Cētlalhui knew he had a very unpleasant experience awaiting him - he just hadn't expected the government to seek foreign help to deliver it.

But, he mused again, it hardly mattered now. Topilpopoca was alive, and Cētlalhui himself would probably soon be dead. Or just wishing he was.