Dr. Cooper fell quiet for several seconds, a first in the interrogation. He looked from his computer screen to her. “That's the truth.”
She'd been watching him, as if she wanted to know the same thing. To know whether she really meant that. “Yes,” Kira said, trusting that certainty she felt. “It is.”
“Are you aware that the partnership between the Followers and the United has resulted in multiple civilian casualties?”
“No.” That was terrible, but not surprising. Her mom made a mistake bringing innocent people into this war.
“The Followers are already hiding despite being given an option to register with the state and meet legally. The Phaedra cannot allow hidden churches in Ciondo to operate as sleeper cells and attack us from within. Do you see that strategically, he cannot turn a blind eye to that?”
Bitterly, Kira said, “Yes.” Only because the United infiltrated the Followers, and Kira knew no government would overlook that.
“Then you should realize the longer the partnership continues, the more people will die. It'll save lives to end it now.”
Their propaganda made the back of her tongue taste bad. They twisted the truth into monstrous lies that almost looked human. The Phaedra would kill every Follower he found.
“Do you want to help end the partnership?” Dr. Cooper asked.
Kira didn't have to consider the answer to the question. “Yes. I'm a pacifist. War leads to war.” That did not place her on the same level as the Phaedra. Not at all. She wanted to end it peacefully.
“Good. There's a place for us to start. A common goal.” His eyes returned to his computer. “What else are you afraid to tell me?”
Kira attempted to throw out the least damaging answers, but Dr. Cooper didn't seem satisfied. With how hard her heart beat, she likely gave herself away. She needed to calm down.
“Have you ever taken part in something that you needed to keep a secret?” he asked.
When Kira didn't answer, his voice hardened.
“Yes or no.”
Panic kills.
Her calm kept unraveling. He pushed, and pushed, and pushed. Why did she think she could stand up to an interrogation like this? Trained soldiers faltered in the same circumstances. Maybe she needed to accept death and not fight it. Not run from it.
That wasn't the answer.
“Yes.” Kira couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak if she couldn't breathe. Couldn't slow her heart.
“Explain.”
She wanted to go home. She didn't want to be here. She—
The door to the interrogation room burst open, and Zayne strode in. “I ordered her to keep a secret.”
Electricity hit her, enough to stop her heart.
She and the doctor both stared at Zayne.
“You can't interrupt,” Dr. Cooper said.
Zayne appeared entirely calm, as if he'd planned all along to stop their interrogation. “You're at a standstill because she won't defy my orders.”
Dr. Cooper ripped his glasses off and walked closer to Zayne. “What's wrong with you? I don't care if you have empire-shattering information. Stay in the other room.”
“My most sincere apologies, doctor.” Though his lips remained straight, his voice sounded like a sneer. “Ms. Stiles, I'll allow you to speak.”
Breathing harder now, her interrogator wheeled around toward her. “What secret did he tell you?” Then a harsh look at Zayne. “And you keep your mouth shut.”
“He told me…” Understanding dawned over her. “He told me about the forbidden and the girl.”
