2002 (Side A): Bullet Garden/Epilogue I

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Synopsis
In the aftermath of the events of August 2002, an unnamed person temporarily halts his interrogation of an unknown individual and announces a change of pace: they will now 'get' to the heart of the matter, which are the series of events that have just taken place aboard the cruise liner Entrance. They opine that the cruise was wonderful, comparing a cruise liner to a 'closed world' that is at once a hotel, a fortress, and a casket – the sort of world that brooks no funeral should it sink to the bottom of the ocean.

Having used the phrase 'well, now' for the third time, they chide the individual on their lack of reaction and requests they they show them some hint of emotion or change at what they are saying – though they add that nothing the individual does will serve to change their fate.

As the person prepares to continue the interrogation, they remark that they do not actually have anything in particular they want to ask the individual, and suggest that the individual scream instead of trying to come up with something to say. Should the screams bother the interrogator, they will simply crush the individual's throat.

Trivia

 * The context for this interrogation is given in Epilogue II of the next volume, revealing the interrogator to be Luchino B. Campanella and the individual to be Life, his traitorous subordinate.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * The Unnamed Interrogator