Interrogator's Interrogation

Log Title: Interrogator's Interrogation

Characters: Big Shot, Gargoyle, Natalia, Storm Shadow, Interrogator

Location: White House - Washington, DC

Date: June 29, 2018

TP: Russian Interior TP

Summary: Storm Shadow attempts to discover what happened with Interrogator.

''As logged by user: Shadowcastershadowlight

White House - Washington, DC

 * The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. The term White House is often used to refer to actions of the president and his advisers, as in "The White House announced that...".


 * The modern-day White House complex includes the Executive Residence, West Wing, East Wing, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building -- the former State Department, which now houses offices for the President's staff and the Vice President -- and Blair House, a guest residence. The Executive Residence is made up of six stories: the Ground Floor, State Floor, Second Floor, and Third Floor, as well as a two-story basement.

Storm Shadow stands in the command center of the White House, inside a bunker, where the nation's intelligence was formerly orchestrated. Tele-Vipers work the phones, a Techno-Viper is at work analyzing data traffic from Cyber Command, and a Pit-Viper stands beside Storm Shadow, looking at displays from last night, and the attack by the Oktober Guard.

Storm Shadow's hands are clasped neatly behind his back, watching silently, while the Pit-Viper goes through the likely infiltration tactics used by the Russian. Weapons training and counter-measures used are being discussed, as well as Horror Show's target selection of operatives killed and their training deficits.

Natalia wheels Interrogator into the command center. Slumped in a wheelchair, dazed from pain medicine, and with his chest heavily bandaged, he doesn't look as sharp as he normally does. His SAW Viper gunners flank him as they would in their Mamba pods and carry the full complement of SAW Viper weapons, heavy machine guns at the ready.

Interrogator sees Storm Shadow and says in a slightly slurred Borovian accent, "I need to speak with you about last night. I'm not supposed to be out of bed but Big Shot and Gargoyle convinced the Medi-Vipers that they should let me."

Storm Shadow glances over his shoulder at the rickety creak of a wheelchair, raising his finely hewn eyebrow beneath his white mask. He unclasps his hands behind him and strides to Interrogator.

"Yes, of course, Interrogator. I believe you could provide valuable insight."

He narrows his eyes. "I am happy you were on hand to witness the result of your fixation on the Oktober Guard."

Interrogator lowers his head with a haunted look in his eyes and says in a quiet, ashamed voice, "I was stupid and thought it was a ghost I saw before me, Horrorshow's ghost come from Hell and that is why I didn't radio sooner." In Russian he mutters, "Forgive me Grandfather, I forgot my training. Loose control and you lose everything." Hearing this, his gunners exchange worried looks and Natalia's green eyes briefly meet those of the Ninja Master with an embarrassed look. It's hard to tell if she's embarrassed for herself or Interrogator's mental state. He continues in a dead tone and in English, "Ghosts don't cast shadows."

"You understand Russian culture as well as I do, Interrogator, perhaps from within the box that I am viewing."

"Let us open the box without moving the walls, so we may perform a cryptogram. You know what a cryptogram is in dimensional thinking, don't you? A tesseract?"

Storm Shadow looks at a screen of Horror Show.

"To view the box without moving our boundaries - which is likely an assumption, Russian toys are made to distract us - we must look at the three dimensions, freeze the fourth. Time. And then view what we believe to be inside the box, without taking the history of the event into account. That is how ciphers are employed. So, we have the depth, the Russian incident, the breadth, your relationship with the Oktober Guard, and the shift into fore and back, the individual event."

"Freeze the fight in your mind, and tell me what you see."

Natalia hands Storm Shadow a flash drive and says in an embarrassed voice, "When I radioed our Russian Headquarters and described what happened, they sent me this and said they would like Cobra Commander to decide mine and Interrogator's punishment. It seems that what we thought was a ghost was an Oktober Guardsman by the name of Gorky. They said he does look like Horrorshow from Hell." Interrogator says, ashamed, "They told Natalia and I that we were not to look at the contents of the drive until we had been evaluated by a psychologist and were found to be in our right minds. They suspended our security clearance." Big Shot and Gargoyle gulp and Big Shot mouths to Storm Shadow, making sure neither Natalia nor Interrogator sees, "I need to talk to you alone after this. Make an excuse to keep me!" Gargoyle gives a slight nod and mouths, "One of us has to stay with them. For obvious reasons."

Storm Shadow takes the flash drive with displeasure, handing it to a nearby Crimson Guard Immortal.

"Meditate upon the solution to my problem in psychiatric clearance. It was a Russian game. There are no ghosts, only veils. In Asia, ghosts are the invention of the state, to make criminals too superstitious to continue their ways."

Storm Shadow closes his eyes in affirmation to the SAW-Vipers.

Interrogator nods and says quietly, "We cannot be of any more help to you at the moment, and it is only a matter of time before they send someone to force us back to the hospital. We will await psychiatric evaluation and think about what we saw. We may be able to hypnotize each other when we have had more time to calm down." "Thank you, Storm Shadow." He says in a sad, genuine voice."

"Remember my rubric," Storm Shadow says. "Freeze the incident in your mind, and attempt to see the solution without the correlating incidents around it, before or after. Decryption is not simply with numbers."

He looks to Big Shot and Gargoyle. "If you would, I'm going to need one of you to train a new SAW-Viper on a Mamba crew for the Commander. We'll need a Gyro-Viper to replace Interrogator, and I'm going to need a professional gunner for the leader."

Big Shot says, "I am Senior Gunner and have the most hours of helicopter flight training. I also know the mamba crews and who is to replace Interrogator until he can return to duty. I will stay."

Natalia wheels Interrogator out of the room. Gargoyle looks back and mouths, "Thank you!" and continues out.

After Interrogator's wheelchair is out of ambiance, Storm Shadow inclines his head to Big Shot.

"You may speak."

Big Shot says in a serious, formal military tone that is the polar opposite of his normal laid back, Californian surfer tone, "Sir, he knows he failed Cobra Commander, the KGB, everyone he admires and respects. He is also afraid because those Oktober Guard bastards know he is Borovian. I don't know what terrifies him more, but I'd say if it was a race, it would be a photo-finish, Sir." "He wasn't even this bad after he failed to take over Cobra and was punished." "He didn't write the report, Gargoyle and I did from what we could piece together from what they were babbling. We will gladly face any punishment that may come from impersonating a superior officer, and it is a poor excuse, but we felt we had to do something."

"Cobra rewards ambition, if it is done properly, SAW-Viper. You've acted to protect both your commanding officer, and the organization. That is the proper honor we reward here. You and your fellow pilot will be protected."

Storm Shadow has no thoughts of betraying the Viper, finding this man to be a fitting tool of revenge against Cobra from within.

"Tell me, gunner," Storm Shadow says, turning about and returning his hands to clasp behind him.

"Do you feel that Interrogator could be placed on a range mission to recover, with his own personal assets, using his skills as a pilot and psychological warfare expert to better use?" He looks sidelong. "Without you two, of course, with him. You are far too valuable."

"This is a Japanese business practice called 'window gazing tribes'. An elder statesman of an organization that can no longer serve competitively is placed in a position outside linear command, as a permanent vacation. I believe Interrogator's stress has made him a hindrance, however Cobra is not an organization that can replace him easily."

Big Shot nods and says, relieved, "Sir, it takes a platoon of different specialists to replace him. I have already alerted them and they're taking care of everything." He says sadly, "Sir, this is not the first time this has happened, Sir. As for a vacation, I DO agree he needs one.” A bit of the Californian surfer comes out, "Sir, He's a Scorpio and you know how they are, Sir."

"I voted for Mondale, SAW-Viper," comes the reply.

"I will file a report immediately to Cobra Commander, and Cobra Commander alone. Everything else is out of my hands."

Big Shot nods and says thoughtfully, "Sir, if I may suggest someplace to send him? I would send him someplace off the grid. I think the Rockies would be a good place for him. It's isolated and the mountains would have the colder temperature that calms him. I would also suggest you send Natalia with him." Encouraged by the Ninja's words, he relaxes a little and says, "She's his girlfriend and also a psychologist. They WILL be able to help each other." "Also, tell him about the Japanese business practice. If he finds out everybody thinks he can no longer hack it, he'll fight like Hell to prove them wrong." "Trust me, Du...Uh, Sir." Big Shot looks like he's stepped over a line, but he slips and calls Interrogator 'Dude' too.

"The Japanese business practice means he can no longer hack it, Viper. I'll suggest the development of a heli-smuggling base in the mountains, to monitor American operations on the West Coast."

Storm Shadow moves back to the screens, with the Pit-Viper waiting.

"You are dismissed, SAW-Viper."

Big Shot salutes and says, relieved, "Thank You, Sir." As he starts to walk out of the room, he does so at attention but the closer he gets to the door, the more he slips into his usual walk and his face relaxes.