Cynthia
Quest reporting
May
2nd, 2013
This
is one of the first few interviews I’ve done here, legally anyway, and I still
feel like I’ve forgotten how to do it. I hope that as we go on, I’ll begin to
draw things from these men – things they don’t want anyone to know. With some
of them, I’ll need a second interview, I’m sure. Like the one now sitting down
in my hot seat. Still surprised to be allowed to talk to these men, but I am
determined not to let anything sway me. We will have the truth at some point, I
just can’t promise when.
Ready
to get started? Me too, I think.
“Sometimes
moody, sometimes the life of the party, let’s chat with Seth Daniels, injured
man and former Eagle.”
Seth
smiled a bit too casually, muscle twitching in his jaw. “I’m always an Eagle,
just off duty right now.”
Knowing
her title said it all, Cynthia didn’t push the point. “What was it like to be
stabbed with a pick-axe?”
The
undercover cop frowned. “It hurt.”
Cynthia
flushed at the tone that said she was an idiot who asked stupid questions. “Do
you remember the gunfight? The murders?”
Seth
leaned back to cover his anger. “There were no murders. We were attacked, and
yes, I remember all of it.”
Cynthia
caught his hesitation. “Did someone screw up? Is that how you got hurt?”
Understanding
this was an ambush, Seth forced his face into that expressionless stare he was
known for. “They were sheltering in the train station. Neither group knew the
other was there. No way to avoid it.”
Sensing
she’d get no more from that line, Cynthia switched paths. “When will you return
to duty? Who has your posts while you’re injured?”
“Another
week or so. Angela and Lee have really stepped up to fill those empty slots.”
Cynthia’s
eyes glittered dangerously. “Does it bother you to take orders from a woman on
missions?”
“Does
it bother you to take orders from a man during moves?” Seth shot back. “Of
course not. She’s an Eagle first. That’s all I see, because that’s all Adrian
sees.
The
redhead was one of those people you couldn’t shake without prying hard, and
Cynthia was suddenly sure this had been a waste of her pen.
“Is
there a woman in your life? One the camp doesn’t know about?”
Seth
looked away. “No.”
“Why
don’t you date? Are none of the camp’s women good enough for the Eagles?”
His
head snapped back to her. “The camp’s women are great. We’re just busy trying
to make sure everyone survives right now. They’ll be time for romance later.”
“How
do you feel about Kenn being allowed to stay even though we all know he beats
on women?”
Seth’s
voice was hard. “I think he’ll screw up again and get himself banished this
time.” His eyes darkened. “Or worse.”
“Who
are you searching the new arrivals for?”
Seth
slowly took a photo from his wallet and held it out. “My daughter.” His voice
caught. “She was only 4 when the War came.”
Cynthia
tried not to feel anything for the toothy girl in the picture, and couldn’t
quite succeed. She didn’t even like kids. What the hell was this place doing to
her?
“Do
you think she’s still alive?”
Seth
shook his head, standing up. “No, not really. It’s been too long, but in my
heart…”
He
glanced back with damn green eyes. “In there, I’ll always hope.”
"This
is Safe Haven Refugee Camp. Can anyone hear me?
Hello?
Is anyone out there?"
The Survivors
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