by C. J. Boyle
Carl left the guard tower and headed to the cafeteria on foot. He quickened his pace when he saw his pal, Brody. He was clearly mixed race with light brown skin and bald by choice. He was this big, solid, mountain of a man who looked very intimidating on the outside. But Carl knew the truth. Brody was a pussycat. A pussycat that could twist your head off with his bare hands if he wanted to. Every inmate at the prison wanted the man. Carl was pretty confident that even if it was a man's prison that would still be true. He smiled as he caught up to him.
"Hey Bro, s'up?" Carl nodded at him. They both walked into the mess hall together.
"Nothing." Brody did a double take. "Why are you smiling like that?"
They both walked up to the food counter. One of the inmates waited for them to tell her what
they wanted to eat. Brody nodded at her. "Just give me a little of everything." She started to pile food on Brody's tray. He looked at Carl. "I'm waiting."
Carl took a tray and pointed at the chicken and gravy. The inmate obliged. "Nothing. I was just wondering if you put the moves on her yet."
Brody grimaced and turned his back on Carl to walk to a table. Carl joined him. Brody admonished him. "What are you? Four?" He lowered his voice. "She's a prisoner."
"Oh, come on, I saw your browser history. You were lookin' her up." Carl shoved a big piece of gravy covered chicken into his mouth and chewed with his mouth open.
"I was just curious. I wanted to know what she was in for." Brody opened his carton of chocolate milk and downed it.
"So? Don't keep me in suspense." Carl shoved another piece of meat in his mouth.
Brody leaned in close. "She bludgeoned her husband to death with a baseball bat," he shook his head, "His head was caved in."
Carl stopped chewing and looked down at his food briefly. He sighed and shook his head. "She's five two and weighs a buck ten."
Brody shrugged. "They apparently had everything they needed for a conviction."
~ The Guard and The Prisoner ~
Brody walked through the common area where the women socialized with each other. He had a small brown package that he kept flipping back and forth between his hands. A few women smiled at him and gave him that ‘come hither’ look. Some of them even whistled at him or gave him ‘cat calls’. “Hey, Mr. Universe, how ya doing?” Many of the women exhibited the changes associated with the Link Virus.
Brody knew he was certainly stronger than the average man but the attention those women gave him bothered him. He nodded ‘hello’ to a few of them but otherwise kept a straight face. He did a mental count of how many inmates were Links. Everyone knew something bad was about to happen because of everything that was going on. It was only a matter of time. Humans are so passive. Let’s wait and see. Brody shook his head and sighed. He couldn’t think of anything better to do either. You can’t just execute them all.
He headed into the infirmary. He knew the doctor didn't particularly like him but he wanted to visit with the nurse. She was a cutie. Sweet too. He stopped in front of the sliding glass doors and swiped his badge. The doors slid open for him and he walked in scanning the clinic for the nurse. He frowned when his eyes fell on the doctor instead. He was in his 50’s, overweight, and balding. What little hair he did have was white. He stood underneath a TV that was hanging from the ceiling. It showed Molly Saunders doing an on-scene newscast.
Brody stepped forward. "Dr. Wallace?"
The doctor turned around and looked at Brody, half surprised that someone was able to come in without him noticing. "Have you seen this shit? It's only been three months." He clicked the TV off. "What's up?" Brody held up the small package. Dr. Wallace was perplexed but took it anyway. "It's from my ex-wife."
Brody smiled broadly and gave him a nervous laugh. "Well, I can tell you that it's not a bomb!"
"That's because it's been opened." The doctor pulled open one end.
"Sorry. It looked kind of suspicious when it was put through the x-ray machine." He nodded at it.
Wallace pulled out a small black device. "It's a..."
"Satellite phone." Brody finished. "Aren't ex-wives supposed to hate their ex-husbands?"
"She works for the D.O.D." He pressed a few buttons on the phone. "It's charged, activated, and preprogrammed with her number."
"Awww, she wants to stay in touch with you. That's sweet." Brody smiled.
Wallace shook his head at Brody in a manner that showed him that he was appalled by his stupidity. "Did you miss the part where she works for the D.O.D.?"
Brody grimaced and shifted his weight. He didn't like how the doctor made him feel. He may not have gone to college but he certainly wasn't an idiot. "No, doctor, I didn't miss that part. Obviously, you think that your wife sending you a phone is a bad omen of some kind, but I still think it's sweet that she wanted to be able to contact you when it all goes to hell." He turned around. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere." He walked out before the doctor had the chance to say anything. He didn't really have anywhere else to be. He just didn't want to be in there anymore. It seemed like half the world respected him out of the sheer fear that he'd beat the shit out them and the other half thought he was just a dumb jock. Now, could he pop somebody's head? Probably. Would he? Probably not. Could he build a rocket? No, of course not. Could he triangulate your position using a map and a radio signal? Absolutely.
* * *
In the Digital Visitation Room, there was twelve cubicles setup exactly the same way. Each had a large “life-size” monitor that sat opposite a table and chair. For the most part, the cubicles were private. Kera, a woman in her mid-30’s, sat nervously in one of them. She was dressed in prison orange just like every other inmate. She kept finger-combing her hair. She wanted to look good for her visitor even though she knew it didn’t matter to him. Mostly she didn’t want to look…broken. She cleared her throat as if she’s was about to give a speech and couldn’t help staring at her own image on the monitor in front of her. It was behind some very thick protective glass. ‘That was a smart move,' she thought.
The monitor in front of her went black for a split second and then the image of a disfigured teenaged boy appeared. It was her son, Charlie. He was dressed like a typical teen; in jeans and a t-shirt. His hair was a bit too long for her liking. His nose was nothing more than a small mound with two holes in it. He smiled when he saw her revealing sharp pointy teeth. Charlie was a Link.
Kera fought the urge to grimace and managed to smile instead. ‘He is so pale.’ She wondered if they were all pale or if he wasn’t taking care of himself. “Hey, Turtlebutt.” The teen frowned, sighed, and rolled his eyes. She knew he didn’t particularly like that nickname. “Oh, saarrr-eeeyyy! Haha, my mistake! How ya been, Charlie?”
Charlie shrugged. It didn’t look like he wanted to talk to her. ‘I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t have to drive all the way out here to see me,’ she frowned. She watched him absentmindedly scratch at his shoulder. "What's wrong with your shoulder?"
Charlie shrugged again. He pulled his jacket off of his shoulder and then pulled up the sleeve of his shirt revealing a number tattooed on his arm. CO44972. "They say we're just like everyone else and yet they tattoo a number on us like prisoners in a concentration camp."
Kera stared at the number and shook her head. "You're definitely not a prisoner and you're definitely not in a concentration camp."
"You know what I mean, Mom."
“Are people still making fun of you?” She immediately regretted asking the question. Why spend time talking about things that are obvious?
When he spoke, he had to carefully form his words. His teeth seemed to complicate things. “Why? Are you going to kill them if they are?”
Kera’s mouth dropped open. Their matching blue eyes held each other’s glare for a moment.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have said that. Most of my friends are like me now anyway. They call us “Links”, you know, like The Missing Link? It’s stupid.” Charlie loo
ked down at the floor.
A large, loud, frizzy haired prisoner named Mammy leaned into Kera’s cubical so far that Charlie could see her too. “Missing link, eh kid? That’s about right! Haha!” Mammy walked past the line of cubicles to the end and started talking with another prisoner. The sheer fury in Kera was almost tangible and showed all over her face. Charlie had seen that look before.
“Mom, it's fine. Please don’t do anything,” Charlie begged.
Kera relaxed a little. The TWO MINUTE WARNING flashed at the bottom of the screen.
“Shit. Already? – So, how has your Aunt been treating you? You getting enough to eat? Has she changed too? You guys don’t email me enough to let me know what is going on.” She was frantic, desperate for answers and wanting more time with her son, even though it was on a video screen.
Charlie looked slightly annoyed but sorry at the same time. “We’d have more time to talk if you’d quit getting into fights.”
A tear rolled down Kera’s face and she nodded. “I know. I know. Just answer my questions quick!”
“Yeah, Mom, Aunt Julie is great. She’s been real good to me. I’m sorry, there’s just been a lot going on. She hasn’t changed. At least…not yet. It doesn’t seem to affect everyone. I don’t know.” Charlie glanced down at the timer.
30 SECONDS
Kera smiled. “Okay. I love you Turtlebutt. Email me more, okay?”
Charlie smiled back. “Okay, Mom. Love y-"
The screen reflected Kera’s image again. Tears streamed down her face. She angrily wiped away the tears and got up quickly. Mammy had asked for it…now she was going to get it.
~ The Doctor ~
Kera reclined in a chair with Dr. Wallace directly behind her closing a wound at the top of her head. Across from them, Brody watched the TV that hung from the ceiling. There was a news broadcast on about the Links. The screen went black. Brody tossed the remote onto the table.
“Humans are biological robots with executable programs,” Kera commented without making eye contact with Brody. She stared at the ceiling with her arms crossed at her chest.
Brody looked at her inquisitively but spoke to Dr. Wallace. “Is she high?”
Dr. Wallace didn’t look up from his work. He put down a little bottle of surgical glue and then started fiddling with Kera’s hair. “No. She's not even on pain killers. She’s not wrong, though. The human body comes with millions of preset codes and executable programs. If this happens, then do that. Cause and effect. Did you know if you put a newborn in water it swims? How do you suppose it knows to do that?”
Brody watched the doctor trying to figure out what he was doing. He finally decided he needed a better angle and moved behind the doctor. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What the hell does it look like I’m doing? I’m braiding her hair!” The doctor carefully took the hair on each side of the sealed wound on Kera’s head and secured it together by braiding it. “It’s called the Hair Apposition Technique. Or HAT for short. Cool, huh?” He put a small rubber band around the hair to keep it in place.
“That is kinda cool. But it wouldn’t work on either of us,” Brody said with a laugh. “So you’re saying that The Link Virus is an executable program? That it was supposed to do that? Why?”
Dr. Wallace tapped Kera on the shoulder and she responded by getting up and walking over to the mirror. Brody watched her. The doctor gathered his things. “I don’t know. No one does. Yet. We will. Soon. And I don’t think we will like it very much.” He pointed at Kera. “She’ll have to stay here tonight.”
Brody protested, “No, the Warden is very clear on fighting. She gets solitary confinement for a minimum of two weeks.”
Dr. Wallace nodded, “Well that’s fine as long as you stay with her. She needs to be observed. You can either do that in a tiny room or here. It is your choice.” Brody shook his head back and forth. Dr. Wallace cut him off. “What do you think would happen if there was a death so soon after this ‘state-of-the-art’ facility opened? How do you think the Warden would feel about that?”
Brody conceded. It was obvious he wasn’t going to win this argument. At least it meant an easy night chilling out with a tv instead of walking the corridors. “Where is that cute nurse of yours? Kerry, I think?” Brody asked beaming a smile.
Dr. Wallace grimaced, “She turned into a Link and then went home and shot herself in her tiny tiny nose.”
~ The Link That Was Charlie ~
Charlie closed his computer. He couldn't help but think about the last time he saw his mother. She was sitting in a courtroom. She was just sentenced to eight years in prison. Her eyes were red and tears streamed from them as if she had an endless supply of them. And he hated her. He hated her. He shook his head trying to forget the look in her eyes. He knew he didn't actually hate her. But his life had changed so much since that day. He had to move in with his Aunt and he became the kid whose Mom killed his Dad. And if that wasn't bad enough, now he's a Link; a disgusting disfigured human being with freaky sharp teeth. He looked in his mirror. His high cheekbones made his cheeks look concave. He opened his mouth and looked at his teeth. As he opened his mouth further a substance suddenly squirted out of his mouth onto the mirror. The substance started to eat away at the mirror like acid. He covered his mouth with both of his hands. He was horrified. His horror lasted all of two seconds as the mirror warped just a bit and then stopped almost as if it melted and then cooled when the heat was taken away. He was overcome with the desire to do it again, so he did. It delighted him as he watched the mirror melt away like ice. He began to wonder what it would do to a human body.
"Charlie, what are you doing?" His Aunt Julie had walked in behind him. She could barely see the mirror but she could see that something wasn't right with it. Charlie slowly turned around and looked at her. His mouth was still open impossibly wide. Saliva dripped from his teeth. Julie's face quickly went from shock to total terror. She screamed as a stream of acid launched from Charlie's mouth straight at her face. He didn't know what he was doing. He just did what felt natural. Her screams finally subsided when she fell to the ground and her head caved in as her brain started to ooze out of it. He couldn't help himself. The smell of her flesh was too much for him. He dove down beside her and tore into her body like a razor through paper. His memories faded into the recesses of his mind until nothing but the animal existed.
Chapter Two
The Food
Kera was asleep in one of the hospital beds. Brody had been watching TV all night but fell asleep in the chair next to her bed. The TV was on but the volume was turned down very low. Suddenly the silence was interrupted by an ear-piercing alarm. Brody jumped out of his chair ready to fight. A million scenarios ran through his head. Did someone escape? Was there a riot? A tornado? When he realized that at least his location was secure he took out his radio. “Brody to Command, what the hell is going on?” There was only static. He looked at Kera’s bed. It was empty. He suddenly panicked and turned around searching the room. She stood near the sliding glass doors at the entrance of the infirmary looking out.
Brody’s radio came to life. “Brody, this is Carl. It’s the Links! They’ve gone crazy!”
Brody’s face turned from fear to defeat. “Crazy? What do you mean? What’s going on?”
“They're killing everyone! Find a secure location and hide!” Carl screamed through the radio.
Kera watched the hallway through the glass doors. Occasionally she could see a person or…something run from one hallway to another. She examined the door carefully trying to locate any locking mechanism. Finally, she located a switch up high near the top of the door. She stood on her tip toes and flipped the switch into the lock position.
Brody looked at the TV. It showed a city in turmoil. Crashed cars. People lying dead in the streets. Links capturing and killing normal people like they were rabid dogs. Most of the Links were naked but some still wore clothes. The ones that were naked had something missing. “They’re l
ike fucking Ken Dolls down there,” He said in shock.
