Alice the Amazing ⇒ STRANGER THINGS

[46] Interrogations Can Be Fun! (Don't Try This At Home)

{E Pluribus Unum, Part II}

"How many times do I have to tell you, dipshits? I don't work for the government!"

Alice's interrogation had been going on for only about five minutes, and she was already fed up. She wasn't even scared—she knew she could handle whatever the Russians tried to throw her way.

But she worried about her friends, and being worried made her frustrated, and being frustrated made her sarcasm levels fly off the charts.

"You think you're on to something," Alice continued, "but you're really just wasting your time. But wasting time is all any government can do, right?"

The Russian soldiers interrogating Alice shared a look. They hoped their comrades were having better cooperation from their subjects.

"We're going to ask you again before things get ugly," one of the soldiers said in stilted English. "Who do you work for?"

Alice glared.

"And I'm going to tell you again," she said, "I don't work for anyone. I'm only 17. That's a little young to be a spy, don't you think?"

The soldiers turned from Alice, bent their heads together, and whispered in Russian.

"Oh, sharing secrets now, are we!" Alice said. She smirked. "Well, here's a secret: your mom's a bitch."

One of the soldiers turned and scowled.

"What did you say?" he snarled.

"You heard me!" Alice said defiantly, staring up at him from the uncomfortable metal bench she was on. "She's a nasty, ugly, bi—"

The soldier punched Alice in the face before she could finish her insult.

She coughed, a little surprised.

"You know," she said coolly, "it's rude to interrupt."

The same soldier punched Alice in the stomach—hard.

"Okay, I get it!" she wheezed. "You're big and scary, and I'm not. Stop showing off."

Her nose began to bleed as her powers worked to fix the damage from the blows. Alice tried to stop her powers, realizing she was starting to illuminate slightly.

If these Russian goons figure me out, Alice thought, I'm toast. No, worse than that: I'm sunk.

"You're dead!" Clive added.

Alice hadn't noticed Clive appear, but sure enough, there he was. He sat on the other end of the bench and swung his back legs back and forth like a child on swings.

"Don't worry, love," Clive said with a wink. "I won't let that happen."

Alice ignored the Russians as they continued to ask her more questions. Instead, she watched as Clive jumped down and gracefully hopped away.

"Answer the question!"

She snapped back to attention when one of the soldiers yelled at her, missing the way Clive slipped under the impossibly small crack under the door.

"Okay, I'll say it again," Alice said with an icy stare. "I don't work for anyone! Now, let me and my friends go!"

"Wrong answer!" the soldier said. He punched Alice's stomach again, and she gasped, winded.

To Alice's dismay, her powers kicked into overdrive. Her nose bleed faster, and she glowed even brighter. This time, it was bright enough for the soldiers to notice.