Heero looked at Relena inquisitively. "How do you mean?" He asked. "What
goes on in that place?"
"It's hell." Relena repeated. "There are about twenty or so women there at the moment, but over a hundred have been admitted. No woman has ever left The Fort alive."
"But if over a hundred have been admitted?" Heero asked, not understanding.
"Most of them die of starvation." Relena said. "Or of exhaustion. Some just mysteriously disappear and the next week we walk past another grave, and others kill themselves. They try to break our spirits, and they do. But then we lose the will to live."
"How?" Heero asked.
"We get very little food and water. This makes us physically weaker and unable to resist the guards. They also make us do physical activities like running and cleaning. Because we get so little food we become weaker and weaker. But you dare not stop because if you stop an activity you are punished. One girl got whipped because she fainted due to malnutrition. She died the next week because her wounds became infected.
The conditions are terrible. Two people share a cell but we aren't allowed to communicate at all. The place is dark and dirty. Sometimes people die in their cells, but the bodies aren't removed for days. This makes the place even more disgusting. I expect the bodies are left as a reminder to work and be obedient.
If we disobey we are punished. We could have extra chores, have to do the assault course; no food or we get isolation. They put us in a dark, silent room for a day. That is the worst punishment. We call it 'Lone'.
I went in Lone five times during my stay at The Fort. It's horrible. You have no sense of time passing. You can't see or hear anything and you aren't allowed to move, you have to stay standing the whole time. You can't sense anything around you." Relena began to cry at the memory. "You feel so worthless and alone."
Heero stood up and crossed to the window. "Barbaric." He murmured.
"That's not the worst of it. There was one thing that we dreaded the most. When the Supremes visit. The Supremes are some of the most powerful officers out of all the Enforcers. They have absolute power, and they often come for inspections of The Fort." Relena explained.
"Don't they see the suffering that happens there?" Heero asked, still looking out of the window.
"Of course they do, in fact we suffer more when they come. We are drilled twice as hard and sometimes on even less food. But the worst part is that we have to obey The Supremes and carry out their orders without question, and they take advantage of this. If a Supreme selects you then you have no choice but to go with them."
"Go with them?" Heero asked, craning his neck to see down the street.
"We don't have the right to refuse them. Sometimes the girls never come back after a session with a Supreme. Those girls are lucky. I've seen some women come back with horrible diseases. One even got pregnant." Relena said, staring at the floor.
Heero whirled round, suddenly understanding what she was talking about. "They rape you?" He asked, anger spreading across his face.
"We have no means by which to resist them. It is an escape from our cells." Relena looked up to see Heero clenching his fists.
"Bastards!" Heero growled. "Did you ever.?"
"An officer selected me once, but it was at the beginning of my stay. I was strong and healthy still so I fought. I bit and scratched until I drew blood from him. I was spared.but I spent two days in Lone for my disobedience." Relena fought back tears. She heard Heero walk over to her and then felt him put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his eyes.
"I had no idea." He said faintly. "No one does. We all think that The Fort is just a prison."
"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Relena asked bitterly. At that moment they heard people walking down the street and banging on doors. Heero raced to the window and stared out.
"The guards are here." Heero said. Relena's stomach turned but she didn't say anything. Her face was set into an unreadable expression. Heero walked over to her and stood above her when a knock came at the door. Putting both hands on her shoulders, Heero pushed her backwards. She fell back, still on the chair, and groaned as she hit the floor.
Heero crossed to the door and opened it a crack. "Yes?" He asked.
"We are here on government business." A guard at the door said. "A prisoner escaped from The Prison last night. We wanted to search your house."
"I have seen the prisoner." Heero said. "If she has long blonde hair and blue eyes, then I know where she is."
"That's the one." The guard said. Relena sighed quietly from the floor. She was going to be turned in and killed.
"I saw her last night, running in the direction of the beach." Heero said. "She was probably looking for a boat or something."
"How do you know this?" The guard asked suspiciously.
"I work in the harbour." Heero said calmly. "I was walking back last night when she rushed past me. I didn't see where she went after that, because I had to get home before the storm got any worse."
"To the harbour!" The guard shouted to the other guards. "Thanks kid, good work!"
Heero watched them go before closing the door. He walked back over to where Relena lay. Gently he picked her up on the chair so that she was sitting upright again.
"You saved me!" Relena gasped. "Why didn't you turn me in?"
"Because you aren't guilty of anything." Heero walked around behind her and she felt the ropes binding her wrists together loosen. She pulled her hands away and rubbed at the tender, red marks that the ropes had made.
"Thank you." She said, standing up to face him. "But I don't even know your name."
"I am Heero Yuy." He said.
"Well Heero. I am grateful for your help. I will leave now before I cause you any more trouble." She turned to leave but Heero caught her hand.
"Leave if you want." He said. "But if you want to help me to free your friends in The Fort and fight for women's rights, then I suggest that you stay."
Relena looked at him questioningly. "How do I know that you aren't a spy waiting to turn me in the second I do something wrong?" She asked.
"You'll just have to trust me." He said. "Just as I have to trust that you have been telling the truth about the Fort." Relena smiled weakly at him and allowed him to guide her over to the table, where she ate her first proper meal in a month with Heero watching her closely.
"It's hell." Relena repeated. "There are about twenty or so women there at the moment, but over a hundred have been admitted. No woman has ever left The Fort alive."
"But if over a hundred have been admitted?" Heero asked, not understanding.
"Most of them die of starvation." Relena said. "Or of exhaustion. Some just mysteriously disappear and the next week we walk past another grave, and others kill themselves. They try to break our spirits, and they do. But then we lose the will to live."
"How?" Heero asked.
"We get very little food and water. This makes us physically weaker and unable to resist the guards. They also make us do physical activities like running and cleaning. Because we get so little food we become weaker and weaker. But you dare not stop because if you stop an activity you are punished. One girl got whipped because she fainted due to malnutrition. She died the next week because her wounds became infected.
The conditions are terrible. Two people share a cell but we aren't allowed to communicate at all. The place is dark and dirty. Sometimes people die in their cells, but the bodies aren't removed for days. This makes the place even more disgusting. I expect the bodies are left as a reminder to work and be obedient.
If we disobey we are punished. We could have extra chores, have to do the assault course; no food or we get isolation. They put us in a dark, silent room for a day. That is the worst punishment. We call it 'Lone'.
I went in Lone five times during my stay at The Fort. It's horrible. You have no sense of time passing. You can't see or hear anything and you aren't allowed to move, you have to stay standing the whole time. You can't sense anything around you." Relena began to cry at the memory. "You feel so worthless and alone."
Heero stood up and crossed to the window. "Barbaric." He murmured.
"That's not the worst of it. There was one thing that we dreaded the most. When the Supremes visit. The Supremes are some of the most powerful officers out of all the Enforcers. They have absolute power, and they often come for inspections of The Fort." Relena explained.
"Don't they see the suffering that happens there?" Heero asked, still looking out of the window.
"Of course they do, in fact we suffer more when they come. We are drilled twice as hard and sometimes on even less food. But the worst part is that we have to obey The Supremes and carry out their orders without question, and they take advantage of this. If a Supreme selects you then you have no choice but to go with them."
"Go with them?" Heero asked, craning his neck to see down the street.
"We don't have the right to refuse them. Sometimes the girls never come back after a session with a Supreme. Those girls are lucky. I've seen some women come back with horrible diseases. One even got pregnant." Relena said, staring at the floor.
Heero whirled round, suddenly understanding what she was talking about. "They rape you?" He asked, anger spreading across his face.
"We have no means by which to resist them. It is an escape from our cells." Relena looked up to see Heero clenching his fists.
"Bastards!" Heero growled. "Did you ever.?"
"An officer selected me once, but it was at the beginning of my stay. I was strong and healthy still so I fought. I bit and scratched until I drew blood from him. I was spared.but I spent two days in Lone for my disobedience." Relena fought back tears. She heard Heero walk over to her and then felt him put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his eyes.
"I had no idea." He said faintly. "No one does. We all think that The Fort is just a prison."
"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Relena asked bitterly. At that moment they heard people walking down the street and banging on doors. Heero raced to the window and stared out.
"The guards are here." Heero said. Relena's stomach turned but she didn't say anything. Her face was set into an unreadable expression. Heero walked over to her and stood above her when a knock came at the door. Putting both hands on her shoulders, Heero pushed her backwards. She fell back, still on the chair, and groaned as she hit the floor.
Heero crossed to the door and opened it a crack. "Yes?" He asked.
"We are here on government business." A guard at the door said. "A prisoner escaped from The Prison last night. We wanted to search your house."
"I have seen the prisoner." Heero said. "If she has long blonde hair and blue eyes, then I know where she is."
"That's the one." The guard said. Relena sighed quietly from the floor. She was going to be turned in and killed.
"I saw her last night, running in the direction of the beach." Heero said. "She was probably looking for a boat or something."
"How do you know this?" The guard asked suspiciously.
"I work in the harbour." Heero said calmly. "I was walking back last night when she rushed past me. I didn't see where she went after that, because I had to get home before the storm got any worse."
"To the harbour!" The guard shouted to the other guards. "Thanks kid, good work!"
Heero watched them go before closing the door. He walked back over to where Relena lay. Gently he picked her up on the chair so that she was sitting upright again.
"You saved me!" Relena gasped. "Why didn't you turn me in?"
"Because you aren't guilty of anything." Heero walked around behind her and she felt the ropes binding her wrists together loosen. She pulled her hands away and rubbed at the tender, red marks that the ropes had made.
"Thank you." She said, standing up to face him. "But I don't even know your name."
"I am Heero Yuy." He said.
"Well Heero. I am grateful for your help. I will leave now before I cause you any more trouble." She turned to leave but Heero caught her hand.
"Leave if you want." He said. "But if you want to help me to free your friends in The Fort and fight for women's rights, then I suggest that you stay."
Relena looked at him questioningly. "How do I know that you aren't a spy waiting to turn me in the second I do something wrong?" She asked.
"You'll just have to trust me." He said. "Just as I have to trust that you have been telling the truth about the Fort." Relena smiled weakly at him and allowed him to guide her over to the table, where she ate her first proper meal in a month with Heero watching her closely.