Chapter 36

Day 09

"And this was the best plan they could come up with." Morgan grumbled.

The best plan they could come up with involved trusting a prison inspector. According to Xetvis he was trustworthy because his wife had been infected, had been taken to a workhouse, and had not survived her first week. The desire for revenge made someone trustworthy apparently.

Said prison inspector was an officer, of course. Morgan and Maddox had been issued regular guard uniforms, local weapons with ammo, and been given a quick drilling on how two "assistants" to an inspector ought to behave. Now they were on their way to Workhouse 8 where they were going to be welcomed if not with open arms then, at least, with grudging respect. "It's the best way we could find to get you in there." Maddox said.

"I've got their pictures. Why not send it with someone who can speak their language?"

"Because sometimes the faction leaders disfigure their members. Break their facial bones, give them burn scars, things like that."

That sounded familiar. "One of our victims came back like that." Morgan said. "Why?"

"In theory it keeps the guards from getting ideas."

"Ideas?"

Most of the people who become guards are sick perverts looking for victims. Once you're known as infected you're not human anymore, no one outside of your work group cares what happens to you."

Morgan nodded, "Sadists with a ready made victim pool. I'm tracking. So the disfiguring is supposed to lower their victim profile, makes sense. You think they would have done Reid and JJ? Never mind." JJ was a classic beauty and Reid was pretty enough to be a girl. "Pictures aren't going to get it done."

"Nope. We're going late in the day so you can see both shifts as they go in and out of the dorms. Hopefully you can spot your people or they will spot you. Once we know where they are we can plan a raid. Just don't be surprised if the locals invite us to join in the party. Everyone is supposed to approve."

"If everyone is complicit no one can give the game away. Anyone who refuses is suspect." Morgan felt sick. "How much will they want us to join in?"

"Hopefully not much," Maddox looked out the window as the car turned off the main road. "Remember, we're not here to fight the whole planet. Stay focused on the mission."

"Got it." But could he? Morgan had to wonder. Could he turn his back on a victim and focus or JJ and Reid?

Maddox noticed his hesitation and growled. "I mean it Agent."

"I got it."

They pulled up in front of a brick building the size of a stadium that seemed to be attached to a factory of some kind, took positions and followed the inspector in. The set up was simple, the inspector would do a spot check of the books, something they expected to happen randomly. While he was doing that he would suggest that someone show his men around, they were new and all. Maddox would chat up their tour guide while Morgan looked for JJ and Reid. The inspector would keep them there through the shift change, then they would head out. Simple.

And it all went according to plan. Entering the place was little different from entering any other prison, something Morgan had done for years. They were turned over to some junior officer who gave them the grand tour of the place. He seemed quite proud of their dining hall, which was decorated with trophies and banners won at tournaments, historical pictures, nothing unusual. What was unusual were the strange objects on the floor. Maddox had told the guard that Morgan couldn't speak, so he couldn't ask, but on closer inspection he figured it out. Hopefully neither Reid nor JJ had ever been brought to a hall like this or they might not get them back all the way.

Maddox must have told the guard that they wanted to see a shift change. About the time a low whistle blew they found themselves on a catwalk overlooking a wide, long hall that funneled people into and out of the sleeping area. Said area was also familiar to Morgan, it looked a lot like the gyms at prisons out in the west, converted into large, overcrowded dorms only this was about four times that size. It was full of unwashed, miserable people, now pushing their way out to get to the factory. But there was no overly tall doctor, no petite blonde with good moves. After a few another crowd pushed in to the space next door, but again, no one familiar. When Maddox looked over Morgan had to shake his head. One down.

Then they offered them a tour of the factory. Morgan shrugged, his work here was done, whatever fit the situation until they could get out of here.

Turned out the place was some kind of steel mill.

Now as Morgan understood it these were supposed to be chronically sick people. Granted Maddox and his men seemed just fine, but he could chalk that up to being in excellent condition when they started and having the finest care available. And the people back at the camp seemed all right, but he hadn't seen many of them, the sick ones could be in their beds for all he knew. What he did know was that he wouldn't wish these jobs on the worst Unsubs they had ever found. At every turn he found people working in horrible conditions, people too old and too young and too frail to be doing the work. At some stations people were repeatedly sprayed with what had to be a toxic mix of water and oils and chemicals until they were soaked, over and over again, moving so frantically to keep up with the machines that they didn't even have time to wipe their faces. At another, red hot bars of metals moved inches above their heads, Morgan could see the constant fear in their eyes and the sweat dripping from their bodies but they could not stop for an instant. He could tell that bathroom breaks didn't happen and he would be surprised if they got lunch or anything at all. And then he remembered what Maddox said about his sense of smell and he had to wonder about other senses and the reek of hot metal and chemicals and the constant ringing din and the sharp contrast between light and dark. Work could be torture and this was.

But it didn't get really bad until the tour took them up on the catwalks.

They were on a high one, looking over an immense hall with three gigantic machines at one end. It was dark up here but hot as hell, if he was a turkey he'd be well on his way to the holiday table. But as he looked around and Maddox made idle chatter with their guide he watched six other guards, laughing amongst themselves, dragging three prisoners, two women and a man, along a catwalk lower down and much closer to those machines. Much, much closer to those machines. He elbowed Maddox who looked and went back to his discussion. A moment later their guide went down to ask the other guards what was going on. "He said to put these on." Maddox said, handing Morgan some safety goggles. "We're going to see something soon."

"Like what? What are they doing?"

"He said they were teaching them who to be afraid of here."

"Oh that can't be good."

As they watched the three prisoners were dragged out to a small bump out in the catwalk directly over one of the machines. They were chained up spread eagled, facing the machines. Morgan turned away, he knew what was coming the moment he saw the knives, and while everyone else might watch as their clothes were cut away he didn't feel the need to add to the eyes watching. Their cries were already tearing at his nerves.

"Focus on the mission, Agent." Maddox growled.

"I got it."

A few minutes later a warning alarm sounded. Morgan and Maddox put on their safety goggles and looked over at the giant machine in front of them.

A moment later the giant machine...the giant furnace...started pouring off the molten hot steel directly in front of them. A waterfall of fire started raining down to the floor below.

Morgan heard a strange yelping sound beside him. He turned and saw Maddox mesmerized by the sight, frozen in terror, his eyes wide and unable to move. As he watched Morgan could swear Maddox's eyes turned from baby blue to a brilliant, unnatural amber. "Maddox. Maddox! Hold it together!" He grabbed the other man's arm, getting his focus on him. "Breathe, all right! Breathe! You got to keep it together, man! You got this!"

Morgan's focus was on Maddox until the furnace finally ran down and the waterfall of fire stopped. Then the other man finally started to relax. Morgan watched as his eyes bled back to blue once more. "I got it." Maddox finally said. "I'm good."

"Good." Morgan turned his attention back to the prisoners on the catwalk. What he saw there made him glad he didn't have an eidetic memory. Their guide came back and said something, which Maddox replied to, but just then another guard called to them. Maddox tugged his arm and they left, rejoining the inspector and heading out.

It wasn't until they got in the car that they spoke again. "That was interesting." Maddox said.

"Interesting?" Morgan was incensed. This was a society gone completely, utterly wrong. He wanted to put each and every guard away for an Unsub and toss the keys in the furnace.

"The guide said they would get their sight back if they were pleasing enough." Maddox replied. "Don't let me forget to tell Xetvis about that."

Morgan didn't speak to him the rest of the trip back to camp.