Challenge #02190-F001: Unreachable
What if someone was trying to get information out of someone else by threatening them, but the second person was just too positive. For example:
"I'll cut off your leg."
"Yes! I can get a peg leg!" -- Anon Guest
Violence can solve some things - like how to stop a racist in one easy step. What it can't do is defeat someone with the correct amount of optimism.
They called him Fearless Harry, and the enemy who captured him were beginning to see why. It was certainly not because his name was Harolson.
"Well, you can' get information out of me when I'm dead, can you? You need me alive and able to talk. So all those threats about dental treatment, tongue removal and outright murder aren't real threats."
Interrogator Masing kept a veneer of calm as they filled a needle with liquid. "Have you heard of Raeshegga Virus?"
"Oooh, that's a nasty one. Wicked fever, delirium, complete shutdown of inhibitions, but also a complete shutdown of the speech centres. Completely useless for interrogation -oh! And I've been immunised so it wouldn't do you any good anyway. Three cheers for vaccines, eh?"
Masing almost let his anger show through. Almost. He put the needle down and picked up a different instrument. "We could cut your toes off. Joint by joint..."
"Yes, please. Start with the little one. Clipping that nail there is a pain in the arse, and once it's gone, I won't get so many corns. Dress shoes are never built for human feet, I swear."
Masing glared at him. This man had been kept in the dark, bombarded with relentlessly same-y pop music, exposed to every possible unpleasant experience and he still viewed everything with a sunny attitude. Hell, he sang along to the relentlessly same-y pop music and some night-vision cameras showed him dancing in his cell.
For every threat, there was an equal and opposing bright side that would never have occurred to them, thus leaving them without ammunition.
This is going to be a tough nut to crack.
Which was Masing's last thought before the rescue troops barged in, lead there by the secret, GPS tracker masquerading as inoperable shrapnel near Harolson's spine.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / rrbancod]
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