Grayman Book One: Acts of War

by Michael Rizzo

Project Manticore.

  Transcript of chemical interrogation session, 13 November 2018.

  Subject: Gray

  Interviewer: Tell me about the first one: Hans Henkels.

  Gray: Hajaf. He called himself Hajaf.

  Int: Was he the first person you’ve ever killed?

  (No reply. Note the last round of drugs should be at peak blood-levels.)

  Int: Tell me about Hajaf.

  Gray: Proof the Neo-Wahabi aren’t about race, just rage. Nice German boy with nothing left to lose. Impressionable. Ambivalent.

  Int: How did he treat you?

  Gray: Worse when the others were watching. Played tough. Softened slowly on the solo watch. Let me talk to him. Koran, mostly. He was impressed how well I knew it. He wondered why I wasn’t of the Faithful. I told him maybe I was. He’d back off. Come back later. Shy. Almost scared. Like he had doubts.

  Int: But you killed him.

  Gray: Yes.

  Int: No regrets?

  Gray: (Eleven seconds of silence. High autonomic response.) He would have gone along with the others. And there was no time.

  Int: Because they were losing patience with you?

  Gray: Because they were bringing another. There was opportunity. They’d gotten complacent. Left only the two guards when they went out. I knew there would be no other chance.

  Int: But you’d been working through your bonds for some time.

  Gray: (Autoresponse fluctuates. Chuckles. Bites his lip.) Working to kill time. Afraid. Hoping I wouldn’t have to act.

  Int: Afraid of what? Being killed?

  Gray: (Autospike. Snarls.) No. Resigned to that. Already dead. But harming another, taking a life…

  Int: But you did kill. Why?

  Gray: They were going to kill someone else.

  Int: So you did it to save Tariq?

  Gray: (Autoresponse spike. Grins. Snarls.) No.

  Int: Then why?

  Gray: (Voice sounds like a growl.) To… remove… (Doesn’t finish sentence.)

  Int: Remove what? The terrorists?

  Gray: (Response flatlines.) If you wish.

  (Pause in the interrogation. Chemical drip is increased.)

  Int: How did you kill Hajaf?

  Gray: (Slow rise in autoresponse.) Had to get him to come close.

  Int: How did you do that?

  Gray: Pissed him off. Started in with the religion. Quoting. They say no one quotes scripture better than the Devil. I shook him. Rubbed his nose in it. He started getting scared. Ashamed. Crying. Losing his temper. Then I crossed the line.

  Int: How?

  Gray: One thing I knew would snap him. Kuf. Blasphemy. True blasphemy.

  Int: What do you mean by that?

  Gray: Blasphemy is easy. Contradict scripture. Insult God. Just rude words. But true blasphemy challenges. Who you are. What you believe. You can’t ignore it.

  Int: What did you say?

  Gray: (Spike. Growl again. Snarling.) Ana al-haq.

  (Cross reference: This is the same quote the subject used in the Bari webvideo.)

  Int: What does it mean?

  Gray: (Still snarling.) ‘I am the Truth.’ Like Jesus: ‘I am the Truth and the Life.’ Like saying ‘I am your God.’ Can’t let that one go.

  Int: Where did you learn that?

  Gray: (Autoresponse declines.) Story of Mansoor Al Hallaj. A Sufi. Realized there was no division between self and the divine, everything is one. Proclaimed to the Muslims: ‘I am truth. I am God.’ They received it about as well as you’d think. They systematically dismembered him alive.

  (Pause in the interrogation. Responses fluctuate.)

  Gray: (Continues without prompt.) Hajaf… lost it. Drew his gun. Stuck it right in my face. Afraid to shoot, even though I challenged his god. Screaming. Threatening. He never saw it coming. I snapped the cuffs, deflected and trapped his gun arm, jerked him hard off balance. Blinded him. Broke his elbow. (Autoresponse increases.) Wrapped his neck backward…

  Int: Where did learn how to do that?

  Gray: (Smiling.) I didn’t.

  (Interrogator’s note: The subject appears to be able to at least partially resist the interrogation medium. There remains an impression that he is still, on some level, able to ‘toy’ with this process, and may even be enjoying it. Suggest future use of agents with less potentially euphoric effects.)

  Int: How did it feel to kill him?

  Gray: The hardest part… was that first action. Crossing that line. I just let the adrenaline do it. Once I was moving, all the fear was gone. Like jumping into cold water. The hardest part is making yourself jump. After that… (He stops. Autoresponse fluctuates.)

  Int: How did you feel?

  Gray: (Sudden spike. Then plateau. Snarl-grins.) Easy. It was easy…

  Int: And the other guard? Akbar?

  Gray: (Still plateaued on stable high response.) Let him panic. Dodged so he shot his friend. I took Hajaf’s hand and made Hajaf shoot him. Hit him in the balls—didn’t mean to. Lucky shot. Akbar was still on his feet, still trying to shoot, wearing a vest, so I shot him through the right shoulder. Killed his gun arm. Then I took his legs. Sloppy aim. Don’t like Glocks. Not used to shooting people, either. He was on what was left of his knees, trying to get control of his AK back with his last limb, then took his left arm away too.

  Int: Then what?

  Gray: (No change.) Watched him bleed. Looking at me. Scared. Cursing. Crying. Helpless.

  Int: How did you feel?

  Gray: (Autoresponse fluctuates.) Shaking. Everything. Hands. Arms. Legs. Hard to talk…

  Int: You spoke to him?

  Gray: (Stabilizing. Nods.) Needed to know things. Saw them conferencing. Planning on their techware. I wanted access. Wanted to know how to get on, get in.

  Int: Why? Why not run?

  Gray: They had more. Plans. Lives to take. Hundreds. Thousands. But they talked to each other. Bragging. Coordinating. Sharing. All the secrets were in their gear. With access, I could stop them. I only needed to get into their files. Their notebooks were double-locked: thumbprint and password. I had his prints—he couldn’t stop me. But I still needed the password. I threatened him. Hurt him. Hurt him. He started praying. Giving himself to his God. So I waited. Waited until he got shocky, couldn’t see anymore. Then I tried to pretend I was a friend. An angel. God, even. Praised his strength, his faith. Comforted him. Gentle whispers. Promises of paradise…

  Int: Did he give you the password?

  Gray: (Autoresponse flatlines.) No. He died.

  Int: So how did you get in?

  Gray: (No reply. Autoresponse spikes and crashes. He shivers. Chews his lip.)

  Int: How did you get in? How did you get the codes?

  Gray: From Delilah.