Chapter 291: Detained
Alex awoke some time later while strapped to a chair in the same exact interrogation chamber he was escorted to the first time he entered Iran under the alias of Omar Assad. He was groggy and lightheaded. After all, his skull had nearly been caved in from behind by a blunt instrument.
Standing in front of him were two men, one of which was middle-aged, and the other significantly younger, perhaps in his early thirties. The middle-aged man had grey hair and a matching beard. He was clearly a very high-ranking member of the Iranian Military, as he stood there dressed in a uniform which showed off his status as a general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Knowing that such a high-ranking member of the Iranian government had come to visit him, Alex realized he was in deep shit. And thus sighed heavily as he shook his head. That is until the man looked at Alex in disgust and voiced his disdain for him.
“So… You’re the American bastard who has been trying to sleep with my daughter… I should have your testicles removed for simply attempting such a thing, you disgraceful infidel!”
Alex was stunned into silence, only a step away from dropping his jaw like an idiot when he realized what he had heard. He was quick to ask about this, as he wanted to make sure what he was hearing was reality.
“Wait, a second… Your daughter is Jasmine? I’m sorry, why would a general in the IGRC allow his daughter to work, let alone in an international hotel? Oh, shit… She’s a spy, isn’t she?”
A smug smile appeared on the middle-aged man’s face as he spoke to Alex as if he weren’t a complete and total idiot.
“You’re smarter than you look, you know that? At first I thought you were an American spy, sent to infiltrate our glorious Islamic Republic with the intent of bringing down the grand efforts of our nation’s esteemed hero Omar Assad.
Alex was, of course, offended by this notion, smarter than he looked? Was this asshole trying to tell him he looked like an idiot? How dare he! At the very least, he looked like a fool, but an idiot? That was going too far.
The General could tell that Alex seemed angry and was quick to comment on this.
“What’s the matter? Did I offend you? You Americans are, after all, known for being overly emotional.”
Alex, of course, responded in what was perhaps the worst way someone in his position could possibly do. And tried to assert his intelligence by saying he could very well be a spy.
“How do you know I’m not a spy? Just because I look stupid doesn’t mean I am! I mean for all you know I may not even be American, I might be Israeli, and the whole Alex Smith thing is just a well crafted Alias!”
The two interrogators looked at each other for a moment as if they did not believe what they just heard before breaking out into laughter at Alex’s remarks. Whether Alex intentionally said this to make himself look even more incompetent, so that any lingering suspicions they had regarding his identity as a potential spy were well and truly dropped? Or he really was that stupid only he knew.
But Alex ultimately joined in their laughter before assuring them he was not a threat to the nation of Iran, and was in fact actually an unlikely ally.
“You know, believe it or not, my own government has tried to assassinate me. I’m sure by now you have looked into my background and found I have connections to a group you are currently supporting with military aid in Mexico. We’re not the enemies you think we are.
I just tried to pick up the wrong girl, is all. Luckily for you, I didn’t touch your daughter, and now that I know her identity, I humbly apologize for my actions, so can we let bygones be bygones?”
The two interrogators were stunned by Alex’s complete and utter shamelessness. Was this man really trying to act like they were friends right now? However, the general looked at his aide and was quick to ask him about what Alex had just said.
“Is it true? Is this guy an enemy of America?”
The aide looked rather surprised that the General would ask this, and even stammered as he spoke up.
“Sir… Yes… I mean… Er… It’s complicated. While our intelligence can confirm, the CIA sent at least two separate hit teams into Mexico, which this man engaged in combat with. We can only confirm that one of them was meant to take his life.
Since then, however, the man has distanced himself from the Cartel, and the CIA has called off their attempts on his life. So we really don’t know what his affiliations are, or if he is actually a CIA operative who is deep undercover…”
Alex was slightly annoyed by this remark… He was an undercover alphabet boy? Hell no, Alex hated feds more than just about anyone on this planet. And the idea that he was even remotely tied to them boiled his blood. He was quick to call them out on this by using a particularly offensive term to refer to the CIA.
“You think I’m one of those glow *******? Fuck you! Those bastards came after my girl! You think I’d ever work for them after that? They only backed off because they got tired of losing bodies to me. Besides, I think they have bigger concerns right now when we consider what you guys are up to…”
The vitriol that Alex spoke when he referred to the CIA and of the federal agencies of the United States was fairly convincing, even if the IGRC General and his aide were unware of the exact meaning behind the derogatory internet slang that Alex was using in reference to them.
Thus, the General decided to take a step back from his plans to torture Alex. I mean, after all, the man was right. Jasmine had confirmed that Alex hadn’t even touched her in any way. Instead, the General needed more information about Alex and thus he told him one thing before walking off, leaving Alex tied to a chair in the interrogation room.
“We need more information… I will let you know how we will proceed once I have returned….”
As the door shut behind the two officers in the IGRC. Alex called out to them in a particularly desperate tone.
“Can you at least untie me? Maybe get me a cup of coffee? Come on, you’re not just going to leave me here like this, are you?”
Yet there was no response, and once the door was shut behind Alex, he saw a familiar figure appear from thin air. The Queen of Hearts was sitting on Alex’s lap, while wearing a mocking expression on her gorgeous face. Her tone was equally condescending as she spoke to Alex as if he really were an idiot.
“You know, as much as I enjoy seeing you tied up like that, you really only have yourself to blame Alex. Did you even do any research on Jasmine before trying to take her out? I mean honestly, does all my hard work mean nothing to you?”
Alex was confused by the Queen of Hearts, and was quick to express this sentiment with a rather irritated tone in his voice.
“What the hell are you talking about? Hard work? What hard work? Are you freaking kidding me right now? How about you fucking untie me?”
This, of course, caused the Queen of Hearts to pout at Alex as she lectured him on his naivety and ignorance.
“Who do you think compiles all the information within those dossiers which you don’t even bother to read. Do you think that when I’m not around, I’m just sitting in the background watching you fuck chicks? Honestly, Alex, your lack of concern for others is really not the best trait, you know that, right?
Besides, even if I did have the ability to interfere with your current predicament, which I don’t, rules are rules, and I have taken enough punishment on your behalf already, do you really believe the guys who are watching you on the cameras would not be the least bit curious about how the bindings around you magically disengaged?
Hell, they’re probably questioning your sanity as you scream at nothing. That is literally what they are watching right now. So be a good little boy and get yourself out of the mess you have created. I’ll only intervene if you somehow screw this up.
Luckily for you, you have made the right enemies, and because of that, I have a feeling this general will be lenient with you. But Alex, you should be warned, Jasmine is without a doubt the hardest heroine you will need to conquer in the Middle Eastern arc, and for the record time is of the essence, your rival is already making moves on the other girls, and he is a literal oil prince. So…. Tik tok Alex, tik tok…”
Before Alex could even argue with the woman, she disappeared on the spot, vanishing into thin air, leaving the man all alone, tied to a chair within an Iranian interrogation chamber.