Page 50 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

"Several," Max said. "But since you know now that they are just aliens with powerful mind-control abilities, you don't need to sound so worshipful. Besides, Toven is happily mated." He wasn't really jealous of her admiration of the god, well, maybe a little, but he hoped the teasing would lighten the mood.

Smiling, she rolled her eyes. "You're terrible."

"I know." He pulled out the other chair next to hers and sat down. "But you like me anyway."

She didn't pick up the banter like he'd hoped, her gaze focused on the monster who had stolen so much from her.

Max put his headphones on just as Kian turned to the god. "Toven, whenever you're ready."

"Open your eyes and look at me," Toven commanded the prisoner.

The effect was immediate. The Doomer's eyes snapped fully open, his back straightening as if pulled by invisible strings. His gaze fixed on Toven, and his expression shifted from confusion to alarm to resignation in rapid succession.

"Tell me your name," Toven commanded.

"Durhad," the Doomer answered without hesitation.

"What is your position within the Brotherhood?"

"I am a liaison to the Revolutionary Guard."

"Does that include thralling the Revolutionary Guard upper command to do whatever Navuh wants them to do?"

"Yes."

"Who do you report to?"

"Commander Hazok."

Hazok was one of Navuh's adopted sons, which meant that this Doomer was high up in the Brotherhood's chain of command if he reported directly to him, and Max wondered if Toven knew that.

"What were you doing in the facility we took you from?" Toven asked.

The Doomer tried to resist, holding his lips tightly pressed together, and for a moment, Max thought that he would be able to resist the compulsion, but then his mouth opened and he spat out, "Research."

"What kind of research?" Kyra whispered, but she hadn't activated the microphone, so Max was the only one who heard her.

"Let Toven do this his way, and in the end, if he didn't get all the answers you want, you can ask your questions."

She nodded.

"Was this research done for the Brotherhood?" Toven asked.

"No."

"Interesting." Toven turned to Kian and the two exchanged knowing looks.

"Were you conducting this research for your immediate commander?" Toven asked.

"No."

"Were you doing the research for yourself?"

"Yes."

Toven was asking questions that required just yes or no answers because it was impossible to answer them evasively or respond with partial answers that concealed more than they revealed.

It was a good way to prime the prisoner while getting the basics, so Toven would know what to ask when it was time to move to the type of questions that couldn't be answered with one or two words.

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