ready, she had to get Odeon past his squeamishness as quickly as
possible so she could start training him as her assistant.

It was Saturday before he managed to get through a session without
throwing up, and she didn't think it proper to conduct interrogations
on Sunday except in an emergency, so it was Monday when she started
teaching him. The subject was a young Brother that Bain evaluated as
having no useful information, but as being strong enough to survive up
to a week of teaching sessions. Cortin preferred to go after something
specific, make it a contest between her and her subject, even though it
was a contest she was almost certain to win. But teaching was as valid
a function as extracting information, and it would insure that the
Brother served at least one useful function in his life while paying
for his crimes against the Kingdoms.

Their subject was waiting when they entered the interrogation suite's
third-stage room, prepared as usual: naked, with some bruising,
spreadeagled between ceiling chains and floor eyebolts. Cortin
gestured at him, speaking to Odeon. "You've already noticed I keep our
methods simple, Captain; the reason is that almost all our work will be
done in the field, so I think it best to practice with equipment we can
either take or adapt there. This method of securing a subject is an
example; you can almost always find trees and ropes, while you'll
seldom if ever find a surgical table. The same principle goes for
drugs; we use ones like algetin or eroticine that are effective, simple
to administer, and can easily be replaced at a shelter or detention
center. Any questions so far?"

"No, ma'am." Odeon had been more concerned with keeping his stomach
under control than with evaluating her methods and techniques, but
thinking back, he realized she had kept them to the basics.

"Good." Cortin went to the prisoner. "The preliminary examination
seems simple, but it will give you both physical and psychological
information invaluable to the interrogation process itself." She ran
fingers over the subject's face and throat. "For instance, Lieutenant
Bain has convinced this one that arguing back is not a good idea,
although there is little damage visible; that tells me he is easily
intimidated, and would not normally require third-stage interrogation."

"Why, then?" the subject burst out. "I told--"

Cortin backhanded him across the throat. "Because I need a training
aid, and