by E. A. Darl
“Because you prefer to steal? Why? So you can sell it to the underground?” He shook his head. “The gangs that run the black market are more of a threat to you than the police are, Avalon.” He studied her mutinous face then sighed and turned away as a side door opened and an elderly woman entered. She mounted the stairs to the huge oaken judge’s pedestal but instead took a seat at the scribe’s desk to its right. A green leather bound ledger sat on the table and she flipped it open then looked at them. “Please approach the lower court”
Avalon slid off the bench and stuck her fingers in her pockets, only to realize that they were full of sticky berries. She resisted the urge to pull them out and lick the mash of off her fingers. Instead she shoved them deeper, searching in vain for a few that were not crushed.
“Your Honour, I wish to present Avalon - “ He paused waiting for Avalon to fill in her last name but she remained silent. “ - Avalon, a young woman who was caught breaking into the greenhouse on Federation Way. She is to be charged with break and enter, and theft over five thousand.”
“Five thousand!” gasped Avalon. “Those few apples are not worth five thousand dollars! Are you insane?”
The judge rapped the gavel on the wooden plate, silencing her. “That is enough, young woman. You will remain silent until asked to speak. Continue, Captain Anderson.”
“The food was recovered and has been returned to the greenhouse, but the fact that the thief was caught with the goods does not change the facts of the crime committed.”
“The facts have been presented and the charges recorded. Do you have a witness?”
“Yes, myself, and the guard at the facility, and the new federal cameras recorded the entire event.” Avalon winced at this pronouncement.
The judge scribbled notes for a few more moments.
“Now you may speak, what do you have to say for yourself, to these charges, young lady?”
Avalon shifted her feet guiltily and looked up at the judge, pleading in her amber flecked eyes. “I am sorry, I will not do it again. I was just terribly hungry. Can I go now?”
The judge stared at her then shook her head. “I think not. We will reconvene in the morning. You will be our guest this evening and forever as long as we wish to keep you, young Avalon, until you confess the truth behind your actions.”
“No! I must go, I cannot stay here!” Desperation pitched her voice higher than she intended and her plea came out as a squeak. Both the judge and Mitch stared at her. “Please!”
“I am sorry, Avalon.” The judge reached under the bench and run a bell and the side door opened. Court security came through, dressed in the colours of federal security. “The crime you committed is not against Melona, it is federal jurisdiction. Even if I wished to release you with a warning I cannot. We must await review of your case by a representative of the government before a decision on your punishment can be made. Bailiff, take the prisoner to the women’s cell block and she that she is showered and given a change of clothing.”
“No!” Avalon gasped “Please, let me go! I must go!”
The bailiff took her by the arm and dragged her out the side door. Avalon screamed and began to kick the officer until he wrestled her to the ground, handcuffed her once again and dragged her up by her injured arm once again. “And see that she gets medical attention!” called the judge as a screaming Avalon was dragged from the room. Silence abruptly descended as the door closed behind her.
“There is something odd going on with that young woman,” the judge said, squinting at the door.
“There is much more than meets the eye, for sure.” Mitch stood and stretched, wincing at the old back injury that twinged. “I will see what I can find out.”
“Please do. And Mitch, I do not need to tell you that this is unwanted attention on Melona. You need to solve this problem now, before it escalates.”
He nodded in silent agreement and followed the bailiff’s path out of the chambers.
The judge watched him go with a pensive frown on her face.
Chapter 3
Time to Think
Avalon was dragged down the hall by the bailiff. She never stopped fighting the entire way to the women’s holding cells. What she expected to do if she got free of him, she didn’t even stop to consider, for her panic was complete. She had sworn to herself that never again would she be confined to a box, to walls with no escape. There was no greater fear, than walls without an exit, to be confined to a small space without windows and sky.
They passed from one windowless corridor to a secondary, then on into a branch of the jail specifically for women. The inhabitants of the various cells peered out at her from behind clear doors as she was dragged by. The bailiff shoved her in a cell at the end of hallway and she tumbled to the floor. He closed the door behind him before she could regain her feet. It locked shut with a click, and Avalon threw herself at the door, only to be thrown back by a force field that had sprung into existence. She sat down hard and stared at the door, crying in earnest now. Hands still locked behind her back, she curled into a ball on the floor and cried until exhaustion took her and she slept.
AVALON WOKE TO THE door opening and attempted to sit up only to be brought up short by the handcuffs that still bound her wrists behind her back. She groaned and gave up on the idea, watching with bleary eyes as a tall woman in uniform closed the door behind her then squatted down beside her. “I will remove those cuffs now, but do not do anything foolish. There is no getting out of the cell and I’d prefer to not have to taser you. It is a most unpleasant experience. The woman stared at her until Avalon agreed with a nod of her head, then unlocked the cuffs and stepped back, hand on her taser, ready to draw it. Avalon sat up and worked her shoulders to ease the stiffness. “May I get up off the floor?” she asked the woman, who nodded. Avalon stood up and limped over to the bed and sat back down.
“A woman will arrive shortly with a change of clothing to take you to the showers. I will be accompanying you there. Same rules apply. Act like a madman and I will call the male guards in to assist. You will not like the way they wash you, “ she said, with a hard smile. Avalon nodded and sat on her hands, to stop their shaking and to show she was not a threat. The moments ticked by in silence and then the door opened again and a woman entered, carrying linens and some heavily bleached clothing, as drab as the walls of her cell. They smelled clean and sterile, which Avalon was beginning to realize, she did not.
“Here we are, your linens and clothing. Now, my dear, let me look at that cut.” The woman put down her bundle beside Avalon and took her chin in one hand. She tilted her face to examine the cut on her cheek and tsked. “It’s long but not deep. No stitches needed. Now, off with your sweater. Avalon backed away from her hand.
“Come now dear, that sweater saw the end of its useful life about ten years ago. It’s time to be rid of it.”
“No!” shouted Avalon and the female guard tensed and partially drew her taser. Avalon fought to control her panic and swallowed heavily. “Please, it was my father’s. I...I want to keep it. Please,” she begged, her eyes filling with tears that she blinked away.
The orderly looked to the guard, who nodded. “Alright then, but we are going to wash it. We do not allow filthy clothing in the cells. It’s unsanitary.”
Avalon looked from one to the other, then nodded, and pulled the sweater over her head, dropping it beside her onto the lumpy mattress. Under the sweater she wore a black tank top which did nothing to hide the lurid bruises on her arms. The orderly took her hands and inspected the bruises. “You had an active night, tonight.” She touched the swelling shoulder and Avalon jerked away from the pain of her probing touch.
“Come, we will get you showered and then I have some cream that will help with the pain. Finish stripping off your clothes and put this robe on.” Avalon did as instructed and pulled on the robe, and slipped her feet into some disposable slippers - I am not throwing those away! - then followed the orderly out into the hallway, her chang
e of clothes clutched to her chest. Her guard followed after her, hand hovering over the taser and ready to use it. Avalon ignored her and followed the orderly to the showers. It was a large open room with four shower heads and an open drain in the floor. Spigots by the handles for the taps dispensed both soap and shampoo. She hung her robe on a hook by the door and walked over to the shower head that was the furthest away from the door and turned on the water. It was luke warm but with the heat of the day still lingering, it felt as refreshing as a plunge into an icy lake. She gasped, and reveled in the luxury of running water with soap and shampoo, and only turned off the water when commanded to do so. No towel was provided so she used her robe to towel off then put on the jail clothing provided, a soft cotton t-shirt and a pair of flannel trousers, both in a dull grey. She picked up her robe and put the slippers back on her feet then followed them back to her cell, meek as a mouse when the cat is watching. As she entered her cell, the smell of food nearly made her faint. Her eyes darted to the tray and after looking to her guard for permission, she fell on the tray. Soup in a plastic bowl and a crusty roll, butter and sliced meat, an apple like those she had tried to steal and a glass of milk filled the tray. It was more food than she had seen in a week and with a gasp, she snatched up the soup and drank it down so fast her stomach complained loudly. “Slow down there, you will throw it up if you eat that quickly. Come now, slowly,” the orderly said, pushing her down to sit on the bed and placing the tray beside her. “No one is going to take it away from you until you tell them to. There is no need to rush. I will put this cream on your shoulder while you eat.” Avalon had eyes for nothing but the food and ignored the ministrations of the orderly, feeling nothing but a cooling to her skin, but then a heat set in and the pain numbed. She looked at her arm in surprise and smiled a quick smile of thanks, mouth too full to speak.
She managed to eat three quarters of the tray before she could not manage another bite. She had saved the apple and paper cup of milk as she thought they would not let her keep the tray and she was correct for as soon as she sat back, the guard picked up the tray. She snatched the milk and the apple off the tray and sat them on a small ledge beside the bed.
The orderly placed the plastic tube of cream on the ledge beside the bed headed for the door after the guard. “We will leave you now. I would suggest you get some rest.” The pair left the cell and silence descended then the force field hummed back to life. Avalon yawned and decided that sleep was a good thought. She spread out the blankets saving the third to use as a pillow and was asleep within minutes, the first real sleep she had had in a long time.
Chapter 4
Whispered Dreams
Avalon’s dreams were filled with conversations. Every time she rolled over, she thought she heard voices but her exhaustion pulled her back down before she could wonder at the sound. It was in the early hours of the morning when she woke with a start, her nerves tingling. Someone was standing outside her cell door. Two shadows striped the floor and the low voices carried into her room, not hindered in the least by the force field. She slipped off of her metal bunk and slid her arms into the donated robe, then crept to the side of the door, keeping clear of the low humming force field. She shivered for moment then stilled.
“...choice do we have? You know the feds will be here by noon at the latest,” said a male voice.
“Yes, but how do you intend to explain her absence? They know there is a prisoner here,” said a feminine voice.
“Then why did you not finger scan her record? You, of all people know this is required on every criminal booking. Yet you didn’t take her fingerprints. I think you have a plan already in place,” said the man.
“We don’t have any choice,” said the woman, her voice flat with frustration. “If we wait any longer, there will no longer be a town of Melona. Our appeal of the lottery has fallen on deaf ears. If we cannot get the government fertilizer needed for the next greenhouse crop, then there will be no local food source. The few people remaining will be forced to abandon their homes and head for the city. Already this town starves from within. We must get our hands on our share.”
“Then it is decided. We need a burglar and she has proved her skill set over and over. But she needs to be taken from here, now, while the jail house sleeps. I can get her out of here undetected,” said the man.
“Fine, I will take care of the official records. Take her.” Heels clicked on the tile floor. “Oh, and Mitch, be sure her face is never seen in this town again. That goes for you, too. Good luck.”
Mitch grunted and must have agreed, for the heels continued their journey, fading away. Avalon heard the snick of the lock and scurried back to her bench, lying down just as the opaque door swung open.
Mitch entered her cell, dressed head to toe in dark clothing, and a well-worn baseball cap with the Melona Meteors symbol in blue decorating its crown. He walked over and shook her shoulder to wake her and she stretched and sat up. “What is it?” she said in a sleepy voice.
“Do you want to get out of here?”
“Yeah sure. What do I have to do?”
“I will explain it on the way. Come, grab your things.” He handed her a duffel bag and Avalon found her sweater inside, recently cleaned and a few of the rips mended. She abandoned the robe, stuffing it into the duffel bag along with the disposable slippers and pulled the warm hoodie over her head.
“I also brought you some breakfast. You can eat it in the car.”
Avalon slipped her feet into her runners the grabbed the apple she had saved and downed the last of the milk. “Ready,” she whispered.
“OK, follow me and don’t make a sound. If you alert the guards, we are both in trouble. Now follow me.”
Mitch headed back to the door and with a quick glance both ways to be sure the hall was clear, headed back in the direction of the bathrooms. Instead of the women’s bathroom, he took her into the men’s bathroom then over to a locked door. He punched in the code then pulled open the door. As the door closed, plunging them into darkness, Avalon caught a glimpse of boilers and pumps. They were in the mechanical room of the station. A blaze of light cut the dark as Mitch turned on a wide-lensed flashlight, lighting the interior. “This way” he muttered, leading the way past the appliances and into a service corridor that ran the entire length of the building. He picked up the pace, anxious to put some distance between the cells and their location.
Avalon listened hard, heart pounding, afraid that the sound of alarms would shatter the silence at any moment, when her disappearance was discovered. She trotted after Mitch, matching his long strides with two of her own. At the end of the corridor, another door presented itself, heavy metal and complete with a panic bar and a lit sign that said “EXIT.” Stuck on its surface was a sign that said “Alarm will sound when door is used.” Dismayed, Avalon halted, but Mitch took out a length of wire, a couple of clamps and a pair of snips. He stripped away the coating and clipped on the length of bypass wire then repeated the process on the other side of the door. Once he had the connection established, Mitch cut the wire leading to the alarm contacts that ran around the frame. Pushing the door open, they quickly passed through and flattened themselves against the wall. Nothing moved in the dark parking lot. Two streetlights cast pools of light at either end of the parking lot. “Now listen, there are two cameras mounted at either end of the building. But the one on the left there, the swivel is broken on the mounting. It is stuck facing straight ahead. If we stay along the building, it will not pick us up within its range. Follow me.” He led her along the shadows of the building, dodging out only when they needed to go around an obstruction. They reached the far end with incident then Mitch’s arm swung out and pressed her back against the brick. He raised a finger to his lips, begging silence. Avalon listened hard, then heard the crunching of gravel under a heavy boot. A police officer in uniform passed by the corner where they stood frozen and continued on down the path to a waiting squad parked in the second row of parking. As soon as
he was a safe distance past, Mitch grabbed her sleeve and pulled her into the bushes on the other side of the sidewalk, pulling her down beside him. They waited until the officer pulled away and then checking once again to be sure that all was silent, dashed deeper into the trees, keeping the trunks between them and the police station.
Mitch led Avalon along a high hedge, devoid of leaves and then down a garbage alley, pulling a set of keys from his pocket. He pressed the unlock button and headlights flashed on a beat up Mustang. They jumped into the car, locking the doors. Mitch jammed the keys into the ignition and the car roared to life. Grimacing as the sound shattered the silence, he slipped it into gear and drove away, careful to not speed or attract attention. Avalon did not speak but watched the scenery flash by the window, relieved to be out of the cell and free once more, or at least relatively free. She still had no idea what Mitch intended, or why he was putting himself and his career on the line in such a fashion, and she was afraid to ask. She remained silent.
After putting several miles between the town and their current location, Mitch pulled onto a dirt side road and pulled into a scenic overlook. The Partridge river flowed sluggishly between the banks at a rate one-quarter of it’s normal levels. The banks were cracked and dry and the only sign of any green lay right against the lip of the water, but it was closer to chartreuse. He put the car in park, then reached behind him on the seat and grabbed a cooler. He flipped the lid open. “Help yourself to food.”
He pulled a bottle of juice from the depths and twisted the lid off, and handed it to her then opened one for himself, taking a long, cool swig of the nectar. Avalon took an equally long drink and sighed at the blissful sweetness of the drink.
“Now, it’s time for honesty, Avalon. We are going to sit here and eat our picnic, and you are going to tell me how to get to where you live, because you and I are going on a long journey. We will not be back to these parts for weeks, and you may never be back. I am sure there are things you want to gather for the trip and I am going to drive you there.”