Chapter 9
2002 October 16, Hansen Island
The door slid open and she stepped out into the bright midday sun onto the walkway down to expansive concrete of the airfield.
Once more her two courteous guards helped her, Smith carrying her briefcase and Gresham covering the front protectively as they made their way inside the austere facility.
She slipped back slightly as her company greeted the security at the doors, flashing of badges and documents ensued as she impatiently waited behind nervous of the next stage.
Afraid too, of the possibility of failure. To come so far, and to have succeed at it, to lose it all now would shake her faith in the goodness left in the world. If there was a god she felt he should allow this one act to take place. For the suffering that had occurred already, in that other time, had been bad enough to show her the darker side of what she knew as life. She didn't need any more lessons to prove that the pretentious and self-righteous pricks like Kline and co existed. Everything had revealed it bluntly enough over the past few months.
She snapped out of her daydream as Smith guided her forward, his hand in the small of her back. She hesitated, at the strangeness of his action but carried on trying not to shy away. Acting normal was putting a strain on her emotion, mainly because acting normal is incredibly difficult at the best of times- no one can be sure what constitutes it - and when you're about to do what she intended to do its even worse a predicament.
She paused at the security desk. Emptying her pockets into a tray as all four government employees looked on. She fiddled around deliberately looking unsure of whether that was everything. Finally she expressed a sign of relief and resigned to being certain she'd put it all - every little piece - into the inconspicuous black plastic tray.
After the quick nod of approval from the security official she made her way slowly up the hall to the gates where the prison began. As she heard the tinkling of Gresham and Smith subjected to the same check as she had been, she fiddled with the hem of her jacket idly loosening the thread as she took small steps towards the next guard.
She walked so slowly, Gresham and smith managed to catch up with her, only to wait on one side of the gate as the Hansen island guard escorted her into the maze of whitewashed walls and gut wrenching screams of madness.
~
Led up several hundreds of metres of corridor, the guard finally silently stopped and drew the hatch back, shouting grouchily into the room "Oi! You! Got a suit to see you, Parker. Behave nicely for her won't ya."
The guard huffed at opening the heavy door and looked at her accusingly as she passed into the agonisingly plain cell.
She saw him. With his eyes stabbing into her figure as he realised she'd come to him. Had he been waiting? She wondered, as he storkily got up, seemingly amazed at her appearance. Had he given up on the idea? On her?
"Olga?" his voice scratched her name out into the silence, rough and raw as it seemed, sounding like it was either under or overused.
She examined his face, a beard now on it and his hair ruffled and longer than before. But not as long as it should have been, indicating to her it had been badly cut sometime in the last month.
He caught her looking at his hair and his face broke into a devilish grin as he joked about it. "Like the haircut? I did it myself."
Her face pained at seeing him like this. Suddenly in good spirits but knowing that life had been hell for him before.
He sobered up when she didn't smile at his small amusement. His face immediately mirrored hers in a concern. "Why are you here"
She approached him, wary of the camera in the corner, putting his body in the way of its view. Only then did she whisper emphatically her words.
"To save you."
His face flashed with confusion as she neared him. Perhaps he wondered why she had to say it like that, why she wore a saddened look. The reason why was so simple. An open apology for what she had to do. One she couldn't voice aloud was only said by eyes alone and by how she felt at that moment.
Her hand grasped at the final stitching and the packet dropped into her curled hand as she drew towards him still. She glanced around, fully away from the camera and from frank's look. Quickly she tore the corner and took out the contents, hiding them the one place that was left to hide them from both observers and in the one place where they needed to be for this to work.
A few seconds after she rushed around and grasped frank parkers body harshly. She wasn't sure what went through his head as she held onto to him, meeting her lips to his tightly. It was for sure that he wouldn't understand, not now. He had no way of knowing what it meant and why it happened but as she opened her lips and forced her tongue into his mouth, she saw his eyes widen in a strangled sort of joy. In an unexplained happiness that what he'd always pressured her for had become reality. That was why she knew she could be forgiven. With that she moved the tablets over in his possession, withdrawing afterwards and covering over his mouth and nose. He struggled slightly at the unexpectedness of what she had done. His breath taken away by her sudden kiss, he had no choice but to swallow down the pills.
When she was sure he'd had them she walked backwards, giving him space. None of it, except the kiss would be on tape - all actions obscured into that one event.
But this would be what they'd come for. Running down the racing corridors, footsteps echoing along with the worried calls ahead. Voices louder and more worried when they entered. Seeing what she saw right now in the minute after. He'd not had time to ask any questions before the convulsions. He clutched at his chest, straining for breath, clasping at air in front of him for help as she merely stood on by.
The guards rushing in around her. Raising the alarm for a doctor. Panic in their tones, not for concern but for their jobs. She stood at the side whilst they tried to raise his body, shaking at him, willing him to be alive as she would if she could. They ignored signs, wispy last breaths drawn as they'd first seen him like that and the subsiding beat of his pulse.
She stood motionless as he, apart from that one difference. She shed breath slowly in an effort to stay calm as she recited the new truth.
"Gentlemen. The prisoner is dead"
~
2002 October 16, Hansen Island
The door slid open and she stepped out into the bright midday sun onto the walkway down to expansive concrete of the airfield.
Once more her two courteous guards helped her, Smith carrying her briefcase and Gresham covering the front protectively as they made their way inside the austere facility.
She slipped back slightly as her company greeted the security at the doors, flashing of badges and documents ensued as she impatiently waited behind nervous of the next stage.
Afraid too, of the possibility of failure. To come so far, and to have succeed at it, to lose it all now would shake her faith in the goodness left in the world. If there was a god she felt he should allow this one act to take place. For the suffering that had occurred already, in that other time, had been bad enough to show her the darker side of what she knew as life. She didn't need any more lessons to prove that the pretentious and self-righteous pricks like Kline and co existed. Everything had revealed it bluntly enough over the past few months.
She snapped out of her daydream as Smith guided her forward, his hand in the small of her back. She hesitated, at the strangeness of his action but carried on trying not to shy away. Acting normal was putting a strain on her emotion, mainly because acting normal is incredibly difficult at the best of times- no one can be sure what constitutes it - and when you're about to do what she intended to do its even worse a predicament.
She paused at the security desk. Emptying her pockets into a tray as all four government employees looked on. She fiddled around deliberately looking unsure of whether that was everything. Finally she expressed a sign of relief and resigned to being certain she'd put it all - every little piece - into the inconspicuous black plastic tray.
After the quick nod of approval from the security official she made her way slowly up the hall to the gates where the prison began. As she heard the tinkling of Gresham and Smith subjected to the same check as she had been, she fiddled with the hem of her jacket idly loosening the thread as she took small steps towards the next guard.
She walked so slowly, Gresham and smith managed to catch up with her, only to wait on one side of the gate as the Hansen island guard escorted her into the maze of whitewashed walls and gut wrenching screams of madness.
~
Led up several hundreds of metres of corridor, the guard finally silently stopped and drew the hatch back, shouting grouchily into the room "Oi! You! Got a suit to see you, Parker. Behave nicely for her won't ya."
The guard huffed at opening the heavy door and looked at her accusingly as she passed into the agonisingly plain cell.
She saw him. With his eyes stabbing into her figure as he realised she'd come to him. Had he been waiting? She wondered, as he storkily got up, seemingly amazed at her appearance. Had he given up on the idea? On her?
"Olga?" his voice scratched her name out into the silence, rough and raw as it seemed, sounding like it was either under or overused.
She examined his face, a beard now on it and his hair ruffled and longer than before. But not as long as it should have been, indicating to her it had been badly cut sometime in the last month.
He caught her looking at his hair and his face broke into a devilish grin as he joked about it. "Like the haircut? I did it myself."
Her face pained at seeing him like this. Suddenly in good spirits but knowing that life had been hell for him before.
He sobered up when she didn't smile at his small amusement. His face immediately mirrored hers in a concern. "Why are you here"
She approached him, wary of the camera in the corner, putting his body in the way of its view. Only then did she whisper emphatically her words.
"To save you."
His face flashed with confusion as she neared him. Perhaps he wondered why she had to say it like that, why she wore a saddened look. The reason why was so simple. An open apology for what she had to do. One she couldn't voice aloud was only said by eyes alone and by how she felt at that moment.
Her hand grasped at the final stitching and the packet dropped into her curled hand as she drew towards him still. She glanced around, fully away from the camera and from frank's look. Quickly she tore the corner and took out the contents, hiding them the one place that was left to hide them from both observers and in the one place where they needed to be for this to work.
A few seconds after she rushed around and grasped frank parkers body harshly. She wasn't sure what went through his head as she held onto to him, meeting her lips to his tightly. It was for sure that he wouldn't understand, not now. He had no way of knowing what it meant and why it happened but as she opened her lips and forced her tongue into his mouth, she saw his eyes widen in a strangled sort of joy. In an unexplained happiness that what he'd always pressured her for had become reality. That was why she knew she could be forgiven. With that she moved the tablets over in his possession, withdrawing afterwards and covering over his mouth and nose. He struggled slightly at the unexpectedness of what she had done. His breath taken away by her sudden kiss, he had no choice but to swallow down the pills.
When she was sure he'd had them she walked backwards, giving him space. None of it, except the kiss would be on tape - all actions obscured into that one event.
But this would be what they'd come for. Running down the racing corridors, footsteps echoing along with the worried calls ahead. Voices louder and more worried when they entered. Seeing what she saw right now in the minute after. He'd not had time to ask any questions before the convulsions. He clutched at his chest, straining for breath, clasping at air in front of him for help as she merely stood on by.
The guards rushing in around her. Raising the alarm for a doctor. Panic in their tones, not for concern but for their jobs. She stood at the side whilst they tried to raise his body, shaking at him, willing him to be alive as she would if she could. They ignored signs, wispy last breaths drawn as they'd first seen him like that and the subsiding beat of his pulse.
She stood motionless as he, apart from that one difference. She shed breath slowly in an effort to stay calm as she recited the new truth.
"Gentlemen. The prisoner is dead"
~