Chapter X - By the Book
*A/N: Working on XI during the course of this week ready for you all to enjoy at the weekend. I'll be writing chapters in advance from now on and I now have plans for up to chapter XVII which is 17 in normal numbers. I hope you enjoy this chapter. *PS - next chapter will have smut in. *
Chapter X – By the Book
Recruitment had gone well for Bea and Kaz. They had managed to gain about five more people from Sonia's crew who had admitted that they had had enough of Sonia's totalitarian ruthlessness, and that they were willing to stand beside Bea and Kaz in order to take her down. In honesty, Sonia was a tyrant. But even tyrants have a weak spot. One thing Bea had learned since her time at Wentworth was to build up a profile of how somebody would act by tracking their thought process. She knew that Sonia was going to bottle it if enough women made a stand to her and challenged her in a public place.
Kaz seemed to agree when the two further staged a meeting after the correspondence with the governor. Allie was over the moon to see the two people who she loved most in the entire world getting along and she was forever thankful for it. However, she was not thankful for the circumstances that brought them together. She knew that this was dangerous and that if it did not go the way that Bea and Kaz intended, they could suffer dire consequences, and that is what scared her the most.
Just after evening count, Maxine had promised a cash prize for Smiles if she allowed the women of H1 to meet in the showers and the women of Sonia's crew who secretly supported Bea and Kaz's program to take Sonia away from the mantle of top dog. Of course, she obliged, and allowed them out of the unit and went to go and grab the other women that Maxine had requested. Once in the showers, Kaz and Bea stood by the sinks with Allie democratically sat on the sinks in between the two of them. The women gathered round on instinct, knowing that this would mean that they would be making a move on Sonia soon, and that this meeting was imperative if they requested everyone to be there.
"Alright. This is it" Kaz stated in a loud whisper so that everyone could hear but so that they would maintain their secrecy. "We've got enough people to take on Sonia now. And this is how we are going to do it" the blonde said, nodding towards Bea as the women directed their attention onto the redhead. "Sonia is going to crumble under pressure. We need her to crumble in order for us to take her on" Bea expressed. The women nodded in understanding before letting Bea continued.
"Jane and two of you are going to confront Sonia tomorrow in the middle of the mess hall when there a lots of women in there. This will anger Sonia being challenged publicly, and I suspect there will be consequences" Bea affirmed, the women looking on in nervousness and anxiety. "This is where the plan comes in. We suspect that Sonia will call a meeting for all the women to ground her stance as top dog once more, because as a tyrant, she'll want to constantly exert her power over the women. The women of this prison are like sheep and follow the herd, so if everybody seems to be contesting her, the rest will soon to follow and express their opinions freely" Kaz disclosed.
"Jane, pick two women who you want to come with you" Bea commanded, Jane picking a girl from D Block called Sarah, and Mel from Kaz's crew. "Right. If this goes to plan, we'll make a public demonstration of Sonia in front of everybody" Kaz announced, Bea continuing on. "We are going by the book. It's the only way we can get her to step down. After that, there's no more violence in here" Bea spoke, the women smiling in gratitude. Shortly after, the women made their way back to their units.
Kaz nodded at Bea to let her know that she was returning to her unit. Bea followed suit as her and her lover made their way back to the unit. Just before Smiles locked them up, Bea told Smiles to notify the governor that it was going to be tomorrow. Smiles, obviously confused, just nodded and locked them in the unit. Shortly afterwards, Bea found herself being dragged towards her cell by a tall blonde with a grin on her face, and her eyes full of desire.
Bea woke up with her cheeks flushed and Allie led next to her, both of them fully nude and wrapped in Bea's red blanket. Bea loved waking up like this; she had never felt more loved or complete ever, and ironically, she never would have gotten this unless she hadn't come to Wentworth. The redhead redirected her focus for she would need all of it today, after all, this was the day where she was about to rip a tyrant off her pedestal. Allie stirred next to her and gave Bea the biggest smile, knowing the redhead would need every bit of encouragement today. After all, she was diving back into the warzone she had been in previously before; contesting for top dog.
The blonde stroked her lover's cheek before beginning the morning with a long, slow, passionate kiss. The redhead stroked Allie's hair at the nape of her neck before rising slowly to put some clothes on. Bea was fully aware that Allie would spend every waking moment checking her out and she smirked at the thought. Just to confirm her theory, she turned round to look at the blonde, who low and behold, was staring at her. "What?" Allie asked with a grin, Bea chuckling to herself. Allie then simultaneously got out of bed to put some clothes on in preparation for the count.
It was a slow, nervous yet agonizing walk to the mess hall that morning. The nerves adorning Bea were slowly eating her up inside, the only comfort being that Allie was holding her hand and providing a source of comfort to her. As Bea opened the door into the hall, the tension was immediate. Bea peered over to Sonia who had a look of confusion and spite displayed on her face. Bea turned to look at Allie who gave her a look of reassurance. Maxine patted Bea on the back before whispering in her ear.
"We'll get your trays, love. You and Allie go sit down" she assured, Bea nodding in thanks as the lovers took their seats at their normal table. It was eerily quiet in the mess hall, the silence adorning the atmosphere. Bea remembered the last time it was silent like this was when the panic button was pressed. As Maxine came and gave Bea and Allie their trays of food, the redhead directed her gaze over to the doors.
Jane, Mel and Sarah had all just walked in. "Shit" Bea cursed under her breath, Allie squeezing her hand. Only a handful of the women knew what was just about to commence, but by the looks on the faces of the trio, they all knew that shit was about to go down. Jane stomped over, quickly followed by Mel and Sarah. She swiped Sonia's tray off the table before the tall black-haired woman stood up, Juice also by her side. Juice was about to swing for Jane until Sonia held her back with one arm.
"You're a fucking disgrace. Nine overdoses and you've done fuck all!" Jane spat, Sonia turning to Juice and laughing. The women were all mentally disgusted by Sonia's careless reaction, and more intrigued on what Jane had to say. Bea's heart was racing as Kaz looked on in pride as Jane carried out what she had been told to do by the letter. "Sit. Down." Sonia said curtly. "You're protecting the bitch who's fucking trafficking it in!" Jane yelled at Sonia, Bea taken aback at the anger demonstrated by Jane.
Sonia scoffed before leaning across the table. "I suggest you remember who you're speaking to" she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Yeah, we're listening to a hypocritical fuckwit" Mel shouted, Juice smacking her across the face but not hard enough that she fell to the floor. The whole room was flabbergasted about the altercation but nobody decided to intervene. Sarah looked at Kaz who nodded and took the girls away.
Kaz then shoved a spoonful of beans in her mouth before nodding to Bea to make her move. Allie tapped Bea's hand: the redhead standing up and taking a deep breath before making her way over to Sonia's table, Sonia still stood up looking around the room. She noticed Bea and gave her a look of disorientation. "Need some advice?" Bea quipped, Sonia giving her a frown as if to say 'I can handle it on my own'. "Teach her a lesson" Bea said, before walking away, Sonia giving an appreciative smile.
"Everyone listen up!" Sonia shouted, all of the women being obedient but uneasy at being faced with the facts that Sonia was partly responsible for all of the overdoses. It sparked a hidden anger in some of the women. "Laundry after lunch. If you don't turn up, there will be serious consequences" she announced, the women all nodding to show that they understood and were going to do as they were told. Sonia was left uneasy by the public challenge of her position, and she felt discombobulated.
She couldn't believe that those three women had had the guts to challenge her in front of everyone, and she could not help but think about the repercussions of the women possibly questioning that she was protecting Tina. She knew that she had to listen to Bea because if she did not do something fast, her power was going to be at risk very quickly. The older woman sat down, Juice looking at her, reading her like a book. "What are we gonna do?" she questioned, Sonia quirking an eyebrow, her anger physically in dissolution. "I'm going to teach Jane a lesson. Nobody challenges my authority and gets away with it" Sonia said, especially raising her voice with the last sentence to make sure that everyone had heard her.
Bea found it ironic how Sonia shared qualities of her two former nemesis' - Jacs Holt and Joan Ferguson. She mused on how similar they were and this led to a fire being ignited in Bea: she knew that she ould not let Sonia get away with protecting a woman that was the sole responsibility of nine women's deaths in here. She knew it was wrong, and she knew that Sonia did not have a moral compass. She was a psychopath; one that needed to be taken down.
The governor had already had a meeting in the morning with her deputy and Bridget. She had explained to them the whole power contest for top dog, and had explained her very dodgy plans for how she would be able to maintain a stable leadership if she allowed an act of violence to be committed willingly. Of course, Will and Bridget understood her reasoning but it was more down to the fact that if things did not go to plan, it could end up with very bad consequences.
Vera already knew what was going down, she didn't even need Smith or Proctor to tell her. Will Jackson had been on duty in the mess hall and had heard the conversations between Jane and Sonia, and Sonia's plans for her in the laundry. Will knew that Vera was going to have to play dirty in order for the power play in Wentworth to be in some sort of stability for the long term with Smith and Proctor at the head. The job of governor was morally challenging, Vera knowing this all too well.
She knew that she was going to have to negotiate with prisoners because there is no such thing as a prison where all the inmates do as they are told. She knew that she was going to have to induce some bad to get the outcome as good. For instance, making sure that all the officers were nowhere near the laundry this afternoon was one.
The women of the prison followed Sonia's order with conviction. They knew what was going to happen and they knew that they were going to have to witness somebody suffer just simply because they expressed their opinion. Unequivocally, they were all mentally challenging what Jane had said earlier. It would make sense if Sonia was protecting Tina. Jane's statement had unsettled Sonia's power, and slowly, Jane was beginning to get the women on her side. Bea and Kaz were both happy as their part of the plan had succeeded so far, they just hoped that it would work for the rest of it.
After a short walk back to the unit, Maxine came into Bea's cell, accompanied by Allie. Maxine was holding a small shiv about the size of a pencil and offering it to Bea. "Just in case. We don't want you getting hurt" Maxine said with a sad smile, coming to the realisation that it was very likely that anybody could get hurt. Bea took the shiv and hid in the waistband of her tracksuit bottoms, Allie looking on in concern. The redhead grabbed her lover's face to look her into her eyes. "It's going to be okay, beautiful" Bea soothed, kissing her lover's cheek.
Boomer nodded, signalling that it was time to go to the laundry room. Bea took a deep breath before Boomer led the way, Bea and Maxine walking side by side, quickly followed by Allie, Liz and Doreen. The hallways were damn near empty, suggesting that women had compiled into the laundry room, all wanting to be present to prevent facing Sonia's wrath. As Bea could see the doors to the laundry, her breath quickened. The adrenaline was pulsing through her veins like it had done once before when she fought Franky for supposedly, the mantle of top dog.
Realistically, she had only done it so that she could escape the prison complex in her conquest to murder Brayden Holt. As her hands gripped around the handle that led to the laundry, she found herself unable to open it due to the amount of people that were actually in the room itself. It was heaving, but people had managed to create a circle around Sonia. As soon as Bea entered, Sonia gave a smile towards her in appreciation as Bea saw that Sonia was now going to follow through with the advice that Bea had given her.
The tall black-haired woman gave a abrupt nod to Juice who then grabbed Jane from behind and dragged her next to Sonia. Soon enough, Juice began to repeatedly land blows on Jane. The woman was screaming out in pain and a few of the women had looked away, not prepared to witness such a sadistic act of violence. Bea looked towards Kaz. A mutual agreement between them mentally decided that it was time to intervene. Bea found it within herself to grab the shiv that was in the waistband of her bottoms to run through the crowd and slash Juice in the kidneys. She then decided to absent-mindedly continue stabbing the large woman who had now crumpled on the floor in pain.
Kaz had gripped Sonia by the hair and was smashing her on the floor by her head. However, Sonia had managed to punch Kaz in the ribs, and soon enough, the blonde found herself on the floor again. Allie was screaming at Bea, the women holding her back. It was Wentworth custom for the leaders to fight and not their followers, and therefore that rule was adhered. Juice was laying with blood gushing out of her back, her hands trying to stem the bleeding. Unknowingly, Vera was looking at the altercation on a monitor and was horrified.
She knew that inmates could get violent but to see it for herself was another thing. Bea had grabbed Sonia by the hair and grabbed her face and smashed it into her knee. The redhead then proceeded to slam her face into the glass in one of the drying machines. The women looked on in shock horror as Sonia now had blood coming out from her face as there was a gash just above her left eye. Bea was furious, she found all her anger about Debbie's overdose and had just compiled it into thrashing Sonia. If that wasn't enough, the redhead was determined to give her something that would remind her of this fight for the rest of her life.
"Hold her!" Bea yelled to Kaz who had now got up off the floor and did as she was told. Sonia was slowly losing the energy to keep fighting, but that did not resist her trying to move as Kaz held her in a headlock. Bea got the shiv and drew a sharp line down Sonia's cheek before yelling: "That's for all those nine women who've died because of you!". Surprisingly, the women started cheering for Bea and Kaz and were spurring them on. Bea knew that it wasn't going to be enough so she decided to do things the old fashioned way and dragged Sonia over to the steam press.
The woman was screaming in pain but was too tired to even fight back. "Doing this by the book" said Bea as she placed her hands in the steam press before giving a nod to Kaz. Without any hesitation, the fiery blonde pulled down on the press as it contained Sonia's hands and burnt them. The woman screamed out even louder as Juice made her way out of the laundry and presumably to medical. As Kaz lifted the steam press, Sonia fell to her hands and knees before Bea delivered a violent kick to the face.
Bea gave one look to the women and the cheering eventually died down. "Now I want you to tell the women that you're stepping down" Bea spat with venom, the older woman looking at Bea with arrogance. "Like hell" she whispered with no energy left. Kaz took it upon herself to stand on Sonia's hands before she did as she was told. "I'M STEPPING DOWN!" Sonia screamed as tears fell down her face and the burning pain was pulsing in her hands.
The woman had obviously been hurt enough and Bea gave that one look to Kaz that made her withdraw her feet off Sonia's hands. "Me and Kaz run this prison now. You fuck with either of us, and you'll end up like her. We'll go to war for every single one of you. Don't fuck us around" Bea stated, the women clapping in compliance at the new leadership role. It took all of Sonia's energy to get up and walk to medical but Bea had no remorse for her. She did not even feel guilty. She knew that her and Kaz did what they had to do to a tyrant before more people ended up dying.
"No more violence. This is the end of it!" Kaz shouted over the clapping, the women cheering. Kaz looked over with a smile at Bea. The redhead returned the gesture before shaking her hand in front of the other women. "Nice de-ja-vu, Bea" Maxine said, Bea obviously confused. "You said that before the fire. Boomer..." Maxine spoke, Bea nodding. "I guess that's the end of it then" Bea said, sighing. Liz came over to offer some support. "You just make sure that you don't get into anymore fights from now on" the older blonde said, Bea smiling.
"Are you hurt?" Allie asked as H1 was all stood round Bea. The women and Kaz had made their way out of the laundry. "No, not even a bruise" Bea stated, Allie smiling, gladly knowing that Bea had came out okay. "No more violence" Bea announced, throwing the shiv to the side. "Come on, let's go" Allie smirked, leading Bea by the hand back to H1.