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Days like this made Maria Kaberov really hate her job. She had been one of the prison's night supervisors before the invasion. While the occupiers let her keep her job, they cordoned off over half the facility for their own uses. Other than the fact that it overcrowded her cells, it was a mostly tolerable arrangement; they mostly kept out of her business so long as she kept out of theirs.
She had heard stories about harsh interrogations going on in the other side of the prison. Honestly, she didn't care; most people wouldn't, either. The occupation had surprisingly popular support after the initial shock had worn off. The civilians found that, for the most part, life was better after their corrupt and ineffectual government was deposed. The terrorists operating under the guise of a popular "rebellion" were disliked by most; they got in the way of making life normal again.
Despite her lack of sympathy for the movement, Maria was furious to learn that three soldiers simply dumped a totally unclothed female prisoner into the general holding room for men who hadn't yet been assigned a cell. While many of the inmates were petty criminals, there were more than a handful of violent types held inside. She heard that several of the prisoners violated and beat her until she passed out -- then continued to get their fix. By the time the news filtered up to her office, the young woman had been in there for over an hour.
With a contingent of six civilian prison guards and a pair of paramedics, Maria marched angrily from her office down to the holding cell. Her men were ordered to retrieve the woman using all necessary force, after which point they'd try to take care of her without letting the military establishment know.
She unlocked the door and the guards barged in, screaming for the prisoners to herd into the far corner. Those who disobeyed were efficiently met with the business end of a heavy baton until they retreated. The guards announced that all inmates who were seen on videotape participating in the assault would have rape, assault and battery charges filed against them. Among complaints from several of the prisoners, the guards hauled Irina out of the room.
"Son of a bitch!" said the senior paramedic as the guards laid the unconscious female prisoner on the stretcher he brought with him. She was a mess: nasty welts crossed her entire torso, front and back. Her wrists were raw from the application of cuffs. Blisters were forming around both of her nipples. She was oozing a nasty mixture of blood and other bodily fluids from every orifice, and she had a variety of other wounds across her body, including what looked like attempted strangulation marks around her throat. The paramedic checked her vital signs; she was, somewhat surprisingly, still alive.
"I'll take her to the sick ward," he said. The two paramedics hurredly pushed the stretcher down the hall. Maria dismissed the six guards and rushed after stretcher.
Upon arriving in the infirmary, the paramedics got the attention of a doctor and a few nurses. Fortunately, it was a slow night. Irina was given a massive dose of antibiotics and antiviral drugs, along with a hormonal birth control injection. The crew scrubbed the bloody, sticky mess from her body and applied a soothing cream to Irina's cuts and bruises. The nastiest of her wounds were carefully bandaged. Finally, she was hooked up to a nutrient IV drip before being pushed into a private room. She was covered with a hospital gown and a blanket; her room was locked from the outside as a precaution.
Irina slept through the night and following morning. She was only awakened by a loud argument outside her room. She opened her eyes wearily after hearing the uproar. After a few moments, her door flew open and slammed loudly against the wall. Outside her room, she saw several uniformed military men in a screaming match with a handful of civilian guards. An officer stood to the side of the commotion, standing behind a handcuffed woman who looked to be in her mid-30s.
After several more minutes, more soldiers appeared and convinced the guards to leave. One of the soldiers stormed in the room, yanked the IV from Irina's arm, and pulled her out of bed.
"Let me go!" screamed Irina. "I gave you what you wanted!" The soldier pushed her from the room and held her face-to-face with the handcuffed woman, who was clearly trying to hold back tears.
"Was this murderous bitch really worth it, Kaberov?" barked the officer who stood beside Maria. He turned to Irina. "You can thank this former prison supervisor for your recent hospitable treatment. Unfortunately for her, aiding an enemy of the state is tantamount to treason."
"You know that's rubbish, Major," said Maria, who was slightly trembling. "You have no jurisdiction to dump a military prisoner into a civilian section of this prison. That's the way we've agreed to handle things, and that's the way it's been done. I was merely trying to clean up *my* section of this facility."
"We'll see how a tribunal views your actions," said the Major with a smile. "In the meantime, I've been approved to arrest you and hold you in the military section of this prison until your trial."
"Stop it!" screamed Irina. "I didn't ask her for help! She was just trying to be a decent human being, you pigs! Let her go!"
"Take the terrorist back to her cell and process the traitor accordingly," said the Major. He turned on his heel and departed down the hall.
The two women were quickly hooded and handcuffed, then led their separate ways. Yet again, Irina found herself marched blindly down the endless hallways before they reached her cell. She was shoved inside; her escort followed her in and removed her hood.
"Let's make this quick," said the guard. He unfastened her handcuffs and brutally ripped the hospital gown from her body. He handed her yet another orange jumpsuit. Irina, grateful for the gift of some dignity, hurredly put it on.
"The Major called for some extra security," said the guard. He grabbed a length of short chain that was bolted to one corner of the room; at the other end was a heavy cuff. He bent down and fastened it snugly about one of Irina's bare ankles. She entertained thoughts of kicking him while he was down, but she knew there were other guards nearby who would make her regret it. The guard departed and left Irina in her austere cell. The chain connecting her ankle to the wall was long enough to allow her to lay down on her "bed" -- which was basically a metal slab -- and use the toilet. She wasn't able to get near the door, however, which was obviously the intended result.
While Irina slept fitfully, the army was putting the intelligence she provided to good use. After finding some of the facilities she described empty, they struck pay dirt: Over a dozen rebels hiding in an ancient bomb shelter in the backyard of an abandoned lot. A firefight ensued in which several soldiers were injured, but fourteen rebels were killed. Only two surrendered -- a beautiful dark-skinned immigrant by the name of Komal Oruganti and a somewhat homely young woman named Sasha Tchaun. In a short amount of time, they found themselves hooded, cuffed, and in the back of a transport headed towards the same facility that held their former comrade, Irina Shumeyko.
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