Chasing a Familiar Shadow

by Aman Gupta

  At 12 PM, the doors were opened. Trista stepped outside and stretched her arms.

  “Are we going to the North yard?” asked Sam.

  “North yard? What, are you a fucking idiot? What did they tell this place was? Well, your highness. Welcome to the North yard,” said Trista.

  Sam was surprised and confused at the same time.

  Trista’s gang members came up to Trista’s cell and surrounded Sam. They started going through her stuff. Some looked at the two pictures that she had brought with her, while one woman looked at the various pieces of decorative items she had.

  “Garbage,” she said.

  Trista laughed.

  Soon, they ganged up on Sam and started touching her hair and face.

  “Leave her alone,” said Trista. “Get outta here. I’m not in the mood.”

  The women looked surprised but still left.

  “Don’t worry. The inmates are nice. Can’t say the same for the guards,” said Trista, as Sam walked outside and was standing next to her. They were standing against the railing of the upper floor, looking down on the fellow inmates.

  They saw a body being taken from one of the cells on the ground floor. Sam could see the blood, even though the body was wrapped in white cloth.

  “Who’s that?” asked Sam.

  “A friend,” said Trista. “A loud mouth. She paid for it, didn’t she?”

  “I guess I should keep my mouth shut then,” said Sam.

  “In front of the guards, yes,” said Trista.

  Sam saw Mart coming towards them from the corner of her eyes. Sam turned around to face her.

  Mart hugged Trista and whispered something in her ears. Sam wasn’t expecting that. She was expecting a thug salute, whatever it looked like.

  “Welcome, Sam,” said Mart. “Guess you’re stuck with the Brotherhood.”

  “Just my luck,” said Sam.

  “No one is that lucky,” said Mart.

  Trista chuckled.

  Chapter 25: Falsehood

  A couple of hours passed by. Sam and Trista were sitting on their bed, doing their things. Sam was busy observing the inmates outside the doorway.

  “Did you kill her?” asked Trista as she broke the silence.

  “Who?” asked Sam.

  “Debra,” said Trista. “Deathra, I mean.”

  “No,” said Sam, hesitant. “I would’ve. If Vira hadn’t.”

  “Why?” asked Trista.

  “Like you haven’t killed anybody before,” said Sam. “Only difference is Deathra deserved to die.”

  “If people who deserved to die, died, the entire world would be empty,” said Trista.

  “I’m sorry, are you a hacker or a philosopher?” asked Sam.

  “Neither. I didn’t choose either of them,” said Trista. “They came naturally, I guess.”

  “If it’s some attempt to sell yourself short in order to win our showdown, then it’s pathetic. Even by your standards,” said Sam.

  “What standards are those?” asked Trista as she got down from her bed and stared directly into Sam’s eyes.

  “For instance, the Death Match. The loser dies. Since you’re standing here, I’m sure you killed the previous hacker, didn’t you?” said Sam.

  Trista turned her face away.

  “Just what I thought,” said Sam.

  Trista looked at her again and grabbed her by the throat.

  “You think you know me? You don’t. I do what I have to do to survive. If you don’t approve, then I couldn’t care less. I’m not here to look pretty while you judge me with your tainted lens,” said Trista, before letting her go.

  Sam coughed a couple of times, caressing her throat.

  Trista jumped to her bunk and laid on her bed.

  “I’m hungry,” said Sam, a few minutes later.

  “Only 6 hours to go, princess,” said Trista.

  “6 hours? No lunch?” asked Sam.

  “No lunch on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays,” said Trista.

  “Why?” asked Sam.

  “That’s just how we roll,” said Trista, mocking her.

  “Fine. Stay salty,” said Sam.

  During the evening, the cells were opened for the evening yard time. Sam waited for the door to open and quickly stepped out. Trista shook her head in disappointment.

  Sam saw she was the only one out. Captain Brad was standing on the ground floor. He looked up and saw Sam. He was furious. Trista jumped from her bed and pulled her inside.

  “What, you got a death wish?” said Trista. “Stay inside.”

  “Sorry,” said Sam.

  “I don’t know how they do things in the South, but here, you can’t be the master of your own choices or whatever princess crap you believe in. As long as you’re inside these walls, you try to play safe. That doesn’t mean to be a coward. Just don’t get caught,” said Trista.

  Sam nodded.

  Brad looked around the entire block and nodded. Another guard yelled, “Walk!”

  “Now you can go outside,” said Trista.

  “You first,” said Sam.

  Trista shook her head. She went outside, while Sam followed her closely behind.

  As soon as they got out in the yard, Sam left Trista’s company. She went looking for Gale, but couldn’t find him. The Brotherhood had gathered for a meeting. Reluctant, Sam joined the crowd.

  “A minute of silence for Nikki. We lost her today. She’s not with us, but always in our hearts,” said Mart.

  “Always in our heart,” said Fred.

  “Always in our heart,” said the crowd.

  Everyone bowed their head, as they observed a minute of silence. So did Sam.

  Everyone soon dispersed. Sam went to the South side of the yard, looking for Gale.

  She saw him sitting on the grass. Sam smiled and sat beside him after hugging him from behind.

  “I was looking for you everywhere,” said Sam.

  “So was I,” said Gale. “Good news, I’m in the South wing now.”

  “And I’m in the North,” said Sam.

  “Oh, no! Did they hurt you?” asked Gale, looking terrified.

  “No, not yet. They’re acting normally, actually,” said Sam.

  “That’s how they got me. They pretended to be my friend while they got to know my weaknesses. Then they used it against me,” said Gale.

  “Don’t worry. They won’t be able to do that to me,” said Sam. “And once I beat Trista, they won’t be able to exploit you too.”

  “Did they tell you when you’re going up against her?” asked Gale.

  “No. Things are a bit tight nowadays. It might take a while. Till then, I got to survive,” said Sam.

  “Yeah,” said Gale.

  A couple of male and female inmates surrounded them.

  “Hey, North. Get out of here,” said a guy.

  “I was in South until a few hours ago,” said Sam.

  “But you aren’t now. So best you leave now,” said the guy.

  “Relax, she’s going,” said Gale.

  Sam was surprised Gale didn’t stand up for her. But he wasn’t the best when it came to confrontations, she thought. She got up and left after brief eye contact.

  Everywhere she went, she could feel a little hostility. But whoever was wearing the Brotherhood collar was roaming around freely, without any issue. Sam, although disappointed, went to her new home.

  She sat alone on a bench. She could see Trista and her friends sitting a few yards away. They were looking around and gossiping about anything and everything. Sam would occasionally laugh when Trista joked. Sam realized she and Trista liked joking about the same things – appearances and the demeanor of the inmates around them.

  “Hey, Stone!” said Trista. “Get here.”

  Sam didn’t move.

  Trista got up and came to Sam with her gang. They occupied the seats around her. Some sat on the row above.

  “What, did they abandon you at the South?” said Trista.

&n
bsp; “No,” said Sam.

  “She’s a terrible liar,” said a woman.

  “Yeah,” said Trista. “By the way, guys, this is Sam Stone.”

  “Hey, Stone!” said a couple of them.

  “Hey, Sam!” said the rest.

  “Oh god, I’m stuck with the lesbians again, aren’t I?” joked Sam.

  They all laughed. “Better than straight, I tell you that.”

  Sam laughed too.

  “So, Sam, why are you here?” asked one woman. “My name is Fiona, by the way. You can call me Fi.”

  “Stealing,” said Sam. “And fraud.”

  “From rich or poor?” asked Fiona.

  “Rich,” said Sam.

  “Another innocent,” said Fiona, sighing.

  Trista chuckled. Sam smiled too.

  “What did you do?” asked Sam.

  “Hit and Run,” said Fiona. “Unfortunately, the guy I hit was a politician’s son. My paperwork says I’m here for Treason against the country.”

  “And you?” asked Sam, looking at others.

  “Killed my husband when I caught him cheating on me.”

  “Grand Larceny.”

  “First degree murder of my neighbor’s dog.”

  “And they sent you here?” said Sam. “Isn’t this place for the most heinous crimes?”

  “This place is for generating a profit,” said Trista. “We all can’t be serial killers, now can we?”

  Fiona laughed.

  “And you?” asked Sam, looking at Trista.

  “Bank Robbery,” said Trista.

  “Which bank?” asked Sam.

  “Federal Reserve,” said Trista. “$250 billion.”

  “How did you get caught?” asked Sam.

  “The people I worked for, betrayed me,” said Trista. “That’s life, right?”

  “I got betrayed by someone close, too,” said Sam. “Miller!”

  “We all got our Daultons and Millers, don’t we?” said Trista.

  Daffy came up to them and called Trista. Trista got up and walked with him. The rest of her gang stayed behind.

  “Where are they going?” asked Sam, hinting a romantic note.

  “Not what you think,” said Fiona.

  “What?” asked Sam.

  “They’re not hooking up,” said Fiona.

  “How do you know?” asked Sam.

  “Daffy tried something like that when Trista wasn’t Brotherhood. She had long hair, like you. Not the buzz pixie cut you see now. He tried to rape her one time,” said Fiona. “Let’s just say he regretted that.”

  “What did she do?” asked Sam.

  “Daffy wouldn’t say,” said Shelley. “But he doesn’t look in her eyes anymore.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that, too,” said Sam.

  “Soon, she got on Mart’s radar and punched the big-ticket. We got in, thanks to her,” said Fiona. “She can get you in, if you want.”

  “I don’t,” said Sam.

  “Ok, all good,” said Shelley.

  Soon, Trista came back. She told her girls to leave, asking Sam to stay back. Sam felt this was it. The charade was now over.

  Trista told Sam that they could do their match while everyone was busy in the dinner service.

  “Okay,” said Sam.

  “But you’ll miss dinner. And trust me, breakfast is shit,” said Trista.

  “I don’t care,” said Sam.

  “Okay,” said Trista. “Stay with me the entire time.”

  Sam nodded.

  Soon, they were taken back to their cells. Sam walked in the small cell, impatiently. Trista just sat quietly. Around 7 PM, the cells opened again.

  “Here we go,” said Trista.

  Trista told Sam to wait. They joined the line when 80% of the cells had been cleared out. The lines were well formed and monitored by a bunch of guards. Trista walked ahead while Sam followed closely behind. There was something immaculate about Trista’s movements. She could see things that weren’t there to be seen.

  A couple of minutes later, she stopped a little and whispered something in Sam’s ears. Sam nodded. At the bend, near the bathroom, Trista and Sam hid behind the concrete pole, while the line moved forward. The inmates behind them pretended not to see anything and covered up the space left by them.

  Trista unlocked the door behind them, using a bob pin, and got inside. Sam followed her.

  “Let’s go,” said Trista.

  They ran through the dark corridor to the door on the other side.

  Trista opened the split door a little and looked at the camera on top of the pillar, ten feet away.

  “What are we waiting for?” asked Sam.

  “You see that?” asked Trista.

  Sam looked through the space between the double doors, while Trista stepped away.

  “Two cameras,” said Sam.

  “Actually, three,” said Trista. “One is right on top of us, above the door.”

  “How do we get past it?” asked Sam.

  “They have a 30 second pan. However, they are unaligned. So, we will have a 5 second window, to get out this door, run 10 yards and enter the room on the other side,” said Trista.

  “Can’t we go separately?” asked Sam.

  “The next window won’t occur till the next hour,” said Trista.

  “Oh. By the way, that room’s unlocked?” asked Sam.

  “Yes,” said Trista. “It’s the maintenance room for the air conditioning in the North wing.”

  “What air conditioning?” asked Sam. “I couldn’t feel any air the entire day.”

  “Exactly,” said Trista, smiling. “The pipes and the ducts exist. But they aren’t turned on, at the North side. That’s our in.”

  “You have done this before?” asked Sam.

  “Once,” said Trista. “Only I was in your shoes.”

  “Right,” said Sam.

  “Alright, get ready. I’ll count to 3. On 3, you run,” said Trista. “Don’t fall. If you do, I won’t stop. If I fall, you don’t stop. You run first, I’ll have to close this door.”

  Sam nodded.

  Trista began a countdown. “3..2..GO!”

  Sam opened the door and ran as fast as she could.

  She couldn’t see if Trista was behind her. She could only hear her running as she slammed the door shut.

  As Sam opened the maintenance door and went inside, she saw Trista was a little far behind. Sam could see the camera on the other door as it was almost back into view. Trista jumped inside while Sam shut the door.

  They both were breathing heavily. Trista was sitting on the ground, resting against the wall.

  “Did we make it?” asked Sam.

  “Do you hear the sirens?” asked Trista.

  “No,” said Sam.

  “We made it,” said Trista. “Let’s go.”

  They walked past the massive air-conditioning units and the boilers. Sam could see massive ducts and pipes big enough to fit a giant.

  “Why don’t they use these?” asked Sam.

  “No idea. They haven’t worked as long as I’ve been here,” said Trista. “So yeah, for a couple of years.”

  “Couple?” asked Sam.

  “Okay, 2 and a half years jeez,” said Trista.

  Sam felt Trista was still lying as she had attacked Vira almost 3 years ago, so she must’ve been around for a lot longer than that. But Sam didn’t press on it for few seconds.

  “Vira told me you’ve been here for a lot longer,” said Sam.

  “Do yourself a favor and stay away from that bitch,” said Trista.

  Sam stopped and punched Trista’s face. Trista went down, and her lips started bleeding.

  “You’re going to regret that,” said Trista. “Just like Vira.”

  “I’ll kill you. After I beat you,” said Sam.

  “Game on, princess,” said Trista.

  A few seconds later, they hit a dead end.

  “You first,” said Trista, as she pointed at an open duct pipe five feet on her
right.

  Sam climbed into the pipe, and Trista followed her. She told Sam to keep going straight.

  “I forgot to ask. Wouldn’t they know we’re missing during dinner?” asked Sam.

  “Daffy’s taking care of it,” said Trista.

  “Speaking of Daffy, did something happen between you two?” asked Sam.

  “Stop asking questions!” said Trista. “Now, keep crawling.”

  Trista would tell Sam to change directions every few yards. It took them around 10 minutes before Trista told her to stop. She gestured Sam to stay still. They looked through the window, and Sam realized they were in the surveillance room.

  “Not again!” said Sam.

  “Shh...quiet,” said Trista.

  “The guards are here. How are you planning to get rid of them?” said Sam.

  “In a couple of minutes, their shift will end. 7:30 PM. The new guards won’t be here till 7:45 PM. Till then, two identical AIs would be monitoring the system independently and simultaneously. A strong firewall protects them,” whispered Trista.

  “And?” asked Sam.

  “We’ve to disable the firewall, then disable the AI, then enable the firewall,” said Trista. “We have 10 minutes.”

  “I thought we had 15,” said Sam.

  “2 minutes to get out of this duct and login into the systems. 3 mins to logout and get back inside the duct,” said Trista.

  “Okay,” said Sam.

  They waited for a few minutes. As soon as the clock struck 7:30 PM, the two guards logged out of the system, shook hands, and left the room.

  “Now!” said Trista.

  Trista popped open the window using a knife. Sam didn’t know Trista was carrying one. Thank god I didn’t try to kill her for what she did to Vira, Sam thought.

  Sam and Trista jumped from the top window, onto the floor.

  Both of them occupied a console. It took Trista thirty seconds to get into the system, while it took Sam two minutes.

  Trista had an unusual habit of saying out loud the progress, while Sam liked working quietly.

  7:33 PM -

  “Got into the system,” said Trista.

  “Shut up,” said Sam.

  “Okay,” said Trista. “What an amateur.”

  7:35 PM –

  “I’m in,” said Sam.