If the company is trying so hard to keep you that they try to keep you from interviewing, why would they fire you or persecute you if you did do an interview?

If the company is trying so hard to keep you that they try to keep you from interviewing, why would they fire you or persecute you if you did do an interview? The policy that you must be at your desk 9 to 5 sound like it is motivated by something else, e.g. a need to ensure that they can bill a government contract for all the hours in the day for all the "resources" on the project. The government contractor mindset doesn't so much care whether you a working as whether you are billable.