What the hell do you want me to do here again?"
Honestly, he felt as if that was a pretty valid question. He was, after all, staring at someone who was completely unresponsive, immersed in a liquid that Carter supposed was keeping her in stasis. Whomever this Amara Greenfield was, she didn't look to be in a position where he could just up and question her.
This all had the potential to be something of a moral conundrum, something akin to the trolley problem he'd once read about, but as of yet lacked the stakes. When Halt had informed him, in vague terms, of his 'job' today, Carter had presumed his plan for breaking him was forcing him to commit atrocities for the sake of his own health — which would probably have been surprisingly effective, but the predictability of the situation made it a tad less impressive.
This, however, suggested otherwise.
The Police Captain chuckled,crossing his arms across his chest with a single eyebrow raised and something of a smirk in his face. He was, Carter noticed, enjoying every second of this all.
"You'd think you'd have learned to stop assuming things at this point," he mused out loud, much to Carter's irritation.
"That's stupid. Preparation is key for survival."
A pause.
"Aye, that it is, kid. I suppose I'll give you a discount this time." He nodded to himself as if that somehow added to his statement, approaching the strange tank the woman was immersed in without as much of a moment's hesitation. His approach deemed to trigger something in it, because a small, glowy keyboard slid out of the tube's side as soon as he stepped near it.
While Halt typed out at the keyboard, Carter took his time to examine the woman inside. She was aesthetically pleasing, though it was hard to call her attractive when she was in such a state, with hair like flames flowing slowly and pale skin tinged by the liquid's color.
"This is kind of fucked up." He muttered softly. Then, a tad louder, he turned to Halt. "What about her contacts in the Rift? The ones you said you were waiting for."
Halt didn't stop typing. In fact, Carter wasn't even sure if the man heard his words until he started answering.
"Miss Amara here is something of a big deal internationally, which was why capturing her was so important all those years ago. Imagine my surprise, then, when rumours start circulating about a breakout on her part… rumours further confirmed when we find one of her little supporters digging up this area. The poor fucker never got past our little guard dogs, but it was still a warning sign."
"So… those contacts you said?"
"Allies. Digging up for information on how to properly extract her, right from inside our city walls. Most likely they have the support of one of the big Families, two if we're in particular deep shit."
He paused to swipe at a screen that popped up.
— Hiss!
The sound of an airlock being broken. The liquid's within the tank slowly drained out and into what Carter assumed were tubes into some sort of sewer system. As it was, he kept his eyes on the woman's form — watching as the liquid touched her forehead, then her chin, and then, when it had all been mostly drained in, watching as she slowly began breathing, eyes still closed.
A final tap from Halt made the tube whir as gears moved inside it, shifting from a vertical position to an horizontal one without much difficulty at all. It did mean Carter had to step out of its way somewhat, but that was fine.
"There you go," said Halt. "She'll be waking up any time now — which is when you'll help me extract the information I need."
"Through torture," Carter confirmed, feeling just a little queasy.
"Don't make stupid assumptions."
Another whirring sound as the glass pane that covered the woman slowly slid off, just as the one he had laid in did. And like him, the woman was now dripping wet with the strange thick liquid, with some steam quickly rising from the now open tank.
— Gasp!
She opened her eyes with a loud gasp for air. Her hand instantly went to clutch at the fabric in her chest, somehow as if to confirm her deep breaths for air were in fact leading the air to her lungs. It was something of a pitiful sight, made moreso by the spark of panic in her eyes, and Carter couldn't help but grimace when Halt touched her head immediately, unbothered by her clear distress.
— Purple light exploded from his hand. The woman screamed in pain, and Carter's eyes widened.
Halt collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The woman, on the other hand, seemed to have calmed down somewhat.
"Hm… surprisingly functional. No [ System ] for me again, clearly, but I suppose I'll have to make do."
Carter gaped. Amara smirked.
"Oh, caught on, have you, brat? Should've expected you to. I hope this disproves your silly illusions of torture — Wouldn't do to hurt myself, now would it?"