Genosha: In the Balance - Old Ghosts

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

While in the prison yard Sarah, Lex and Tabitha meet another prisoner who has important information about the prison and the people held in it.

Warning: Mention of child death.



Being a tropical country, the prison got a lot of sun. It didn't mean much other than make it really hot. The exercise yard had the illusion of freedom by seeing the sky with the glaring reminder of captivity with the cage that marred the sky with a criss-cross of steel grating. Exercise equipment was strewn about. It was only moderately cared for, so the hints of rust were showing. Prisoners, for lack of anything better to do other than wait, dotted a few stations, their orange jumpsuits with the occasional flash of white of tank-top underneath giving away their presence. Guards, ever constant, took vigil.

Off in one corner, a man sat in the shade created by the high walls, with a chess board in front of him. He would make the occasional move, consider the board, and then slowly rotate it around. It was hard to juxtapose all of the contradictions; eight stories below, there were balconies and lounge areas where government workers would be having their lunch, or sneaking a quick smoke break. But in the Magistrate section of the Citadel, the exercise yard was accessible only by a single secure elevator, and escape only possible if you could break the bars and fly away.

Scanning the yard provided Lex with something to occupy his mind. He'd been knocked unconscious during the fight and most of the rest of his time had been a half-remembered blur. He did know that he couldn't feel the electricity around him, and that the fresh air on his face felt better than he expected. There were several men who seemed to be trying too hard not to pay attention to him and he took stock of their fighting prowess; they wouldn't be able to touch him, even as a group. Other men were clearly afraid, shirking away as his gaze passed over them, and he had to wonder if their presence might upset the balance within the prison. "Oh well," he huffed as he continued to scan the area, "not like we wanted to be here."

Lex realized he was staring at a man across the yard with an intensity that startled him. The man was sitting by himself and there was nobody within 25 feet of him; however, anyone who passed close to him made signs of deference as they came near. That man, he thought, can tell me what I need to know to get out of here. "Follow me."

Sarah raised an eyebrow, watching him cross to the other side of the prison yard. Finally, she shrugged and followed. Maybe he was going to pick a fight or something.

It took Tabitha an extra second to notice her companions' movement. She followed them before her brain fully engaged, she was still so tired. She forced herself to pay attention, and even she noticed the "lead dog" vibe. Hopefully Lex wouldn't get them into a brawl.

"You're blocking my light." Was all her side as Lex approached him. The chess board was just cardboard and the pieces plastic and dingy. Yet, he contemplated them with the intensity of a gem cutter, before finally reaching out to push a bishop across to a new line of attack

"Interesting play," Lex said casually. He stepped to the side without apologizing and contemplated the man's face, the man looked like he'd seen many months, possibly years, in the yard playing chess by himself. He thought about how to approach the situation, knowing that talking to people wasn't really his strength, and decided that he'd do what he always did. "So, do you know how to get out of here?" It was straight forward, but he thought it might work.

"Of course. There's a secure elevator that takes you to the main cell block complex. From there, you simply pass through the common area, one of the processing rooms, and then a guard station to reach the public elevators." He slowly turned the board around. "Mind you, you need to be a guard to do all these things."

"There's always a catch." Sarah considered for a moment, and added, "Has anybody ever made it out?"

"Not since I've been here. The Citadel is still new, young lady. Opened less than two years ago. Before, it had been a rather quaint decommissioned navel station, dating back to the days when the Officer's Mess had to have chandeliers and other colonial trappings."

Tabitha looked around the yard and facility, then turned a raised eyebrow to the man. "I don't see it," she said. Maybe the heat was warping everything into the grim grayness that accompanied every prison she'd ever seen. The Citadel looked steeped in years of incarceration.

"I think I that would make sense, though," Lex mused, converting an old military base into a prison would help keep people out of the facility just as it would to ensure people remained inside of it. "I can't tell if you're being clever or cynical," Lex told the man, "but the rest of the prisoners seem to be giving you a wide berth. You don't look like a killer so there has to be some other reason for them to leave you alone. Maybe you can help us figure out what's what?"

"Why would I do that? You're foreign, and obviously in some kind of trouble. Asking an old man to risk his peace and quiet for no reason doesn't seem fair, when you think about it." He toyed with the rook for a moment.

"You're obviously in some sort of trouble too," Sarah countered, "Or we wouldn't have met you here."

Tabs lowered herself to the ground next to Lex. Her knee still wasn't happy and she was tired of standing. "Isn't there some mumbo about throwing stones?" She looked around the Citadel. "Though, given the lack of glass, I can see why you feel safe."

"I feel safe because I am dead, and the dead can no longer be hurt." He set down the rook finally. "My name is Okim Etufunwa. I was the President of Genosha until 1994. Ten years later, I was killed in a helicopter accident."

Lex whistled unconsciously, it suddenly made sense why anyone who knew anything about Genosha was giving him space. Associating yourself with a dead man was a sure fire way to wind up right along side them. "That," he paused, "is most unfortunate. However, I hate to point out that it makes it all the more worth your time to talk with us." They were most likely under video and auditory surveillance and he didn't want to get the old man in trouble for being conspiratorial. He would much rather they get information about how the prison operated, than try to foster any attempt at escape... at least for the time being. "We're not looking to get you in trouble, we just want to know the things that aren't explained to prisoners by the warden upon arrival. If we're to survive here, it'll be helpful to know the fine print so to speak."

He looked pointedly at Sarah and Tabitha and gave them a firm smile. "Right, ladies?" He hoped they'd understand.

"Since we're obviously going to be here a while," Sarah added, though she didn't believe it. She was convinced that if they didn't find a way out quickly, they were going to find themselves disposed of. They would not share this man's fate.

The old man paused for a long moment, and finally nodded. "The Citadel prison block was designed for three types of prisoners; military prisoners stationed in Hammer Bay and awaiting trial, prisoners who have had their appeals recognized to be considered by the Genoshan Supreme Court, and prisoners who represent a danger if housed in a regular prison facility. A broad definition which has led to its current mixture of violent career criminals and more recently, political dissidents whom the Executive branch would rather not see again."

The man's words only served to reinforce Lex's pressing need to get his people out of here. After what they'd seen he could not imagine that any of them would hold up particularly well to the types of treatment they were about to be subjected to. "So, if this is a place where people are forgotten, does that mean the government knows little about what goes on inside its walls?" He thought about it and then immediately thought of a more pressing question. "Do they let all of the blocks up here together, or are they separated out by their location?"

Tabitha kept her eyes moving on the other people around them. "Is there more than one yard?" She asked in a low voice. "And who are the snoops?" It would be useful to know who to avoid.

"You are thinking about this the wrong way. The question is not 'how does the prison function'. The question you should be asking is 'why does the prison function as it does'?" He squinted at the opposite pawn position. "You have men and women too violent or dangerous for a normal jail. You have male and female prisoners with military training. And then you have dissidents - old men, young idealists, and of course, the dead. What should that tell you about the purpose of this place?"

"It's for the people who ruin Genosha's image of a perfect society." Sarah squinted up at the walls looming over them. "It's where they go to be out of sight."

"It's a place for those with no future," Lex didn't like the idea, but he understood it. Most governments had a facility like the prison, in one form or another, for those who simply did not belong in society. He had to acknowledge that the Genoshans' ability to manipulate the public, most people would never know what happened within these walls. Those who did knew to keep their mouths shut lest they wind up with no future either. "Do you know where our friends are? Do they keep new people separated from the general population of the prison?"

"Unfortunately, I only have what information the others relay to me. In most cases, keeping the general population together is an effective tool. The dissents are quickly broken, subsumed by the more violent groups. Wittcombe does his best to maintain order, but he is relatively new and foreign. This prison's still a tool of Thomas Moreau, regardless of the title he has now." He looked up, a flicker of understanding flashing in his gaze. "I see you've met Thomas."

The rage that burned through her surprised Tabitha. Her moment of surprise let her struggle to keep it suppressed. It did her no good here. She nodded jerkily. "He showed us his pet project," she said in a strangled voice.

"And all his pet scientists." Sarah considered all she had witnessed for a moment. "Forced "rehabilitation" instead of corporal punishment. How very Clockwork Orange of you, Genosha."

There was a darkness just below the surface of Lex's thoughts as his teammates spoke. He pushed it down and away from him. "If, as you say, this is a place for the dead then we better keep our heads down. If there's anything we can do to free you, then I promise we'll do it." He stood up to his feet and then looked at the president. "Sorry, I hope we don't bring any more attention down on you."

"If Moreau wanted me dead, I would be. But I think you should consider how much attention you draw." He made a move. "Even a pawn can look like the most important piece on the board in the right place."

"Thank you for your candor, we'll try to keep that in mind." Lex said, promising himself that he would do everything in his power to keep the rest of the team from winding up like that poor little girl. They walked away together, wondering what would happen to them in that awful place.