General McClain

John waited till the guards had escorted Charrack away before throwing a nearby lamp at the general's head. The projectile passed straight through him, causing him to flicker before shattering against a wall.

"Oh John, of course I'm not really here, you're under quarantine."

"I know," John huffed, "I was just making sure."

"I understand your frustration..." The general began.

"Permission to speak freely?" John asked.

The general paused and nodded, "granted."

"You have no idea what I'm dealing with, so why don't we just skip the pleasantries and get this over with?"

The general gave John a moment to simmer down, "Very well. I am general McClain, I decided your situation was serious enough that I should debrief you personally. Let's start with something simple. How did you lose your leg?"

John shrugged nonchalantly, "A snake thought it would make a good dinner and decided to chow down."

"John I hope you understand I'm giving you a lot of liberty here," the general's voice sounded icy and sharp.

John nodded, "Yes sir I know, and I appreciate it."

The general continued, "I noticed you didn't salute when I walked in."

John smiled ever so slightly, "forgive me sir, but there's no rule that says a soldier must salute his superior officer when he isn't present, and I know a hologram when I see one."

A smile cracked the general's lips as well, "I like you John, I really do. That being said, I need you to take my questions seriously."

John lowered his head and sighed, "I was bit by a giant serpent. I managed to kill it, but Charrack saved me by chopping the leg off to keep it's venom from spreading."

"How come you didn't die from blood loss?"

"Enough venom made it into my bloodstream and thickened it, and Charrack set up a tourniquet."

"If your blood was so thick..."

"Look, I don't know how I survived!" John interrupted the general again.

"Perhaps I should let you rest for a day before we continue. If there's anything you need..."

"You can let Charrack go free."

The general stared at John in bewilderment, "The lizard? Are you serious?"

John did his best to explain himself, "He saved my life a dozen times over, he's only ever told me the truth, he chose me over his own species, and turned himself in to you for my sake."

A single tear fell from John's eye and onto the ground, "If I can convince you to let him walk free, I at least owe him that much."

The general waited a long moment in silence, "I'll give you a few days to rest, we can discuss this later."

His hologram flickered out, leaving John alone in the shock white quarantine suite.

...

In the other hall, Charrack did his best not to lash out at his escorts. The harsh demeanor and attempts at rough treatment were, at best, perceived as minor annoyances. Their human strength was the equivalent of an adolescent Valk, yet they persisted in pushing and shoving Charrack at every step and turn.

The time came when they pulled him to a stop in front of a blank white cell with a solid steel door and a wall of bulletproof glass. Charrack smiled and planted his feet, to get on their nerves. When the guards attempted to shove him in he remained as still and solid as a brick wall. Two guards repeatedly tried pushing him in without causing him to budge, even an inch.

One pulled out a baton and struck the back of Charrack's knees, he bent slightly but managed to stay upright. The guard proceeded to jab Charrack in the side and electrocute him.

Charrack growled and grabbed him and one other guard by the throat and pinned them against the wall about six inches off the ground, "Next time you want me to do something and you communicate in methods other than words, I'll rip your throats out. Do we understand each other?"

The other guard rushed up behind Charrack and was sent reeling by a powerful kick to the abdomen that toppled him against the other wall. The two guards nodded vigorously in response to Charrack.

Charrack made a ticking noise, "Wrong answer."

He opened his mouth and leaned in towards the left guard's throat.

"I mean, yes! Yes, I understand." He screamed, the other responding in like manner.

Charrack grinned and dropped them to the floor, "Good."

He calmly walked into the blank room and sat down in a corner. One of the guards rushed to his feet and activated the panel to close the door behind him, pressing the button as fast as he could. The human's panick made Charrack smile at himself.

A sudden sparkle of light blinded Charrack, and he was visited by the image of the general he saw earlier. "What brings you here?"

"I was about to ask you the very same thing." The general gave Charrack an appraising look.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you right now." Charrack growled.

The general laughed dryly, "As much as I would love to see you try, I'll let you in on a little secret , you can't. See, I'm not really here."

Charrack reached out to touch the general, but his hand passed through him unresisted, "So what do you want with me?"

The general began pacing the room, "I have questions that need answers, you will give them to me."

"Unless you want to know a list of words my people would use to describe you, you're wasting your breath."

General McClain laughed, "You and John are so much alike; the sarcasm, malicious compliance, and the defiant nature; it's all very entertaining. But I'm afraid your bravado isn't getting you anywhere with me, John has already turned you in."

Charrack stood up and crossed his arms, "What are you talking about."

"Oh he's shared quite a lot about you, murderer, traitor, you are really making a name for yourself, even before the war. Tell me, what happened to your family, how is it they died again?"

Charrack slammed his palm against the glass with a thundering boom, "What do you know of my family?"

The general smiled and straightened his shirt, "John really did his job well, bringing you here I mean."

"What?"

"Oh yes, that was his mission all along."

"Explain yourself!"

"I need explain myself to no one, least of all a lizard such as yourself. John's mission is completed and he will be out on his next assignment as soon as he is fully recovered. You, my dear Valk, will be used as a test subject for chemical weaponry. After we've interrogated you and gotten all the necessary information we need on your people, where they operate, outpost locations, things of that sort."

"As I said, you can't make me talk "

"We can make anyone talk." The general waved as his image flickered out of existence.