by Aman Gupta
“We broke her heart,” said Emily.
“I’ll take a beating yet broken heart over an unscathed dead one, any day,” said Vik.
“By the way, you’re not such a bad kisser,” said Emily. “We should do this again sometime.”
“Wish I could say the same,” said Vik. “I feel violated.”
Emily punched him in the chest.
Vik chuckled. “See you tomorrow. Keep me posted.”
“Will do,” said Emily.
As Vik drove out of the lot, Emily giggled and went inside the restaurant.
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Vik spent the entire night replaying the conversation in his end on a loop. He was searching for clues, something that Anthony said that could lead him to the treasure. He knew that Anthony must’ve made a specific suggestion to verify the authenticity of his claims as Theo budged pretty soon after.
He couldn’t sleep for a second, turning and twisting in the bed. He knew he couldn’t back out of the deal without putting Xavi’s life at risk. He wanted the 50 trucks too. He inclined that Xavi was referring to the same place that his tracker had pointed towards. If that place was indeed Sierra, and similar to Atlantis, he had to have a strategy. The arsenal would help in formulating an effective strategy.
He started thinking about Sierra and started imagining how it would look. He imagined it as Atlantis, but bigger. A doubt added a roadblock to his train of thought. If Sierra was as good as it was, why were Anthony and Olivia working out of Atlantis? And why did Olivia deny knowing any other place similar to Atlantis?
“Could Sierra be something else?” uttered Vik. “Or maybe Anthony’s mystery partner built Sierra without saying a word to Anthony and Olivia. Who the hell is this mystery partner, anyways? They know about me. They know about Katie. They know about Josh. They know about the chips. It’s almost like they have been in my life forever.”
As he drank water from the glass kept on the nightstand, he spits it out as a dangerous thought crossed his mind.
“Could it be Victor? No, that’s not possible. He died in the fire. Must have. The entire White House collapsed on top of him and the President,” recalled Vik. “No, no, it can’t be him. No way could he stay away from the limelight. They blamed him for 1/1. He would’ve tried to weasel his way out of it. He wasn’t entirely responsible for it. Josh would’ve found him if he were alive. No, it can’t be him. There’s someone else. But they must be connected to Verati. It could be any of the board directors. God knows where they disappeared.”
He remembered Sam had talked about Sierra during their last conversation. As the clock struck 4 AM, Vik immediately left for Clarence Penitentiary. Sierra was just an excuse. He wanted to see Sam.
Chapter 23: Intuition
Amidst the torrential rain, Vik drove past the last mile marker to reach Clarence Penitentiary. He had arrived early, as the new visiting hours were changed to 12 PM and 1 PM. The officials haven’t had many visitors for the prisoners that were kept at Clarence. Most of the visits were conjugal visits, which happened in a different part of the compound. Not even lawyers bothered to visit their clients. The country had lost most of its courtrooms when it lost most of its judges. However, the rule of law wasn’t really kept in the courts for a long time before 1/1, after a controversial verdict raised a furor. The society had reached the pinnacle of its decadence.
The verdict was negative, but it didn’t matter. The dialogue had already broken down. TS colonies were still legalized by nature because a specific section of people throughout the world exposed something. A seed that had been planted a long time ago had finally grown into a tree, whose fruits enlightened the mind of whoever took a bite. They believed the true power didn’t reside in their votes or governments their votes helped elect or laws that the judges appointed by the governments or the perfect justice system that could be interpreted by the judges as deemed fit, but rather it was up to the individual to decide how they wished to live and die. The power should reside in their fists and mind. Their message was translated to a phrase spread by the powerful church figure who later joined their cause.
‘He who breathes shall resolve his last breath. We who breathe together shall only breathe if we decree it fit for our future. We are the eye that watches the light of our actions. He shall blind one of his own if their light eclipses his, for he shall have the liberty to blind one of yours if your darkness kills his light.’
They sought abolishment of all practices carried out in the name of democracy, justice, and freedom. Foreshadowing anarchy, destruction, genocide, and eventual mob rule from such a state of existence, and fearing retribution from powers that be, the society split into two new factions, even though powerful corporations tried to act as the voice of the people and helped to add nuances to the issue. In everyone’s heart, Genders, Nationalities, Political Ideologies, Race, Creed, and a thousand other spokes in the societal wheel didn’t matter for that abstruse period of time. Only the idea of future existence was paramount. After a civil war for space and resources that lasted for over a year ended post the death of leaders of both factions, it was decided that the war served no other purpose than prolong the misery of one faction labelled Traitors who disrupted the peace on the planet and the natural world order. Post the war, even family members who chose opposite factions didn’t bother to look back.
However, the courts in the modern world remained to exist after the war; a new set of laws were written to burn the ambiguity that manifested itself into a charter that split the world. Sure, in the new system, sometimes the rich won and the poor lost, but the odds were more evenly stacked. The courts that did remain served the interests of the politicians to give them a false sense of belief that they were still running the country. Sam wasn’t the only one who happened to be inside the prison without a court hearing.
The past month had changed Sam’s life completely. Ever since Vik left her to fend for herself at Clarence, she had accrued experiences worth a lifetime.
She mostly kept to herself in the initial days. She didn’t want to put a target on her back, but unfortunately for her, she did exactly that. She caught the attention of certain predators looking to catch a fish.
On the last day of her first week, during the daily rounds by the guards, she and her cellmate got out a second late than expected of them. It wasn’t Sam’s fault. She had gotten into a fight the night before with her cellmate, Debra, who went by her alias Deathra. Sam had learnt that Deathra had killed over 100 people in the last 20 years. Deathra was extremely smart, and one could tell she must’ve been beautiful blonde before the drugs took over. She was only five feet tall, yet carried an aura. She had found Sam hiding Deathra’s drugs under Deathra’s pillow as she didn’t want to land into trouble for the weekly inspection while Deathra planned to stash the drugs in Sam’s stuff. Deathra was always on the guard’s radar, and their cell had already been hit twice by guards under the pretense of surprise inspection in less than 5 days.
A heated exchange led to a scuffle before they heard Captain Brad Bell, the leader of the correctional officers at Clarence, yell from hundreds of yards away. They immediately took to their bunks. Sam had the top bunk while Deathra loved the lower one.
The guard on duty didn’t like Sam had disobeyed an order to line up at the gate at 8 AM. Deathra was already outside, pretending to be the perfect prisoner. She suspected Sam intentionally stayed back in the cell so that the guard again inspected their cell. Deathra hadn’t disposed of the drugs that led to their yesterday night’s fight.
“Stone!” yelled the guard, hoping to impress Captain Bell.
Sam stepped outside in a jiffy. She apologized publically, but it wasn’t good enough. She knew that too. The inmates gave way as the guard climbed up the staircase to go to the cell at the corner. They were probably waiting for a tussle between the guard and the ladies. It was the only official source of entertainment for the inmates – guards vs prisoners.
A lucky prisoner would sometimes win the battle. But never the war.
The guard stood next to Sam. As she looked up, he slammed his baton into her ribs. A loud pop sound came from her ribcage followed by a couple of drops of blood vomit from her mouth, as she went down on her knees.
The guard went inside and tossed the cell. Deathra had hidden the drugs inside the hollow bed frame. The guard, who was only second in command to Brad, couldn’t find anything in his search. He let out his anger by striking Sam on the back of her head before leaving. He made sure he didn’t render her unconscious to avoid an infirmary infraction on his record.
After the count was over, the inmates were told to head to the open yard. Sam couldn’t move properly but still walked with the rest. She didn’t know anyone else in prison. Her cellmate was her only point of contact. She tried to interact with the old lady who served them meals during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but she didn’t think Sam was strong enough to be in her gang.
Clarence Penitentiary was one of its kind for one major reason. Male and Female cell blocks were next to each other. Earlier, the prison had two huge cell blocks, one on the North side and the other on the South side. Men had the north block, and the woman had the south one. Due to fluctuating numbers of the new inmates based on their genders, it used to be hard to accommodate everyone in North or South. So, the warden divided the North, and the South side cell blocks into two. North-West and North-East. South-West and South-East. The West were for females, while the East ones were for males.
They had a common food mess, a common yard, and a common bathroom, though separated by a curtain as strong as a piece of paper.
A group of guards were tasked to ensure no improper relations occurred between the men and the women. A child born in prison or a pregnant inmate would cost the warden his job and the penitentiary it's funding. They did the best they could, but still, they always found themselves in tricky spots due to overly horny male and female prisoners. Sex was a good drug, and they could always use the relationship to call in some extra favors.
The prison was heavily monitored with the help of dedicated surveillance infrastructure. It kept the Prisoner Rights Association at bay. Also, it helped the warden in recording footages, which could be used to blackmail the local gangs and crime lords incarcerated in prison. The warden only accepted high profile and dangerous prisoners, to procure maximum funding from the benefactors, both public and private.
Sam sat alone in the open yard, holding onto her stomach. Her neck was hurting from the hit, and her head was spinning, but she couldn’t do anything about it. She didn’t want to appear weak by visiting the infirmary. It was frowned upon, as she had observed during her initial ‘orientation’ days. She could see inmates gathered around the basketball court, which had been recently closed by the warden after multiple fights were reported due to the local tournament matches.
A guy was looking at her continuously for the last five minutes, not even blinking for a second. He would turn his face away every time Sam looked at him, but then would look at her again when she put her head down.
“What?!” yelled Sam, to the guy sitting a few yards away.
He shook his head and walked away. He walked funny.
“Retard,” uttered Sam.
As she looked up again, she saw Deathra and her 2 sidekicks walking towards her. Sam stood up and started walking away. She could barely walk with her head spinning and her stomach hurting like hell.
Pretty soon, Deathra caught up to her, and her sidekicks surrounded her.
“Going somewhere, Stone?” said Deathra. “You really think you could walk away from me?”
The two sidekicks hissed like a snake. They were missing a bunch of teeth, so it helped sell the illusion that they were as dangerous as a viper.
“Leave me alone!” said Sam.
“I don’t think I will,” said Deathra.
She came closer to Sam and showed her a shiv popping out of her pocket. Sam was scared but didn’t let an ounce of emotion take over her face. She looked straight into Deathra’s eyes.
“You got balls!” said Deathra. “I’ll give you that.”
She whistled, and her sidekicks grabbed Sam’s hands from behind. Sam resisted, but she wasn’t strong enough to overpower a couple of 200 lbs. women. Deathra took out her knife. As soon as she was about to stab her, she saw Sam’s stalker looking at them. Deathra wasn’t stupid enough to leave behind a witness, especially a male prisoner skinnier than her. But then she saw another couple of male prisoners walking towards her. Deathra didn’t have many friends when it came to male prisoners.
She walked away. Her sidekicks left with her too.
Sam took a huge breath before sitting down on the bench. She wanted to cry but couldn’t. She realized her stalker probably saved her life. She looked at him and nodded a couple of times.
He looked around and saw there was no one else around him. He slowly walked up to Sam and sat beside her, almost 6 feet away. They didn’t talk for the next ten minutes before Sam broke the silence.
“What’s your name?” asked Sam.
“Gale,” said Gale.
“My name is Sam,” said Sam.
He nodded. Sam looked at him and realized he was a bit uncomfortable. It was probably his long ears that made him feel that way, she thought.
“What’s wrong?” asked Sam.
“I’m not allowed to sit here. This bench belongs to the Brotherhood,” said Gale.
“What’s the Brotherhood?” asked Sam.
“Scum that runs the prison,” said Gale. “Not all of it.”
“What do you mean?” asked Sam.
“They run the North wing,” said Gale.
“Who runs the South wing?” asked Sam. “Please don’t tell me it’s Deathra.”
“No. Actually yes. South has like 10-11 people who have an alliance,” said Gale. “Deathra is part of that Alliance.”
“Who else is in this Alliance?” asked Sam.
“Only the Brotherhood knows, and a handful of prisoners who have been around for a long time. I only know about Brotherhood and Deathra,” said Gale. “Now, I have to go.”
“Bye, Gale,” said Sam.
“Call me North-East,” said Gale.
“I guess that makes me South-West,” said Sam.
Gale smiled and left.
Their conversation had given a sense of purpose to Sam. She wanted to find out the members of the South Alliance. She felt it would make her time in prison a lot smoother if she were friends with a member or two.
Sam skipped the shower and stayed in the yard. During the breakfast in the hall, she made it a strategy to closely watch the inmates to figure out potential groups that existed in Clarence. The leader of that group was likely to be a member of the alliance. She was late to the hall, so she couldn’t sit at her corner seat. Deathra had occupied that seat intentionally. Sam waited in line for food after grabbing a tray. She was fifth in the line and the last person to be served in the hall.
Looking everywhere except in front, she gently nudged the woman in front of her assuming the line had moved farther. The woman turned around. Her face was straight out of a horror movie, Sam thought. Sam gulped when she saw 7 scars on her face. Deathra smirked from across the hall. Vira scared the hell out of her too.
Vira saw Sam’s face, gave her a death stare, and turned around. Sam took a deep breath. She gave the woman her space.
After getting her food and puking in her mouth on seeing what was being offered, she walked to the less crowded part in the hall. As soon as she was about to sit, she looked at the guy’s face and could only notice the lust. She got up quickly and went to a different bench. As she put her tray down, the woman sitting on the adjacent seat, moved to occupy the empty seat, while the others looked at her with hatred. They thought Sam was either a snitch or a weakling, based on her morning encounter with the guard.
Sam was standing in the middle of the hall, looking around, as the inmates start
ed to spread their legs to cover the remaining spots.
“Stone!” said Vira. “Here.”
Sam wanted to decline the offer, but she didn’t have any other option. She walked up to Vira and sat in front of her. Vira asked a couple of women to make space, which pissed them off a little. They moved quite a lot, almost a couple of seats away.
“Thank you,” said Sam.
Vira didn’t say anything.
Sam played with her oatmeal using a spoon. They had run out of bread the time she was served, so all she got was a messed up oatmeal and a vegetable soup that looked like vomit.
Vira saw Sam not eating anything. She gave a piece of bread to Sam. Sam couldn’t refuse.
“Thank you,” said Sam, and smiled.
“It’s alright,” said Vira, in her deep, husky voice.
They quietly ate their breakfast. Vira finished hers first and walked away. Sam finished a second later and walked almost adjacent to her. They put their trays in the sink and walked out of the hall.
Vira noticed Sam was walking closely behind her. She turned around and looked at Sam.
“Listen, kid. We’re not friends. Stop following me,” said Vira.
“Sorry, I didn’t have anywhere else to go. Sorry, I’ll leave you alone,” said Sam and walked away.
She spent most of her time spying in the south yard that separated the two south wings. Everyone looked like they could be part of the Alliance the way they carried themselves. Only the south block had access to this yard. The North wing had a similar yard for its prisoners.
As the clock struck 11 AM, the prisoners were told to go back to their cells for the next two hours. Sam wasn’t looking forward to it, as it meant facing Deathra so soon after their encounter. As she was walking towards her cell, a woman approached her.
“Where do you think you’re going?” asked the woman.
Sam recognized her as one of the women who hung out with Vira in the south yard.