The Watch – Part 235:

(Tom’s perspective)

I was sitting in an interview room with Dr Amanda who was sitting opposite me. She was writing something down.

‘Tom, I know this is a little short notice, but we simply cannot wait any longer. I have brought you here to ask you a series of questions relating to your circumstance. We would like you to cooperate and answer any and all that we ask you.’

She continued, ‘we understand that you would like us to come up with some sort of compromise. If you agree to cooperate, depending on what requests you have, we may be able to come up with an agreement. Does that sound reasonable to you?’ She went quiet and stared at me whilst she waited for me to answer.

‘Am I able to put forward any requests that I have before we get started or afterwards?’ I asked.

‘Once you have finished answering any and all questions, we can then discuss any requests that you would like to put forward, but we would like you to understand that we have the right to decline any and all requests if we deem them either too difficult to carry out, or we believe would give you more than we would like you to have. Does that sound reasonable?’ So that is a no, then. I know that she is trying to bend my thoughts into believing that I don’t have a choice, but they don’t know that I am willing to answer all questions I am asked. The more that I cooperate, the bigger the request I may be able to get away with. Like I said before, what do I have to lose, because I don’t have anything to gain either? I’m just waiting for Sebastian to come and get me. Once I’ve left this place, this universe, I won’t have to worry about any of it. Once my back is turned, it will be forever turned.

‘I think that is reasonable,’ I nodded.

‘I appreciate your help,’ she said. ‘Now, when you were trying to escape from the Police, you were shot with five darts, each one containing enough sleeping chemicals to knock anyone out for four hours straight. You appeared to be unaffected by those chemicals, and when we ran some tests, we found that your DNA was slightly different to ours. Can you explain that?’

Starting off strong I see. Well, where do I start? I think I should hit her with an answer just as strong as the question.

‘I can,’ I nodded, ‘I’m from another universe.’

‘When we talked to Tim, the leader of the homeless group in the middle of the city, he told us just that. How were you able to travel from one universe to another when so many have tried and failed in the past?’

So, I should just ignore the fact that she didn’t flinch or react in any way from what I told her, almost as if she’s used to the idea that people travel from one universe to another.

I should continue this interview as collected as possible. ‘That’s a small part of a very long story,’ I explained honestly.

‘Are you able to tell us any of it?’ Amanda pushed.

‘Well, it all started with four meteorites that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and my friend, who has this device that allows him to travel from one universe to another, transported me to another universe to escape from the meteorites. He went back to stop them from obliterating the world, but before he could come and take me back, I was captured by a lunatic of a man, who believed that we were part of something bigger, and kept me in a large glass container. I stayed there for an unknown amount of time before I was unexpectedly taken to this place. That is my story.’ She looked deeply interested in knowing so much more.

‘And is your friend here?’ Amanda asked.

‘No. But he will be. When I was teleported to this place, we were separated. I can’t do a thing until he comes here and takes me back home.’

‘And he’ll use this device of his to do so?’

‘Yes?’ I nodded.

‘Is this device considered dangerous in any way? Should we be concerned when he arrives?’ And this is the part where I don’t know whether I should be honest or bend the truth ever so slightly. I mean, I might be able to have some fun with this. Or that could lead me into a rather sticky situation. I think I should play it safe.

‘No.’

‘So, when he comes here to take you back, will he teleport directly into this building,

or to this world in general and come and find you from there?’

‘I can’t answer that, I’m afraid because I won’t know what he is planning on doing.’

‘If he locates you, will be dangerous then, or will he be knocking on the front door?’

That’s a good question, actually. I don’t know what his plan will be. If I know Sebastian, and I do, I would say that he would knock on the front door. If no one answers or they say ‘go away’ then he will use force. Unless he is planning on appearing in this building. I don’t know how to answer this question. I have to, but there is only one answer that I can see suits best. I don’t want to say it though, because that might make things more complicated than I want them to be. Ok, I’m going to go for it. There is no other answer other than to tell the truth.

‘Only if you get in his way.’ That came out more abrupt than I thought it would. Now I have to prepare for an onslaught of questions relating to Sebastian.

‘How do you mean?’

I took a deep breath. I have to choose my words extremely carefully. This isn’t going to be easy.

‘Well, let’s just say that when he arrives, you had better step aside, otherwise you will know the full force of this device. And trust me, you really don’t want to be on the wrong end of that.’ Yep, those words came out before I could stop them.

‘So he is a risk?’ she said. Keep with it, Tom, just keep with it.

‘Only if you make him one,’ I said again. That sounded like a threat. And they look like the type of people who don’t take kindly to threats. If she was angry with that, she didn’t show any sign of being so. Instead, she just stayed quiet and moved on, asking yet another question.

‘Do you have any such device that allows you to travel places?’

‘No, otherwise I would have done so already,’ I answered fairly.

‘Did you have a device with you but lost it when you arrived here?’

‘No.’

‘Is this device harmful in any way to anyone who happens to be in its vicinity?’

‘No.’

‘How long do you think he’ll be before he gets here?’

‘I have not a clue.’

‘Have you been communicating with him since you arrived here?’

‘No, otherwise he would have come and got me already because he would know where I am.’

‘Will we know of his arrival before he arrives?’

‘Probably not, if I’m honest.’

‘So you are going to wait here for him to arrive, even though you have no idea when or where he’ll turn up,’ she said, overviewing my answers.’

‘That sounds about right,’ I said.

‘Why are you comfortable with telling me all of this?’ Now that is a question that I certainly wasn’t expecting. Um… I guess the best answer would be.

‘Because you are coming across as the type of people who are trustworthy.’ That may have come across as if I was forcing myself to say that, but if it didn’t, then that would have earned me some Browny points.’

‘Thank you for cooperating and answering any and all questions I have, Tom. You may have worked out that I have plenty more to ask you but they will have to wait for a later date. As for discussing any requests that you may have, I will send someone to your cell who will then take you to someone who is best suited to helping you. Does that sound reasonable?’

‘It does.’

‘Then thank you again, and Peter will take you back to your cell.’

That interview could have gone better, to be honest.

           

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)