Page 23 of The Alien's Private Redemption

Angela was in an interrogation room. Again. This time, though, it was more than her and Dr. Phillips. Ae-cha and Zoric were there, sitting across the table from each other like adversaries. Which, she thought to herself, they were.

The interrogation room was chilly and the breeze from the air conditioner raised the hairs on her arms. The chemical smell of the industrial cleaners combined with the smell of dried sweat, and the musk of the lizard people. Angela had never considered what it would mean for her sense of smell to become more sensitive but she wasn't entirely certain she liked it.

She was sitting in the uncomfortable metal chair she'd become accustomed to. Dr. Phillips chair was also metal but it had a pad for the seat. A couple benches had been brought in for Ae-cha and Zoric instead of more metal folding chairs and they both looked more comfortable than they had in the conference room.

"Alright," Dr. Phillips started. "We're going to begin with some basic questions to establish how this is going to work."

"Why not just jump straight into it?" Angela asked. She tried to keep the bitter tone out of her voice but Zoric sent a gentle surge of comfort across their Bond. It was the closest they were going to get to a hug in that room and she appreciated it. "That's what everybody else has done."

"Because we've never worked together before," Ae-cha answered. "Because that is what I prefer as well."

"And you've seen how well that works," Zoric said. Angela could feel his anger but couldn't see the incident that had caused it. He'd buried the memory of it and she would have to ask him to explain later.

"It works fine after an incident," Ae-cha threw back at him.

"We have different definitions of 'fine'," Zoric threw back.

"Which is why I will be leading the interrogation," Dr. Phillips put in, her voice sharp. "There are obviously some strong emotions from everyone involved but the sooner we get at the heart of what's going on, the sooner we can search for the truth."

That's an odd turn of phrase,Angela thought.

I do not believe her search for truth is genuine,Zoric responded to her.

I think she's already decided I'm guilty and is looking for ways to prove it,she thought to him.

It was getting easier to talk to Zoric with her mind, and something about it nagged at her. Like she wasn't learning a new skill but remembering an old one.

"Truth is always a good thing to search for," Ae-cha said, her voice cold. "But we should not forget the importance of facts, as well."

"They're the same thing," Dr. Phillips protested.

"We shall see," Ae-cha said cryptically.

I don't know what she expects to see, but I'm not sure I like either of their attitudes,Angela sent and Zoric nodded.

"What do you need to get started?" he asked, drawing the discussion away from the disagreement. "I've never seen this done in person."

"Normally, I'd ask to be alone with Private McBride in a dark room so there were fewer distractions."

Angela felt Zoric stiffen next to her and she reached out for his hand to soothe him. His fingers closed over hers as they slid across the soft scales on his hands and it felt like an anchor in a sea of uncertainty.

"That is not possible," Dr. Phillips stated.

"And possibly counterproductive for our purposes here," Ae-cha agreed, though her eyes flashed at the interruption from the human psychiatrist. "Instead, I'm going to ask Angela to relax and look into my eyes while Dr. Phillips asks her first question."

Ae-cha held out a clawed hand to Angela, who stared at it for a long moment before she slid her free hand into it. Zoric's hand tightened around hers and she found herself comparing how their skin felt.

Zoric's was rougher, with more definition to the delicate scales on his palm, his claws trimmed short and filed until they were a smooth pressure against her skin. Ae-cha's skin was smoother, closer to a snake than a lizard, and her claws were sharp and poised to pierce through the back of Angela's hand.

Their eyes weren't the same, either. Zoric's looked almost human, even though his face was definitely not. Ae-cha's face had a more human shape to it but her eyes were a solid green, though Angela couldn't remember if they'd always been that color.

With every breath, Angela felt herself sinking further into Ae-cha's green eyes.

Dr. Phillips voice came from so far away, Angela had to strain to hear the first question.

"What is your full name?" she asked.

"Angela Edith McBride."

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