Chapter 11
The prisoners led a mostly regimented existence, with their days carefully mapped out. Wake-up would be at 7am, and there would be three staggered shifts of breakfast. Breakfast would formally end at 10am, and they would be confined until lunch, which began at 12pm. Lunch would last for 45 minutes, after which they would have 45 minutes of recreation time. The last recreation group would leave at 3pm. Group sessions were typically after lunch, with a total of six sessions daily. After group sessions were done, dinner would be served in their cells. Something about the whole thing always reminded Elaine of high school, except there were almost no girls, and if anyone played a prank, it was usually a fatal one.
Each cell, with the exception of solitary, had a bed, a chair, a dresser, a toilet, a shower, and a monitor. The prison had exclusive programming that ran 24 hours a day. During the first twelve hours, from 9am to 9pm, programming ranged from comedies to dramas, with some concert footage. Between 9am and 9am it consisted of religious and educational programs, and it was during that time that most monitors were turned off.
During lock-down, all those activities were suspended, and prisoners got all their meals delivered to their cells by euals, meaning they had almost no human contact. There was only the monitor to distract them, and no cell would be opened for any reason. Todd had the only control that could open them during a lock-down.
Elaine sat in her suite, fidgeting with her feet, bemoaning the boredom. It had been six days since the Luke incident, and rumor was that the lock-down wouldn’t be ending anytime soon. Her suite felt like little more than a dolled-up cell, for it offered just about as many possibilities for distraction and entertainment.
If I look at myself in the mirror anymore, I feel like I’m gonna cry, she thought to herself. She was able to call up the alternate face of herself, more and more often, but it brought her no satisfaction, no closer to understanding what she saw. And the only people she had to talk to were the other doctors, and they were the last people she could speak with about any of what was happening.
The mood among the doctors and guards was growing tense. Without the prisoners to play with, the guards vented their frustrations out on the doctors. Especially Colin, as not only did he not have Luke to satisfy him, but he dearly wanted to take vengeance out on Matthew. But for the time being, he was more than happy to make Elaine’s life a living hell.
His shift was rotated to night duty, and he took to patrolling outside Elaine’s suite, late at night. He would run his metal baton along the outside of her door, letting it hit against the trim, bringing her just out of sleep. She would pull the covers up, and try to fade again, but he would sit in front of her door with a portable monitor, and laugh out loud at the broadcasts, waking her again. She finally turned to static on her AV, and turned up the volume to drown him out, but then he took to doing maintenance work on a eual outside her suite. After six days of that torture, she found herself exactly where she loathed to be—in a seat opposite Todd in his library of forgotten books that he called an office, who grinned with delight at seeing her.
“Ahhh, Lainey,” he cooed, as he put away a particularly large tome just under his desk, “what brings you here? You know, you’re not looking well.”
“My name’s Elaine, Todd,” she said firmly, taking to heart what Matthew told her earlier. “I’m damned sick of this ‘Lainey’ shit.”
Todd raised his eyebrows, as he was unused to being spoken to in that manner.
“Do go on,” he said with a slight flourish. “After all, I am thankful for your help in the recent emergency, and should allow some . . . leeway, in our conversation.”
Elaine sighed, and knew she would make no progress like that.
“I’m sorry, but Colin is making it his personal mission to ruin my life!” she yelled, and even shed a few tears, deciding hysterics might be the way. “Every damned night he’s doing something just outside my door, to keep me awake. I . . . I just can’t take anymore.”
“You’re not the only one,” he grumbled. “The other counselors are complaining to me, as well as Elestor. Having the facility on lockdown leaves the guards with a lot of pent-up energy – too much for my liking.” He leaned back, his gaze growing distant. “You know, Elaine, with all this free time, I’ve had the chance to really do some thinking, and some good reading,” he said, patting a thick tome nearby. “Some really serious thinking. It’s odd that some men enjoy freedom most when they are in a prison. For those around us, the criminals, they are dragged into these walls, against their will, and forced to live under my will. Never before had they given a thought to what it meant to be free, to be able to make decisions on their own. And they only enjoy freedom once they are released from me. Then there is the rich man, who earns wealth so he may find freedom in isolation. He amasses expensive possessions and must erect a fortress to protect them. He walls himself in that fortress, so he may enjoy any manner of depraved debauchery without anyone else knowing. His freedom is behind walls of his own creation, and he subjugates himself to his own will, and he enjoys it. It is some kind of twisted genetic destiny that leads men of all manner of wealth to the same end, and only a smart man can either live a life free from any sort of prison, or establish himself as the warden over either his life or over others’, and enforce his will on the weaker and less fortunate. It is the warden that is the Overman, who has risen above the chaff, sloughed off the chains of destiny, to live free above it all.”
Todd sat there, gloating, surrounded by towers of books, swaddled in immense rings of fat. Elaine finally saw Todd for what he really was; a pathetic academic with delusions of power and control. A man who was becoming so far removed from reality that it was jeopardizing not only his own life, but the lives of all around him. For a split second she felt a tremor of fear, of deep dread of a dark future that hung just ahead. She took a deep breath and pushed it away, focusing on the matter at hand.
Todd slapped his hand on the desk and nodded to himself. “I think the prisoners have learned their lesson! Tomorrow, we will go back to business as usual, such as it is.”
Elaine leaned back, as a wave of relief spread over her. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you . . . Elaine,” he said, with a penetrating stare.
“What will happen to Ian?”
Todd shifted his considerable bulk in his chair, pursing his lips like he just licked a lemon. “Now, why did Ian have a grudge against you?”
Elaine shrugged.
“So, you see my predicament. A lot of what went on in Luke’s cell is very much hearsay, unable to be corroborated by uncontested testimony.”
“This isn’t a court of law, Todd. You are judge, jury, and in some cases, executioner, with no one to contest your decisions.”
“While that may be true, I get the distinct impression you’d like Ian to be executed.”
“Ian will only cause more trouble,” she pleaded, affecting the damsel in distress. “He and Darren have lost the will to live, and we all know that in a prison setting that spells disaster. There will come a time that one or both of them will decide to end it all, and take as many of us with them.”
Todd nodded. “True, true, but for now, tensions are too high. And the same could be said for Colin, or Isaac. I would love to ship one or both of them out, but I just don’t have a way.”
Something about his words brought an idea to her mind.
“Todd, what would you think about me holding a meditation group?”
It caught his attention, and he shifted his bulk forward in the chair, even bringing his hand out from hiding between his legs. “For the prisoners?”
“Yes. It would be in the rec yard, after the dinner hours, on a strictly voluntary basis.”
“Why . . . why would you do that?” he asked, genuinely perplexed. “You have my interest, to be sure!”
“Well, as you said, tensions are getting a little out of control around here. I may not be able to reach the hardened cr
iminals, the true sociopaths, but some of them I might be able to connect with, and help them to control their negative impulses – a sort of anger management therapy.”
Todd leaned back, stroking his eyebrows with his fingers. She watched him intently, hoping he wouldn’t ask too many questions, hoping he wouldn’t doubt her motives. Out of all those in the prison, she had come to feel that Todd had the greatest ability at truth-telling.
“Well . . .” he started off slowly, “as I said before, I never can say ‘no’ to you. And this time, I think you actually have a great idea here! I just got word that we’re having a formal government inspection three weeks from now, and anything that would help things run smoothly would be greatly appreciated.” He leaned forward. “You do this, and I’ll make sure you’re employment here isn’t questioned by the auditors.”
She heard that one bad review by one of the auditors could mean termination for any counselor, including Sarah, and reassignment to something infinitely more unappetizing, like battlefield corpse removal.
“Thank you Todd,” she said, with a quick bow. “I’ll draft up a lesson plan, and—”
“Now Lainey,” he said, motioning her back to the seat, forgetting completely about her proper name, “I know sometimes I have an . . . inelegant way of putting things, but I do find you to be quite . . . appealing. “
Elaine nodded, unsure of how to proceed.
Todd continued, in his most aristocratic air. “I would never want to do anything against your will, or make you feel as if you were compelled to do anything with me. I know there are other physical specimens, in here, that are more attractive to someone such as yourself. I only ask you think of this: almost everyone else in here hides their true persona, their true intentions, behind a veil through which no one can see. There are precious few people here one can trust, and many who delight in gaining the trust of someone, only to betray them later. With me, you will always know that I am honest, with unabashed candor. I may not be the most attractive man, but at least I am whom I represent myself to be.”
For a moment, Elaine scrutinized him intensely, focusing on his eyes, his cheeks, his mouth, wondering if there weren’t some ‘other’ face buried deep down. What she found was he truly was being honest, and that, even more, there was a kernel of compassion within him she hadn’t seen in many others there.
“This is the second time you have appeared before me, after a lockdown, Lainey. You cannot deny that among all those here, you have a certain . . . connection to me.”
“I will think on it, Todd,” she said, as she slowly rose from her chair. “Thank you for your candor.”
“Anytime, Lainey—I mean, Elaine.” He said with a deferential grin, as she could see his hand drift back down under his desk. “Anytime.”
She walked out to Colin, who was leaning against a wall nearby, watching her.
“What’d you need to see the fat man for? To tell on me, little girl?”
Elaine stopped before him, wondering how she should deal with him. Though he had gone too far over the line this time, she knew one day she could be in a group and need his help to subdue a prisoner.
“None of your damned concern, Colin. In fact, you should thank me! Todd just told me the prison will come out from lockdown.”
Colin perked up, as his mind raced on what now could be done. “This . . . this doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten, Lainey,” he said distractedly, as he turned to leave. “But there are other matters to deal with.”
As Colin rushed off, she suddenly could feel that she wasn't alone. She whirled around, to find Tannis leaning casually against a wall further down the hallway.
“You’re a lot smarter than I thought you were.”
“What—what do you mean?” asked Elaine innocently.
Tannis strolled slowly towards her. “You know exactly what I mean. I was a general, before the war ended. I’ve seen all kinds of soldiers and spies, assassins and saboteurs. And more and more, I see some of their best qualities reflected in you.”
“That’s a high compliment,” she replied, unsure of where he was going.
“Just watch yourself. Ofttimes my best assassin would be taken down by the one person he mistakenly trusted—an error in judgment that was most times fatal.”
“How did you end up here, if you were a general?”
Tannis spun his baton in its holster, as he looked absently away. “I was a general on the wrong side.”
Later that day, Elaine sat in on a meeting of all doctors and counselors. She sat next to Elestor, and across from Oliver, whose gaze she again could barely stomach. She kept squirming in her seat, as he was doing most of the talking. Though she had reconciled with him after his mistake with John, it was only temporary, as the bad feelings came instantly back.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m tired of feeling like my life is in jeopardy every single minute of every single day!” Elaine had never seen him so angry and frustrated, and found herself also, for the first time, in complete agreement. The other doctors and counselors also, nodded or grunted in agreement. “There are too few guards we can really trust, and too many prisoners we have too little information about! Elaine tells us that we will be getting audited in a few weeks—I say we make the most of it. Todd has proven to be an ineffective warden, and needs to be removed!”
Michael and Simon both loudly agreed with him, with Elestor nodding in support. Sarah raised a hand to quiet and calm them.
“I think we all know conditions here are less than ideal, but they could be far, far worse. At least the illegal activities going on here aren’t too obvious, or too much in control. At least Todd, for all his shortcomings, is relatively honest and does care about the welfare of his doctors and counselors. We are in a prison – never forget that fact.”
“All I know,” ventured Elestor, who was usually quiet in these meetings, “is that the situation with Luke has never made the guards seem more vulnerable in the eyes of the prisoners. After all, though you all were forbidden contact, I’ve still had to give medical treatment with my euals to the population. Ian and Darren have infected the community like never before. They stood up to a guard, and almost took advantage of a situation that could’ve seen them escape. They are convincing other prisoners that it’s better to die trying to escape, than live under the conditions here.”
His words cast a grim pall over the others. “Do they have much support?” asked Elaine.
“I don’t know,” continued Elestor. “These first days post-lockdown will be crucial ones. We can see what groups form in the rec area, how the guards are treated in the cafeteria. I’ve tried to warn Isaac that any normal beatdowns that usually happen after a lockdown will only stir them up more.”
“What did he say?” snidely demanded Oliver.
Elestor chuckled. “What he always does; ‘stick to your business, and I’ll stick to mine.’ But he usually does listen to me, after a while . . .”
Elaine had heard rumors of some kind of affair between Elestor and Isaac, but it always seemed implausible to her. Isaac was nothing but a brute with a badge, while Elestor had a chirping, sweet voice and tender, delicate mannerisms. She knew opposites sometimes attracted each other, but in this case, she felt they were much too opposite. Besides, if rumor ever got around that Isaac was sleeping with a man, all his authority would vanish overnight. But everyone has needs, thought Elaine. Of all people, I should know that.
“This only reinforces what I’m speaking of!” cried Oliver. “If Todd won’t control his guards, then we need to replace him with someone who will. “
“Now come on,” hissed Elaine. “We bear some responsibility for how the prisoners are acting. It’s our jobs to try to bring some emotional calm. Why, he just approved my conducting a meditation group to try to calm—”
“A meditation group?!” jeered Oliver, laughing. “Oh my, maybe we should get them involved in knitting as well! The only people who will join your little ‘quiet time
’ are those who already don’t pose a threat.”
“But maybe she’s onto something,” ventured Sarah. “The strongest force is a united one. We need to unite those prisoners that want an orderly, calm existence. The more we unify them, the better chance they have of swaying others to their side. Though I do wish you had included me on your little plans,” rebuked Sarah, “but if we do nothing, then the likes of Ian and Darren will take over this prison, and the only answer will be total mental sterilization of the population.”
Even Oliver leaned back at the mention of sterilization. “We’d all be out of a job, then.”
“Damned right. There’s a large faction in the government that is tired of wasting money on these prisons, tired of hearing about riots and murders. They would love nothing better than to mentally sterilize anyone guilty of a capital offense. And once we start down that slope, who knows where it would end? Mental correction would come back with a vengeance, making people like us utterly superfluous, and damning the people of this world to lives governed by fear and mistrust. “
“The only things they’d need in the prisons are those damned euals,” spat Michael, “to take people to their food, and back to their cells.”
Suddenly the door opened, and Isaac strode in, with Blake at his side. He stood behind Sarah, as Blake paced around the room.
“Good, good, good. I see we’ve got all our little eggs in a bunch.”
“What is it Isaac?!” demanded Sarah, as she started to get to her feet. Isaac shook his head and roughly pushed her back down into her chair.
“How dare you!” she shouted. “Why I should –”
“Just shut your mouth and listen, bitch. I’m tired of the shit that goes on around here!” He paced around them like a father chastising his children. “You docs are gettin' involved in too much shit for my liking. Too many of you stand up for those fools, when no one stood up for their victims! How many people wailed, begged them to stop, only to have them press on and murder them? You don’t know, do you? You can’t be told, or you would never allow yourselves to be in that tiny little room with just one guard. If you knew everything that just one of your little darlings had done, you wouldn’t want to be in a room with fifty guards! Ignorance, in this case, is surely not bliss. We are the only people standing between you and death. Never forget that, because if we step aside, if you piss us off once too often, you will find out what one of your darlins have done, and it’ll be the last thing you ever learn.”
He motioned to Blake who laughed at the counselors and started out the door.
“Remember, this is a damned thankless job,” he added. “Things might go on here that you little shits might not approve of, but that’s too bad. No one wants this kind of job. No one wants to be the bad guy, the man whose gotta break other men down. I guarantee, none of you would want to wear my shoes.”
They left, and as the door closed, Oliver slammed his fist on the table.
“You all see?! Todd needs to go, and his damned stooges with him!”
“Shut up, Oliver!” yelled Elaine. “I don’t like the guards any more than you, but some of what he says is right. We have no idea what they’ve done, that is, except Sarah. We weren’t there when they took someone’s life, weren’t there when they hid from the police, or gloried in their kill. We only see them now, broken and weak, at the mercy of others.”
“This is a change for you, Elaine,” said Sarah, a little surprised.
“I know. I still think there are some in here that deserve mercy, deserve rehabilitation. But we can’t carry guns, we aren’t half as strong as most of the prisoners! We need to get over our reservations, and take advantage of the guards. Ian and Darren meant to kill us. We need to face that fact.”
“Kill you, maybe,” muttered Simon with a smile. “Not us.”
“Not you? Not you?!” Elaine bolted to her feet, and backhanded Simon across his face. “Who got Illint slammed down in group two months ago? You. Who got Darren an extra week of solitary, when he vomited all over your shoes? No one in here hasn't taken corrective measures against some of the prisoners. And all they do is remember. Remember who wronged them, remember who spoke against them. They never forget, Simon. They’ll kill you, right after they kill me!”
“Damned you little piece of shit,” spat Simon, as he got to his feet. “You’ll pay for that!”
“What are you – just another prisoner? I dare you to do something, you and that little prick of yours – I dare you!”
“Alright—enough!” shouted Sarah, as Oliver restrained Simon. “Groups will begin tomorrow, on our old schedule. Elaine, your meditation group will be at 7pm, three times a week.”
“What – you’re gonna let her hit me, and get away with it?!”
“You’ve deserved that for a long time, Simon. Be thankfully I didn’t do it myself, or get one of the guards to do it for me. Because they’d like beating a whining piece of shit like you around.”
“What about your boyfriend?” he demanded, motioning to Michael. “Nobody whines more than him!”
Elaine watched as they all began to bicker, and something about it chilled her to the bone. How different are we than the prisoners? How can we stand against them, when we don’t even like ourselves? She thought on the Manipulator, how she struggled against it when she looked in the mirror. Now that would make sense. Keep us off balance, keep the prisoners off balance, keep all the groups in here hating each other, so none would learn too much from another. Whoever is behind this has planned for almost every contingency. And that means they will be an even more difficult adversary to beat.