Tyranny Of Steel

Min-Ah sat within her cell, on the padded bedding, which acted as the only means of furniture within her confinement. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her wrists were covered with self-inflicted scratches.

For the past seventy-two hours, the Korean Princess had been kept constantly awake via a mixture of chemical, audio, and physical stimulation. Without the slightest bit of sleep, her willpower was quickly being ground to dust.

The Agents of German Imperial Intelligence did not even need to physically torture Min-Ah. All they needed to do was apply psychological pressure, and soon enough, the woman would spill her guts of her own volition. 

The clock struck twelve, and just like every twelve hours, the door to the cell swung open, where a group of armed guards immediately bound and gagged Min-Ah. This was a necessary precaution to ensure the safety of those involved with the interrogation. 

Once the room was secure, a young man entered the room with a sadistic grin on his handsome face and a revolver in his hand. Like every time he entered the prisoner’s cell, he would stand in front of her and make a grand statement before he began his work.

“It has been seventy-two hours, my sweet little Min-Ah. How about you stop resisting and give us everything we need to know? Do this, and I promise I will end your suffering. I might even throw a nice desert into your next meal. How about it?”

Min-Ah gazed upon the revolver in the man’s hand, knowing full well what was about to come next. However, she did not nod in acceptance of her fate, instead she glared fiercely at the man with murderous intent. 

This caused the interrogator to sigh in defeat before opening up the revolver’s cylinder, where he placed a single cartridge inside one of the six empty slots. After doing this, he spun the wheel before locking the cylinder in place and pointing the weapon at Min-Ah’s forehead. There was a hint of pity on his face as he spoke in a mocking tone. 

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“For your sake, I hope you will stop torturing yourself and answer my questions. However, since you have refused my request, a punishment is in order. May God show you mercy in this round of our little game.”

After saying this, the man pulled the trigger, causing Min-Ah to shut her eyes and flinch in terror. Despite the pull of the trigger, the round did not go off, and Min-Ah had evidently survived yet another round of Russian roulette.

In reality, this simple interrogation trick was a matter of sleight of hand. With a bit of trickery, the interrogator made it look like he loaded a round into the revolver’s cylinder, but in reality, he had not. Yet, Min-Ah did not know this. Thus, she genuinely feared the 1/6th possibility of death every time the man pulled the trigger. Min-Ah did not open her eyes until she heard the same sigh that the man made every time he failed to set off his weapon.

“It looks like you are truly blessed by God, my sweet little Min-Ah. You live to resist another day. Release her restraints.”

After saying this, the interrogator departed from the cell, while the guards unbound Min-Ah, leaving her alone with her thoughts once more. The moment after the guards left the room, the woman broke out into tears. It had been seventy-two hours since she last had last slept, or ate anything. Though she was continuously hydrated, her captors had forced her into starvation as a way to weaken her resolve. 

She knew that she would not last through the next trial. What little remained of her willpower was thoroughly defeated by this last game of Russian roulette. The next time the interrogator entered the room, she would give up everything. At the very least, she would finally be able to eat and sleep. Which was worth more to her than her loyalty at this moment. 

For the next twelve hours, Min-Ah was kept awake, as she sat in silence staring at the entrance to her cell, counting every moment that passed. Once the door opened, she did not resist the guard’s attempt to restrain her. However, when they tried to place the gag in her mouth, she spoke rather weakly. 

“Wait… I’ll talk… I’ll tell you everything you want to know…”

Upon hearing this, the interrogator felt a bit let down. He truly enjoyed playing his psychological games with his captive. For her to break within four days was simply too woeful. However, his orders was to obtain intelligence from the Japanese spy, and thus he did not persist with his methods of interrogation.

Instead, he nodded his head towards the guards, who brought in a small wheeled desk, a typewriter, and a chair. Once he had sat down and prepared himself, the interrogator began to ask questions about Min-Ah’s background. 

“I must say, you lasted longer than I thought you would. For a woman with no formal espionage training, you resisted longer than most in your situation. That is to be commended. However, now that you have finally decided to speak, I have a few questions on my mind. First and foremost, why did you come to the Reich? I must remind you to answer truthfully, or else I will be forced to go back to our little games.” 

Min-Ah took a few moments to collect her thoughts, her mind was jumbled from a lack of sleep, starvation, and a healthy dose of methamphetamine. After coming up with the best possible answer in her head, she sighed heavily before revealing her thoughts.

“Empress Itami asked me to infiltrate the Reich as a refugee, so that I may seduce the Kaiser, and spy on his activities. Unfortunately, before I could even make an attempt, I was discovered.” 

The interrogator’s brow rose slightly when he heard these words, and he was quick to ask a followup question.

“So, you had no intention to poison the Kaiser or his family? I have a hard time believing that considering your background. Why else would Empress Itami send you, of all people, here for the simple task of seduction?” 

Surprisingly, a scoff erupted from Min-Ah’s lips as she glowered at the interrogating officer. Since she had decided to answer the man’s questions, and honestly at that she would tell him the truth.

“While it would be within my capabilities to do so, my orders were rather strict. The reason Empress Itami selected me for this task was because she knew that your Kaiser has a tendency to fawn over foreign beauties of high social status. As a Princess of the Joseon Dynasty, and a beauty in my own right, I was truly the only option my Empress had available.

Empress Itami wants information, not assassination. She’s wise enough to realize that if she harmed the Kaiser or a member of his family, it would result in total warfare, a war she is not yet ready to fight.

The reality of the situation is, the Empress knows very little about your Empire, and its capabilities. My job was to infiltrate the Reich, find out about how advanced your country is, especially in regards to military matters, and, most importantly, analyze what kind of man the Kaiser is.”

The Interrogator typed everything Min-Ah had said into his typewriter, before asking her another question that came to mind.

“And do tell me, how exactly were you supposed to relay this information back to your homeland? We searched your apartment quite thoroughly and found no means of communication that could traverse that kind of distance.”

In response to this, Min-Ah merely lowered her head in silence for several moments. She took a deep breath before responding to the question. 

“After I had gained the Kaiser’s trust, and entered his inner circle. I was supposed to learn as much as I possibly could. Once the Kaiser was truly in love with me, I was to request time off so that I could visit my homeland, where I would meet up with Japan’s agents in Northern Joseon, and relay to them the intelligence I had gained from my time in the Reich.

Such long distance communication is impossible in the Japanese Empire. We have only begun to scratch the surface of radio technology. Whereas, from my brief time in the Reich, I can tell that your people are quite advanced in this field.

I may not have lived here long, but the things I’ve seen during this brief time are enough to convince me that Empress Itami does not have a chance of winning a war against the reich. She can only make you suffer long enough to force your Kaiser into a more favorable peace.”

The interrogator continued to write down the information that the prisoner provided him. It was not until he had finished recording what she had said did he ask her the next question on his mind.

“Alright, since you are being so co-operative, I want to understand everything you know about the Japanese Empire. From its civil structure, to its military and industrial capabilities, to political factions we can make use of, and even the amount of agents the kempeitai has in the field, as well as their location.”

Min-Ah bit her lower lip when she realized just how much she was about to betray Itami, however for the sake of rest, and a nice meal, she was practically willing to do or say anything. Thus, she spent the next few hours giving German Imperial Intelligence everything they needed to know about the Empire of Japan. At least as much knowledge as she herself held as a member of Empress Itami’s inner circle. 

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