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CH 78: First Impressions
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 15:00:00 +0000 UTCThe guard raised a hand in threat as Reid continued.
“I promise, we are innocent. Give us a trial, and I'll prove it.”
The backhand was swift but weak.
Reid jangled his shackles as he tried to gesture towards Lycra. “We were both prisoners on that ship! We had nothing to do with what happened!”
The guard rose and grabbed a metal fishbowl hanging from the cramped, bumpy transport’s ceiling. Sound stilled as it was secured around Reid’s head.
Reid wanted to swear and scream. He’d been pleading with the guard during the entire trip. Repeated shocks had kept him from communicating with the armadillo, then the collars had been swapped with new ones that were more like thin, unbreakable necklaces when they were moved into the transport. They had been descending for quite a long time, and Reid tried not to think about how far from the surface they must’ve been.
His attempts to convince the guards to let them go had ranged from the truth, to cajoling, and attempted bribes. He even tried begging to be taken back to the psychotic armadillo so he could plead his case directly. His last attempts had shifted back to telling the truth just before the fishbowl was shoved over him.
Throughout the entire flight, the only responses had been grunts and violence. And, now - there was isolation. Many more minutes passed before their downward momentum abruptly stopped. The shift made Reid’s new headgear slam into the wall, and he winced at the reverberating ring.
When Reid's fishbowl was finally removed, Thad and Lycra were both awake and silently staring at a clean-looking guard. Each wore a simple cloth jumpsuit that matched Reid's own - shoved onto them as they were put into the transport. The guard snorted and spoke in a drab, practiced speech.
“You will now enter the warrens. Cameras and sensors near the processor will record your contributions towards paying off your debts. The cost of any food or water you consume are added to your debts. If you are above G grade, your restrictor collar on your person will suppress you to G grade. If you are eaten or otherwise die, the balance of your debt will be automatically forgiven and will not pass on to your relatives. If you pay off the sum of your debts, a member of the staff will retrieve you within one week, and you will receive a debriefing session. If you damage company equipment, you will be subject to fines and corporal punishment. Guards will come down if and when they need to. When they do, you obey their orders. There are no other rules."
Before Reid could ask any clarifying questions, the guard slammed a button on the wall. The shackles attached to Reid all came loose and retracted into the seats as the floor of the transport split and swung open underneath them. Reid barely had time to panic before he was in free-fall. He had enough time to see Lycra falling with him before they both impacted an intricate, but heavily worn net. The thing was angled, and Reid rolled down it sideways - with most of his momentum from the fall - until the net met the ground. He slammed into it with his hip, and looked around.
A dark hole stretched so far above him, Reid couldn't make out the light at the top. The transport that had dropped them was nearly out of sight already, and rose quickly into the distance.
The net had been at the bottom of the hole, and there were bits of trash around it - likely where things had simply fallen down the massive shaft. The hole opened up into a spacious cavern. While the net was as large as a supermarket, it took up only a tenth of the area. Off to one side, ten lines of prisoners in jumpsuits pushed carts or held buckets full of crystals that ranged from the size of a fingernail to as large as Reid's arm. They threw the crystals into machines that lit up and made noise, then pulled the contents up into the rock above. That must be the processor.
A canteen area sat next to the processor, where more lines of prisoners stood in front of P.O. box looking slots on the wall. Water and food appeared there with loud bangs, and the prisoners quickly grabbed the contents and retreated to free seats. Some ate on the ground, or slept nearby. They leaned against rocks or bunched up in piles on the wall. Some slept in piles of trash, or semi-structurally-sound looking shanties made of discarded material.
Five circular structures were on the other side of the canteen, and there was a constant mill of coming and going prisoners from them. From what Reid could tell, they were probably bathrooms - and showers.
A long wall stretched off to mostly-dark tunnels, and was inset with a myriad of shelves and racks that held tools, carts, buckets, and a series of objects Reid didn't recognize. There was a mix of prisoners putting things back, or grabbing carts and setting off into the darkness. A series of four mouse-like skulls, each as large as Reid's torso, hung above the tools. Reid wondered if those were the things the guard had warned might eat them.
Fate storm, my ass.
Reid had never wanted to experience being in a cage again. He'd never wanted to go to prison again, either - but because of one fucking alien that liked kidnapping, Reid was repeating a lot of shitty experiences.
An impact from behind drove Reid to the ground, and he covered his head as fists began to pummel him. He hadn’t expected the violence to start this early. Reid focused intently - even through the oddity of his changed energy - and flared rage power into his arm. It slammed back into his attacker, and came back bloody.
Thad jumped back, ear bleeding, and picked two rocks off the ground. His eyes were feral. "It's all your fault! You and that street rat did this! I'm going to kill you and that fractin kid!"
Thad hurled one of the rocks, but it missed Reid wide. He swung the other at Reid’s head when they got close. The movement was slow – slower than Thad had been during their fight on Earth, and slower than the salamanders by far. Reid easily moved himself out of the path of the rock, and sent two jabs into Thad's side.
Rage churned and built in him.
“You don’t get to be angry, you fucking alien!” Reid was too in the moment to hear the gasps around him, and savaged Thad with strikes to his torso and arms as he continued to shout. “You came to my planet! Knocked me out and kidnapped me! Put me in a goddamn cage!” Two strikes slammed hard into Thad's jaw, and the alien moaned incomprehensibly as it cracked in three places. He wouldn't be spewing any more shit for a while. Reid let himself back off, and looked over the alien.
Thad’s prison jumpsuit was flecked in a light pink blood. He’d stopped trying to fight Reid, and just stared back at him with heaving breaths. Reid wanted to end the alien. He imagined himself smashing in Thad's skull, pulling his heart out through his ribcage, or pushing his thumbs through the alien's eyes. Reid walked forward, still unsure of how he would deal the killing blow.
Footfalls echoed behind him, and Reid spun, ready for another opponent.
A distinctly blue man, around Reid’s height but twice as wide, held up both hands and approached. A mixed group behind him consisted of at least eight different species.
“Hey there friend. The drop can be disorientin', and most have some scores to settle - but we like to limit the violence here, were'n we can. You done won this fight, what say you call it off for now?”
Reid glanced between the newcomers and Thad.
“He’s shit, and he should die.”
The man nodded and smiled. “I’m sure you’re right. But the more people we have, the safer we are. So I’ma askin' you nicely not to kill him. At least for now. Just talk to me a bit.”
Thad had gone from standing to sitting, and Reid reluctantly lowered his fists.
“Nice, alright. You'n call me Jim – my friends and I here done do some rotatin' orientations. You probably heard the guard’s tell it, but there are more rules here if you want to have a nice stay in the warrens.” The man’s face turned serious. “First, none of that xenophobe nonsense. We’re all people here, so knock it off, an' no wiggle room.”
Reid blinked as his brain caught up with Jim's words. “I’m not… Look, I… I don’t mind aliens, I just hate him.” He pointed back at Thad.
Jim shook his head. “Y'see, now I’ma startin' to get upset, an' my friends here are offended. We's all dealin' with enough - ain't right to have to listen to that crap too - now stuff it.”
“But I don-“
“Wait!” Lycra sped into the conversation, panting, with rope burns all over his exposed skin. He must’ve been stuck in the nets. “This is my friend! My friend!" He pointed between Reid and himself, and glanced at Thad lying on the ground holding his broken jaw. His eyes seemed to light up with an idea. "His world, Vuxarina, was just awakened - Thad was the first non-human he's met. He's never even touched a beacon - he just doesn't know better."
Reid looked at Lycra. “That’s a... slur? The… the a-word?”
Jim let out a guffawing laugh. “Aw hell, why'n't y'say that? Here I'm givin' ya a lecture and you jus don' know no better.” The man wiped tears from his eyes as he continued. “Ah, well. I'n heard the new drawin' was done. Sorry t'say, but we did get one more from yer planet down here. Was a spot brighter pink than you, so I 'ssume he weren't no family or friend o' yours, but he got ate up two days ago. But, I take back the harsh words. Don't be a xenophobe, that's rule number one. Rule 2 is don't steal. It happens sometimes - food, tools, crystal - but if you get caught, thieves lose fingers. You get caught twice, lose a hand. Rule 3, share information. You see a mole, you'n tell where it was. Find a vein, you share it. Pick up some message or signal somehow, the group hears it. Not everyone follows them all good, but I hope you do. We all live jus' a bit longer if we know what's goin' on.
Partway through the conversation, Jim had motioned for Reid and Lycra to follow him, and he'd led the group towards the canteen area while part of the original set of prisoners stayed behind with Thad. They treated him more like their prisoner than a fellow prisoner. Reid found himself impressed by Jim's smooth work to separate him from the alie- ah, the... man. Jim was more than a friendly outer layer. Reid made a mental note to watch himself around the man. Manipulators had caught Reid off guard before.
“Take you some time to sit here, an' introduce y'self anybody what wants come say hi. Ask questions, getcha settled. Don't jus go runnin' off t'mine crystal. An don't never go out hungry. Hunger gets ya mistakes, an mistakes means dead. So my advice is get yourself fed all good." He sat Reid and Lycra down at an open table. "I'll be 'round another hour - then a new group'll come in. You need help, find me or anyone wearin' one a these." Jim pointed to a colorful armband tied around his bicep. He extended a hand towards Lycra, and he took it. "Good luck, and nice meetin' ya..."
"Lycra." His friend's yellow eyes were warm and happy.
The man extended his hand to Reid. "Sorry about earlier with the word-thing. And I'm R-..." Lycra and Nyx had both cautioned him against using his own name, and he'd never come up with an alias. His eyes widened as he tried to take inspiration from his surroundings, and the rest of his pronunciation came out slow and drawn... "-ocky. Rocky. But... everyone calls me Roc. R-o-c." Reid hoped the follow up with a nickname to his alias would take attention away from the drawn out first attempt.
Jim guffawed again, and gestured towards the surrounding cavern walls. "Rocky! Roc! You'n either the unluckiest man t' ever come down that hole, or the funniest." The big man slapped Reid on the back, and walked away still laughing to himself.
When Jim left, the rest of his group queued up to chat with Reid and Lycra. Most of the non-humans gave him a long stare, and some tried to squeeze a bit hard during their handshakes. He felt more than one strain to crush his hand, and had to keep himself from wincing. He'd already made enough of a splash, and didn't need any more notoriety. The last one in line was a shining green reptilian woman that Reid had to crane his neck to look in the face. She was massive - nine feet tall with diamond eyes. When they shook, she nearly broke his hand - then smiled when he grinned through the pain.
"Not just a strong fighter - you've got some spine! Good! You might just be alright, xenophobe."
Reid went stiff. “I had no idea. Look-“
“I’m fucking with you, kid.” Reid fumbled for a bit as the woman stared at him. “Cut the guppie act and grow yourself a sense of humor. I’m Winnona, but everyone that isn’t a shitheel calls me Win.”
Reid nodded slowly. “I’m... Roc, good to meet you Win. I’m still learning about… well, everything I guess. Could use some pointers on cosmic humor, if you’re willing to help me out.” He gave an endearing smile. It was always good to try and make a few friends in a place like this.
Win leered at him. “Oh, you want to learn everything?”
Reid fumbled. Had he gone too far? He wanted friends. Just friends. “Ah… no? Sorry. I didn’t mean… I just want to know what I can joke about without getting in trouble.”
Win let out a hissing laugh. “You really are hopeless. Again, fucking with you. You better water that funny tree before I see you again or you’re never gonna learn.” She spun and walked slowly away towards her group, grabbing a pickaxe from the long wall of tools on her way.
Lycra leaned over to him. "I think she likes you."
