Part 5

The hack led him to one of the benches outside Mc Manus's office.

"You wanna sit or stand?" He asked.

"Sit," Ryan replied, relieved that they had finally stopped since his leg wouldn't carry him much further without a rest.

" That should be 'I´d like to sit please, sir,' to you. You just don't have any manners at all do you?"

Ryan didn't feel like arguing, so he simply sat down, keeping his mouth shut. The hack fastened the cuffs to the bench.

Then there was the waiting...

Ryan wondered if they did that on purpose, just to make him more nervous about things... He was almost certain they did. This time he was too tired to be nervous though.

He closed his eyes, and leaning towards the back of the bench, slumbered.

All of a sudden he was awakened by someone speaking to him. Thinking it might be one of the hacks, he was a bit startled.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Hey, hey! Sorry if I bothered you... I just haven't seen you before, so I thought I´d say hello, seeing since we are both waiting."

Standing before him was a rather tall slim man with blue eyes and brown- blond long curly hair. By the accent he sounded like he was foreign.

"You English?" Ryan replied.

"Yup. Well from the beginning that is. I moved here 7 years ago, and now, well, I'm kind of stuck." The man said with a sad grin on his face.

"Yeah," Ryan said, in sympathy.

Feeling he ought to add something more to the conversation and feeling a certain trust towards the man, Ryan added" My mum and dad's Irish."

"Nice," the guy replied.

Then they fell into silence again, until the man said: "So why are you here."

Ryan didn't feel like dragging his rapsheet up again and so he remained quiet.

"Not the talkative type, are you? I'm here for grand theft. Stole a painting and some other things. 10-15," the guy volunteered.

Ryan looked up at him.

Yup, seems like the type, one of those intellectual hoity-toity bastards, he though.

Not that he had anything against the guy. He seemed decent.

"So why are you waiting to see Mc Manus?" The guy asked.

Knowing that knocking a cop could make you look tougher that you were, Ryan told the man about knocking out Jones. He left out the bit about it being an accident though.

"Shit!" the man said. "So, normally that would have you sent to isolation for a year or so. Seeing since you at least get the chance to defend yourself I guess you're in the CP-program then, 'alternative punishment' and all that?" the man asked.

"Yeah. Something like that," Ryan said, not really wanting to think about it himself.

"Wow! then you're going to have one hell of a tough time in the torture chamber! At least if I know Mc Manus right."

" Torture chamber? " Ryan asked, worried, not quite being able to sound as sure of him self as he wanted.

"Yeah, well the 'punishment-room' is what the officials call it. Where they deal out most of the corporal punishments..."

"Oh." Ryan definately hadn't expected this and, not having been prepared for anything like this, he didn't know what to say about it.

"So what did you do then?" he asked the man.

" Me? I just had a package sent to me."

The man smiled a crooked smile.

"Yeah, sure."

Ryan smiled.

"So what did it contain then, this package of yours?"

"Oh nothing much...Just about 20 packs of cigarettes, that's all."

Ryan smiled at the man's faked innocence.

This might be a useful guy to know.

"So basically, my only problem, is that they don't allow smokes here since Mc Manus arrived," the guy said, laughed and shrugged.

"Yeah."

Ryan smiled at him.

"The name is Vance by the way, Jonathan Vance."

The man said and stretched out his hand. Ryan looked over at his own hands cuffed to the bench

"Oh! Sorry," the man said.

"That's all right," O'reily said. "I'm O'reily, Ryan."

An angry looking head stuck out of one of the offices, not Mc Manus's though.

"VANCE, with me, NOW!"

"Got to run," the man said. "Pleased to meet you!" He yelled down the hall while walking nonchalantly towards the office of who ever it was.

"You too!" Ryan yelled back.

A couple of minutes later, Ryan was called in to the office of Mc Manus the Almighty to have his judgement laid upon him.

"So... Here we go again O'reily... You've been out of the hole for less than 24 hours, and you've already managed to knock down an officer... Not a smart move," Mc Manus said.

Ryan said nothing, wanting to know where this was going before he said anything. He would most certainly not confess to being scared of what was going to happen to him, nor did he want to apologize...

The thought of having the crap beaten out of him didn't appeal to him either though...

"Well, since you are now officially part of Jones's program I have three choices. I can either give you an extra year or so on your punishment...In your case I guess that wouldn't matter much though since you're in for life..."

Ryan was actually very relieved that Mc Manus would not do so, he still had some silly hope that one day he might get his parole back.

"...So that leaves me with two choices: I could send you to the hole or isolation for anywhere from two months and up to two years..."

The thought of two years, or even two months in the hole made Ryan quake on the inside, outwardly he tried to show nothing.

"...I'm not sure that would do any kind of good, seeing since you've already spent a lot of time in there, and you don't seem to benefit very much from it..."

How could anyone benefit from being locked up in a cold, dark concrete room with no one around? Ryan wondered.

"...So I'm going to be lenient on you, this time and this time only, partly because I would like to see if officer Jones can put some sense in you one way or the other, with this new program of his."

Ryan held his breath.

" I'm going to let you get away with 7 strokes with one of the so called "boards". Now this is a very mild punishment for such a severe offence, and you should count yourself very lucky! Officer Johnson, whom I think you met the day you got booked, will take you to the punishment room and administer the punishment, I will be there to oversee it."

Fucking hell! So I get to have my ass kicked in front of Mc Manus, and I SHOULD COUNT MYSELF LUCKY ! Ryan thought.

He was still too dazed too take in what would really happen to him.

"Since you have already visited the doctor one time today and he has assured me that you are perfectly fit to stand this kind of punishment, we won't take you there for a check-up as is procedure otherwise, We'll go strait to the punishment room," Mc Manus added.

Ryan was lead out by Officer Johnson, the man who had done the body cavity search and had wanted to scrub him to pieces the day he was booked... Granted he had been scrubbed red by Jones instead, but that didn't make him like Johnson more!

Being led down the hall, he started to envision what was going to happen.

Surely it can't be that bad, I mean he did say it was a lenient sentence, Ryan thought. Still there was doubt in his mind...

They walked down the stairs to the basement, where they apparently had the laundry room and such. He was lead down the hall and then stopped in front of a huge iron door, with a sign on it saying: 'punishment-room'. The guard put the key in the door turned it an opened the door. Ryan was roughly pushed in.

The room was whitewashed, big and sterile. It had nothing in it, except for an abundance of contraptions, which looked like they had come strait out of the seventeen- and eighteen-hundreds. Most of them looked like you where supposed to be strapped into them in order for them to restrain you.

There was also a huge locker standing along one wall. Mc Manus walked over to it, got the key out, and opened it. He then started searching for something in it. What Ryan saw when Mc Manus opened it really scared him!

In the locker was an impressing amount of gadgets, most of the neatly hung each in its own spot, or so it seemed.

The thing that had scared Ryan so though, was the fact that most of the "instruments" looked like something used to drive cattle with. And he came to the conclusion that cow skin is much thicker and not half as sensitive as human skin!

He didn't get much more time to think though, since Mc Manus had now found what he was looking for.

"All right, let's get this show on the road then shall we? Have you ever received corporal punishment before O'reily?"

"What the fuck is it to you!" O'reily said, trying hard to steady his voice.

However crazy it might seem, him being catholic and all, his stepmother had made sure that he had gone to a "progressive" school that had abolished corporal punishment before he got there. Maybe she had figured what they got from their father was more than enough.

Mc Manus sighed. "That should still be 'no, sir I haven't or yes' sir, I have' to you. Oh well, I suppose we're taking one step in order to get you to behave yourself, with this."

He then walked over to one of the contraptions, which looked like a long table with leather pads towards one of the end. It was covered at the same end, and had restraints on it, four at the covered end and two at the other end, which was facing the wall.

"Now, I don't know whether it's necessary to restrain you when administering the punishment, but considering what you did to officer Jones, I won't take any chances."

Shit! They're going to strap med down again!

He had expected this to be over with quickly and without too much discomfort. After all, he had knocked around at home quite a bit.

However, Being beaten in front of Mc Manus, being strapped down and not able or allowed to run away or protect himself from the blows was something else. Besides, even though his father's hands had made som real damage in their days, most of the things in that cupboard looked as though they would an equally big damage or even more and the fact that Ryan knew the pain of being beaten didn't mean he felt more resilient against the kinds of tools they seemed to be using in here, or less scared; in fact, it was more the opposite.

Ryan suddenly got more nervous. He wanted to tell Mc Manus that he hadn't knocked Jones out on purpose, but it was to late for that now, as he heard Mc Manus saying "All right then, O'reily, come here."

He did, with a great deal of hesitation.

" Pull down you pants and briefs and place your feet and knees in the restraints please."

Ryan was suddenly reminded of the day he was booked. He was starting to feel a bit shaky, but managed to muster up more confidence, thinking: it can't be that bad. Besides, it's just seven blows.

He once again complied to Mc Manus's orders, and so, his legs were strapped tightly against the table. The guard pulled his shirt up on his back and added a stiff aluminum belt over his kidneys.

"All right, now your arms... Bend forward, over the bench, put out your arms and put them in the restraints."

Ryan was thinking that he should be used to this now, being strapped down. But it was still horribly unnerving to him.

Oh fuck! Oh god! Breath O'reily, breath! Just stay calm. It'll be over in a heartbeat, don't worry... FUCK I don't want to do this!

"Come on O'reily... We don't have all morning."

After taking a few deep breaths and sighing equally as deeply, O'reily stretched forward, resting his upper body on the top of the table, stretched his hands forward and put his wrists in the restraints, barely being able to stop himself from pulling them back again!

Johnson put an extra restraining belt over the upper part of his back tying it to the bench, and fastened his wrists, very tightly. There he was again, at their mercy. The thought was even scarier than it had been in the infirmary.

McManus brought forward the thing he had been extracting from the locker. It was a 20 inches long (not counting the handle,) 6 inches wide and half inch thick board, which looked a bit like a cricket-bat or a plank with a handle, only it had it had 8 half inch wide holes drilled at each side and in the middle of it.

Ryan knew it would hurt, but he tried to convince himself it couldn't be all that bad. Still, he wasn't looking forward to it...

Mc Manus gave the board to Johnson and stood at the top end of the table, where O'reily's head was, but a few feet away. Johnson positioned himself about two feet behind O'reily and O'reily saw him lift them board halfway to his shoulder.

" OK O'reily, look strait ahead on the wall. At no point are you to look back at Johnson. Since this is your first time, I'll allow some sound from you, but don't scream, or you'll get extra blows. Understood?"

O'reily couldn't talk; he didn't trust his voice to be steady. He just swallowed down hard and nodded. He faced the whitewashed wall, and took a deep breath.

Mc Manus then said: "When you're ready," to Johnson.

Never mind when I´m ready! O'reily though.

He didn't have time to think anything else.

Just when he couldn't hold his breath any longer, he felt the gust of wind. He felt the board smacking into his hind, and then... nothing... until a few seconds later, and OH GOD did it hurt!

He managed not to scream though.

Just when he was getting to be a bit proud that he hadn't, he felt the second gust, and then this time he FELT the blow, right below the first one.

"AOU! YOU FUCKING CUNT BASTARDS!" he screamed on top of his lungs.

" O'reily, what did I tell you about screaming?" Mc Manus asked

O'reily couldn't have answered if he had wanted. He was too busy fighting of the pain and trying to stop panting.

Oh Fuck! Not more, not more you fucking cocksucker! He though to himself.

"All right. I'll be nice to you this time, since it's you first, but this is your final warning, no more screaming! I'm not asking you to be absolutely quiet, but no more screaming."

He then turned to Johnson. "You can continue when you feel like it, Johnson."

"Yes sir," the hack replied.

Ryan saw, in the corner of his eye, the board being lifted, and braced himself.

The third blow landed between the other two, overlapping them both.

"OUHG!"

He managed to keep his mouth closed while reacting to the awful pain, the worst so far. And there where more to come...

They're not even fucking halfway through!

That was all he had time to think before the next one, equally as painful.

How many are they up to? How many left? I can't take much more of thi... OH FUUCK!

"OUGH!"

The next one landed, and before he had time to catch his breath, another.

That must have been the last!

It wasn't...

OH BLOODY FUCKING CHRIST!

That had been the worst one.

Make them stop!

As an answer to his somewhat unusual prayer, Ryan saw the guard lowering his arm.

" How was it O'reily?" Mc Manus said, voice taunting.

Ryan hoped Mc Manus wasn't set on getting an answer this time either, because he couldn't give one. He was too much caught up in the pain and humiliation and trying to get his breathing back to normal.

"All right, you can turn him loose now, but fetch one of the other guards before, he's probably going to need one on each side to steady him."

"I'll go now, O´reily, but I seriously recommend you thinking this, and your current situation over tonight!"

Ryan bit his lip.

Mc Manus then left.

A couple of seconds later, so did the hack, presumably to fetch another, or so Ryan hoped.

He wouldn't just leave me here, would he!

After being left alone restrained in the infirmary this morning, Ryan wasn't sure. Luckily, Johnson came back a minutes later with another hack in tow.

"All right O'reily, I'm going to let you loose now, but we don't want any trouble or there will be more of where this came from!" Johnson said, briefly lifting the board from the wall, which it was tilted towards.

I won't fucking breath until you tell me, you bastard! Ryan thought, angry.

Johnson loosened his feet and knees from the shackles. He removed the strap that had held his upper back, the metal belt around his kidneys, and then finally the restraints around his wrists. Ryan quickly tried to straighten up, only to find out just how awfully painful it was. He had to stop halfway.

"Come on, O'reily, we don't have all day!"

He made another effort and with a big groan managed to straighten up into standing position again, holding on to the table. When he tried to let go however, his knees wouldn't carry him, partly because of the pain, and partly because the exhaustion, and from still not having eaten anything at all.

The hacks helped him turn around and lean, painfully, with his ass against the table.

"You want us to help you get your pants up!" Johnson asked harshly.

"I'll manage, thank you!" Ryan replied cockily.

He barely did.

"All right, can you stand on your own now?"

"Of course I can!"

The let him go, and he nearly fell to the floor.

"Apparently not. Williams, please steady the prisoner by his arm as I put the cuffs on."

Williams took a steady supportive hold under Ryan's arm, something Ryan was actually quite grateful for.

"O'reily, arms out!"

O'reily slowly put his arms out, hoping the grip Williams had on him could help him stand. Luckily it could, and O'reily was cuffed.

"We'll leave the shackles out this time," Johnson stated, sounding like he was being really nice.

"OK, off we go then," he said, took hold of Ryan's other arm, and helped him to move forward.

It was an excruciatingly long and painful walk before they reached the hole.

"Officer Williams will help you stand while you take of your clothes." Johnson said

Ryan managed to get his shirt of, and the hacks helped him with the socks, as he had trouble bending down. Then there were the trousers and the briefs... It took quite a while, but in the end he managed to get them of by himself.

" You want to sit, stand, or lay down?"

"Lay down," Ryan groaned.

"Though so," the hack said.

They helped him to lie down, on his stomach.

" Now do as MC Manus told you to and start thinking about the situation you're in!"

They then walked out and slammed the door.

And so Ryan was alone, with only his pain as company.

A few hours later lunch came, just the usual though, and as he wasn't hungry, (nor could he sit up comfortably to eat,) he sent them away.

Fuck! I hate this shit! He thought.

Eventually he managed to fall asleep though, hind aching and all.

Jones woke up at 12 o'clock.

Oh dear! I must have slept hard! What time is it?

He looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

OH GOD! Twelve O'clock! Poor O'reily! I have to get Mc Manus to get him out!

He got up, head spinning, and got dressed.

"Officer Jones, you're up!" the doctor said, surprised.

"Yes," Jones said, still a bit confused.

"Well, it's nice to see that you are feeling better, but I think you had better rest a bit longer before getting up, that is a serious concussion you have."

"Yes, well, I really need to go see Mc Manus," Jones said, urgently. "Can I go, do you think?"

"Well, if it's that important to you I suppose you could. But if you start feeling sick or dizzy I want you to come strait to the infirmary and contact me! And after you've done whatever is it you need to do, go home, and stay home for at least two days, I don't want to see you here until Friday at the earliest, understood?" the doctor said smiling.

"Yes, sir!" Jones said and smiled himself.

Jones started heading out of the ward, but then turned and said, "Oh! By the way doctor, was Ryan O'reily in here this morning?"

The doctor frowned and said: "Yes, he was. I treated him for some wound on his knee...Damn ungrateful bastard!"

"How is his knee?" Jones said, wondering why the doctor was so mad at O'reily.

"Well, it's infected, but I think he might be able to do without antibiotics. Tell me Jones, why this interest for the man that knocked you down in cold blood, nearly killing you?"

" Oh no! He didn't! You see doctor..." The guard started, telling the doctor about the accident.

"Oh dear!" The doctor said when Jones had finished his story. "Oh dear, oh dear! Jones, I think that something quite bad has happened..."

"What?" Jones asked, a bit startled by the look on the doctor's face.

"Well, you see... After he had been to me, he got towed off by one of the guards to Mc Manus's office, and well, a few minutes later Mc Manus called me here in the clinic, asking if O'reily was fit to receive a corporal punishment..."

"Oh god!" Jones said. " I really must fix this! Thank you doctor," he said, rushing of as fast as he could towards Mc Manus's office.

When he got out of Mc Manus's office, he had to calm down a bit...

Darn stupid concussion getting in the way of everything!

He couldn't blame Mc Manus though. He would probably have done the same. Now he had to concentrate on getting O'reily out of the hole though... Even if the unit manager had had actually suggested that they leave him in there, since he had been so cocky lately. It didn't seem fair though Jones thought. Besides, he wanted to get to work on the program with the young man.

He walked down the hall towards the hole... Not quite knowing what to expect...It was now thee o'clock and O'reily was probably furious, with some right of course, but still he didn't want the boy to get any ideas!

" So, you ready to come out yet, O'reily?" sounding correct.

"Oh."

O'reily hadn't notice the door opening, he had enjoyed his well-deserved sleep too much, when he had finally found it that was...

Waking up to a night of pain didn't seem like something he'd want to do.

"What?" He said, sounding like he didn't really care what the guard had to say.

"Are you ready to come out now?"

" Yes."

Uttered cockily, mask back on again...

There is no need for him to know you where worried about him...

"Good, put these clothes on then," the guard said, throwing him a bundle.

Keep it stern Thomas. Don't let him get any ideas about you caring about him...

Ryan put on his shirt, his socks and then, painstakingly, his briefs and pants, while doing his very best not to scream out in pain.

"Don't forget to tuck you shirt in and button the last three buttons!" the guard reminded him.

I should have known by now, that he would fucking say that... O'reily thought. Then again I've spent most my time in this fucking place without clothes!

"Now this time, I suggest you try behaving yourself for a change!" the hack nagged O'reily as they walked pack to the cell, O'reily limping, walking carefully and twisting his face with every move, the guard afterwards to push him forward.

O'reily didn't answer, thinking: here we go again...