Author's Note: Hello, fellow Bonanza fans! Here is a WHI (What-Happened-Instead) for the episode Riot!. For the record, I ignore Adam's departure, but I keep in Candy's arrival, so both characters will be featured in this story. Hope you enjoy!
"Hurry it up!" Officer Hizer, a Nevada State Prison guard, ordered as he banged his baton on the nearby wall. At each stroke of his baton, crumbling pieces of rotting concrete chips cascaded to the floor.
With strength he did not know he possessed, Griff King threw open the previously-padlocked door to reveal a pitch black room. Quelling his recently-developed fear of small, confined spaces, the nineteen year old entered the vertically-oriented coffin known as the Hellbox. As the young convict's breathing rate increased, he began to fumble around in the dark until a clammy hand weakly grabbed his ankle.
"Donavan?" the teenager gently addressed as he crouched down to the sick man lying on the ground. "C'mon, Donavan," Griff murmured softly, wrapping his long arms around Donavan's waist to carry him out of the Hellbox.
Unable to answer Griff, Donavan limply allowed himself to be transported to Cell Block Two's general population area. Once Griff made his way out of the Hellbox and into the light, an older convict helped to ease Griff's burden by supporting Donavan's legs.
"Over here, Cooper" Hizer instructed the older criminal, but such a command was unnecessary. The older convict was very knowledgeable in post-Hellbox affairs. Along with Griff, Cooper lowered Donavan to the ground and settled him as best they could on the thin blanket Hizer designated. Even being rescued from the Hellbox was not enough to stop the raging fever burning through Donavan's frail body. Griff dropped to his knees and placed his hand on Donavan's neck to feel for a pulse. A thready and dull vibration alerted Griff that Donavan was, for the moment, alive. As Griff normally cared for the prisoners' sicknesses and injuries, Griff was all too familiar with Donavan's steadily-deteriorating condition. He knew that without immediate help, Donavan would soon die.
"You damn near killed him," Griff angrily reported under his breath. Allowing his rage to get the best of him, Griff forced up his six foot, two inch frame to attack the indifferent guard. Seeing his young friend about to ruin everything, Cooper quickly restrained Griff.
"What did you say?" the guard demanded. He threateningly pointed his baton in Griff's face.
Cooper replied before Griff could answer. "I said he's dying."
Ignoring Griff, the guard closed the distance between himself and Cooper with three wide steps. "You said I killed him," Hizer corrected.
Unwilling to confirm or to deny Hizer's claim, Cooper shrugged while uttering, "So I did."
"You never learn, do ya?" Hizer remarked. "You must like it in that Hellbox. You just earned five days in there." Hizer made eye contact with Griff. Sensing the younger man's guilt, Hizer continued, "Both of you!"
"The kid didn't say nothing!" Cooper protested.
Before Hizer's punishment could be carried out, another guard entered the cramped room. Strolling past Donavan without a glance, the lankier guard warned, "Officer Hizer, the governor's inspection representative is here." Griff and Cooper shared a tense look with each other as they squared their shoulders. "He's in the warden's office right now."
Hizer pursed his lips, and Griff could not restrain a small smirk. "Into the kitchen, you two," Hizer ordered, defeated for the moment. Without another word, the two guards exited the enclosed space.
Satisfied that he could do no more to help Donavan's condition, Griff followed Cooper into the hall that led to the prison's kitchen. The chains that bound both men's ankles clicked and clanged when jostled, singing an eerie tune. Before entering the kitchen, Cooper halted Griff and harshly whispered, "That mouth of yours is gonna wreck everything!"
Unable to disagree and too stubborn to apologize, Griff did not respond. He reached into the sack of potatoes that were surprisingly fresh. "Figures," he scoffed. Griff began to peel the vegetable with the blunt tool convicts were allowed to use in the prison. His racing mind refused to cease imagining Cooper's plan coming to fruition. For what seemed like the hundredth time, Griff mentally ran through his assigned role in the impending plan of action.
"Mhmm, mhmm," the finely-dressed Nevada State Prison Warden nodded, shuffling through the papers on his desk. He eyed the serious man, who was just as well-dressed, sitting opposite him. "And this is your first visit to a state prison?" the warden worriedly reiterated for the third time.
Adam Cartwright kept an unfluctuating tone. "Well, as an inspector, yes," he repeated, his dark brown orbs sensing fear the warden's downcast eyes.
The warden clicked his tongue disapprovingly in response. "You know nothing of prison affairs, and yet you're here as the investigating committee's representative?"
Adam bristled at the warden's unspoken accusation of inadequacy. "At the governor's request," Adam reminded him.
"Well," the warden said with a feigned smile. "We have had our problems here, sure. I admit that. But, um," he hesitated, choosing his next words carefully. "Mr. Cartwright, you've got to understand that there are no quick and easy answers here. These men are sent here for punishment. They're thieves, crooks, murderers," he explained in disgust. Running a hand through his white hair, the warden continued. "Harsh, cruel men. And when you're dealing with men like that, you need to take harsh measures."
Adam slightly shifted in his seat, unfazed by the warden's pre-presented argument. Such a simple description of prison was not nearly enough to sway Adam's judgment. "I want you to keep that in mind," the warden concluded.
"Noted," Adam breathed, taking in the quality of the warden's office.
Hizer burst through the door and waited a moment before making his presence known. "My name is Officer Hizer, your escort for the day." Inwardly, Adam grinned at the stilted use off the word 'escort.' To the rancher, the word was much too jubilant to describe a prison tour. "When you're ready, sir..."
"Of course," Adam agreed, rising from his seat. He was surprised to find he was the only man moving. "Warden, you aren't coming?"
"No!" the warden yelped. Suddenly collecting himself, he let a laugh escape his curled lips. "No, no. Sorry, but I just can't take the time away from this." He motioned to the stacks of paper on his desk. "Paperwork- it never stops, you know."
"Indeed, I do," Adam coolly commented. "Shall we?" he asked, addressing Hizer.
"You're not going to like what you see," Hizer advised Adam. "Too many prisoners, not enough room, and no money to do anything about it." He pushed open the thick door.
Already tired of being fed a script, Adam stated, "Perhaps something can be done about that." Hizer locked the door behind him and began leading Adam to Cell Block Two, the worst-looking area of the prison. Once out of the warden's earshot, Adam spoke to Hizer. "I've got to report any suggestions on how to improve the prison. Do you have any?"
Hizer had not been prepared for such a direct question. "Yeah," he confirmed. "I've two for you. More guards and better pay." Before Adam could inquire about Hizer's answer, the men arrived at the locked door leading to Cell Block Two's general population area. "Now listen, you can see anybody, talk to anybody you want, speak with any of the prisoners. But there's two rules. You stay close to me at all times and you don't get within arm's length of any prisoner." Hizer jammed his rusty key into the metal lock.
Adam nodded, accepting the conditions. "Sounds more like caging animals than men."
Hizer slowly turned his head to face Adam while opening the door. "Close to it."
Upon walking in to the cell block, Adam was greeted with a sight he could not have imagined. Dozens of men clad in chains were lined up across the cold floor. Clothed in nothing more than ripped rags, the men all stared at Adam. The cell was much too small to properly house half the men there. Dismayed by the prison's reality, Adam said nothing but made mental notes to ask about the men's space, clothes, and the lack of cleanliness that was clearly evident.
"This big cellar here is like a lion pen," Hizer explained. "Except these lions make their own claws." Digging through his pocket, Hizer pulled out a crudely-made shank and handed it to Adam. "Here. I saved this for you. Found it this mornin'. But for every one we find, there's a dozen or two we don't."
Adam carefully inspected the shank. By gingerly running his finger around the blade, Adam could tell how sharp and deadly the weapon was. Raising an eyebrow, Adam handed the shank back to Hizer to continue on his tour.
Back in the prison kitchen, Cooper drew a wooden ladle through a thick, bubbling stew. Off to his right, Griff was still peeling potatoes. Approaching footsteps alerted the two convicts that the kitchen would be the next stop in Adam's visit. When Cooper saw Griff struggling with peeling, a job that Griff has done so many times he would be able to do it while asleep, Cooper scooped out a spoonful of stew and waved it in Griff's general direction with a hopeful smile. Reassured, Griff put down the potatoes for a moment and picked up a tray full of bread, handing it to another inmate so he could pass the bread out later.
"I must insist that I see the kitchen," Adam said as he was ushered into the bustling kitchen. "I'd like to see what the men get to eat." Griff did not stop his mechanical peeling motion, but Adam's request did catch the teenager's ear. Adam referred to the inmates as 'men,' rather than the other creative names the guards usually used.
Hizer quickly waved his baton in a lazy effort to introduce Adam to the kitchen.
"Ah," Adam remarked, picking up a potato from Griff's bowl. Griff kept his head down, too afraid that even the slightest eye contact with Adam would spoil Cooper's later plans. "Nice, fresh vegetables." Making his way over to Cooper, Adam looked in the large pot. Griff quickly grabbed a nearby spoon. Wiping off the utensil on his tan shirt that was much too big for his slender body, he silently offered it to Adam without a word. "Thank you," Adam smiled. He accepted the spoon and stirred the stew. "Carrots, potatoes, meat," he observed. "Smells pretty good."
Griff could no longer hold his tongue. "Inspection Stew," he clarified. "That's my name for it."
To prevent Adam from engaging Griff in conversation, Cooper shoved a plate in Adam's hand. "Like to try some?"
"Sure," Adam agreed after a pause. "I'll have a taste." He brought a spoonful of stew to his mouth.
"M'name's Cooper, Mr. Cartwright. You don't know me," Cooper introduced in a rush when Adam's mouth of full of stew. "But I know you because I seen you in Virginia City a couple times."
"You're a very good cook," Adam complemented after swallowing the stew.
"Had a lotta practice," Cooper confirmed. "Six years I been here, and twenty-nine to go." Griff's methodical peeling skipped a beat at the thought of having to endure twenty-nine more years of prison living. "And you'll sure recognize a few faces here- Johnny Plank being one of them."
Adam kept an even face at the mention of Johnny Plank. He remembered serving on the jury for Plank. The normal trial was not memorable, but the absolute lack of remorse from Plank would always stay in Adam's memory. With a curt nod, Adam circled the closed cupboards, nearing Griff again. Knowing that this was his chance, Griff fluidly reached behind Adam and pulled a cupboard door open, allowing moldy, rotting carrots to fall at Adam's feet. Curious, Adam picked up one of the carrots, half-expecting the vegetable to mush into liquid at his mild touch. If it were not for the label on the bag, Adam would not have been able to distinguish the vegetable's identity because the orange pigment had given way to a sickening grey color. Disgusted, Adam dropped the carrot as he noticed another bag full of wheat. Taking a peek inside, Adam poured the contents into an unused bowl, revealing bugs crawling around in the wheat. "Rotten carrots, bugs in the flour…"
"That's, uh, probably waste," Hizer interjected. "Woulda been burned, but this inspection got in the way."
Adam ignored Hizer's explanation. "Who buys the food here?" he demanded.
"You'll have to ask Warden," Hizer shrugged.
"Do that," Adam said, turning back to Griff, suddenly understanding his earlier comment.
Hizer intervened before Adam reached Griff. "We need to get this food outta here and get the prisoners fed." Smacking his hands clean, Adam silently walked out of the kitchen.
"Ya did good, kid," Cooper approvingly noted, readying the stew to be served. "There's hope for you." Griff plucked a few slices of bread off of the tray and concealed them in his fist.
"Hizer!" Cooper called. "Is it alright to feed them now?"
Hizer was unamused. "What's the matter? You deaf or something? I already told you: feed them now!" Unbeknownst to Hizer, Griff was stuffing the locks of the open doors with bread so the doors would not be able to be fully shut. He patted Cooper on the shoulder to signal he finished his assignment.
"Okay, just asking," Cooper apologized, and followed Griff to retrieve silverware so the two could serve the meal. Placing the trays on a rickety cart, Griff rolled the cart into the main cell under a guard's watchful eye. Griff saw Adam walk up and down each and every bed area, obviously taking his inspector title very seriously. Paying no attention to Adam, Griff bent down to start serving his fellow inmates. While moving, Griff's thin shirt slipped off of his shoulder, revealing a mass of healed scars that tightly pulled across Griff's skin and open wounds that were red and swollen.
"Your shoulder," Adam remarked, his brow furrowing his worry. Griff froze, allowing Adam to get a clear look. "Is that from-"
"No," Hizer cut off, motioning for Griff to move along. "Those stripes ain't our work. He had those when he got here."
When Hizer turned around to reprimand another convict for attempting to sneak away with more food, Griff coiled his head around to make eye contact with Adam. Griff quietly shook his head and darted his piercing blue eyes in Hizer's direction. Adam nodded to inform Griff that the unfortunate message had been received.
Continuing his journey, Adam came across the small, confined room. "Officer." He pointed to the door. "What is this?"
"Just another cell," Hizer brushed off nonchalantly.
"It's the Hellbox!" Cooper shouted from across the room. "You act up and that's where they bury you."
Adam gave Hizer a menacing look. The eldest Cartwright son did not appreciated being lied to at all.
"He's just a loud mouth. We get a lot of them in here," Hizer shrugged, disregarding Cooper. "The door's open. Take a look if you want."
Adam stuck his head through the doorway, resting a hand on the thick door. Utter blackness met Adam. Secretly shuddering at the thought from being locked in the Hellbox for any extended period of time, Adam exited the Hellbox. He almost tripped on a leg that was sticking out. "What's your name?" Adam asked the owner of the leg.
A very old man who could not stop shaking his head flinched at Adam's voice. "Name… Yeah." Upset at the old man's inability to comprehend his simple question, Adam softened his gaze.
"Charlie," Hizer said. "His name's Charlie. They say the prison was built around him. This is his home now. He don't want to leave." Adam resisted the urge to sarcastically roll his eyes at the guard's claim.
"Yeah, Charlie! Ch-Ch-Charlie," he repeated, blankly staring off into space, unaware of Adam's presence.
A deafening squeak announcing the arrival of a chain gang being marched into the cell. "Keep moving, keep moving," another guard ordered as the men were lined up across the cell. Adam watched the scene unfold with gross fascination.
"Not enough guards," Hizer commented. "That's why we have to move the work gangs out one at a time."
"What kind of work is it they do?" Adam asked.
"Hard labor!" yelled one of the inmates. "Heavy work that we weren't sentenced to!"
The other guard easily silenced the convict that spoke out by stepping near him. "Loudmouths." Hizer shook his head. "Every last one of 'em."
Distracted by Donavan's thrashings to demand an answer, Adam bent down to feel the older man's forehead. "This man is burning up," he stated.
No guard made a move to help Donavan. "The doc will be here tomorrow," Hizer told Adam.
Adam's head snapped up to look directly at Hizer. "He needs attention now."
The guard still showed no sympathy, only angering Adam more. "This is a prison. The doctor comes out here twice a week. From what they tell me, that's all they can afford."
"I see," Adam acknowledged. "Seems like I'll be asking the warden about a lot of things later today."
"Chains out! On the double!" The work gang unthreaded their chains for a brief moment of freedom before they would be individually chained. At least, the cons would have usually been chained individually.
"NOW!" Cooper screamed.
Half of the unchained work gang attacked the guards and Adam while the other half helped free the rest of Cell Block 2's population. Instead of trying to help Adam, Hizer ran for the kitchen and tried to lock the door behind him. Shocked to find that bread in the lock stopped him from doing so, Hizer almost expected to be taken down by a couple of the kitchen workers.
Utterly outnumbered, Adam still fought back. "Get Cartwright! Get Cartwright!" many of the men yelled with unbridled passion. Adam's fist connected with two of the mean, but with four coming at him, Adam knew this was a losing battle. Forced into a corner, Adam had little choice but to keep fighting for as long as he could.
Johnny Plank, snatched up one of the discarded chains and made his way over to Adam in the chaos. "Get off him!" Plank ordered, throwing man after man off of Adam. "He's mine! Cartwright's mine!" Forcing Adam up, Plank started to wrap the chain around Adam's neck. Adam struggled against the lunatic's hold, but as he felt the chain tighten and started losing oxygen, Adam's reserve rapidly weakened and he slid to the ground.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please let me know in a review! Any and all feedback is welcome. Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter!