It wasn't that Kroll enjoyed watching the
traitors broken in body and spirit. But why did
they keep insisting they were innocent before—
The Inquisitor
By Randall Garrett
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
December 1956
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
When Conway Kroll reached his office that morning, there were threeprisoners waiting to be interrogated. He smiled coldly at the sight ofthem, standing in the large bare room awaiting their fate.
"Good morning," he said, with steely politeness. "My name is Kroll.It is my job to conduct the interrogation to which you three will besubjected today."
One of the three—a tall, youthful-looking man—glared up at himbitterly. "Interrogation? Torture, you mean!"
Kroll brought his eyes to rest on the man who had spoken slowly, almostscornfully. "You have the wrong idea completely, my friend. It isnecessary to persuade you to divulge certain facts. The State requiresit of you. If you refuse—" He gestured sadly—"we must compel you.But you are all so determined to make things hard for us. I don'twant to hurt you, you know."
"But you will hurt us," said another of the prisoners. She was agirl, no more than twenty, slim and darkhaired. Even in the drearyprison garb, thought Kroll, she retained her beauty. "You're going totorture us!"
Kroll shrugged: "I repeat: I don't want to."
He looked at his watch. "Come; we are wasting time, and the Inquisitoris waiting. Miss Horniman, you must be first."
The girl shrank back behind the bitter-eyed young man. The thirdprisoner, a resigned-looking, balding man of fifty or so, did notchange his expression.
"Take me first," the man said. "Leave her alone."
Again Kroll shrugged. "The Inquisitor would like Miss Horniman first,Mr. Leslie. This is the preferred order, and this is the order thatwill be."
A guard stepped forward and shoved the sobbing girl up and ahead,toward the door. The man named Leslie clashed his manacles impotentlytogether and spat. "Butchers! Torturers!"
"Please, Mr. Leslie," Kroll said gently, a pained expression on hisface. "You make our job even harder than it is."
He followed the girl into the adjoining room, where the Inquisitor waswaiting. The Interrogation Chamber was an immense rectangular room withconcrete floor and bleak white walls, in the center of which stood theInquisitor.
"Good morning, Kroll," the Inquisitor said. Its metallic voice rattledand boomed in the big room. In the depths of the machine, relaysclicked and hummed. Kroll bowed to it, and the Inquisitor respondedwith a gesture of a prolonged metal arm. "The first prisoner, Kroll."
"Miss Florence Horniman," Kroll said. "Accused of treason against theState. Denies charge."
"How do you plead?" the machine asked coldly.
"Not guilty," stammered the girl.
Two huge metal arms extended from the Inquisitor's sides and foldedaround her. They drew her across the room to the bosom of the robot."Feed in the data, Kroll."
At the signal, Kroll slipped in the tape on the girl. A moment passedwhile the Inquisitor digested the data, and then: "The plea of notguilty is rejected as invalid."
"You can't just do that!" the girl said. "That's my plea!"
"Not valid in view of the evidence," said the Inquisitor. Kroll smileddistantly. He had seen this scene