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Great Writing - Home > SF > The Jaws of The Dragon - Chapter 5
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Science Fiction and Fantasy
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| The Jaws of The Dragon - Chapter 5 | |
| By employee2-4601 | ||||
| 24 May 2006 | ||||
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Joanna and Agatha had become firm friends, which meant they didn’t get into fights with each other as often as they did with the numerous other inmates. The latest scrap had sprung from a childish act by one of the male prisoners. Having collected her tray from the stack next to the canteen entrance door, Joanna made her way towards the serving hatch. As the prisoner in front walked away with their tray of food, another inmate barged in front of Joanna, roughly digging her in the ribs with his elbow for effect. “Hey!” she shouted. “Piss off” the man attempted to say as he turned round. His mouth was still forming the ‘o’ of “off” when Joanna punched him savagely in the left eye. Not waiting for him to recover, she dove in, raining blows on her antagonist. Already a ring of prisoners had gathered round to watch; the way all fights draw an audience. And, the way all fights end, the crowd rapidly melted away as two guards rushed in and hauled Joanna to her feet. The man was bleeding heavily from numerous wounds all over his face. “Jones,” said one of the guards, “Take this one to the infirmary, I’ll deal with the bird myself.” Jones did as he was told and escorted the injured prisoner to the infirmary. “You follow me,” ordered the remaining guard. Moments later, Joanna was locked in her cell, the cool grey walls echoing her footsteps as she paced up and down like a caged animal wanting to break free. After a while, she paused long enough to pound her fists against the door and howl out her anguish. Only when she had beaten her knuckles raw and almost lost her voice from shouting, did someone come to investigate the disturbance. The hatch at the top of the door was slid open violently and a hawk-nosed guard peered in. “Shut that fucking noise or you’ll join your friend in the mad house!” Joanna paid no attention. She continued to rant and rave about how she wasn’t meant to be locked away. “I warned you!” shouted the guard, his long nose poking through the tiny gap in the door. Joanna stared at that piece of meat between the set of beady eyes and slowly edged towards it. Too late did the guard realise what was going on. Flailing madly, he tried to withdraw his face from the hole in the door whilst, on the other side, Joanna sunk her teeth deeper into the poor man’s flesh. His screams brought other guards who opened the door and dragged Joanna from her cell. Two guards took her by the arms and pushed and pulled her along the corridor towards the elevator to the next floor. Once there, she was placed in a straight-jacket and locked in a padded room. “Joanna?” croaked a tired voice from one dark corner. Joanna spun round, lost her balance and tried to put her arms out to steady herself. Naturally, the attempt failed. The person in the corner shuffled forward until Joanna saw who it was. The two women exchanged brief accounts of their experiences, pausing only when the single meal of the day was delivered. “Why did they put us in the same cell, I wonder,” said Rosemary suddenly, “I thought cases like us were supposed to be kept separate.” “Maybe they don’t care too much this far from Earth,” offered Joanna. Rosemary nodded but said nothing. “Is it true?” Joanna finally asked, “About you wrecking the computer, I mean.” “Yes. I asked it a question it couldn’t answer. I suppose it was only programmed for certain responses, but the programmers didn’t consider that someone like me might come along.” “What do you mean?” “Someone who is better than man or machine.” Joanna had to stop herself from laughing, though Rosemary could see that she wasn’t convincing her friend. “It’s true. I proved it when I overloaded the computer, didn’t I?” “You proved that you can confuse a machine into breaking down, but other than that, I’m sorry, I don’t believe anyone can be as naïve as you sound.” Rosemary was aghast. She had never expected someone to call her naïve. She had been described as mad, or psychotic, even dangerous, but never naïve. “I’ll show you,” she said quietly, “One day I’ll show everyone. I’ve seen what lies ahead for me; I know what I’m going to do.” Joanna had finally overcome her temptation to laugh and voiced her next thought carefully. “What did you see?” “I saw myself ruling over lesser beings. I saw myself worshipped as a goddess. My armies conquered anyone that stood in my way. I had an empire that stretched light-years,” she looked into Joanna’s eyes, “And I saw you. You were there as one of my advisors. So was Robert. I began to see all this when I turned thirteen. It’s all been pre-ordained.” By now Joanna was starting to get the feeling that Rosemary was madder than she had first thought her to be. It was all very well talking about premonitions of greatness and glory, but to say that she had seen people she’d known for only a few months was beyond a joke. Yet Rosemary’s tone stated that she clearly believed every word she uttered. “But how can you say you’re going to have all that when you’re locked away in a padded cell on the outer reaches of the solar system?” asked Joanna, her curiosity genuinely aroused. “I don’t know. An opportunity will present itself, I’m sure.” Joanna managed to hide the sceptical look she gave Rosemary, “And you’re just content to wait for that to arise?” “Of course. You can’t rush these things. You can’t rush a revolution or it will collapse the instant it feels resistance.” The interrogation computer was swiftly repaired, the damage actually being only minor in nature. Repairs completed, Robert was the first inmate to be sent for another session. “What do you remember of your life on the space observatory?” Robert thought hard. “I remember I was alone a lot of the time.” “Why weren’t your parents around?” “I don’t know. I think they had jobs that kept them away most of the time.” Robert tensed, terrified that the interrogator would not accept his answer and deliver another punishment. “Surely someone must have been present to supervise you?” “Yes. I remember a man and a woman who used to stay with me whilst my parents were away.” “And were they kind?” “No. They made my meals, but spent more time in the next room than with me.” The interrogator paused. “What happened to your parents?” “They left me alone one day and never came back.” “Didn’t the others come for you?” Robert lowered his head, as though embarrassed by the memories. “No.” “What happened?” “I didn’t know what to do, I was only three. I remember someone heard me crying and opened the door to my home.” The interrogator changed tack. “You find it hard to remember these images. Do you find it painful?” “Yes. I don’t want to remember these things, but I can’t stop myself.” “You have repressed these memories for so long that your mind rebels at the prospect of them surfacing. Is that correct?” Robert was puzzled. “I don’t understand.” “That answer is unsatisfactory.” The shock was not as painful as during previous sessions, but to Robert it was a dozen knives through his body.
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