Rising to Fall

Chapter 1-4

Oh, did I mention that the Squids are fully human? They're just normal people who make up an Army that is named after a sea creature. No hybrids here.

General Mitchell is dragged backwards underneath the Capital, someone whom he can't see pulling at his bound arms behind his back. He quickly realises that there is no point in struggling so he forces his body to remain loose. After some minutes of being manhandled this way, Mitchell hears a door unlocking and opening. He is pulled upright and propelled forward into what he assumes to be a room, however, he can't see anything through the blindfold.

He stumbles, silently glad that his captors didn't tie his legs together. The General stands there uncertainly, waiting to be pulled by someone else or for his bonds to be released. He hears low voices talking a little away, four of them from the sounds of it. He tries to hear the words but they are talking too quietly. The voices stop and he hears a second door, sounding like it is in front of him, open and shut. He gave a low sigh. The owners of the voices must have left him, meaning that either they're going to collect him later, or he's in a cell. The second option doesn't make sense as what kind of cell would have two doors?

Suddenly, someone shoves his chest. General Mitchell reels back, his back painfully hitting a wall, his hands being caught between the two. A hand, rough and hard, grabs his neck, tight enough so that he can't move, but not too tight so that he can't breathe. A second hand takes the gag out of his mouth so that he can talk.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" a harsh and steely voice asks instantly.

"I'm General Mitchell of the Benjas," Mitchell says, instantly on guard although there's not much that he can do. "I'm here to discuss a peace treaty with the Squids-"

"Don't try to fool me with that treaty crap," the voice says angrily. "You were asking common people questions that don't need to be asked. Why are you really here?"

"I want to make a peace treaty," the General insists. "I was asking people questions because I'm interested in history an-"

"Stop lying to me!" The hand pushes Mitchell harder against the wall and he grunts slightly as his hands start aching. "You were asking about the army that was in charge before the Squids and you were trying to cover it up!"

"So what?" Mitchell asks, trying to move slightly so that his hands can get relief. "What does it matter to you what I ask about? I was told that they were completely gone. There was no harm to me-."

"Tell me why you were asking about the Sky Army."

"Tell me why you're so interested in knowing why I was asking about them."

The voice is silent for a minute and the General struggles to hide a grin. Clearly, he had won a point in that battle of words with his captor. The hand tightens again, a little too tight for Mitchell to breathe comfortably.

"Do you know how dangerous that was?" the voice hisses angrily. "Do you what the Squids would do if they heard whispers of the Sky Army drifting around the Capital? Do you know how close you could have come to destroying 12 years of work? Of hiding? Of staying alive and trying to blend in?"

"What?" General Mitchell asks, thoroughly confused. Instead of answering, the voice pulls Mitchell off the wall. He feels a hand take off his bonds and his blindfold. Mitchell blinks slightly as the low light finally reaches his eyes. As he instinctively rubs his wrists, he glares at the man who is walking away from him, throwing the gag and a piece of rope and cloth on the crude table that stands in the middle of the room.

"What the heck was that whole thing for?" he asks, a little angry at his mistreatment.

"You can't trust anyone here," the man says in his steely tone. "Especially when you're in our situation."