The interrogations of Silas and the other captured individuals were a difficult, frustrating process. Captain and Elara, along with a few trusted security personnel, conducted the questioning. The atmosphere was heavy with the recent violence and the knowledge that the enemy was someone within their walls, even if confined.
Silas was defiant at first, clinging to the distorted logic Gus had fed him. "The child is a beacon! You know it! He brings the grey!" His eyes still held the terror that had been twisted into purpose. Under persistent questioning, he spoke of whispers, of a voice that had seemed to understand his fear, promising safety if the "problem" was removed. He mentioned Gus's name, but only as the one who spoke the "truth," not necessarily as a manipulator. His testimony was clouded by fear and the genuine belief that he had been acting for the sanctuary's good.
The others were a mix of remorse and lingering fear. They admitted to hearing the whispers, to being afraid, to believing that Kael was a danger. They confirmed Gus's name was associated with these ideas, but they couldn't provide concrete proof of his methods or the full extent of his network. They spoke of feeling overwhelmed by fear, of desperation, of the terrifying logic that had seemed to make sense in the darkness.
The interrogations confirmed Gus's central role in inciting the rebellion, but they didn't fully expose his techniques or the depth of his remaining influence. His manipulation was subtle, psychological, leaving behind fragmented testimonies and fear-laced justifications rather than clear evidence.
Meanwhile, daily life in the sanctuary was strained. Work teams moved with less efficiency, trust broken by the knowledge that anyone could fall victim to the whispers. Guards watched each other with wary eyes. The mess hall was quieter, the shared meals less a comfort and more a tense necessity. The internal rifts impacted everything, slowing down repairs, scavenging, even the basic functions of survival.
Kael remained withdrawn, sensing the complex emotional fallout from the interrogations. He felt the lingering fear and confusion from the captured individuals, mixed with a dull despair. He felt the frustration and weariness radiating from Captain and Elara. And the pervasive, deep wound of mistrust in the wider sanctuary was a constant, painful ache in his sensing.
The feeling of 'Unwanted. Burden. Leave.' was his ever-present companion. He heard muffled echoes of conversations, sensed the suspicion still directed at him. He knew they had caught the people who tried to take him, but the knowledge that the idea to abandon him had taken root, that some people truly believed he was the problem, was devastating.
Even Elara's presence, usually a comfort, felt tinged with the heavy burden she carried, the worry she felt for him, the frustration with her research. He was surrounded by people trying to protect him, yet he felt utterly alone with the weight of being the center of so much conflict and fear.
Down in the lower levels, Gus felt the tension from the interrogations. He sensed the fear and the attempts to resist revealing his methods from his captured pawns. He felt the frustration from Captain and Elara. He smiled. They were getting pieces, but not the whole picture. His power lay not just in direct commands, but in sowing seeds of thought, in exploiting existing fears, in making people believe his truth was their own idea.
He felt the ongoing tension in the wider sanctuary, the successful spread of mistrust. The interrogations, by focusing on the captured, were inadvertently giving him cover. They were looking at the fruits of his labor, not the roots.
He adjusted his subtle whispers again, targeting the frustration caused by the inconclusive interrogations. They don't know the truth, his whispers implied. They can't find the real problem. Maybe the real problem is closer than they think... maybe it's the one asking the questions... He continued to chip away at trust, using every setback, every fear, every uncertainty to widen the cracks in the sanctuary's foundation.
The chapter ends with the interrogations providing limited but frustratingly inconclusive information about Gus's network and methods, confirming his role but not fully exposing him. Daily life in the sanctuary is heavily impacted by the deep internal division. Kael remains traumatized and feels the weight of being the source of conflict. Gus views the limited success of the interrogations as a benefit and continues to exploit the situation to deepen mistrust. The chapter highlights the ongoing struggle with the internal threat and the difficulty of overcoming the division.