Over the next couple days, Chione ran into the ‘family’ a couple more times, though this was deliberate on her part. She had never imagined she’d become a beggar ––but neither had she imagined she’d be a prisoner. However if Patch was happy to share her wages with Leonore and Tomei then what was one more mooch? Besides, it gave Chione something to break up the monotony.
“You considered getting on the shifts?” Patch asked, after gifting Chione another round of cash. “I hear they actually prioritise the new blood when deciding the weekly rota.”
“Eh,” Chione rubbed her arm, trying to hold back her natural reaction. “Just… concerned about the risk.”
They, along with Zak, were standing near the entrance to the showers, during the 13:00 free period. Apparently this was when Leonore and Tomei went in together, while the other two waited until they had got off work to wash themselves. Even though it was less busy around this time, Patch and Zak still came along to keep guard nearby –– just in case someone had the wrong idea about two vulnerable girls in the shower. Soon enough the other two would return to the mines.
“Yeah, but you know what they say,” Patch said. “No risk no reward! Ain’t that right, Zak?”
Patch slapped Zaklin on the back, causing the shorter girl to fall forward a little before catching herself. Chione pulled her mouth but refrained from comment –– she’d never expect such roughhousing among girls back home. Zak straightened up with a strange blush.
“Y-yeah. I mean that’s how we do things. Go to the deeper shafts with fewer supports, get the higher pay. The alternative is working for longer in the shallow zones. Less likely to get into an accident, but you’re just paying for that with more radiation exposure anyway.”
“Zak’s amazing in the V92,” Patch told Chione with pride. “She can get in and out of any tight spot, even got my butt out of trouble a couple times in those shafts. She’s just totally in sync with the system.”
Glowing with warmth, Zak said, “thanks Patch.”
When looking at Chione however, Zak’s smile faded and she regained her composure.
“Well if you don’t wanna go down there, then you should really think about learning some sort of trade. People are always looking for cleaners, you know.”
“Is that what Leonore does?” Chione asked.
“A bit yeah. Especially if we can’t do our own because of shifts. Her real thing is cooking.” She narrowed her eyes and added, “by the way make sure you thank her, she’s been very good to you. Especially if you decide to come join us for food.”
“… Alright,” Chione said, stepping back slightly.
Patch and Zak headed off just as the fresh and dried Leonore returned with Tomei. Leonore giggled when she saw Chione, who was leant against the wall.
“Ah, I hope Zak wasn’t giving you a hard time?”
“Don’t think so,” Chione muttered. “But she said some things.”
“Heh, she’s very protective of us. Isn’t that right, Tomei?"
Tomei, who was still holding Leonore’s hand looked up to her and gave a vigorous nod.
Chione frowned, “so, you said she was like Tomei’s aunt? But Patch is…?”
“Well, my husband! Tomei’s daddy.”
Swallowing, Chione just managed to keep any disturbance flickering across her lips or nostrils. But she kept her gaze slightly off the pair as she continued to talk.
“So uh, that’s because Patch is a ‘boi’? What about Zak though? She didn’t join you in the shower. And she does hard labour.”
If Leonore recognised any stiffness in the girl’s demeanour, she didn’t show it. Instead she just held her free hand to her mouth and tittered.
“Ah, well truth be told, I think they’re both dashing in their own way. Zak’s a bit of a tomboy but I wouldn’t say she’s anything like Patch. Patch is….”
There was a second pause as Leonore seemed to let out a soft, pleasant sigh. She then spoke in lower, more considered tone:
“I think everyone here is someone who was once a little girl. We all dreamed one day we’d meet our prince and have cute babies! I suppose most are making do given the circumstances. But…” she looked down at Tomei, and could not hold back her smiling, “I love my family! I wouldn’t trade this for the world.”
She listened, and she let Leonore’s words wash over her, but Chione would not look at them again. Perhaps she couldn’t understand it; maybe she didn’t want to understand it. At this point, she would trade anything ––absolutely anything–– to get the world she knew back.
And now she had something to trade.
Getting what you want from Commissary is relatively easy. A person just has to go to Nadia during free time, request the product and pay with the biometric account. If Nadia had it, she gave it; if she didn’t, then it make take some time, but the good eventually ends up in the buyer’s cell. Chione wasn’t asking for anything extravagant, so she had her writing utensils and stamp delivered in just a few minutes.
Nadia did however give her a beady-eyed stare throughout the transaction. It was something Chione could pretend to ignore, but Nadia then said aloud:
“You bold, I tell you that.”
Chione just took her new goods and left. Sure, there was nothing illegal with what she was doing. Dee had said that people were free to send whatever they wanted. It was just nothing was allowed in. That wouldn’t matter. So long as the outside world knew of the injustice that had happened here and what Chione had been subjected to, they would stop at nothing until she was saved from this nightmare.
With that being the case, Chione still stayed cautious with the materials, making sure they were hidden in her knapsack over the rest of the day. Then the following morning, just after count, she wrote down her appeal for freedom under the covers of her bed. All that was left was to send it.
She descended onto the ground-floor yard. Many women were out here, some standing on the tarmac, others resting on the astroturf. Chione passed by some girls rushing around with a basket ball, and then some others lifting some weights around the loose gym equipment. Benching some 100kg was a very tall, muscular woman with short black hair swept over one eye, and surrounded by a number of girls with relish in their eyes. Chione pressed on, trying not to look at anyone. She was dead set on the base of the central tower.
She had just about reached the double doors ––through which was a small reception and the core elevator shaft–– when they flung open. Flanked by a couple guards, the warden Athena Romanoff stepped out. The woman raised her brow as her sight fell on Chione.
“What are you doing?” she asked, in a very small, flat voice.
Chione stopped, looking at the warden with a tense glare, but holding back what she wanted to say. Her heart was jittering. She hadn’t seen the woman since she left Vio compatibility. The way people talked, it seemed Romanoff never came down to the prison proper, and even if she did, surely she wouldn’t give any individual prisoner a second glance. But Chione wasn’t going to falter now.
“Zoe Dee–– I mean, one of the guards said if I had mail I take it to reception,” she said, in as clear a voice as possible.
“Is that so?”
By now, some of the other girls in the field had noticed what was going on. Some started to gather round just because of the novelty of seeing the warden up close, while others were curious with who she was staring down. The letter was in Chione’s hand, and she gripped it ever tighter. Perhaps the other woman had noticed because she took a couple steps forward, and extended out a hand, the black rubber of the glove stretching as she uncurled each finger. She didn’t need to say a word. Chione already felt the pull to hand it over, although she held it just a few inches from the woman’s grip.
“You… will send it?”
Romanoff didn’t respond, just staring Chione down and gesturing her hand again. Finally Chione swallowed, and placed the paper in the warden’s hand. With an immediate motion Romanoff snatched it and tore off the opening, pulling the letter out and skimming it. Now a whole crowd was surrounding them, as intrigued prisoners formed a semicircle, closing off every exit.
“How interesting,” Romanoff said, folding the paper up again, “you’ve been here two weeks and already want to leave?”
“I was here less than two seconds before I wanted to leave. Is there any problem with that? I was told my letter would be sent.”
Athena Romanoff tilted her head.
“Of course. Though I do wonder on whose dime you paid for this little message of yours.”
To that, there was a rumbling among the gallery. The prisoners clearly regarded the warden with a wide berth and kept to a hush so as not to draw her ire, but their whispers were animated. Somehow, Chione felt a wave of uncertainty come over her, the first real doubt she’d had the whole time she’d prepared and executed this plan. Why did any of these other women care what was going on here? Didn’t they have anything better to do with their worthless existence?
Romanoff meanwhile was leaning over to one of her bodyguards.
“Can you identify that one? I don’t remember the names.”
“AE-478,” the guard said, reading from a pocket device. “Chione Eosides.”
“Hours worked?”
“Zero.”
“And her crime?”
“Treason,” said the guard, “though no record of violence.”
That made Chione snap.
“My name is Chione Boreavna Eosides! I’m not one of your rabble, you can’t treat me this way. This place is a disgusting pit of hell not fit for people!”
The warden slightly smiled at that.
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”
“I… I am?”
“If I had my way, I would close up and free half of you. The other half, I’d have shot. Treason, by the way, is a capital offence. Just so you understand which half you are.”
Chione was absolutely aghast.
She shouted, “how dare you! I am not like any of these scum!”
“Certainly. Looks like you were quick to prey on some of their benevolence, and use them for your own ends.”
Romanoff gave a sort of shrug, extended her arms, before slamming the half opened letter to one of her guards.
“Go on, put that with the rest for shipment. We’ll see if anything comes of it. You, clear a path for me.”
She directed the second guard, who raised the butt of her rifle and waved it in front of the crowd. They quickly parted way, and allowed the warden to pass through without incident. In what felt like a moment, Romanoff had disappeared, off to whatever her business was within the prison complex. That just left Chione in the middle of a now agitated crowd. Her back to the closed double doors, she was surrounded by a pack of wolves.