prisoners were too busy getting changed to pay any attention to her.
She pulled off her jacket and the top of
her green coveralls, leaving on her underwear, and Clios slid the large cloth
shirt down over her head rapidly, hiding her white skin. Just as quickly, she
slid off the bottom half of the coveralls and stepped into the trousers that
Clios held out for her. The whole process took less than ten seconds, and to
her relief no one seemed to have noticed.
The dull brown outfit was scratchy and
ill-fitting. As Andi watched Clios getting dressed, she realized that the
uniform was chosen to take away your individuality. She was no longer Andromeda
Day—she was a prisoner of the Black Hole, and her name didn’t matter to these
people anymore. The thought gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
The prisoners were then taken to form
queues up to the computer station to find out where they were to be held. Clios
took her hand. “We must make sure we are in the same cell,” she whispered. “Or
we might never find each other.”
They approached the station together, and
the Hoshaen behind the desk asked for their names and pressed buttons on the
screen. He then withdrew a small metal card from the computer and gave it to
one of the guards.
The guard motioned to the small group of
Ruvalians that were in his charge. “Follow me,” he said in his growly voice. He
walked across the cavern to one of the elevators on the far side of the room,
and the Ruvalians followed.
They were ushered into the elevator, which
was very similar to the first, and the Hoshaen swiped the metal card he had
been given through the box on the inside. The doors closed, and they began to
descend again. The metal card, Andi realized, must hold some kind of chip that
carried information about where in the prison they were to be taken.
When the doors finally opened, they were
faced with a junction of three tunnels that led deep into the gloom. At the
head of the junction was a slim metal box attached to the wall similar to the
one on the elevator. The guard slipped his card into the box and a light
appeared above the top of the central tunnel. He removed his card, and they continued
to walk down the indicated tunnel in the yellowish light.
There were several more junctions after
this, and each time the guard used his card to establish which tunnel they
should take.
“This is crazy,” Clios murmured. Her eyes
were wide with barely held in panic. “We will never find our way out of this
place.”
“Don’t worry.” Andi squeezed her hand,
although she felt frightened herself at the maze of corridors and tunnels
through which they were passing.
Finally they exited one tunnel to find themselves
in a small room with another computer station. The guard walked up to the
Hoshaen behind the station and gave them his card. She put it into her computer
and then nodded to him. Leaving the station, she led the line of prisoners down
to the cells at the bottom.
Gradually, the prisoners were separated and
led into cells, sometimes individually, sometimes in groups. Andi and Clios
were last, and were relieved when they were shown into a room together. They
turned and watched as the door clanged shut behind them, and the guard slid a
card through the box on the wall. A red light appeared on the lock inside the
cell.
The prison had finally swallowed them
whole.
For a moment the two girls just stood and
stared at the door, and then they looked at each other, wordless. Finally they
glanced around the room. There were four bunks, two on one wall and two on the
other. There was also a small metal table, under which was a bucket.
There was nothing else in the room.
“Nice,” said Andi. “Three stars, I guess?”
Clios’s lips were pressed tightly together.
“Don’t joke, Andi,” she said, and to Andi’s surprise she could see that the
older girl was near to tears. “This is an awful place. We might never get out
of here.” She sank onto
She pulled off her jacket and the top of
her green coveralls, leaving on her underwear, and Clios slid the large cloth
shirt down over her head rapidly, hiding her white skin. Just as quickly, she
slid off the bottom half of the coveralls and stepped into the trousers that
Clios held out for her. The whole process took less than ten seconds, and to
her relief no one seemed to have noticed.
The dull brown outfit was scratchy and
ill-fitting. As Andi watched Clios getting dressed, she realized that the
uniform was chosen to take away your individuality. She was no longer Andromeda
Day—she was a prisoner of the Black Hole, and her name didn’t matter to these
people anymore. The thought gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
The prisoners were then taken to form
queues up to the computer station to find out where they were to be held. Clios
took her hand. “We must make sure we are in the same cell,” she whispered. “Or
we might never find each other.”
They approached the station together, and
the Hoshaen behind the desk asked for their names and pressed buttons on the
screen. He then withdrew a small metal card from the computer and gave it to
one of the guards.
The guard motioned to the small group of
Ruvalians that were in his charge. “Follow me,” he said in his growly voice. He
walked across the cavern to one of the elevators on the far side of the room,
and the Ruvalians followed.
They were ushered into the elevator, which
was very similar to the first, and the Hoshaen swiped the metal card he had
been given through the box on the inside. The doors closed, and they began to
descend again. The metal card, Andi realized, must hold some kind of chip that
carried information about where in the prison they were to be taken.
When the doors finally opened, they were
faced with a junction of three tunnels that led deep into the gloom. At the
head of the junction was a slim metal box attached to the wall similar to the
one on the elevator. The guard slipped his card into the box and a light
appeared above the top of the central tunnel. He removed his card, and they continued
to walk down the indicated tunnel in the yellowish light.
There were several more junctions after
this, and each time the guard used his card to establish which tunnel they
should take.
“This is crazy,” Clios murmured. Her eyes
were wide with barely held in panic. “We will never find our way out of this
place.”
“Don’t worry.” Andi squeezed her hand,
although she felt frightened herself at the maze of corridors and tunnels
through which they were passing.
Finally they exited one tunnel to find themselves
in a small room with another computer station. The guard walked up to the
Hoshaen behind the station and gave them his card. She put it into her computer
and then nodded to him. Leaving the station, she led the line of prisoners down
to the cells at the bottom.
Gradually, the prisoners were separated and
led into cells, sometimes individually, sometimes in groups. Andi and Clios
were last, and were relieved when they were shown into a room together. They
turned and watched as the door clanged shut behind them, and the guard slid a
card through the box on the wall. A red light appeared on the lock inside the
cell.
The prison had finally swallowed them
whole.
For a moment the two girls just stood and
stared at the door, and then they looked at each other, wordless. Finally they
glanced around the room. There were four bunks, two on one wall and two on the
other. There was also a small metal table, under which was a bucket.
There was nothing else in the room.
“Nice,” said Andi. “Three stars, I guess?”
Clios’s lips were pressed tightly together.
“Don’t joke, Andi,” she said, and to Andi’s surprise she could see that the
older girl was near to tears. “This is an awful place. We might never get out
of here.” She sank onto
Similar Books
