Last Sanctuary

Chapter 2: The Interrogation

The office is sparse. A metal desk. Two chairs. A computer terminal. Maps on the walls. No windows. No warmth. The ceiling light flickers.

Kael sits across from me. The scar on his face catches the light. It's old. Professionally stitched. Someone knew what they were doing. He rests his hands flat on the desk. Calm. Controlled.

He doesn't speak. He watches. He's waiting for me to c***k.

I don't.

"You're not a mechanic," he says finally.

"I am."

"You're twenty-two. The records say you trained at Outpost Nine for three years. But Outpost Nine didn't have a mechanic training program. It had a water reclamation facility and a militia. They barely kept the lights on."

I keep my mouth shut.

"The forgery is good. Professional level. Council-grade paper stock. But the data is hollow." He leans forward. "Someone set you up. Gave you a pass but didn't give you a backstory that held up under scrutiny."

"The paper works. That's all I needed."

"To get inside. But now you're inside. And you're sitting in front of me." He tilts his head. "So let's try again. Who are you?"

"Nova."

"Last name."

"Vance."

Something flickers in his eyes. Just for a second. Then it's gone. He's good. But I saw it.

"Vance," he repeats. "Like Dr. Elias Vance."

I don't react. I can't.

"Is that a coincidence?" he asks.

"Is it?"

He stands. Walks to the wall. Studies the maps. His back is to me. I could reach for a weapon. There's a paperweight on his desk. A letter opener. But the guards are outside. I'd never make it.

"Dr. Vance was one of the architects of this facility," he says. "He designed the filtration systems. The hydroponics. The medical protocols. Without him, Sanctuary wouldn't exist." He turns. "He also disappeared seven years ago. Right before the bombs fell."

"I don't know anything about that."

"Your name is Vance. You infiltrated a classified bunker with forged credentials. You went straight to Level 2. Straight to the restricted wing. Past three corridors you shouldn't have known existed." He walks back to the desk. Sits down. "You're looking for him."

I say nothing.

"Here's what I know." He ticks off fingers. "You're smart. Your forgery was nearly perfect. The lock bypass you built is impressive. You evaded patrols for almost an hour before we caught you. That takes training. That takes preparation."

He pauses.

"But you're not military. Your movements are too economical. No wasted motion. No nerves. But you don't have the stance. You don't have the eyes of someone who's been trained to kill. You've been in survival mode a long time. That's different."

"I grew up on the surface. That teaches you."

"It does." He nods. "It also teaches you when you're beaten."

He waits.

I wait.

The silence stretches. The flickering light hums.

"This can go two ways," he says finally. "I can have you processed as a spy. That means detention. Interrogation. Eventually, a disposal order. The Council doesn't tolerate infiltration. They'll want to know everything you know. And they have methods."

"And the second way?"

"You tell me the truth. I decide what to do with it."

I look at him. Really look. The scar. The gray eyes. The way his hands rest so still. Calm. Controlled.

He's not a thug. He's not a brute. He's something else. Something more dangerous.

"Why would you help me?" I ask.

"I didn't say I would help you. I said I'd decide."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one you're getting."

I weigh my options. I have none. He's right. I'm beaten. The skeleton key is on his desk. My forgery is in his hands. I have nothing left to bargain with.

"Dr. Elias Vance is my father," I say.

Kael's face doesn't change. But his hands tighten. Just barely. A microscopic clench of his fingers.

"Your father vanished seven years ago."

"I know."

"Everyone believed he was dead."

"I know that too."

"Then why are you here?"

I take a breath. "I received a message. Six months ago. A runner brought it. He was dying. Radiation poisoning. He handed me a note and collapsed."

"What did it say?"

"Three words. 'I'm alive. Sanctuary. Find me.'"

Kael leans back. Runs a hand over his jaw. The scar pulls tight. "And you believed it?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"I'd want proof."

"The runner had Sanctuary markings on his gear. Official patches. The kind they only issue to Council couriers. And the handwriting was my father's. I'd recognize it anywhere."

"Show me."

I reach into my pocket. Slowly. His eyes track my hand. I pull out the note, folded and worn. Pass it across the desk.

He reads it. Reads it again.

"This could be forged."

"It could be. But it's not."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because he wrote it in code. A code we used when I was a child. Simple substitution. He taught it to me when I was six." I tap the paper. "The first letter of each word spells a name. Mine."

Kael looks closer. His lips move silently.

"Nova," he says.

"Yes."

He sets the note down. His eyes meet mine.

"You're either the best liar I've ever met," he says, "or the most desperate person to walk through my gate."

"Both. Probably both."

He almost smiles. Almost.

"Your father was a great man," he says. "He saved lives. Millions of them. The sterilization protocols. The vaccine research. Without him, the aftermath would have been worse than it already was."

"I know what he did."

"Do you know what happened to him?"

"No. That's why I'm here."

Kael stands again. Paces to the door. Stops with his hand on the handle. His back is to me.

"The official story is that he died in a surface laboratory. Radiation exposure from a containment breach. His body was never recovered because the site was too hot to approach."

"And the unofficial story?"

He turns. His eyes are hard. Cold. "There is no unofficial story. There's what the Council tells you, and there's the truth. The truth is buried somewhere in this facility. I don't know where. But I know it's there."

"But you suspect."

"I suspect a lot of things." He walks back to the desk. "Dr. Vance was working on something before he disappeared. A project. The Council classified it. Sealed all records. Anyone who asked questions was transferred to surface outposts."

"Transferred."

"Exiled. Sent to die. Same thing."

My chest tightens. "Do you know what the project was?"

"No. But I know where the records might be."

"Where?"

He holds up a hand. "Slow down. I'm not giving you anything yet."

"Then what are you giving me?"

"A job." He sits. "I'm assigning you to Engineering. You'll work under Chen. He's the chief engineer. He's also my eyes and ears down there."

"Surveillance."

"Protection. If you're in Engineering, you have a reason to be on Level 2. You can move around without drawing attention. You have access to the maintenance shafts. The ventilation system. The service corridors." He leans forward. "But you report to me. Everything you find. Everyone you talk to. You tell me first."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I throw you in detention. Process you as a spy. And you never see the outside of a cell again."

I hold his gaze. He's serious. But there's something else in his eyes. Curiosity. Maybe even hope. A man who's been waiting for someone like me.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to know the truth too." He says it quietly. Almost a whisper. "I've been Commander of this facility for five years. I've watched people disappear. I've watched the Council lock doors and burn files. I've asked questions and been told to stop."

"And you stopped?"

"I pretended to." He leans back. "But I never stopped looking."

I believe him. I don't know why. Maybe because I have no other choice. Maybe because I see the same hunger in his eyes that I feel in my chest.

"Engineering," I say. "I report to Chen. I report to you. I find what I can."

"Agreed."

"One condition."

His eyes narrow. "You're not in a position to bargain."

"If I find my father, I get him out. Whatever it takes. You don't stop me."

Kael is silent for a long moment. The flickering light casts shadows across his scarred face. Then he nods.

"If you find Dr. Vance alive, I'll help you get him out."

"Promise."

"On my life."

I extend my hand. He takes it. His grip is firm. Warm. A soldier's handshake.

"Welcome to Sanctuary, Nova Vance. Try not to get killed."

He opens the door. The guards step back.

"Escort her to Engineering. Bunk transfer to Block B. Level 2 authorization, technician clearance."

The guards nod. They don't question it. He's the Commander. His word is law.

I walk past Kael. At the door, I stop.

"Commander."

"Yes?"

"The people in that room. The ones on the tables. What are they?"

Kael's face goes still. His jaw tightens.

"I don't know," he says. "And that's the worst part."

I leave.

The guards lead me down the hall. My mind races. I'm in. I have a cover. I have an ally. But the image stays with me. Three bodies. Strapped down. Tubes in their arms. Machines beeping.

My father designed this place. What else did he design? What else is hidden in these walls?

The doors close behind me. Level 2 stretches ahead. Long corridors. Dim lights. Hidden rooms.

Somewhere in these walls, my father is waiting.

Somewhere in these walls, something terrible is happening.

I'm going to find both.