In the dimly lit interrogation room, the atmosphere was always eerily silent. This was actually a psychological tactic. In an extremely quiet environment, people tend to make some noise to relax themselves, making it easier to spill their inner secrets.
On the interrogation chair, a doctor in a white lab coat had his hands bound to the armrests of the chair. He tilted his head, looking at the light bulb above him. It was a rudimentary and common white bulb, continually blinking. The fluctuating light made the atmosphere in the whole room even more oppressive.
"Did you know? I once suggested to a person to change the insensitive light bulb in his office. But he told me that it was a psychological tactic. Unstable lights would stimulate the nerves of those being interrogated, making them more anxious."
Shiller's voice echoed in the room. Mark, who sat across the railing, looked up at him, then asked, "The person you're talking about must have been a professional agent. Who is he? Where is he from? Is he your accomplice?"
"Why do you think he was a professional agent?" Shiller counter-asked.
"Answer my question." Mark didn't fall into the trap, he just repeatedly asked the same question, regardless of what Shiller asked him, he remained mute.
"It seems you're also a professional agent." Shiller tilted his head slightly, but he did not return to his normal posture. Instead, he leaned his head on the backrest of the chair and continued to stare at the light bulb, saying, "But the person I was speaking of did not change the light bulb, not for any such silly reason, but simply because he did not want to spend the money."
The conversation between Shiller and Mark was far from smooth, as they both demonstrated two beautiful human qualities: one was being an echo machine, the other was answering differently from what was asked.
Mark kept repeating the same question, using agent jargon and interrogation techniques to question Shiller. Meanwhile, Shiller only talked about what he wanted to talk about and only asked what he wanted to ask. After these lengthy exchanges, Mark finally stood up from behind the desk.
He opened the door of the room railing and approached Shiller. As he stood in front of Shiller, his shadow cast over Shiller, blocking his line of sight. From this angle, Mark had a handsome face and a tall figure, and like all agents, a serious expression.
This would have a very oppressive effect. However, Shiller continued to stare at the light bulb, he said, "It seems you've figured out that the first chapter in the agent manual is not effective on me, so you've begun to use the tactics taught in the second chapter."
"Shall I help you review? Get out of the seat, stand in front of the one being interrogated, use your body and posture to create an oppressive feeling, perform some actions suggestive of violence, make the one being interrogated think he is in a potentially dangerous environment..."
"If you are a bit more sophisticated, when you find that the one being interrogated starts feeling insecure, you will relax the tension, making him relax, then let him focus again. This way, he will start talking after a few rounds..."
Mark, who was standing in front of Shiller, visibly stiffened. According to his current position, his next action should be either to twist his wrist or crack his knuckles. But now, if he continues to do these actions, it would seem less like a violent hint and more like an amateur practice.
However, without a doubt, Mark had extensive experience as an agent and he didn't falter. He stepped back slightly, leaning on the railing, spinning slightly, and then reached behind to pick up a document from the table, he said,
"We received a report. Intelligence shows that you are engaged in espionage activities within New York State…"
"What intelligence indicates that I am a spy of which country?" Shiller asked.
Mark's hand paused once again as he was flipping through the document. Since Shiller walked into the room, every word he said was beyond Mark's expectations, in other words, Shiller absolutely did not play by the book.
Throughout Mark's career as an agent, he faced many formidable opponents, but most of them were not challenging in the same way.
Some became mute the moment they entered the interrogation room. No matter what methods they used, they couldn't get them to utter a single word. Some would use all sorts of arguments to prove their innocence. Even for Mark and the experts in interrogation, it was easy to get entangled into logical dead ends.
Without a doubt, they all had one thing in common - all were very aggressive. They would attack the interrogator's every weak point, trying every method to free themselves.
However, the feeling that Shiller gave Mark was that he wasn't very eager to get free. It seemed like he was willing to stay a bit longer. No, not just a bit longer, it seemed like he planned to live here, judging by his attitude.
"You must realise the consequences of your dangerous actions." Mark stared at Shiller with a serious expression the whole time.
"What kind of consequences? The Central Intelligence Agency has no law enforcement power, only investigative authority that has been severely reduced many times. You being able to openly bring me here is just because the person who reported me provided detailed information."
"I think this must be the most organised case you've handled in nearly ten years. You could even directly rush into my sanatorium, threaten me with a gun to leave with you. But under normal circumstances, all you can do is sneak around your target and not only watch the target, but also be mindful of the Federal Bureau of Investigation..."
Shiller sat upright but still relaxed against the back of the chair. He said, "Perhaps you think this is a simple case. With so much intelligence on me, you might think that I'm far from being as dangerous as those opponents you've encountered before, because they would never leave so many holes and information for their opponents..."
"But the fact is, even if you have this intelligence, you still can't do anything to me. You can only bring me to court."
"Now you want to get a bit more information, only to hold an advantage in court. Otherwise, I'll just walk out of the court unscathed, like those opponents you've met before. Outside of the court, I will reveal a mocking smile to you, then give you the finger."
"Enough." Mark's voice grew low. Shiller smiled and said, "It seems today's interrogation can only end here. You can go back and heal your broken spirit. We'll see each other tomorrow."
Mark threw the document back onto the table. He approached Shiller again and swung his fist at him. However, Shiller sidestepped, avoiding him.
Mark retracted his fist and did not attack again. He said, "Your movement just now has exposed that you are indeed a trained agent. A normal person couldn't have avoided it."
"Your move just now has revealed that you must be a trained boxer. Professional boxing force techniques aren't taught in agent combat skills…"
Mark took a deep breath. His chest heaved hard. After pausing for a moment, he shook his head. Shiller said, "Does anger make your mental state unstable? How long has this been going on? Have you seen a doctor?"
After Mark calmed down, he looked deeply at Shiller, then turned and left the interrogation room.
After a while, the door to the interrogation room opened again. Mark, who stood by the door, was talking to an interrogation expert, occasionally pointing a finger at Shiller.
Sitting upright, Shiller stretched his neck and shouted, "Are you going to start calling your parents? I promise not to tell anyone about you crying like a baby just now, to avoid you from not wanting to come to kindergarten tomorrow!"
Shiller could see that Mark, who stood by the door, clenched his fists.
But Shiller waited for a while, and Mark's outburst didn't happen. He shook his head, apparently somewhat disappointed.
Seeing Mark turn to leave, Shiller suddenly fell silent. When Mark turned his head for one last glance, Shiller intervened, saying, "Alright, I'm Hydra."
Mark looked back at Shiller, and Shiller too was looking at Mark. Then, without a backward glance, Mark left.
Shiller shouted out loud, "Didn't you hear?! I said I'm Hydra! The kind that Captain America fights! The Hydra that almost destroyed the world in World War II!"
"Wait! Come back! Okay, I'm KGB! KGB! KGB disguised as Hydra, is that enough?!"
In an instant, Mark, accompanied by a team of interrogation experts, re-entered the interrogation room while Shiller, seated in his chair, took a deep sigh.
Mark picked up the file from the table again. An investigator approached Shiller, set a table in front of him, and attached various physiological monitoring devices to him, also known as a lie detector.
"How's the weather today?" Mark asked.
"Not bad." Shiller replied.
Shiller noticed that a group of technicians were fixated on the physiological monitoring device, and after a few unrelated questions to make sure the lie detector was working properly, Mark began to get to the point.
"What is your real name?"
"Schiller Rodriguez."
"You're not Russian?"
"No."
"Are you a spy sent to Hydra by the KGB?"
"Yes."
Mark looked at the technician behind the monitor who subtly shook his head, indicating that the readings had no problems.
Though the lie detector data may not be completely accurate or admissible as evidence, it could largely infer a person's emotional changes at the time.
Shiller did not use any special abilities to control his physiology because everything he said was true, albeit in a roundabout way.
"So, you were sent to Hydra by the KGB, and then Hydra sent you to work at S.H.I.E.L.D as a spy?"
"Yes."
"Within S.H.I.E.L.D., how many accomplices do you have?"
Faced with this question, Shiller went silent. The technician watching the monitor frowned. Mark, catching this expression, noticed that there were issues with the readings.
"Many or few?" Mark continued to ask. "Are spies like you in S.H.I.E.L.D. many or few?"
"For my case, it's just me." Shiller answered. Mark quickly glanced at the technician who shook his head again.
Mark furrowed his brows and said, "If you're willing to testify, we can get you into the witness protection program, which could also contribute to a possible reduction of your sentence. So, it would be best for you to tell us everything you know about Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the KGB. It will do you no harm."
"What do you want to know?" Shiller asked.
Mark rose to his feet and began to pace in front of him. "I think you're aware that some time ago, the Russian Federal Security Bureau arrested a high-ranking member of Hydra. At the same time, they revealed that the KGB had infiltrated Hydra, and then used Hydra's influence to propel themselves to the top…"
Mark turned and looked into Shiller's eyes, asking, "We want to know what role did S.H.I.E.L.D play in all of this?"
"Did they provide cover for the actions of Hydra or the KGB?"
"Most importantly, S.H.I.E.L.D's Director, Nick Fury, is there a suspicion that his inaction led to the current situation?"