POV: Caius

The second interrogation begins under different rules.

The man from the waystation sits in the same chair, but the room has been stripped of any remaining pretense of limited cooperation. The recording runs openly. Ryker stands closer than before. Zane monitors the live feed from the adjacent space. Ayla is present this time, seated at the side table with the ledger open to the page that named him. The bond between the four of us is tight and controlled. No one is here for half-measures.

I take the chair across from him and set a single sheet on the table. It holds the new codes he provided the...