"what exactly is the strategic value of keeping the Second Lieutenant and I in the dark?"
"Iron Squad and it's leader are no longer as trusted as they once were." Chen replied, his tone was blunt, but official. "The stakes are higher than ever, and we can no longer guarantee that you won't place personal loyalties, and grudges, over the importance of the mission. Should you make a judgement call based on those loyalties that could lead to you being captured, anything that you had been told could be passed to occupying forces, compromising us all. Until I conclude that your head is in the game, all you need to know is that Verner's life is now more important than any other soul down here. If we fail in protecting him, the consequences will be severe, and felt far beyond to confines of this facility."
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"some of your troops do scare me a little."
The Commander frowned a little, looking more disappointed than irritated.
"Many of us have spent the majority of our lives, or at least the last few years, fighting, running, and hiding. It has hardened us, and now for the first time, we have properly struck back. Some individuals getting carried away is unfortunate, and unavoidable. Still, General Hammond is always insistent that we treat collaborators with respect. You need only come to me if you feel that you are being mistreated, and he will hear of it. His integrity is sadly a dying breed in the world of warfare today."
With that, the Commander rose from his seat, and stood at ease behind the bar.
"For now, I have other duties to attend to. I will return when you are done with your shift."
A few hours later...
Evening was setting in, and the bar had mostly cleared out, by the time the Commander retuned. He looked pinched from the cold outside, but his expression was friendly nonetheless.
"It is very good to see you again, Miss Nyte. I am happy to wait here while you finish up, if that is alright with you?"
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Lee's hands had been tied once more, and an age had seemingly passed since Hammond's last visit. However, considering that his company was so silent as to be practically worthless, it could have been ten minutes for all Lee could tell. Selina sat opposite from him, unrestrained herself, in reward for her co-operation. She did not, however, appeal to or interrogate Lee in the way that Hammond had done. They simply looked at each-other, unspeaking, and always waiting until the other party had looked away before they resumed their gaze, so that their eye's never once found each-other. Lee got the sense that Selina did not much want to look at him, the state he was in. In contrast, Selina seemed to have escaped any sort of visible injury, since the last time Lee had seen her. There was something about her though, that seemed shrunken, if not quite deflated. Despite being treated well, her status as a hostage hung heavy on her. Should she anger the General, or simply cease to be useful to him, then the enlisted men had just as much, if not more reason, to want to see her suffer than was the case for Lee. As for the Inmates... Lee might have been their unsmiling, unflinching overlord, and he imagined many would dearly love to rip his to shreds, but the things that would occur to some of the lifeforms here were Selina thrown to them...
For the first time since they had been shut in the cell together, them, and the two guards who moved so little it would have been so easy to forget they were there, Lee and Selina looked directly at each-other at the same time. No other interaction occurred. No words, nor so much as a silent nodding of heads passed between them, and the moment was gone again within the second. A few heartbeats later however, Selina stood up, seemingly uncomfortable, and moved to stretch her legs.
"How long does General Hammond intend to keep me cooped up in here?" she said irritably to the guard by the door, his uniform displaying the lower rank of the two.
"As long as he sees fit, ma'am." The guard replied, coldly.
Selina made a derisive noise in her throat, striding over to him.
"This is pointless! I have nothing to offer here. What is Hammond-"
"General Hammond." the soldier corrected.
"Oh fine!" she snapped. "What is General Hammond hoping that I will accomplish here? Why is he expecting this man to be any more forthcoming to me?"
"That's not for me to say, ma'am." the soldier replied, clearly struggling with his orders to treat Selina with respect.
"Please!" she said, becoming more animated with exasperation. "I'm sick of being cooped up in here! I would be of more help back on the surface, assisting General Hammond more with his enquiries. Besides, I still have staff being help up there, and I want to check that..."
As the soldier on the door became visibly more frustrated with Selina, the other guard towards the back of the room moved in to intervene. As soon as the attentions of both guards were distracted from Lee, he set to work. Ever so slowly, he tipped his weight forward in his chair, so that the two back legs rose an inch from the ground, and held them there as he began to reach downwards. The pain in his wounded shoulder flared, and Lee had to grit his teeth hard as he stretched his joints to breaking point, but, slowly and surely, his bound hands passed under the gap. Taking care to lower the back legs silently, Lee then did the same at the front. The balance was more awkward here, but the worst of the pain was over. Inch by inch, Lee's arms found their way forward under the chair, until they were sitting in his lap, and he could now rise from his seat unimpeded.
"Ma'am, I wont say it again. Sit back d-"
The orders of the higher ranked guard were cut short, as a heavy bottle of whiskey collided with his temple, the force enough to shatter the glass, sending shards and droplets of amber liquid flying. The second guard barely had time to flinch in shock, before Lee had lunged at him, thrusting the jagged remains of the bottle into his neck, and sawing crudely. The soldier's legs gave way, and he spluttered and gargled as blood streamed from his throat and mouth. In the space of a few seconds, and with barely a sound, both guards were dead.
Injured, and after so long without food, water, and proper sleep, even such s quick flurry of action caused Lee's head to spin. He doubted that he would have been able to over-power them both without the element of surprise, and the handy improvised weapon courtesy of General Hammond. However, he wasted no time. Leaving the neck of the bottle lodged in the Songbird's throat, Lee relieved from his corpse a combat knife and a sidearm, both of which he holstered, along with the keys to the cell.
Selina, meanwhile, had thrown herself back into the opposite corner as soon as the violence had started. That didn't stop her from now being drenched in whiskey, and spattered with blood, however. Now, she shakily took a step forward.
"Lee."
Without hesitating, Lee lashed out with a sudden elbow-strike to the right temple, and Selina's entire body went limp. Lee caught her as she began to collapse, and helped her down as graciously as he was able with his remaining strength. Leaving Selina's unconscious body among the dead, Lee stood up, unlocked the cell, and slipped out quietly.
