HAWK

CHAPTER EIGHT: JAILBIRD (2/5)

'What's your name?'

It was the third time the female officer had asked, and the third time Kas had refused to answer. She'd so far managed to not say a word since they picked her up, and she didn't intend to start now.

They'd seated her in an interview room, twelve-feet in diameter and perfectly round. Kas recalled something in the academy about round rooms like this being used to disorientate subjects as every direction looked the same.

Kas thought it was quite effective.

The table at the centre was also circular, made of some dull grey metal with built-in circumference seating. Kas had been seated at it with her cuffed wrists attached to a rail.

'I don't know why you're being so tight-lipped,' the officer continued. She was leaning against the wall opposite Kas, her arms folded loosely over her body, regarding Kas with distant curiosity. 'You got unlucky. My partner just happened to cruise by you beating up those two stimheads, otherwise, we'd never have caught you. What happened? Did they threaten you?'

Kas remained perfectly still, her eyes locked on the centre of the table. Despite her situation, she considered herself lucky. If Selva had still been operational, they would've run her diagnostics through the system and learned her identity in no time at all, realised she wasn't authorised to be on planet and charge her with a much bigger crime than the one they'd collected her for. Kas had never committed a crime on Lysan (until now), so there should be no records for her there. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut and they'd have no idea who they were holding. They'd have to let her out sooner or later.

'They try and offer you stims?' the officer prompted.

Nothing.

The officer sighed and pushed herself away from the wall. She walked to the table and sat down opposite Kas.

'If you think by keeping your mouth shut that we'll just give up and let you go, I've got some bad news for you. We can keep you here for two days, no sweat. And if that wasn't bad enough, the riots have spread citywide, which means this place is about to get real busy, and we don't have a lot of space for holding. So unless you want to spend the next couple of nights cosied up with some of Yun-Ko's less friendly residents, I suggest you start talking, because I can make your stay here either very easy... or very uneasy.'

Kas didn't like being threatened; it was one of the few things that never failed to get her heart rate going.

'You want me to talk?' she replied in a low voice.

The officer smiled. 'Thank you. Why don't we start with your n--'

'Shut it,' Kas snapped, and the officers smile twisted into a scowl. 'Two words. Phone call.'

The officer leaned back and crossed her arms again. 'Why should I do that?'

'It's the law.'

The police officer took her turn to be quiet. Kas continued.

'Now that I've made the request, you're required to grant me one call immediately, or you'll be in breach of police regulation. Maybe that doesn't mean a lot in Yunk-town, but most places I know of, that can get a good officer demoted. You're a street cop. I wonder where that'll put you.'

The officer tried on a smile but it didn't quite fit. 'And who is it that you want to call, all of a sudden?'

Kas leaned across the table and forced on a smile of her own. She wasn't sure what good the name would do, but it was the best one she could think of.