Shaggy awoke to the sounds of his cell door screeching open. He blearily got to his feet and wandered, blearily, out into the cell block. All around, he could hear the noises of grumbling prisoners as they trotted out of their own cells. The smell of blood, sweat, and dying embers wafted through his nostrils. Shaggy shook it all off and followed the crowd as they trudged their way through the halls.
The guards were still fully equipped with riot gear and looked poised to put down any troublemakers. They glared at the prisoners as they marched them down and out of the cell block. But instead of heading toward the cafeteria, they were led further down the hall toward the yard. More and more guards lined the halls as they moved, and Shaggy could see signs of the riot everywhere. Prisoner corpses still dotted the floor in places. Although, oddly, there were no guard bodies. Shaggy was sure the prisoners had dropped just as many guards.
“What the hell is going on? Where are they taking us?” said an alien just ahead of Shaggy.
“Quiet, New Fish. They’re just flexing. Warden’s gonna have a little speech about how they stopped a lot of prisoners from escaping. Then he is going to try to sell you on how many guards versus prisoners were lost last night. It’s all a big song and dance,” a second prisoner answered.
“Yeah, when all it really means is that we won’t get long for breakfast.”
There was a chorus of soft chuckles at that, and some guards shot glares their way. But the prisoners didn’t pay them any mind. They were all marched out into a large yard surrounded on three sides by tall metal walls. Guard towers dotted the corners, and Shaggy could see at least fifteen armed guards on the walls. There were also plenty of guards surrounding a raised platform in the center of the yard.
All around the platform, the prisoners from C and D blocks stood around waiting. B block was the last to arrive, and they were quickly corralled into position. Shaggy noted that each area had less and less prisoners standing around. Probably showing how many people got out last night. C block was a much smaller group now, but D-block was barely twenty people. Unfortunately, Shaggy didn’t spot any of his other friends from the bus ride over. But after the Stoat’s attempt to kill him last night, Shaggy wasn’t sure about trusting them.
It wouldn’t matter, anyway. Obadiah had said that Duke was being moved today. Which meant that he was on the way out as well. Off to the Texas State Max Penitentiary. To which, hopefully, they wouldn’t arrive at all. But that also meant he had precious few moments to ingratiate himself with the HLO strongman. Maybe he’d get his chance during the escape.
Shaggy’s musings were cut off as a severe woman in a grey suit took the stairs up onto the raised platform. She adjusted her graying hair and straightened the line of her suit before gazing out upon the sea of prisoners. Shaggy could see her eyes harden and she cleared her throat, which echoed, magically, across the yard. The general murmuring from the crowd died down and the guards seemed to stand a little straighter as the woman spoke.
“Warden Volk has been put on administrative leave after last nights… events. I am Madam Rossi, the new head of this prison. I am supposed to explain to you all how last night’s events transpired. About how we curtailed a prisoner uprising. How the guards valiantly accomplished their duty and returned this cesspool into a bastion of civility. Or maybe I should explain how only a few prisoners escaped last night.”
Some prisoners next to Shaggy chuckled quietly as Madam Rossi glared out at them. She either ignored it or couldn’t hear it on her raised platform.
“But none of that shit happened!” Rossi shouted, stifling the light laughter. “Last night was a clusterfuck of epic proportions! Resulting in the escape of over seventy percent of D-block prisoners. Forty percent of C-block escaped, and it was only through my own quick actions that B-block only had ten prisoners escape. But still… That is unacceptable!”
Madam Rossi’s hair had dislodged itself from its tight ponytail and bits were now wildly flying in her face as she spoke. Shaggy could almost smell the displeasure on the woman as she glared around at everyone, guards included. Shaggy could even see a few of them gritting their teeth in anger. Apparently, this wasn’t the first dressing down some of them had received today.
“This prison will be the first to undergo massive reforms. The state department has partnered with the HLO to provide better equipment, better software, and better personnel! Soon, no more break-ins or escapes will be possible at MY prison! So count your blessings now, prepare your plans, make your attempts to flee. Because soon you won’t have the fucking chance! Dismissed!”
With her final word, Rossi spun around and marched off the stage. Several guards hurried to follow her as dead silence met the end of her speech. Soon, the guards were shoving the prisoners back out of the yard. A general tumult went up as the prisoners discussed the strange meeting.
“Well, that was a new one.” Chuckled one prisoner. “I haven’t seen a load of bullshit like that in all my years in B-Block.”
“What makes you think it was bullshit?”
“Come on? The HLO getting involved in prisons? It’ll never happen.”
“There have been nearly daily break-outs these past couple weeks. Maybe the pencil pushers are tired of it?”
Shaggy listened as the conversations rolled over him. He was contemplating what this all meant for the players. If the prison system was overhauled, would escaping become harder? The players had been boasting since the launch of the game that getting thrown in prison was a joke. Were the developers finally hitting back? The mass of bodies in front of him came to a halt and Shaggy stopped his musings again.
A guard’s voice echoed over the crowd as they stood just inside the hall next to the yard.
“Prisoner Omega, B-Block, step forward now!”
It took Shaggy a few seconds to remember that was him. But the other prisoner’s stares helped him along. He stepped out of the crowd of bodies and found a string of five guards standing near the wall. An armored fist angrily waved him forward, and Shaggy moved to comply. As soon as he was close enough, two guards moved to grab his arms, and a third approached with manacles.
“Prisoner Omega, you are about to be transferred to maximum security. These men will escort you to out-processing and then to your transfer vehicle. You will not make their job harder or you will be sedated and hauled out of here on a damn gurney. Do you get me?”
Shaggy raised his cuffed hands and gave a jaunty salute with two fingers. He wanted to add a snarky comment, but he was quickly jabbed with a stun baton. The electricity coursed through him and he felt his legs and back seize up harshly. The guards merely watched with evil smiles as he slowly got control of himself. Once he could move his legs again, he was roughly spun toward the end of the hall and pushed. Getting the message, Shaggy started walking.
The next thirty minutes were full of paperwork, threats, and more evil looks as Shaggy was out-processed by the prison. He endured it all as the power suppression collar seemed to grow heavier around his neck. Each smirk on the guard’s faces made him want to rip their damn heads off. It was like they didn’t expect to ever see him again, and they loved that fact.
Soon enough, he was standing in a short line of other prisoners looking out a doorway. Sunlight streamed in, basking them all in a yellow glow that reflected off the guard’s dark armor. There were over twenty of them standing guard in the hallway. Which Shaggy thought was overkill, but then he remembered that these were supposedly the worst of the worst in the prison. He also knew that Duke was somewhere in the line, but he couldn’t see him. Someone that big and muscular should have stood out, though.
Shaggy was beginning to suspect something was up when the line moved. They were forced out into the sun and into a large square bay. Sitting in the bay was a massive blue-metal bus. It had eighteen massive wheels and a laser turret on top that swiveled to glare at the oncoming prisoners. Instead of glass windows, the bus had small rectangular windows that you could barely fit a hand through. At the back of the bus, a steel box was being raised by a forklift. It was being moved into position, and then it was attached to the bus using heavy duty clamps and what Shaggy assumed were magnets. The steel cage made the back of the bus bulge out oddly, and Shaggy wondered how quick the ride would be with the cage attached. But in the end, that didn’t matter. At least now he had found Duke.
The line of prisoners was poked and prodded all the way to the front of the bus. There, another guard in white armor was checking names off a list. Shaggy watched the line move slowly until he was standing before the armored guard.
“Shaggy Robertson, multiple counts of murder, evading arrest, grand larceny, and the list goes on. I bet you think you're hot shit, huh?”
Shaggy bit his teeth into a smile to stop himself from mouthing off again. He had enough of being poked with those damn stun batons. It wasn’t worth the back pain. The heavily armored guard’s modulated voice chuckled darkly.
“I can’t wait till the others get a load of you.”
Shaggy was waved on through and out of the hot Texas sun. Surprisingly, the bus was air-conditioned, and Shaggy took a moment to enjoy the cool air on his skin. As he did, he took in the bus. At the back was a heavy duty door leading to what was, presumably, Duke’s cage. Then there was row after row of black leather seats. Each holding two prisoners side by side. The front of the bus was cut off from the rest by a clear glass-like wall that had a single door in it.
Shaggy was shoved through the glass door by a bus guard and the door was shut behind him. Turning, Shaggy saw another white-armored guard pointing toward the back of the bus. He nodded his head cordially and started looking for a seat. While doing so, he came across a surprise.
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“What the hell are you doing here?” He asked the long-haired player.
Matteo grinned up at Shaggy, his many facial scars overlapping oddly. “Apparently, I’ve escaped too many times. They are sending me to Maximum Security, hoping they can handle me.”
The one-eyed player slid over, making space for Shaggy in his seat. But Shaggy shook his head and took the seat behind Matteo. He was still gun-shy after his bout with the Stoat. Who knew if Matteo hadn’t finagled himself onto the bus to get to him? The other player watched Shaggy with a curious eye before he busted out laughing.
“Someone told you about the RiffRaff’s bounty, huh?”
“Stoat did, right before I killed him.”
“Ha! Yeah, little shit was bragging about how he was going to make a play for the money.”
“Not you though?”
Matteo smiled over his seat at Shaggy. “Naw. Fuck Tolliver. Dude’s an asshole. Although I doubt anything I say would convince you.”
“No, no,” Shaggy insisted sarcastically. “I absolutely trust you. Please drop your guard and relax around me.”
Matteo chuckled again, and a guard at the front of the bus glared at them. Shaggy simply glared back as he settled into his seat. According to Obadiah, the HLO was going to try something once they were on the road. They’d be focusing on freeing the big guy at the back of the bus. When that happened, Shaggy needed to move fast.
Matteo seemed to think of something and looked at Shaggy again. “Hey, weren’t you planning something big? How does that square with your current situation?”
Shaggy said nothing and kept staring ahead as the other player tried to read his face. When Shaggy didn’t talk, Matteo got a thoughtful look on his face.
“Shit. You’re exactly where you want to be, aren’t you?”
Shaggy shot the player his best death glare and was elated when he saw Matteo flinch slightly. The other player gave up and turned in his seat. The guard at the front of the bus was still watching them as the driver completed his checks. There were three guards at the front of the bus. One driving and two watching the passengers like hawks. Matteo risked a whisper over his shoulder at Shaggy.
“When’s it happening?”
Shaggy wanted to roll his eyes, but instead thought he’d throw the guy a bone.
“You’ll know when it happens.”
As the words left his mouth, an explosion rocked the side of the bus. Inside, the sound was muted, but Shaggy recognized the sound. And the fact that the bus was flung onto its side was another clue. The prisoners and guards all started shouting in alarm. Shaggy was deeply confused as he crashed into the opposite wall of the bus. They were still in the freaking prison bay. They hadn’t even started driving yet.
Matteo rolled over from where he had slammed into a sideways seat and looked at him. But Shaggy could only shrug. This was far outside what he expected the HLO to do. The bus was rocked twice more and muted explosions pushed it along on its side. After the second explosion, a loud screeching metal sound came from the roof, which was now the wall. It caved in spectacularly and Shaggy looked around, confused.
“We hit the prison!” Matteo shouted. “They used the bus to block the door.”
“Great, but what’s the rest of their fucking-”
SCREEEEEEEEEEEE
Another loud screeching sound came from inside the bus and Shaggy followed the noise until he found its source. The large metal door at the back of the bus was being crushed by an unseen force. The metal was squashed into a ball and dropped unceremoniously onto the two back seats of the bus. They crumbled under the metal balls weight. The back of the bus was opened now and Shaggy could see through the door into the small chamber that had been attached to the bus. Inside, sitting in an elaborate-looking chair, was Duke. His massive muscular frame nearly dwarfed all the wires and tubes the prison had attached to the man.
Shaggy waited for Duke’s unseen partner to do something else, but nothing happened. At the front of the bus, the guards were getting their bearings and opening the glass door. He lurched out of his spot and started climbing onto the seat he was hiding behind. Below, Matteo looked at him like he was crazy.
“Stall the guards. The big guy is our ticket out of here!”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Matteo asked, fingering his collar.
“The collars don’t stop skills!”
“I don’t have any skills without my powers!”
Shaggy ignored Matteo and clambered over the seat toward Duke. The giant had his hands and feet shackled to the chair he was sitting in. Even sideways, the massive chair seemed to hold Duke firmly. Especially the oxygen mask the man was wearing. Shaggy guessed the prison was keeping the big dude sedated at all times. Which made plenty of sense, given how dangerous he was.
A buzzing tickled the back of Shaggy’s mind as he clambered into the sideways doorway of Duke’s chamber. As he crossed the threshold, a surge of weight hit him in the shoulders. Shaggy almost went tumbling to his feet as the force slammed him into the wall. For a moment, Shaggy thought it was Duke’s unseen helper. But the emitters on the ceiling made him realize the prison had gone all-out for protection against Duke. They had gravity manipulators on the damn ceiling.
Shaggy dragged himself along the wall toward Duke’s sideways chair. The eight-foot tall man didn’t flinch or move as Shaggy dragged himself up a pant leg sat on the chair’s armrest. From his position, he could see multiple tubes and wires going into both the chair and Duke himself. Shrugging to himself, Shaggy started ripping out tubing as the sounds of fighting came from beyond the doorway.
It was when he removed Duke’s oxygen mask that the big man finally made a move. And it was to bat Shaggy away like a fly. The casualness of the gesture belied its strength. Shaggy was tossed bodily back through the open doorway and all the way to the front of the bus. He shattered the protective wall separating the two ends of the bus and crashed roughly into the front console of the van.
His back had been broken enough for Shaggy to recognize that was what had happened. Even with his dense bones and natural armor, Duke had broken him with a slap. He tried to assess the situation as a roaring came from the back of the bus. Screams and laser fire echoed in Shaggy’s ears as the tingling in the back of his mind grew stronger. Matteo appeared in his view and Shaggy was sure he was going to be killed. But the one-eyed, long-haired, scarred player merely grinned, showing off a mouthful of bloody teeth.
“So, was this your master plan?”
Shaggy’s only response was to groan as loud footsteps thumped closer and closer.
“Plans?” asked a deep, gravelly voice. “Did someone here have a plan?”
Matteo turned around to say something and froze as Duke’s massive head came into view. The lumpy giant made of muscle seemed to glare at them as he ripped his way into the front of the bus. Matteo glanced down at Shaggy and then back up at the giant coming their way.
“He said you were our best chance of getting out of here.”
“Did he now and how would you know that?” Duke asked as he pushed his massive head over Shaggy’s broken body.
Shaggy tried to speak again, but he was truly a broken mess. He was thinking something else was broken besides his back as Duke snorted above him. Matteo spoke up again.
“Well, in his defense, it was kinda obvious. I mean, you were in a giant metal box separate from the rest of us. His own escape plan apparently fell through, so we needed a backup.”
Shaggy felt his eyes bulge out as Matteo was talking too damn much. The itch at the back of his mind was growing stronger, but Duke studying his face was the more pressing matter. Shaggy had expected the beast of a man to be a giant idiot, but the sheer intelligence in the giant’s gaze unnerved him. Duke was a feral monster with the smarts to control it.
Their staring contest was interrupted, however, by the door to the bus being ripped off. Two women shoved their way inside, one with black hair and the other auburn. Ephemara and Rita glared down at Shaggy as they took in the scene. Seeing his state, Ephemara darted forward and casually ripped his collar off, Rita meanwhile was glaring at Duke and Matteo.
“Damn, boss. What made you start the party early?” Rita asked out loud.
“Was this the target, boss?” Rita said in his mind.
“Yes.” Shaggy said mentally as his pack’s voices filled his mind.
He could feel them out there fighting off guards and holding the gates open. His back was rapidly healing and soon he was standing again as Duke and Matteo watched all three of them.
“Was anyone out of position?” Shaggy asked Rita.
“Vick had to switch to another building. But he’s still providing overwatch. Sybil’s got us a car, but we need to hurry. Whoever started this party didn’t stick around to end it.”
Shaggy nodded and then looked at Matteo and Duke. “Well, gentlemen. My ride is here. Will you be coming along or not?”
Matteo immediately nodded and Ephemara moved to remove the other player’s collar. Duke rubbed his chin with a massive hand before he shrugged. Duke’s eyes were still studying him and Shaggy wasn’t sure he liked the look in them. But the big man nodded slowly and waved a hand out the door.
“Sybil, we’re going to need a bigger car.” Rita thought.
“I assure you, we are fine.” Sybil answered.
The five of them ignored the still shouting prisoners and rushed out the door onto the top of the bus. All around, lasers were going off and Shaggy’s pack were fighting guards. Stanley and Cekrass were holding the large bay doors open as guards tried to stun them. But Vick’s laser rifle was protecting the two pack mates. Sybil was just beyond the bay doors in a massive prison van.
“Pack! It’s time to go!” Shaggy shouted as he jumped from the bus and ran.
Around him, Rin, Vud, Seth, and Tom broke away from their fights. All of them rushed to the door as laser fire echoed around them. A tink noise brought Shaggy’s eyes around to Matteo and he spotted the other player wielding a silver sword and batting laser fire away expertly. The one-eyed player laughed as they reached Sybil’s car and piled in. It was a squeeze with Duke’s massive bulk, but they managed it.
Once they were all in, Sybil hit the gas and they tore off across the street.
“Vick, pull back and meet the others back home.”
“Boss, we aren’t taking the mark back with us, are we? We don’t want him knowing where we live.”
Shaggy gritted his teeth as he agreed with Rita. But he didn’t know what else to do. Duke was more powerful than he had expected, and the thought of him around the Legion was a sobering one. They would lose a lot of Lackeys if the big bastard went on a rampage. Thankfully, an answer presented itself as they travel down the road.
A row of black sedans blocked off the road, and Sybil sped up. But Duke’s low, rumbling voice echoed through the prison van.
“Stop. They are here for me.”
Shaggy nodded at Sybil, who slowed the van down. She pulled them to the side of the road and glared out the front window. A slew of black-suited men and women were standing in the street waiting, and Shaggy turned to Duke.
“I don’t know who you are, but it looks like your friends want to talk to you.”
“They ain’t my friends.” Duke rumbled.
Shaggy nodded slowly. “Hmmm, well, if you ever need one, the name’s Shaggy.”
Duke paused as he was getting out of the van. Turning to stare at Shaggy again, Duke gave him a creepy smile.
“That’s good to know. It’s always nice to have friends, Shaggy.”
And with that, the giant was out of their van and bounding toward what Shaggy assumed were HLO stooges. Rita and Ephemara tried to say something out loud, but Shaggy raised a hand.
“Not here. Let’s wait until we are further away.”
“I don’t think the dude can hear us, boss.” Tom said.
“Not taking any chances. The guy doesn’t sit right with me.”
His entire pack gave their quiet assent as Sybil started the car back up and drove off. They rode in silence for a short way until a voice cracked the silence.
“So… where are we going?” Matteo asked jauntily.