Trigger warning - Torture scene ahead.
You can skip this chapter if you don't want to read about someone going through physical pain.

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My teeth clattered against one another as I screamed out in pain again when another jolt of electricity passed from my head to toe.
My body was dipped in ice cold water waist below and whatever remained of my bare skin was driven back by high speed chilling fans for more than last four hours.

It would have been better if my weight was on my feet and not on my wrist tied tightly with a rope and hung on a bar.
I don't know which one is better - this or the upside down hanging in water up till chest like last time.

"What's the code?!!"
Neil shouted loudly in my ear that was ringing already.

I was miserable to begin with, and was probably going to end in pathetic.

"I don't know!"
I cried out as he passed another jolt that had my nerves burning. Though I knew it won't have a permanent damage but the amount of pain made me believe that I won't be walking on two feet if I don't tell him the code right away.

"Liar. Liar! You know the code to the vaults and I know it!"
He screamed on my face again.
Too bad I could only hear him, courtesy the blindfold.

"Goddammit!"
I shrieked as I felt a chunk of muscle being pulled away from my waist with such force that my whole body swayed in that direction.

"Give me the code and you'll be free."
His words were warm.

I thought of choosing his freedom over his torture.
Based on the number of welts and amount of blood I've already lost in last few hours, he's going to rip the code out of my tongue anyhow in the remaining time. There's no point suffering when I'm going to give up.

His 'give up within five minutes' was ringing on repeat in my ears. Good thing they didn't let Neil take my first Interrogation session. Now I know why I survived that one. Atleast I could come up for air and drown myself back down.

"I don't know any code."
I cried out when he pinched my skin tighter.

"You know it damn well. You know that commander's dossier is kept inside. You can try and lie all you want. But you're going to tell me. It's upto you whether you want to do it before I bring pain to every fibre of your body, or after that."
He said really annoyed.

"I'm still waiting! Open your damn mouth!"
He screamed again and I almost lost it.

I felt pointy welts on my stretched abs and it hurt more than it should. I wanted it to stop raining but he kept going.

He didn't give me a single moment to get myself together. He kept breaking me every passing second.

"This is my last warning, boy. You give me the code now, or you're going to go through so much pain you had never imagined."
He warned me.

I stayed shut despite knowing something brutal was coming my way. He won't give up before six hours are up. And I had almost one more hour to go.
It took everything in me to not open my mouth. But the moment Neil followed through his warning, I regretted staying mumb.

It felt like fire and tear together - like my whole body was being sliced into pieces slowly and painfully by a red hot knife.
I groaned loudly in pain.

Fucker had passed high currents through my body. And he was in no mood to give me a break.

It felt like hours when he stopped and I breathed in relief.

"You don't think it's over, do you?"
He asked sarcastically before turning the switch back on and I cried even louder.

"Are you ready to talk?"
He asked in a low tone while I lived the most agonising moments of my life.
"I am... I'm ready.... Just stop!"
I cried out loud.

"The code."
He repeated without turning the tempo down.
When I didn't answer, he raised the level and I screamed louder.

"Everytime you don't answer my question, I'm going to pull the lever higher."
He gave me an example by turning the level one up.
I was howling in pain now.

"Code?"
He shouted again.

"YFffff.... 47... 29... 5!"
I lied.

He lowered the knob and I was in less pain but it was still there.
I hoped he'll just accept my answer and leave. It would give me some time before he'd go and check it himself. The Interrogation time would be up. Fucker took the only chance I wanted him not to. He called someone on his phone and got the wrong code entered. The loud sound of siren coming from his phone told me that I'll be dead sooner than I had anticipated.

"You goddam liar!"
He came and turned the current to full.
It was the most agonising feeling I've ever had.

"This is not stopping till you tell me the real code."
He warned me.

"I.... only... know.. one vault... What.. are you-"
I yelled through my pain.
It didn't matter to me that the two codes that Marks gave me were for two separate vaults. Fuck I didn't even know that there were two vaults to begin with!

"No you know both. You know both the codes. I know Marks has told you both. You gave me the one with my dossier. James tell me the other code! Now!"
His last word was accompanied by a strong punch to my abs.

My toes were starting to curl and I felt like I was going to pass out in pain.
He realised that too and lowered the tempo.

I breathed out loudly.
After giving me a few moments to get back to life, he took it to maximum again.

"Say it!"
That was all that I needed to break.

"YF33... 216!"
Escaped my mouth before I could zip it.

Immediately the current stopped running through my body. I felt numb and on fire at the same time.
Neil repeated the numbers on his telephone while I hung limp.

He kept the phone down and walked to me.
He removed the blindfold and suddenly my eyes burned.
"Not bad for a beginner, kid. You lasted five hours. I'm impressed."
He said looking at me proudly.

I couldn't look into his eyes, I felt so ashamed of myself. I had managed to endure drowning torment for six hours last week. But I gave in to his electric torture today. What could be worse.

"Get yourself free. Hydrate your body. Don't worry about that guilt. It will be taken care of."
He scoffed and left.
I was still hanging like a sac of potatoes for a few minutes. So sweet of him to assume that I'll set myself free easily.

Gaining some energy feeling nothing, by one hand I held the rope that was bearing all my weight and used my other hand to untie the knot. It took me several attempts because first my whole weight added with so much shaking and trembling had tightened the knot to it's maximum. Second, my wrists were hurting like a bitch. Third - I felt exhausted with all the electricity, welts and punches marking all the skin visible.

I was too ashamed to wish for someone to appear and help untie me.
God decided to listen to me just when I didn't want and sent one person I was expecting the least!

"Sir I will -"
I tried but General Warren shut me up.

"Stay still. And try not to break your knees."
He said as he loosened the knot.
I fell down with a bang and curled on the floor of the cold water tub. It was freezing but it was better than reality.

While I struggled to get myself out of that tub, Commander switched off the fans and came back.

"You did good."
He said calmly.

"I surrendered. That's not good."
I said with guilt eating me up.

"I said you did good. Just that you don't know it."
He said pulling a chair next to me and sitting on it.
I looked up at him confused.

"What scenario were you given before the Interrogation started?"
He asked me.

"That I am the agent responsible for safety of two VIPs' data. The passwords to their data were told to me in code language over army line. I was to stay hidden till the VIPs get access to their data themselves. But I was caught in my camo. I have to keep my mouth shut till rescue team arrives."
I repeated the whole instruction word to word.

"Did you know what the data was?"
"No sir."

"Did you know where the data was kept?"
"No sir."

"Did you know who were the two VIPs?"
"No sir."

"Did you know who was trying to extract the data from you?"
"No sir."

"Did you know that your captivator had the access to the data?"
"No sir."

"How many people know that you've been given the task?"
"You and Major Marks."

"How did you recieve the password?"
"Over phone sir. The guy handling landline would know about it too."

"So that's three."
"Yes sir."

"Now answer all the questions again where you answered no."
He said.

"The data was nothing but dossier folders. They were kept in two different vaults. It was of you and Captain Neil. Neil was trying to extract the data from me. He had someone near the vaults who entered the code."
I joined all the dots.
Fuck!

"Care to tell me what you decoded?"
He asked slumping back in his chair leisurely.

"Neil was double gaming. He was the traitor. He was not worried about keeping his data safe. He just wanted your data. And he had hired a man from the inside- the guy handling landline."
I said in a breath.

"Good. Now if at this point you get a chance to make a call, who would it be and what will you say?"
"I'd call either you or Marks and inform that the landline guy is in the other team."

"Exactly. While he would be having no clue that he got caught. And why all this would have happened? Why would you reach such a conclusion?"
He asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"Because Neil gave away little information and I connected the dots."
I said my guilt going drastically down.

"Not just that, but making him enter the wrong code first would alert us through the sirens you heard. So basically you just gave him the code when you couldn't hold any longer. But before that, you extracted the info that you needed from him. I'd call it a win."
He said standing up.

Fuck my life!

"I... I..."
I stuttered not knowing what to say.

"It's called reverse Interrogation, James. You get screwed, get screwed really bad. But you make your interrogator so worked up that he gives you his secret information instead of getting yours. Next time, try to last another hour."
He spoke and left.

I'd never learn this lesson without experiencing it myself!
Damnit!
What are these guys made of?

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Finally a chapter you all were waiting for!
And I think James did a decent job.
Phew!

But! Who has already heard of Reverse Interrogation once before? Anyone?

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Please comment your views.
I personally didn't want to publish this one. But I thought I'll let you guys have a read before taking it down somewhere in future.
So let me know what you think.