“It’s Warden Rose. Open up, I’m here to see Captain Jones.” The warden had not even finished talking and the electronic lock on the door clicked open.
Captain Jones was waiting for them. “Thank you for coming to see me warden.” He marched towards the pair as they entered the house and shook he warden’s hand. “That’s all for now Malone. Report back to your station and resume your normal duties.” The captain ordered. He was an old school military man, from a military bloodline. He dressed in full military attire every day, and never moved at a pace that varied above or below that of a march.
“No, that’s fine. I want young Peter here to be involved. It is his parolee and I feel he is ready for the challenge.” The warden contradicted the order, and left Peter frozen in mid departure.
“With all due respect warden, he is a rookie…” Captain Jones made no attempt to hide his disapproval.
“With all due respect captain, I do not give a flying shit about him being a rookie. He is seeing this through and I will not have my decisions questioned, are we clear?” The warden was not angry, his voice was calm and flat, but the words and his facial expression spoke volumes. Captain Jones took one look and stood down.
“Yes sir, warden,” he answered, shooting a glare towards Peter who was more confused than ever. “Let me take you to the monitoring station, show you what we have learned thus far.” Jones spoke as they walked away.
“Is there any chance that it was a false reading?” The warden asked as they moved through the house.
“No sir. This man is alive. We have tripled checked the numbers.” Jones didn’t look at them as he talked, but kept moving, up the stairs to the third floor of the house.
The control room was a large space that occupied most of the renovated floor. Computer terminals were spread around the room, with a mix of civilian workers and military personnel sitting behind them. The computers were divided into five groups, and each one was responsible for a different offender type.
Peter had only left the room a short time before, but the buzz of activity in it had increased dramatically. Everybody froze when the warden arrived. All eyes moved to him. He was in charge, his rank high above that of any military man in the complex.
“Alright people, there’s nothing to see here. Back to work,” he ordered, and smiled as everybody obeyed his command.
“Captain Jones, show me the statistics on the prisoner.” He was all business.
“Yes sir.” Captain Jones answered, leading both the warden and Peter through the room to the desk area where Peter had been stationed. “The initial reports were received here, but we also have it linked to the main computer in the office. We can look there if you would rather.” Jones offered.
“No, here will be fine.” The warden was already sitting behind the machine, his hands moving over the keyboard at speed.
Data and recorded readings appeared all over the screen, as the warden scanned through the activity logs, blood pressure history and all of the vital sign recordings dating back as far back as the man’s original incarceration.
“Tell me Captain Jones. What did this man do?” The warden sat back in the desk chair, his hands clasped on his chest, fingers interlocked.
“He shot and killed a man.” Captain Jones answered,
“In cold blood?” The warden was testing Jones. Peter knew this from their conversation in the car; the way the warden knew about his father.
“Yes sir. He shot and killed the man who was driving the car that killed his own wife and child.” To Captain Jones a murder was a murder, regardless of circumstance. The only ones that did not count were those of his men and the lives they had claimed over the years on their tours of duty.”
The warden took a long, slow breath. “How long has he been inside?” The warden spoke aloud as he ran through the case file on the computer screen.
“He has been inside for twelve years, sir. He was one of the year one entrants, sir.” Captain Jones answered again, although it was clear to see from his face that he was growing rather tired of the question and answer game.
“This data does look rather conclusive. We always knew this day would come Captain. Assemble your men. We have a man who has served his time and has earned his release.” The warden looked from the Captain to the computer screen. His face was pensive.
Captain Jones saluted the warden and dismissed himself in true military fashion. Peter moved to follow but the warden called him back. “Peter, a moment of your time, please.” His voice was soft, almost a whisper.
“Yes, warden?” Peter turned.
“I want you to go in with the extraction team. It will be a good experience for you.” Peter felt a strange rush of emotion surge through him. The task itself was a great honour, and for someone as young as he was, it was a sign of great trust and confidence. At the same time however, Peter knew the sort of people that waited for him in the maximum security ward.
“Thank you, sir.” Peter was starting to sweat.
“I trust you Peter, and I have a good feeling about you. My gut is never wrong.” He added the second sentence as justification given their short time in each other’s company. “I also need you to do something for me.”
“Yes, sir. Anything you need.” Peter said. He was young but not stupid. He knew where he stood, and that eagerness counted for a lot in his future.
“I need you to keep an eye on Captain Jones. I am concerned about him. He is not the young man he was. Where you are going, it is no walk in the park. There are more dangers there than you could imagine.” The warden’s words carried a heavy impact, and Peter nodded, not needing any more explanation, the same way no more response was required from him in order for the warden to know his point had been understood.
Hard Time is available from Amazon here
Red Asphalt: Raptor Apocalypse Book 2 Page 33
