“YES!” I exclaimed. “YET ANOTHER VICTORY FOR DA WINNA-MON!!!”
“Well it isn't really fair, Matthew is it?” asked my friend, Chris. “I mean, you got three days head-start on the game. You have stronger guys and more experience.”
“Yeah, how did you get it three days in advance?” questioned my other friend, Nick. “The game wasn't supposed to come out until today.”
“Let's just say I know a guy,” I said with a smile.
“Come on, tell us! You didn't get it illegally did you?”
“No.”
“Then there's no reason to not tell us.”
I sighed, “Fine, fine. I'll tell you. I guess it technically was stealing--” to which my friends threw many questions at me “--but only because I hadn't received the real copy yet.”
“What?” they both replied.
“I got it as a rom, so technically it's illegal. But a copy had already been bought, so it isn't really all that bad. If anything, it's only illegal because I got an early release. Even then, it isn't illegal because it’s already been released in Japan.”
“Hmm,” said Chri, who was the most morally straight of us all. “I suppose that counts as legal. Yeah, in the end it's fine.”
“Good. I want to avoid doing illegal stuff if I can.”
“And we don't wanna be mixed up if you get arrested,” joked Nick.
“Aww, shut up,” I said, flicking him. “What are the odds of me getting caught for such a petty thing? It would have to be a really slow day if the Feds were so worried about stuff like that.”
“I'll bet you ten bucks you'll be arrested for something like that one of these days.”
“Hey man, don't jinx it!” Chris said. “Now he's definitely gonna get arrested... I'm in too! But for only five bucks.”
“Yeah, thanks a lot Chris,” I said. We all sorta laughed and went back to our gaming. Suddenly, the door was knocked down, the windows smashed in (we were on the 30th floor), and the sound of people running filled the house. Thinking instinctively, I grabbed a Nerf gun already loaded and took aim at the door. Sadly, it was in vain because men had already surrounded us.
The soldier-looking guys made a passageway, and a man in a suit came walking up to me. He said, “Son, but down the toy gun.” I put it down and he said, “Matthew, you are under arrest.” As I protested he put on hand-cuffs and listed my rights. My friends were clearly in shock and tried to speak, but all that came out was a series of meaningless sounds. As I screamed I was innocent a thought occurred to me.
I turned around and said to my friends, “I guess I owe you guys fifteen bucks, huh.” After that, I allowed them to take me away with the satisfaction that I had indeed been arrested but had left an optimistic and happy note with my friends. Which was good, since I didn't feel optimistic at all.

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It was a lot like a movie. They tried all different tactics, including the good cop/bad cop routine. I would be the bad guy, except that I didn't do anything. So I guess I was the good guy being framed for something that the bad guys did. Or maybe it was that rom I downloaded. I didn't think it was that bad.
To be honest, it was probably the most terrifying thing I’d ever dealt with. Seriously, I wasn’t talking to them because I knew better. It was because I was too scared to be able to form a complete sentence. Of course, since I wasn’t cooperating with them, they continued to interrogate me with even more force and strength. Which didn’t really help me from my standing. And so it was really just an endless cycle of being scared, getting a little used to it, them getting angrier, and so on and so forth.
Eventually, I started to lose track of time. I never slept (too scared) and I knew I couldn’t have been there for more than a day because I wasn’t too hungry. But I had no idea how many hours I had been there. I began trying to stay sane (I knew I was overreacting but better safe than sorry), and decided to count cuts on the walls, bars, breaks in the plaster, etc. After a while, the interrogations came less often until they stopped altogether.
Then, a lone man in a suit came into my room. I recognized him as the man who arrested me earlier. I unleashed all of my angry staring fury upon his face. “That’s cute, kid. Real cute. But it ain’t gonna get you out of here.” I humphed at him and turned away from him. “Okay, look, you’re justified to be upset but--”
“Upset? You think I’m upset?” I snarl at him. “I’m way beyond upset. I was upset a few hours ago. Now I’m just plain furious! Do you like kidnapping kids for no reason whatsoever?”
“No reason whatsoever? You’re kidding me, right?” I don’t respond. “Wait, are you kidding? ...Holy-- I thought you knew.”
“Nope, I don’t have a clue. I don’t know my charges, where I am, or even who the h*ll I’m dealing with.”
“...Okay fine. You have a right to feel this way. Frankly, I would too.”
“So do you mind telling me why I’m here?”
“Um, yeah. But I suppose I should anyway.”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
“All right, all right,” he said. Finally, I thought, I can find out what’s going on. “Here’s the deal: at exactly 1 PM yesterday a group of teenagers, about your age, attacked a local movie theater.”
“Yeah, I heard about that on the news. So?”
“So, they held hundreds of people hostage.”
“Okay. That’s real sad but what’s your point?”
“We know there was a group of teenagers in charge of this. You know, the ringleaders. One of them fits your profile.”
“What’s his profile?”
“13 or 14. Caucasian. Somewhat short. A bit of a small build.”
“Well, I’m not somewhat short; I’m quite short.”
“Actually, I think that’s the exact thing written on the report.”
“Oh.” D*mmit. “Okay, so I guess I’m a suspect.”
“That’s a good suspicion!” He chuckled for a second and then continued, “Sorry, sorry. Anyway, yes, you’re right.”
“Well, what if I told you I had an alibi?”
“Then I would say lemme hear it.”
“All right. 1 PM yesterday?” I pause for a second before saying, “You do realize my school doesn’t let out until 3:15 PM, right?”
“You were let out early because you were sick.”
“I know. I’m just testing you. So, 1 PM. I’m pretty sure I was still on the M86 bus. I have to ride it to go across town to go home.”
“Is there anyone who can confirm this?”
“I texted my mom when I left the school building. Will that work?”
“Not really.” He pulls out his cell phone. “These things can’t really send your location in a text message, can they?”
“I guess not. Well, how am I supposed to confirm my alibi if I didn’t know anyone there? Wait, what about surveillance footage?”
“There isn’t any in most MTA buses. We already checked that and the computer didn’t recognize you.”
“Really? Don’t all MTA buses have those cameras?”
“Not really.”
“Fine. So how can I prove I’m innocent?”
“You tell me. I can’t try and help you.”
I thought back, reviewing everywhere I went and everyone I saw. “Well, what about my doormen?”
“That would work. Okay, we’ll check into that.” He got up to leave.
“Wait wait,” I asked.
“What?”
“Could you look into seeing if I can get better accommodations or something?”
“Yeah-no. Not gonna happen.”

“Aww.” He started to get up again. “Wait wait wait.”

“What now?”

“I don’t even know your name.”
“I can’t really tell you it. Or at least, I can’t tell you my real name.”
“Really? You have code names? I thought that was just in the movies.”
“Well, where do you think they came up with that?”
“Then, what’s your ‘code name’ or whatever?”
“I’m Agent 006 of the US Department of Homeland Security.”
“..... really? Are you allowed to rip off James Bond like that?”
“Are you kidding me? They ripped off us. Besides, do you think the movie company’s gonna send a strongly worded email to the US government? ‘Dear US Government. You have an agent named 006. James Bond is Agent 007. Please rename him. Kthxbai.’ I don’t think so.”
“Fine. Agent 006. Why is the DHS needed?”

“In short, they see this as a part of a greater homeland security plot. If you’re guilty, you should probably know.”

“Okay. Well, how can I prove that I’m not guilty? Can I help with a stakeout or something?
“You’ve seen too many episodes of CSI. There’s no way I would let a possible criminal like you out in the open. Besides, what good would you do anyway? If you were to ever leave this cell you’d need a pair of handcuffs. There aren’t many jobs that call for a thirteen-year-old kid that’s cuffed.”
“For your information, I’m fourteen. But I guess you’re right. Do you believe I’m innocent?”
“To be honest, yes, a little bit. Well, I’ve gotta go. I’m sending in the next interrogator.”
“Aww come on. How many do I have to deal with?”
“At least three more,” he said, to which I groaned. “Hey, it’s a high profile case. Just be glad you don’t have twenty more.”
Agent 006 stepped out and a burly, angry looking guy entered the room. “I’ll just get straight to the point. Admit you were a part of the hostage plot and tell me who you’re working with.”
“Oh for crying out loud, why can’t anyone understand that I am innocent?”
“And why can’t you understand that you should just admit you’re guilty?”
“....... you really want me to say I did it, don’t you? And before you say it,” I said, interrupting him, “that’s not a confession.”
“Okay, here’s good deal. How about you confess and I can see if I can shave off a year or two from your sentence.”
“That’s it I give up.” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. “This is pointless. I’m done answering questions. I don’t even need to.”
The burly man slammed his fists on the table and leaned over me. “D*mmit, I’m tired of playing this game! Give. Up.”
There were a couple knocks on the door and then the door opened. “All right,” Agent 006 said, walking toward my cell. “You’re free to go.”
“Wait what?” asked the burly man, clearly upset and surprised. “You’re just letting him go?”
“Not quite.” A teenager around my age walked behind him, escorted by a few burly policemen. “We actually caught the real perp while you were interrogating the suspect.”
Agent 006 walked over and unlocked my handcuffs. I started to leave, but stopped and said to the burly man, “Told you so.” Then I left.
“We found him trying to leave Manhattan. He insisted that he had a family that he was supposed to meet in New Jersey. He almost got away too, but Port Authority saw through his disguise and called the police. So far, he’s cooperated and we plan to take down the rest of the gang.”
“Thank you, Mr. 006.”
“Thank the Port Authority and the police. They did the heavy lifting.”
“No. Thank you for trusting me. There were at least a dozen other interrogators, and none of them trusted me at all.”
“You’re welcome. Try to stay out of trouble. I don’t wanna see you again unless you’re on our side.”
“You got it. Goodbye.”
“Bye.”

THE END