Chapter 9: The Girl in the Shadows
By morning, Jack Rabbit Springs had risen to waist level. As it turned out, being a 'spring' meant that the water was naturally heated by underground lava vents. It didn't sound safe, but the good doctor assured us there was no real danger of being turned into human soup. I was convinced, not that I needed more prodding than when she undressed and hopped in first. The rest of my group didn't hesitate either.
As promised, the Overseer soon arrived with packs of cigarettes and a bottle of Scotch. Soon enough, we were having the time of our lives, wading around in steaming water and catching a buzz. We took turns telling Doctor Angela Williams of our crimes that put us in prison, overall, she didn't seem very bothered. She recalled tales about her education that ended her up in a department called OSI. It was a top of the rankings type of research department the NCR was attempting to sweep under the rug. They called it 'not-real-science'. She put up air-quotes when she said the words.
The Sergeant and his Rookie were kind enough to allow us this moment of relaxation as a reward for our outstanding surveillance work through the night. I stared up the fading night sky as the stars were slowly up by the rising sun. I'd never despised the sun more than at that moment. I wished the night could last forever.
"Keely would love this so much, I just know it." Doctor Williams blurted out loud as she reclined her head back against the sloping shore.
"If she's anything as good looking as you, I'd love to meet her!" Chavez tried to flirt.
"Oh she's your type, I know it. She hasn't had a hot bath in two hundred years, Chavez. Almost as long as you." Our Hispanic friend looked shot down. "She's a Ghoul girl, you know?"
I could see a look on her face that said this Keely was more than just a good friend but I was afraid to ask. Just then, Angela sprang out of the water, excitedly throwing both fists in the air again.
"Water! Can you believe it? Do you know what this means for the Mojave settlements? The pH levels are completely safe, look, it's one hundred percent drinkable." She cupped her hands together and drank greedily. After a moment, she let it fall with a slight gag and hang of the tongue. "I mean, it's a little hot on the throat, but it's clean!"
"Here, Doc," we had taken to referring to her as the 'Doc' by now. Cobb was handing her the bottle of Scotch as he spoke "This probably has a better 'burning' feeling than that."
She drank greedily and held the bottle in the air one more time as she exclaimed without breathing "This changes everything. All the work we've been doing for NCR has built up to a discovery like this. We can supply the farms with non-radiated water. This entire desert could be covered in green by the turn of the century! And the high and mighty "Doctor" Thomas Hildern, that kook, can shove his plant experiments where the sun doesn't shine!"
"Time's up, inmates. The clean-up crews are heading back to the prison in t-minus five minutes. We need you squared up and back in chains and collars before we rendezvous with the main brigade." Bitter-Root hollered from the top of the hill. "You too, Doc. Set up your monitor thing and let's boot it back, double-quick!"
We groaned about the good times ending, but orders were orders. We preserved the good 'Doc's' modesty and gave her privacy to redress herself. I headed back to the pile of clothes and collars along with Cobb and the rest of our gang with Spades as our escort. The Sarge stayed behind to guard the Doc while she gathered her gear and clothes. I took a spot by a pile of boulders to change back to my prisoner suit.
I stared up at the fading stars, sighing as my mind began to swirl with thoughts of hard labor, conspiracies and that fucking Legionnaire, Constantine. I knew he had it out for me ever since I sucker punched him at the Gauntlet that first night. I didn't mean to hit him, since he wasn't even a part of the event at the time. A shift in the shadows interrupted my thoughts just above and behind me.
I turned quickly and suddenly found myself almost face to face with a shadowy figure on top the ridge closest to me. A young woman in a in hooded robe knelt frozen in place, shocked to have been spotted. Although it was still dark, I could see she was just a teenager. Her skin was pale. She had long, black hair tucked under her hood. We stared at each other shocked, with our jaws dropped.
What was she doing out here, at this time of night? I wasn't sure what to do or say. If I shouted for the others, they might hurt her. Maybe she could kill me before I even got the word out. Instead, to my own amazement, I lifted a finger to my lips and hushed her. Her eyes might mine in wide surprise as I slowly began to back away.
BANG!
I flinched at the sound of a rifle being shot. I immediately searched around for the source and spotted Spades poised with his weapon drawn; barrel still smoking. Further down the hill I spotted the sixth man laying face down in the dirt. Under the grim dawning light, the blood pooling around his body looked as black as tar. I turned back to look at the girl in the hood, but she was already gone. I was relieved she hadn't been spotted and shot dead, but it only left me more confused than I already was.
"What the hell was that?" Bitter-Root demanded as he crested the hill with Dr. Williams hot on his heels. He surveyed the scene quickly. Cobb and Meyers were already in the process of being chained at the ankles, with Chavez and Dawes half dressed, staring at the body slack jawed. Angela spotted the dead inmate and covered her mouth as she gasped at the sight.
"We had a runner, sir. I had no choice." Spades reported.
"Good work, rookie." The old man nodded and shouldered his weapon as he marched down to the dead prisoner. He hunkered down by the half naked man and rolled his body over. After a quick pulse check, the Sarge rejoined our group and ordered Spades to get us back in our chains. "Let that be a lesson to the rest of you boys. Now, once you're lined up, we'll rejoin the rest of the work force. Shit, we're going to need a replacement for the dead one."
I glanced back once more at the dead inmate. I didn't even know his name. What a way to go. I looked back to the ridge where the mystery girl was sitting. More questions. What a night.
We marched back in total silence. Back at the service station, Sergeant Bitter-Root made a quick report to the Overseer, whose only complaint was about paperwork. We marched back to the prison and traded places with the day shift once again I lay awake in my bunk, in total darkness.
Sometime later, I heard whispers and shuffling in the cell. It was too dark to see, but I already knew it was Cooke and his crew. I guessed it was time for another gathering. As if to confirm my thoughts, Cooke grunted for someone to wake me up.
"Hey, asshole," It was Dawes, who poked my ribs harder than he really needed to "time for a meeting. Get your shit and let's go."
We met in the cell furthest from the entrance. It was small, with several bunks that had no mattresses. We used the bare beds as seats while we gathered around a gas lamp in the center of the floor. Phillip Lem spoke first.
"I'd guess that we're halfway to enough dynamite to make a stand against these punk ass guards. More importantly; I got somebody working on a recipe to repurpose the powder for bigger and better explosives."
"Nice job!" Samual Cooke gave him a pat on the shoulder while everyone in the circle smiled and nodded at the news. "Who'd you get to cook that up?"
"It's that ghoul…"
"You're talking about Nook, right?" Dawes asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sure am." Lem answered. "He used to be an explosives expert for NCR, back before he became infected with the Ghoul Fever. Anyway, he says he can create some charges, but he needs materials: a lot."
"What's on the shopping list, Lem?" Cooke asked. With that, Lem drew a paper from his chest pocket and began to read out loud. There were quite a few items for just one explosive each. Cooke whistled at the end of the list and looked around at his cohorts for input.
"We can get the A-block gimps who work in the kitchen to get a few items each." Dawes chimed. "But we'll have to use outside resources for the rest, like the sensors. There's one more thing, Sam."
"What do you got for me?" Cooke met his eyes at he mention of his own name.
"A spot just opened in our line-up today." Dawes answered with a conspiratorial smile.
"Oh, that's right. You guys are on a special assignment?"
"Yeah, we pulled baby-sitting duty; some NCR doctor is studying some water, closer to the Ivanpah Dry Lake-"
"HA! What a fucking joke, those NCR spooks are stupider than I thought." Cooke laughed, almost hysterical.
"No joke, Cooke; she found water." Cooke stopped laughing and stared in disbelief as Dawes continued his report. "Not only is there water, but it's also a hot-spring. Fully bonafied, naturally heated water, and it's fresh and drinkable."
"She…" Cooke asked after a long moment of silence.
"That's not even the icing on the cake. You need to get onto our group, boss." Dawes answered. "There's a group of Raiders out on the hard pan."
"Fucking Raiders, Dawes." Cooke was ready to dismiss the whole conversation.
"Hold on, Boss. I recognized some men from my old gang, back at the Hub."
"And?" Cooke rolled his hand with two fingers, gesturing for him to get to the point.
"They have vehicles. Working. Vehicles." Dawes emphasized each word to make sure Cooke would get on board with the idea. "They're out their on the hard pan, racing. If we can get their attention, I know I can convince them to join us."
"It's settled. Everyone spread the word among the inmates: gather materials for the explosives." Cooke slapped his hands together and rose from his seat as he looked around the room. Lem, Dawes, Cobb and Eddie all appeared as phantoms dim lamp light, with shadows over their eyes and matching prison jumpers. It was eerie. Cooke finished the meeting and made one more announcement. "In the meantime, boys, gather your smokes. I'm bribing my way onto your special little baysitter's club."
With the meeting over, I was finally able to catch a few hours of sleep. As usual, we were awakened for meal time and granted one hour of leisure before our shift began. As usual, I found myself with no one to spend the downtime with.
I decided I would go stand near the area designated for Hot Boxes. I was curious to see what kind of conditions inmates had to live with while they were being confined. Of the six steel boxes, I chose the one closest to the fence.
The steel box wasn't much to look at. It was a five foot by five square that was about waist height. A single slot was the only opening, an inch tall and a foot wide. The opening was faced out toward the fence. Maybe it was placed there so the prisoner only had the desert to stare at. Even up close, I could still see the heat waves shimmering off the top. I was about to test how hot the box would feel when a sudden thump from inside made me jump back. I thought it was empty.
I peered through the slot out of curiosity. The slot itself did not allow much light in to see what or who was in it. On top of that, my own head blocked out more of the sun. The inside was completely black. Just as I was about to say something, a pair of eyes materialized out of the darkness.
I was startled again, but I didn't jump back. Two angry, brown eyes glared out at me. The scrunched up brow dripped sweat like a leaky faucet. In the silent evening air, I could hear labored breathing almost echoing in the steel container. Confusion took over for a moment as smaller details began to sink in. The eyebrows were thin, almost groomed. The skin around the eyes: pale. The eyes themselves were narrowed, slightly slanted and closer together than a man's should be. I stared for a moment before registering those familiar eyes.
"Unless you're making reservations, inmate, I suggest you stay well away from this area." Colonel Phoenix's voice tore my attention away. She was approaching, with her assistant and another guard escort close behind.
I stood up from my spot and tried to compose myself. Up close, I couldn't help but stare. Her NCR uniform was definitely not up to code. Her pants were skin tight and her blouse hugged her curves so close it left almost nothing to the imagination, despite the second layer beneath. Her belt held it all together around her tiny waist, leaving her large assets to hang over it like two giant neon signs screaming 'Look at Me'.
"The Hot Box area is off limits." Phoenix continued in her voice of authority. "The only prisoners that should be here are the ones inside the boxes."
She walked over to the opposite side of the box I was standing in front of, and leaned forward on it. I could hear the fabric of her coat begin to sizzle, and saw the tiny streamlets of smoke rise from her sleeves. She thumped on the roof twice with a gloved hand as she stared into my eyes.
"It's smaller on the inside than it looks, inmate. The walls are six inches thick and it's hotter once you're in it. Triple bolt locks on each side of the door makes damn sure no one can get in or out without a key." She winked at me as she explained the mechanics of the box. "Unless you want to find out for yourself, I suggest you keep out of trouble and definitely keep away from this area."
Her words prompted me to make a break for it, besides her cold, blue eyes were more than uncomfortable to look into. As I walked back to the main population areas, I took one more glance back at the Colonel and the Hot Box just in time to see her give a nice firm kick with a steel toed boot. The replying echo from this distance was enough to ring in my ears. What was it like to hear that from inside, I wondered.
I thought about those eyes as I walked away and remembered the last time I saw them. Those eyes belonged to the girl from the ridge last night.