Artex was eating an early lunch with Luna and Vaiawa in Vaiawa's room when Harrison knocked on his door. "Mister Emissary, there's someone at the portal demanding to see you. They said it was urgent."
Artex set down his grilled cheese sandwich and stood up, "I'll be right back, ladies."
"Did you want us to come with you?" Vaiawa asked.
Artex considered, "They said it was urgent... yeah, that might be good." The two females joined him and together they all hustled down to the portal. Their security teams followed, keeping pace easily.
Chris and Captain Joyner were standing on the far side of the portal waiting. Captain Joyner had bandages around his swollen cheek and had a black eye. There were more than twenty Marines gathered around the portal and Colonel Holiday was there too. Artex jogged up quickly, "What happened to you, Mike?" he asked.
Mike Joyner had delivered bad news before, but this one he dreaded more than any other before, "I'm afraid it's bad news, Dan. Why don't you sit down?"
Artex felt fear grip him as he lowered himself to the floor. "Mike," he said, uncertainty coloring his tone of voice, "What happened?" Behind him, Luna and Vaiawa also sat down.
The Captain mustered his courage and spoke as slowly and evenly as he could, "There was an attack today. We're interrogating some of the perpetrators right now, but here is what we know: Feather Tip has been murdered. Oriana and Danielle have been shot, thankfully they're expected to recover. Cloud Cutter saved them both and sustained a back injury in the process."
Artex was already pale by this point and it only made Mike feel worse, "Razor Wit is missing. We found her tracks and followed them until they stopped, and we found Human boot prints next to where she fell. We think she might have been tranquilized; there was no blood. As for Rose..."
Mike swallowed hard, "She ordered everyone to run, and she... she drew their fire..." Mike had to blink back tears, "We found... remains... from her in the field, a-a-and from the people we captured, we know she killed two of them before... she died..." Mike stopped, wiping his eyes and nose, "I'm so sorry, man..." Vaiawa gasped loudly while Luna growled in her throat.
Artex felt numb. His head and gaze sagged down, 'Rose?' he could feel his heartbeat speeding up, 'My Rosey is... gone? And Tip too?'
His head snapped up, "Who... who would do this? And why?" he asked, his voice a whisper. He tried to blink away his blurry vision, but failed.
Chris answered this time, "The perpetrators we caught haven't said much aside from letting slip Rose's... condition. We think they've been mind controlled to keep the rest of their information a secret. Princess Celestia sent a pair of Rectifiers to try to reverse whatever's been done to their captive minds." Chris took a breath, his eyes venturing to Luna briefly before settling back on his brother in-law, "We're going to find out where Razor is, and we're going to get her back - I don't care what I have to do."
"Did they have names on their uniforms?" Colonel Holiday asked suddenly, "We might be able to track their names and see where they were stationed; I have a sneaking suspicion I know who is behind this..."
Mike shook his head, "No, they weren't carrying anything to identify them."
"It's Hiriboshi," Luna blurted, "as he is the only one with access to any sort of technology which could allow Humans to freely access Equestria; it would not be the first time he did something like this, either."
Colonel Holiday sighed and turned to Luna. "We can't just jump to conclusions. While it does look likely, we can't just automatically assume it was him." He glanced back to Captain Joyner, "Please let me know if and when you discover their names. I need to inform President Seviston. With the President of China dead and a vacuum of power in place - with Hiriboshi named as a possible successor - it may be that these events are connected. If so... that could be extremely bad."
Colonel Holiday began to walk away but then stopped, "Keep yourselves available, but go be with your loved ones; we'll be in contact as soon as we know something." He then turned and left.
Artex clenched his teeth, "I'm getting my bag and I'll be right back." He wiped his eyes, but the tears were still there. Something else had sparked behind his eyes though, a quiet rage began to smolder in his soul. He was not going to just stand around and let events play out.
* * *
Danielle groaned as she slowly came down from the anesthesia. She cracked her eyes open then clenched them shut again from the bright lights. She saw a shadow descend over her eyes and she opened them again, just a little, "Baby?" She murmured.
Artex kept his left hand hovering over her face and gently slipped her left hand into his right, "Hi honey," he whispered, "How do you feel?"
"Like I got shot," she replied sardonically, "Like shit. I hate coming out of anesthesia," she said in a whiny tone.
Artex gave her a slight smile, "I know - it always makes you sick. I already told them to hook you up with a bag of saline."
"How is Oriana?" Danielle asked.
Artex' smile widened slightly at hearing her concern for the Zebra mare, "She's still sleeping too, honey. You saved her life, Danielley; I'm proud of you."
"What about the others?" she asked, yawning.
"Cloud Cutter is still in surgery; he had some back injuries, but they said he should make a full recovery," Artex elaborated. He fervently hoped that she was still too doped up to ask about Razor, Rose, or Tip.
"That's good... Razor?" Artex' hopes were dashed.
He took a breath to calm his nerves before answering, "She's missing. They're still searching for her, but... they think she might have been taken."
Even in her state, Danielle almost sat upright; Artex had to hold her in place. He was careful about it though, as he was orders of magnitude stronger than he used to be. Danielle was visibly distressed, "They have to find her! Your baby!"
Artex bit his lip to keep calm. He took deep breaths as he answered, "Not 'they'..." he said firmly, "...ME."
He took a few more breaths but it failed to calm him, "Get some sleep, sweetheart."
* * *
Cessily Richardson sat in the observation booth with Captain Joyner, Darryl Hord, and Eduardo as one Rectifier explained what she had found and the other one observed, "The spellwork was very basic, obviously amateur work, but it had a tremendous amount of power behind it. Thankfully it was simple, if exhausting, to unravel. He has his own mind back now, but that is no guarantee he'll be cooperative. I will need to rest at least until tomorrow before I try again on another one."
"Is he responsible for his actions?" Darryl asked sharply, "For the deaths of our people today?"
"That is not clear. The spell forced obedience to the one who cast it; if he was ordered to attack, he would have no choice - if he was not ordered to attack, then the responsibility would be his," The Rectifier explained, "And I did not delve into his memories. Unless and until there has been established culpability for his actions, I can do nothing more."
"You may go, Rectifiers, we appreciate your services, and we'll see you tomorrow. Though, you're still bound to administer the memories of victims to the perpetrators of murders, correct?" Captain Joyner asked.
Both Rectifiers nodded and one replied, "Indeed it would be our duty to do so. If there is nothing else, we will adjourn for the evening." The Captain waved them off politely.
The Rectifiers left the room and closed the door behind them. Eduardo gazed into the interrogation room solemnly, "You want me to ask him some questions? Or did you want to do it yourself?" he asked.
The Captain crossed his arms and sighed, "I'll try talking to him first."
"Act like you want his side of the story, and tell him what he's accused of. If he doesn't talk," Darryl shrugged, "I can try some more, uh... shall we say, 'advanced techniques'?"
Joyner shot Darryl a firm look, "We are not torturing him." He looked at Cessily and smirked, "If he refuses to talk," he gestured to the man sitting at the table on the other side of the glass, "Do you think you can extract the information from him?"
"Oh he's gonna tell us whether he wants to or not; I'm just waiting for you to give me the 'go ahead'. I can monitor him for lies too, if he decides to talk." Cessily gave a Cheshire cat's grin.
A loud knock on the door startled everyone in the observation room. Darryl walked over and opened it, "Oh, hey Luna."
Captain Joyner rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I'm glad the Officers like and respect you so much Luna, but this is a restricted area. I'm not going to kick you out right now, but I'm letting you know that I will if I deem it necessary."
Luna looked concerned, "Not a very warm reception, Captain Joyner."
"I'm not in a very warm mood at the moment," he shot back coolly, "Four of our Officers died today. Rose was the first, but we lost three more trying to apprehend these guys and several more were wounded, some quite seriously. These guys are guilty of at least three counts of first degree murder and five instances of assault with deadly weapons... and we're no closer to finding out where Razor Wit is."
"I would like to observe, if that is alright. Colonel Holiday has asked for the names of the captured soldiers. I believe he wants to help." Luna replied.
"Well then, listen when he talks," Darryl said, "because if nothing else, soldiers trained in the United States are instructed to provide their name, rank, and serial number. We already know this guy is American; if the Colonel gets that, he'll be able to find out almost anything he wants to."
"Eduardo," Captain Joyner addressed the man, "I want you and Darryl both to write down everything he says. Cessily, monitor him for lies. Luna, don't interfere. Everybody clear?" he asked with authority. Four people gave their assent, and Mike headed in to meet the perpetrator.
He walked in and closed the door behind himself. Pulling out one of the two chairs on the opposite side of the table, he sat down and stared at the man across from him. He was a middle aged caucasian man, with short cropped light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He stared back at Mike evenly, not saying a word. This man had been the mouthy one who'd ordered the others to open fire.
Without any preamble, the Captain began, "Let's establish a few things here. Number one is that I don't lie. I was not lying when I said I was the Captain of the local policing force, and as you saw, we are more than capable of dealing with threats to our citizens. Number two is that you are not only suspected of the murders I'd mentioned before, but for the murders of three others and the wounding of several more. Number three is that you are a member of a military force which has conducted clandestine operations on foreign soil... operations which have left a number of our citizens dead, in a country which has no extradition laws in place with the country you represent. And finally, number four: there are grieving families who are demanding justice for their murdered loved ones. Do you have anything to say on your behalf?"
The man stayed silent for half a second then said, "Anderson, Jeffrey. Sergeant. 237-548-9903."
Captain Joyner neither smiled nor frowned, "Alright, Mister Anderson... let's work from here."
* * *
Artex slid open the window of the hospital room and pulled himself inside quietly. It was only too easy to tell which room held the wounded soldier, from the two C.W.G. Officers standing in front of the door. He knew he would not be allowed to see the prisoner, but he had other means. Those other means consisted of using his fingers, now impossibly strong for a Human and easily able to hold and lift his body weight, to inch his way from Danielle's hospital room window to that of the prisoner. Before he left Danielle's room, he'd secured several pairs of medical gloves and stuffed them in his pockets, except for one pair which he'd put on before he even left.
The room was dimly lit and the prisoner appeared to be asleep. Artex grinned maliciously, 'He won't be for looooong...' He crept forward stealthily and looked over the man; Hispanic descent, with black hair. He was strapped down hand and foot. He wasn't going anywhere.
Artex placed an impossibly strong hand over the man's mouth, but left his nose uncovered. The man woke up immediately and began thrashing and trying to cry out. Artex placed his other hand over the man's nose and spoke quietly but harshly, "Listen up, you shithead. Do you speak English?" The man frantically nodded and Artex continued, "Good... now, I can smother you here and now and nobody would ever know what happened... or I can let go of your nose, and you can breathe and stay very quiet. Are you going to stay quiet?"
The man frantically nodded again and Artex released his nose. The man breathed heavily, eyes wide with fear as Artex continued relaying instructions, "Excellent. Now, I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer them. You will not speak in any volume above a whisper, or else I will silence you permanently. Oh, and don't think of biting my hand either because if you do, I will start breaking things - things you will regret me breaking. Do I make myself clear? Blink once for yes, and twice for no."
The man blinked once. Artex slowly lifted his hand from the man's mouth, and he stayed silent. Artex smiled a humorless smile and patted the man's forehead, "See? Isn't this easy? Now, where is the pregnant Unicorn?"
"I can't say," the man whispered.
Artex' eyebrows knitted together and his eyes narrowed. He sighed, "See now, I thought we were off to a good start... now, I'm not so sure. Care to explain?"
The man's expression shifted to one of fear, "You do not understand. I literally cannot say anything," he whispered emphatically, "I am unable to."
"Explain," Artex ordered.
The man started to become visibly upset, "I cannot!" he whispered harshly, "really, I cannot!'
"What can you tell me?" Artex demanded in a soft hiss, forced from between clenched teeth.
"Nothing about what you want; I cannot even say whether or not we were even there!" The man was obviously distraught, "Please... help me..."
Artex rolled his eyes, "You made your bed," he clamped his hand back over the man's mouth, "... and now you're going to lie in it."
He moved close, his mouth inches from the man's ear, "Two women I love have been shot. One woman I love and a family friend have been murdered. My pregnant wife is missing. You have seen enough of my face to identify me, and you don't have any information for me. Your usefulness... is at an end." Artex clamped his hand over the man's nose and used pressure to keep his jaw closed, "If you happen to survive and identify me to ANYONE, I will come back and finish you off. You can feel that I am more than capable and willing to do it. I'm worlds stronger than you, and I will take it slow." He kept his hands over the man's nose and mouth as he thrashed and tried to scream. He kept his hands there until the man went completely still. Artex was not worried, 'The brain should start him breathing again once I let go. If not... oh well.'
The deed done, Artex exited the room through the window, closing it behind himself and never checking to see if the man started breathing again.