Grey floor matched drab grey ceiling, broken by countless rows of white cages. Which would he be thrown into? At present all stood unoccupied. Deep silence broken by three footsteps, two guards and their prisoner. Progress was slow as the prisoner was clearly exhausted. Another white steel door loomed ahead. The guard on the right swiped his access card through the slot and pulled it noiselessly open. They continued further into the labyrinth. This corridor mirrored the previous one in exact detail, ending in yet another locked steel door.
Years of military training followed by intelligence work failed to prevent a sudden rise of panic as the previous door clanged shut. They just helped him push it aside. He took a few deeper breaths, clenched and unclenched his fists and raised his head. His eyes focused on the distant door. Neither guard had noticed his fear, something for which he remained grateful.
They stopped just less than half way along this corridor. The guard's stern order 'halt' snapped his focus and he blinked to remind himself where he was. The second guard drew a card and ran it through the slot. A white door opened a few inches. He pushed it open wider. The guard on his right pushed his arm firmly. 'Get inside'.
One guard stepped inside with him while the second waited outside. His eyes never left the prisoner. 'As though I was some homicidal killer' Tony thought wryly. He held his hands out and watched the first guard unlock his cuffs. His fingers rubbed the cold steel's feeling off his wrists.
'Face the wall' ordered the guard. Tony took three steps to the back of the cell and leaned against the wall. 'Hands behind your back.' Once again he complied, wanting only to rest alone. He heard the door opening, footsteps leading outside and the door clanging shut.
Slowly he turned and surveyed his surroundings. First he moved towards the door and watched his guards leave the corridor. The block door clanged shut and utter silence descended. Inside his cell was empty with the exception of a grey plastic chair, a toilet with a washbasin, and opposite these a bed. Its grey blanket matched the floor.
Tony rubbed the side of his head in a vain attempt to ease his exhaustion. A long sigh escaped him and he almost stumbled to the bed. He sat on it, removed his shoes and trousers and drew back the sheet. He no longer had the strength to remove his t-shirt. What time could it be? Processing had taken all afternoon, followed by a trip to medical. A lengthy wait in both places drew out the entire procedure. Countless forms waited to be filled out. A little like entering the army, he remembered.
He had answered every question quietly as they were asked for the first three forms, occasionally rubbing the side of his face to relax. Though of various colours and fonts, all forms contained identical biographical details. There had been two white ones and a yellow one. Name, parents' names, mother's maiden name, date of birth, parents' dates of birth, location of all these births…address and all previous addresses, work places, trips overseas… the list was endless. All of which could easily be requested from CTU, leaving him free to get some much needed sleep and the admissions officer the chance to fill the forms in quicker. Rules, however, stipulated that the prisoner supply such details personally, so there they had both sat, facing each other as the afternoon dragged on.
'Name' the admissions officer demanded impatiently. Tony realized with a start that he had been daydreaming. There was now an open purple form on the table. He allowed a faint groan to escape.
'We already covered this.' He looked pleadingly at the officer. 'Don't you have enough to fill this in?'
The officer's expression shifted slightly from boredom to irritation. He tapped his pen against the table. 'Name' he repeated louder. At the door the guard watching him shifted slightly.
Tony rubbed his head harder and repeated his name yet again. Question and answer began anew. There was no longer any need for his full attention so he allowed part of his mind to wander. The day's events circulated relentlessly. Cooking Michelle's favourite breakfast early and waking her with a soft kiss. Getting shot, waking up in hospital. Seeing Nina again, hearing her sarcastic comments, squabbling with Michelle, discovering she was exposed to the virus at the hotel, then hearing she was safe. Safe by some miracle. Deciding never, ever to let her near danger again. Receiving Saunders' phone call just as he'd decided to keep her safe forever. The goodbye kiss he gave her. His thoughts had been interrupted by the officer's hand slammed against the table.
'Place of birth?' he almost hissed.
'We already had that in here' Tony protested weakly.
'Section C –"place of birth if different from state of admission" Now this here is L.A. California and you weren't born here, so……'
'Chicago' he answered for at least the fifth time. The admissions officer appeared satisfied and proceeded to fill in section C.
Tony's headache steadily worsened. His neck began to throb. Of course, the painkillers he'd received from the hospital sat forgotten in his desk back in his office. Former office, he reminded himself. He asked for something for the pain but was ordered to wait. Medical would take care of that just as soon as admission was completed. There remained only one short form. This last form was spread open and the officer glanced up at him with the same blank expression they'd begun with.
'Almeida' Tony said, without bothering to wait for the inevitable question.
The officer laid his pen on the table and closed the form. Tony blinked in confusion. Never in all his years of dealing with bureaucrats had he experienced one that voluntarily laid aside a meaningless form. He didn't that time either.
'Now Almeida' he began in his monotonous tone 'you're the one who wants to get this process completed and get to medical – not me! If I have to stay here overtime it's fine by me – I'll get my roster day off sooner.' He fell silent. For a long moment neither spoke. Tony's neck throbbed harder.
'I'm sorry' Tony broke the silence. He really needed to get rid of this horrible pain. If it meant apologizing to this android then he would.
The officer finally nodded his head and opened the form. 'Surname' he read. 'Given names'. Tony was sorely tempted to give a sarcastic reply but he remembered the last time he'd done so in the army and the resulting punishment. Time dragged. After this final form he was photographed and finger printed.
'Ok, we're done' the admissions officer said. The guard moved over to Tony and withdrew a pair of handcuffs. He put his hands together and stood when ordered. Medical was down the other end of the admissions hall behind its own locked steel door. Now for his painkiller.
Just because a prisoner in pain sat in medical it wasn't guaranteed he'd be examined or treated as he discovered to his dismay. His guard opened a door and a similar bureaucratic officer informed him that the admitting doctor was occupied presently. He was led to a small holding cell where his cuffs were removed. He was told to wait till the doctor had time to see him. He asked for something for the pain but the guard only shook his head as he left the room. So he'd sat down on a chair and put his head in his hands on the table. He breathed deeply through the pain. Not the first time he'd waited sick and in pain for a doctor who was busy.
He never found out how long it was before another guard returned and ordered him to move. He was led into an examining room much like a normal doctor's surgery in the suburbs and ordered to undress and lie on the examining table. A middle aged doctor entered and glanced at his file. After a minute he walked over to Tony listening to his ragged breathing.
'When was the last time you took something for that?' he asked. Tony told him he'd been given something at the hospital but was arrested before he'd needed to take anything. The doctor counted the hours and looked at him compassionately. 'I'll get you something in a sec' he said kindly and went to get a syringe. 'It won't hurt' he said as Tony stared uneasily. It had, of course, but only momentarily and he soon felt the pain recede. The doctor examined him and pronounced him fine though weak. He prescribed strong painkillers for Tony and filled in a few forms while he slowly got dressed. Then the two guards had arrived to escort him to his cell until his bail hearing.
'Yeah, a hell of a day' Tony muttered as he pulled the grey blanket over himself. There was no way to turn off the light in his cell but he was exhausted enough to fall asleep anywhere by now.
He awoke a couple of hours later. Where the hell was he? White bars, grey floor… 'Oh God' Tony whispered as he remembered the last few hours. 'Oh God…. it's all
real.' This nightmare was his reality now. His neck throbbed again. He sat up, pushing aside the grey blanket and pulled on his trousers. Sometime while he'd been asleep the cell and corridor lights were dimmed. He washed his face and waited for the guard to patrol the corridor again. When he came Tony asked for a painkiller. The guard said he'd see what was written in his notes. Soon he returned with a tablet and a glass of water. They were pushed through the bars.
'Thanks' Tony said gratefully. The guard nodded and waited for the cup. Tony passed it back through the bars. He was fully awake now. Never had he missed Michelle more. Hopefully she was home sleeping. Tears came dangerously close forcing him to blink. He really needed some contact with her. 'Could I have some paper and a pen please?' he asked. He would write exactly how much he missed her.
The guard shook his head. 'I'm not authorized to bring anything' he said. 'Only the block supervisor can do that. He'll look in sometime in the morning.'
Tony sighed in frustration. Where had he sunk to? Forced to ask permission to write a letter! Forced to answer every meaningless question addressed to him! Moved around at others' whims in handcuffs! Not knowing when his bail hearing was set! Nobody had notified him so far. He would ask that block supervisor tomorrow. Restlessness set in. Tony paced up and down rubbing his face.
A thousand thoughts crossed his mind. What happened to Michelle after he was hauled away? She'd been so devastated. Had she gone home to an empty house? Was there anyone to help her? And oh God, did his parents know yet? They were such a close family - this would destroy them. That final thought paused him in his tracks, in the middle of the cell. Not a week went by without his visiting them.
Tony was certain he would be sentenced to long years of imprisonment. No one in the world could condone what he'd done yesterday. Unease crept upon him, growing stronger. How could he live in a cell this size? So far he had peace and quiet surrounding him. Could he cope with a tiny cell and hearing dozens of cursing voices all around him? He'd seemed so sure when he'd spoken to Michelle, but now the thought terrified him.
'Please God let them grant me bail' Tony prayed. He couldn't face being locked in here for months awaiting a trial date. 'At least give me a couple of months to sort things out'. So many small jobs awaited him at home. They'd bought a house just a few months ago, large and light, but old and in need of maintenance. It had been too tempting to fill the cool box with lunch and drink and head off to the beach with Michelle instead. After all, he had all the time in the world to fix the guest room's handle that tended to get stuck in the locked position. The leaking toilet was also next week's job. Of course there were tasks outside too, more than inside if possible. Overgrown paths to weed, trees and bushes to trim, and fruit trees to prune. He buried his head in his hands again. 'I'd fix it all, God' he prayed. 'It's not Michelle's responsibility, it's mine. Let me make her a nice home. Please let me out'.
He splashed more water on his face. His fingers were wet; he wiped them on his trousers. Outside the guard passed down the corridor glancing at him. Tony stared back until he passed then returned to a corner of the cell and sank slowly down. He couldn't sleep. Neither could he bear the sight of all the bars. Once again he buried his head in his arms. If he concentrated hard enough he could 'see' Michelle sleeping, her chest rising and falling. His fingers reached out slowly to touch her but brushed cold brick instead. He glanced at the wall in despair, turning his head rapidly and getting a view of the bars at the front. This time there was no holding the tears back. Sobs racked his body.
What seemed like hours later a peace settled over him. Tony rose to his feet and rinsed his face. He slowly made his way over to the bed. He curled under the blanket seeking its warmth. Within moments he slept.
The block supervisor came shortly after he'd picked through his breakfast. Tony stood up and went to the front of his cell. A man in his forties, accustomed to years of identical questions from new prisoners.
'When is my bail hearing set?' Tony inquired politely. There was little reason to make an enemy of this man.
'Tomorrow at 10.00 a.m.' replied the guard. 'I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Never known anyone on a treason charge to get bail'.
A minute passed in silence as the full implications sank in. Without bail he'd be stuck here. He drew a deep breath. Now was not the time to get distressed. He faced the guard again. 'Could I have some paper and a pen? I really need to write to my wife.'
The block supervisor shook his head. 'Request denied' he said flatly. 'Prisoners awaiting bail hearings remain ineligible for any materials'.
Anger spread through Tony. His fists clenched. He drew a deep breath and asked as calmly as he could 'what am I supposed to do here all day?'
'Think about what you did to get here' replied the block supervisor. He gave Tony a hard stare before turning to leave.
It took several deep breaths to calm himself this time. Tony moved back to the corner he'd sat in last night. 'Why the hell did I ever want to be a federal agent?' he asked himself. 'When did I decide that?' Certainly not when he was very young. He had been going to serve on the Enterprise then, like all his friends. A faint smile crept across his face as he remembered.
