He said they would never catch him, but once again Pablo Punchwood found himself on a bus headed to another maximum security prison. Steelshaft Penitentiary had just been built for lifers who had escaped all the other "inescapable" prisons throughout the world. Punchwood passed the time on the bus reading a copy of the generic greeting letter the warden has sent along with the officers picking him up.

To [new inmate],

They did not bother changing the default to Punchwood...

You have succeeded in escaping prisons in the past. Let me inform you that every guard here is married to their jobs and this prison is their child. Anyone found breaking their child will be put in solitary confinement for a week.

Sincerely,

Paolo Seraos III

The bus stopped before a tall brick wall. Beyond it was a barbwire fence which Punchwood assumed to be electrified. Beyond that, a four story steel building with no windows shined in the early morning sun. All the guards knew he was coming and they were prepared for anything as he stepped off the bus and entered the gates wearing his usual smug smile. Eleven inmates stood in four rows of three with one missing on the left side. The guards delivering Punchwood pushed him into the open spot and removed his cuffs. Officer Tidus, who was in charge of roll call, stared Punchwood dead in the face and then socked him in gut. Punchwood fell to his knees and held his stomach.

"Shine my shoes while you're down there." Officer Tidus growled as he looked down at the bruised inmate. "And listen good. You will be spending the rest of your days here. Might as well get cozy in our lovely facility. There's no free time, shakedowns happen three times a day, and you can't take three steps without going through a metal detector." Punchwood was struggling to stand. Every time he put a foot flat on the ground, the pain in his stomach caused him to fall over. Tidus smiled. "Punchwood and the rest of you in Unit A will get the shakedown this morning." Half of the inmates groaned. Tidus knelt down over Punchwood and spat in his hair. "We finally got room for you," he giggled. "Old Timer was pardoned. The devil came and got him."

The inmates and guards headed to the mess hall for breakfast, leaving Punchwood laying on the concrete floor.