“Oh, yes ma’am, sorry ma’am,” Isaac babbled, chagrined. He dipped his head again and disappeared back the way we had arrived from, moving as fast as he could without actually running. I would have laughed at him but I felt a bit sorry for the kid.
“John, I’m going down to Research to continue our testing,” she said as she turned that steely gaze upon me. I swallowed nervously and nodded. “I was wondering if I could ask you a few things about your interactions with the kraken last week while I’m on my way. We’ve noticed a few things that I would like to confirm.”
“If it’s okay with the boss here.” I jerked a thumb towards Gerry, who shrugged.
“You do what you want on your time,” Gerry chuckled. “I'm on my way down to Research as well. Can I escort you?”
“You don't have to…” Doctor Marillac's voice trailed off. She shook her head and smiled serenely. A light being flicked on wasn’t nearly as abrupt. That was bizarre, I thought. “Actually, I would enjoy that.”
“Really?” Gerry asked, dumbfounded. I was a bit surprised myself. He had been trying to get the doctor to pay attention to him since she had agreed to their date once they were back on Earth and she had never given him any indication that she noticed him. I hid my sudden grin as best as I could.
“Sure, why not?” Doctor Marillac asked. “I enjoy your company.”
Well then. I had a sneaking suspicion that Gerry's chances of getting to know the good doctor in the biblical sense sooner rather than later had just increased drastically. I wasn't sure why the sudden change occurred, I was just happy that it did. Gerry was a great guy.
“So I heard you started doing prisoner transports,” Gerry said as the three of us made our way down to Research. I let them enter first before me and queued the elevator to go down. While I hadn’t really planned on going to Research initially, it was a better option than letting the doc poke and prod me with questions up in the Gallery.
“Yeah, last week,” I replied as the elevator dropped us deeper into the station. “Started with Captain Holomisa, then assisted a transfer from Research with Aviotti. Fairly routine.”
“It gets harder,” Gerry promised me. “Jou is a pain in the ass if he passively resists, and some of the others make you work for it. Just remember to not hesitate or seem unsure. They feed on that.”
“That’s what Thing One—I mean, Poole said,” I said, nodding. I paused and thought about it for a moment. “Wait. Is he Thing Two?”
Gerry chuckled. “Who knows?”
We were halfway down the hall to Research when the elevator dinged behind us. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted three guards escorting Gentry down to his next appointment. I frowned but continued onwards. I watched Gerry draw himself a little closer to Doctor Marillac, and this time she didn’t shy away. I smiled a little. Gerry was a patient and determined man. I applauded his efforts.
The main door to Research slid open. I stopped and waited as Brendan, Joseph and April moved Jou down the hallway. It was wide enough for all of us to pass without too much difficulty, even the next set of guards escorting another prisoner towards Research. I recognized Werner, one of our German guards, leading Gentry and two other guards down the hall in our direction. I looked back at Gerry.
“Never seen two of them out together before,” I stated. “Pretty interesting.”
Gerry had a look of confusion about him that made me mildly uncomfortable for a moment.
“We typically don’t,” he said, scratching his beard before shrugging. “The scientists must have run over with Jou.”
“It happens,” Doctor Marillac admitted as we watched Werner and his two guards walking Gentry down the hall. She shook her head a bit. “Though it doesn’t happen very often.”
I felt a definitive change in the atmosphere as Jou and Gentry drew closer. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, however. It did remind me of something I’d experienced in the past. My eyes slid over the guards and watched their movements, but their attitudes seemed to be fine. They appeared to be solely focused on their tasks.
Which left the prisoners. I stared at Jou, since he was far bigger than Gentry and would probably break the skinny prisoner in half by simply looking at him. The big man was sweating, which wasn’t too uncommon with him. Still, for a man in a climate-controlled hallway that wasn’t precisely warm, he was sweating quite a bit.
Maybe he’s been doing his passive-resistance thing today, I idly wondered as my gaze shifted to Gentry. I nearly froze in my tracks.
Gentry was tensed and ready for action. It screamed danger! to me when I spotted the way he carried himself. It was like a puma on the prowl, preparing to attack, focused solely on his prey. His eyes were locked on to Jou. I took a step forward and began to open my mouth to warn the other guards almost as fast as I processed the sight in my mind. Unfortunately, I was too slow.
Gentry’s war-cry was feral and challenging, the piercing shriek digging into my skull. It was so sudden and sharp that Werner lost track of his prisoner for a split second. It was all Gentry needed.
He kicked back and down sharply, driving Werner away from him. A second sharp movement allowed him to maneuver the feet bindings around. Legs freer now, he elbowed Werner in the gut, the force of the impact knocking the air out of the man and driving him away. Gentry let loose another crazed howl and locked in on Jou.
Gentry charged Jou and slammed his shoulder into his ribs. The larger man went down with a grunt as Gentry drove a knee into his side. April and Werner tried to pull him off of Jou, who was yelling and screaming for help. One of the chains slipped off and Gentry suddenly was no longer hobbled. Free from his lower shackles, Gentry kicked April in the shin, which caused her to yelp in surprise and pain. She slipped and fell to the ground, which blocked Werner from pulling the smaller prisoner off of Jou.
It suddenly became a scrum as more guards piled on top of the enraged Gentry, who was kicking and yelling to no avail. Gerry pulled Jou out from beneath the mound of people and shoved him against the wall.
“Stay there!” Gerry bellowed and looked back at the dog pile, which was beginning to get under control. Gentry was pinned down on the floor, his arms held behind his back as a second set of cuffs were applied by April. Gentry struggled again and she rabbit-punched him in the kidneys repeatedly. He quit struggling after eight or nine blows. I winced but kept Dr. Marillac away as she tried to protest the rough treatment. Gentry would probably be pissing blood for the foreseeable future.
“Those are my patients!” she complained as she tried to push past me.
“They're our convicts, first and foremost,” I reminded her as I gently held her back. “Relax, Doc. If we kill them it's even more paperwork. Just let us do our job.”
The doctor was clearly shaken by the events but did her best to hide it. She stopped struggling and watched as Gentry was hauled to his feet. Ling attached the handcuffs to the lower shackles with a chain. Crude, but an effective way to ensure that the prisoner could not move quickly. I wasn't sure Gentry was going to be moving fast even without them, thanks to April. That woman had a vindictive streak a mile wide and had tagged him a few times that were borderline sadistic. I admired her a little bit.
I looked over at Jou, who was watching the proceedings with wide eyes. I almost felt sorry for the guy until I remembered that he had raped and killed seven women while he had been in the Navy. Any sympathy that might have been there went flying out the airlock. I started to look away but stopped after seeing something strange out of the corner of my eye. I gave the prisoner a closer look.
There.
It was smooth, I’ll give him that. If I hadn’t been looking directly at him the exact moment he had made his move, I would have missed Jou stealing the master key card from Gerry completely.
I quickly stepped over and confronted him. “All right, Jou, jig’s up,” I growled and pushed the surprised prisoner up against the wall. He looked at me with a strange combination of alarm and annoyance. He�
��d underestimated us and he knew it, but there was no way he could admit to it. It took a big pair of brass ones to pull off what he was trying to do. He needed to be both calm, cool and collected.
He failed. Miserably.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he tried to argue. I didn’t have the time nor patience to deal with him so I kept him pressed against the wall.
“Just give it back. I don’t want to get physical, but I did miss out on a good scrum,” I rolled my shoulders for emphasis. “I’m all ready to go, and I’ve got friends.”
“You’re fucking crazy,” Jou blurted, fear thick in his tone. I smiled grimly. I had the bastard.
“You sold that fight well, Jou,” I snarled as I yanked the passcard the convict had stolen out of his pocket. I flipped it over and passed it back to Gerry, who looked at it in surprise. He took the passcard and slipped it back into his pocket. Gerry looked at Jou, appeared to be extremely frustrated. I pushed harder on Jou's chest. “Almost got away with it. Too bad you just got your ass kicked for nothing.”
“Fuck off,” Jou spat angrily. I smirked.
“Stupid twit,” I spun him around and pressed him against the wall. I began to frisk him but found nothing else. I looked over at Fritz, who was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression. “The fight was just a distraction. They planned this. Almost got away with it as well.”
“Jesus,” Fritz muttered. He moved past me and grabbed Jou by his white shirt. He hauled the beefy convict down the corridor. Leigh and Chun followed close behind. I nodded at Gerry and walked back over to where Dr. Marillac stood. The expression on her face was a mixture of shock, horror and confusion. I couldn't blame her. I had barely caught the move by Jou myself.
“Just remember, Doc,” I told her in a low tone. “They are convicts first, patients second. Never forget why they were incarcerated in the first place, or how they used your research and need for volunteers to keep from being hanged for their crimes. As much as they help you discover whatever it is that you’re looking for, they’ll just as soon kill you. For fun.”
ঠ
It wasn't until I was in my room that night, half-asleep on my bed, when it hit me. I quickly pulled out my PDA and queued Gerry on the comms. He was available so I pinged him to contact me at his earliest convenience. He responded to my ping almost immediately.
“What’s up?” Gerry asked. I could hear how tired he was over the comm. “Got lots of paperwork to do, thanks to those chuckleheads. That was a good catch on the card swipe, by the way. I don’t know how I missed it.”
“Thanks. I have a question for you,” I said as I rolled back onto my bed. “Do the prisoners interact with each other often?”
“They don't interact with each other at all,” Gerry said. “Other than passing one another in the hall, and even then that rarely happens. Why?”
“Well…” I hesitated. I was the noob and I didn't want to sound like a complete moron. The last thing I needed at my new job was to be known as the guy who reported everything out of the ordinary and caused his boss more work and bigger headaches. I decided to think some more about it before I came out and asked. I changed my mind and decided to just voice my concern instead. “Oh, I don't know. That just felt weird, you know? That entire fight?”
“First fight I've had here,” Gerry answered. “I think we're going to go over procedures to ensure that something like that never happens again. Maybe a route going to Research and a different one going out? Hmm…you know what? You're task for the next few days is to come up with viable alternate routes so the prisoners moving from Research and their cells never cross paths. Think you can handle that?”
“Uh, sure, I guess,” I replied. Damn it, I didn't say. Rule number six I learned while in the military: never volunteer yourself. Besides, I hated route mapping. It had been one of my least favorite activities while in the Corps. Still though, I was a bit overpaid for a glorified security guard. I could at least try to help out my boss. “I'll draw something up and have it to you by Saturday.”
“Good deal.” He closed the comm on his end, leaving me alone with my jumbled thoughts. I tried to picture the station, hallways leading to and from Research, and how to transport the prisoners without their paths crossing in my head. My mind, however, kept coming back to the one unanswered question in the back of my skull.
How had they managed to plan and stage that fight if they never speak to each other?
Chapter Nine
The law's the law, but people are people.
― M.L. Stedman, The Light Between Oceans
The station-wide alarm caught me with a fork full of the Chef’s Special halfway to my mouth. I was on my feet and running for the door before the last remnants of my bite hit the floor. Old reflexes died hard.
Halfway to the first checkpoint, the alarm stopped. I kept going, waiting to hear the all-clear message from the desk guards to come through on my PDA. I pounded down the stairs towards Control as fast as I could manage, but still no word of an all clear. My annoyance at having my dinner interrupted by some drill began to change to worry. I sprinted down the hallway and passed one of the passage tubes that the aliens used. I noticed that none of the tubes held any of the kraken within. I slowed my pace to a jog and checked my PDA. Still nothing about an all-clear. As I rounded the corner, I saw why it hadn’t come yet.
Control was empty, both guards who were scheduled to be on not evident in any shape or form. Not good. I slowed down but kept moving, hoping this was all a big malfunction, and everything was five by five. My hand drifted down to my belt, where the tranq gun I was required to carry while in uniform rested. That hope sank as I approached the cell block.
A prison break. It was, outside of explosive decompression and the station sinking into the lake, our biggest worry. Given as to how squirrelly the prisoners had been lately, this turn of events simply confirmed my suspicions. Especially considering the staged brawl in the hall from the other day.
The cells were all open, save the last, Holomisa’s. Made sense, given the mutual animosity and the typical “us versus them” mentality of the convicts. Holomisa may have been a prisoner, but he simply wasn’t one of them. The guard’s duty desk was empty, another bad sign. I ran through the roster in my head. Kirby and Brendan should’ve been on tonight, so where the hell were they?
Something flew by my ear with enough force to strike the wall ten feet behind me. I dove for the desk, trying to get it between me and what was coming next. Rolling to keep low, I got behind it just as the next projectile hit the spot I’d just left. It splattered noisily on the desk and knocked over a display monitor.
The Kirby question was answered – he lay face down on the floor next to me. No obvious signs of blood, which was comforting. There was little time to check on him more, though. I had more important things to worry about. Like how I was supposed to do anything with a stupid tranq gun against someone who was flinging…something at me.
I risked a look over the top of the desk, the console a Christmas Tree of blinking lights and warning screens. I ducked down again as something moved in the corridor leading to the living quarters.
“That you, Manning?” A familiar voice called out. Jou. That fucking bastard. He sounded like he had a mouthful of marbles, his words punctuated with a loud snuffling noise. It was a sound that the human mouth was not designed to make. “Yeah, that’s you. I can smell your fear, Jarhead.”
“I’m impressed, Jou.” I moved slightly, trying to find the emergency seal button without exposing myself. “You used words with more than one syllable.” There, about six inches in front of me. “Wanna try something more challenging, like, ‘Expeditionary?’”
“I’ll tear your heart out, motherfucker!” I could sort of see him now—my taunting had irritated him enough that he had come forward slightly and into my line of sight.
“That’s four, very good.” Another projectile splattered against the plasteel above my head. “Shit!” It sounded gros
s, whatever it was. I grabbed the stool that Kirby had been sitting on and hurled it towards the big prisoner, aiming for a spot just in front of him. He flinched, taking a step back into the hall. I slapped the emergency seal button and watched as an elastic bubble closed around the area.
In theory, it protected us from outside elements in case of a hull breach. In truth, it probably just prolonged our suffocation and terror at the idea of dying while forcing us to wait for help that would never arrive. There was no way that the Navy could get down and evacuate someone if they were trapped within one of the bubbles if something happened to the station. There was one thing that I figured it could do to help me out, though. I was counting on it blocking the hallway, preventing Jou from coming any closer and murdering me.
Sure enough, the bubble completely sealed the hallway and blocked anything from getting to and from the cell block. From this direction, at least. The back way out of the cell block led to a stairwell, which allowed for passage between Central and the rest of the station – except for Research, of course.
For now, however, Control was as secure as it ever was going to be.
I knelt down and checked Kirby's pulse. It was strong and steady, which surprised me. In fact, other than the large bruise on his forehead, he appeared to be in good shape. He would have one hell of a headache when he woke up, but otherwise, he was unscathed. I spotted another unmoving form on the exposed side of the desk. I shot a quick glance down the hall but there was still no sign of Jou. I shifted around and recognized Brendan.
I’d found Kirby alive. The same could not be said about poor Brendan.
The kid had his throat torn open from ear to ear. Before that, though, he must have put up a fight. His hands were bruised and crusted with blood, and he had cuts up and down his arms. A massive pool of blood was under his body and was beginning to leak into the ventilation grates beneath the security post.
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