Chapter 1: The Iron Hotel
Darkness. Sounds of metal doors slamming. Occasional screams. Awkward dreams and flashbacks. And finally, a timespan which felt like an eternity of me simply trying to open my eyes, pull myself up, and just get my bearings. But, until this very moment, I would be lucky if I could leave a slit of my eyes open for more than one or two seconds. It had taken me quite a bit, but I was beginning to come to my senses.
I felt groggy. My body ached and was still fatigued, I felt cold and I cannot remember having a worse sleep in all my 18 years. After stretching, yawning, cracking my neck and knuckles and then wiping my eyes (you know, the typical routines in similar movie scenes), I got up, sat on the edge of my bed, and observed my surroundings.
Apparently I was in a small room with walls made of stone slabs. Across of me was an empty bed, to the right was a window and a dirty toilet, above me was a second bunk, a light and an air vent, and to the left was a cell door with iron bars.
Prison.
Ahhh, right, I thought to myself,
that scuffle with that...principal, I think...Mr. Whatshisname...fuck, I can't remember for shit right now...ah well.As I was just about to get up, a huge chill went through my body. That's when I realized I was stripped half-naked. Frantically, my head began jolting in many directions, searching for my clothes. That's when I spotted a green prison uniform on the bed and shoes on the floor.
Mannnnn, this blows. But, better than nothing, I suppose.As I had begun donning my "uniform", I heard ruffling in the above bunk. Then a voice startled me.
"Rise and shine, princess," the voice said, a rather perky and sarcastic female one. "With the way you were lying there, I thought I may have had to do a little Prince Charming. You looked downright lifeless."
My head jerked into the direction of the voice, revealing a red-haired girl who looked about my age and size, lying on the bed staring down at me.
"Who the hell are you, what the hell are you talking about, and where the hell'd you come from?" I asked.
"Waking up feeling very genial, too, I see," she quipped, still grinning and her tone remaining the same. "I could take hints from you on putting on a cheerful face after
I wake up."
Is she for real? I straightened my posture and glared right at her.
"I asked you a damn question," I said, now with traces of impatience crawling into my already grumpy mood.
"Hah," the girl chuckled. Her expression and manner of speech had become even more contemptuous now. "You asked me '
a question'? Last I heard, you asked me three questions. But since for some inexplicable reason it's now one question, I will answer your last question: I was lying here all along while you were sleeping like a baby."
I just sighed and resigned to my bed. Any more, and I'll have murder stamped on my record.
"Walking away already? Last what I expected from a hero like you...Lila Ravan."
I just continued to ignore her. I can't let her get to m-wait, what?
"Say what now?" I asked.
A flash of victory illuminated her face. "If that got your attention, obviously you know what I said."
Shocked, I stood up and studied the girl closer. Aside from her awkward red hair, she had green eyes, was wearing glasses, and had a pale skin complexion. I can say for certain that I have never met this girl before.
So how the hell does she know who I am?
"Have we met before?" I asked.
"No, we haven't, but your antics back in school sure as hell made headlines everywhere. Lila Ravan, also called Lila the Blue due to both her hair and her aloof and never cheeful disposition, known for her constant violent conduct in all schools she has attended. It would seem her streak has come to an end, as her most recent scuffle would land her in hotter water than he had possibly imagined, as her victim in question is none other than the principal of her school that she had recently graduated from."
"Tch..." I grumbled, sitting down again. "Same old story. I'm the violent, out of control psychopath who maims everybody."
The girl now jumped down from the bed and sat next to me. She continued, "Word around the grapevine is that principal paid good money to have your sentence extended, and to also have you thrown in here out of all places."
"Here?" I queried.
"Look outside."
Huh. Now that she mentions it, I haven't taken a look outside the cell. Not that I thought there would be a point, but since she suggested it, I might as well.
I got up, and peered outside the cell door. What I saw had me absolutely stupefied.
I saw several floors with cells that appeared to stretch for miles and miles. Armed guards roamed around the halls. It looked exactly like a maximum security prison.
Suddenly, I began to feel weak. Sure, what I did was stupid, however satisfying it was. But I had never thought I'd get thrown in a freakin' high security detention center of all places. I felt myself stumble back onto the bed.
"Wow..." I uttered, unable to say anything else.
"Haha...for such a headstrong girl, even you can have your surprise moments, huh?" She taunted. I've had just about enough of her lip.
I got up and began fuming. "Um, yeah. I'm sitting in a damn jail cell that's smaller than my bathroom back at home, which
just so happens to be a part of a fucking high level prison! And on top of that, I'm sharing my cell with an annoying, smartass fuck of a CELLMATE!" I yelled.
She feigned surprise. "We-he-hell, don't get your panties in a bunch. You're attracting attention," she said, still chuckling.
I just turned my back to her and looked outside the cell door, feeling betrayed at how I could let her get the better of my emotions.
Suddenly, I felt her hand on my shoulder. "Geez, well sorry if I upset you. I was just messing around," she said.
I just shrugged her hand off and retreated to my bed, lied down and closed my eyes. I had a headache. No, not because of the girl, but because of this sudden turn of events. I guess her pesky attitude isn't helping either.
"Look, I said I'm sorry," she persisted. "I just like to poke fun at people...it's how I am. Whether it be screwing with people's heads in person, trolling on the internet, or doing all sorts of pranks...that's me, in a nutshell."
"Nah...it's fine," I said. "It's just...this is all too much to stomach right now."
"Heh...life is one gigantic headache," she said. "You could say I act the way I do to blur out the unpleasant side of life."
Now that I could see she's beginning to tone down her wit, I figured maybe I could get some answers out of her. Not that I wanted to talk, mind you, but it wasn't like she was going to leave me be any time soon.
"So, you know my name, but I don't know yours...mind telling me it?" I queried.
"I go by...'Rex'," she presented.
"Rex? Strange name," I noted. Indeed, I have never come across anyone by that name, and I somehow didn't expect it from a girl.
"Well, it's a shortened version of my actual name. But, I prefer 'Rex', thank you very much," she said.
I didn't know many names that had 'Rex' in the beginning. Ah, well, Rex it is for now.
"Well, 'Rex'," I began. "What exactly landed
you in the slammer?"
She sat down on the side of my bunk and dropped her head into her hands. "Ahhh, where to begin," she said, letting out a small chuckle afterwards. "My old hacking mates pulled a fast one on me. One of the oldest tricks in the book. Dare I even say it's something you would normally expect from a script kiddy."
"Wait, you're a hacker?" I asked, somewhat surprised and intrigued now.
"Very good, I'm a hacker, yes. Cut my first baby teeth on that stuff, too," she announced.
"Right, so...what did your old team do?" I asked.
"A mix of phishing and phreaking. I just walked right into it...such a noob mistake, too," she said.
"Wait, wait...you're speaking a foreign language here. A mix of what and
what?"
"You're not exactly the fastest core in the CPU, are you?" She asked comically. Oh, har dee har har.
"Since when was intellect measured based on knowledge in technology?" I retorted.
"Yeah, if you say so," she said, deadpan. "Basically, they impersonated a contact of mine regarding hacking activities and sent me a download link to this tool I've been waiting for, which I won't explain due to your primitive understanding of this stuff. Turned out to be a setup to trigger an attack from my IP address to onto a government server. Before I knew it, the feds were on me like stink on shit, and it's not like the evidence is on my side. And now well...hah...here I am. About to spend years in this dump."
"Well...you do seem like you're taking it quite nicely...most people would lose their minds by this point," I said.
"I AM in shock...this is exactly me in shock," she said. I couldn't tell if she was joking. "I mean, sure, I was ready for anything the second I entered this life, but...I didn't expect to be knifed in the back, and I sure as hell didn't expect making such a noobish mistake."
"There's no greater enemy than an internal enemy. It's how most empires and warlords fall," I said solemnly. "And one's mistake could very well be his or her last."
I was about to ask some more questions, when I was cut off by the unusually loud sound of my stomach rumbling like a faltering motor. Then I just realized:
I was starving."I was waiting for that to happen. There's no way a girl of your stature could be surviving on bits and pieces you'd expect from a slum," she sneered.
"Uhhh...what?" I queried. The more this girl talks, the less sense she makes.
"You were out cold for two days," she said, rather bluntly.
"I was asleep for
two days?" I repeated, stunned.
"Damn right you were. Snoring like a pig too, might I add."
"Rex, really, one more of-"
"Oh, calm your tits," she snapped. Didn't expect THAT one. Not by a loooooong shot. I almost wanted to laugh.
"Anyways," she continued, "Lunch time should be in 15 minutes or so. You'll probably have a few run-ins with the prisoners here, as do all newbies, but generally just act casual, try to blend in, you know, not make too much of a fuss, and you should get by."
"Look at you giving sage advice. Hah," I fired back. But, wait. Something's off about what she just said. "But, now that you mention it...you sound like you've been here for quite a bit. How the hell did YOU survive all this time? You may be able to wipe your own ass, but I am puzzled why they don't put a 'fragile' sign over you. And how the hell did you know about my story with the principal?"
"Hey, just because I'm a tech nerd and wear these glasses," she said, pointing at her glasses, "does NOT mean I can't feed suckers knuckle sandwiches when they ask for it. Besides, you said yourself that there's more than meets the eye to everything. Or does that only apply to your 'intellect'?" She retorted.
Hmm. I want to say she's just talking the talk, but, she does have a point.
"Fair enough," I conceded.
"Not that I would want to fight YOU, though, from what I've been reading about you, ha ha..." she joked. I just stared at her blankly, which seemed to make her uncomfortable. "Ahem...anyways, as for your second question..." she continued, reaching into her pocket. "...I know due to
this." She said, pulling out a mobile phone that doubles as a tablet computer.
"Wait, how did you even get that in here?" I asked.
"I have...ways with the guards," she said.
I followed her drift this time. "You mean like wiring illicit money you hacked to the guards' private accounts?" I asked.
"I guess you haven't survived the streets all these years without picking up a few tips," She conceded.
"Hey, I may not be tech savvy, but I am somewhat booksmart, and I most certainly have the streetsmarts," I declared.
"Yeah, good for you," She shot back.
Just now, the cell doors began opening, and the PA called the prisoners out to form up.
"About freakin' time," Rex said. "Well, shall we?"
What am I, her friend now?
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I hissed, "let us make one thing clear here. There is NO '
we' outside of here. Got it?"
She just raised her hands innocently. "Awww, and here I took pity on you for being such a loner. You know what? You disappoint me.
I'm really hurt," she whined jokingly with a hand motion around her heart, before patting my back and heading off.
I just chuckled to myself.
That girl, I thought to myself.
She really is a piece of work. Well...here goes.
Bracing myself for the worst, I stepped out en route to the lower levels where all the prisoners were gathering.
