Cafeteria

While in line she had once again to deal with cat calls, compliments, and death threats. They didn't seem to brother her; it was Cyril's reaction to the words around him. Although he understand them being said, he didn't necessary understand what the meant or what they were yelling them at Joey.

This thought alone began to worry her. She didn't want to upset Cyril. She didn't even know what his reaction would be when he's upset. She had to remind himself that he was in prison after all. Which meant that he'd done something violent, and that violent aspect fuelled by her own doubts. Now that was a dangerous combination.

"So, have you met my brother yet?" Cyril asked from his position behind Joey in line. He'd already decided that he liked her. She didn't make fun of him like the rest of the people.

"I might have had the pleasure" Joey commented more to herself then to him. She didn't know for sure, since she'd met a lot of "nice" folks here.

"His name's Ryan" Cyril said and started looking out into the see of people for his brother. Not remembering that Ryan always worked lunches in the kitchen serving the food.

"Well I wasn't introduced with names" Joey said and walked out of the covered café to the sitting area.

"Wow, we finally got ourselves a woman" one voice called out he was from the general population, one could easily tell he was wearing the blue jump suit.

"Pretty nice face, wouldn't mind to get a piece of her" another voice "and under her" he continued on with his sexual tirade.

'Great, looks like they like me' Joey said to herself, ' who am I trying to kid, Shit it's gonna be worse now' I don't know why I pushed so hard for this. It would have been better if they'd put in a female prison population.

You know why, that little voice responded in her mind. They have a punching bag, your lifeline to sanity. You need that to remain calm. As long as they don't take that away from you, you can take any of crap that they dish out.

"Don't worry about them Joey, as soon as we show how well you can fight, they'll leave you alone." Cyril tried to reassure her.

He'd seem her moves, and right away known that she could handle herself when it came to these guys. If not he was sure his brother would protect his new friend. Ryan after all would do anything for him, something he'd proven over and over again.

"I'm not here to fight, fighting got me into this mess" Joey told him and sat down at an empty table. Although that might be partially the truth, it wasn't quite right. See she was an underground boxer, and someone snitched her out. She had to take care of the leak. Only the leak wasn't afraid of cops and once again ratted her out.

"Come sit with me and Ryan" Cyril said and motioned to a table where apparently Ryan was eating lunch. Joey guessed that he was probably planning something that his mother would disapprove of.

"No, thanks. You spent time with your brother" Joey said and sat down at a free table, she remained seated at her table.

Cyril didn't understand why she wouldn't sit with him. But he got the hint and left her alone. Little he did know that while he was making friends with the new female inmate, Ryan his beloved brother was making plans on how to destroy her. How Ironic

"Hey Cyril" Ryan greeted his brother and made room at one of the tables furthest from the doors. This way he could talk privately with his brother.

He knew that Cyril didn't understand why Ryan was always making deals with everyone, or why he sometimes made him do things that he didn't want to do. All Cyril knew was that his brother loved him.

"Ryan" Cyril greeted his brother and sat down "I met a new boxer today" he told his brother excitedly. Cyril had the mind of a child. He rejoiced in the little things, and had they been in normal society that would have been refreshing.

However in prison society, what society would have thought refreshing, was actually a handicap, and for Ryan that handicap was always been forced into a corner because of his brother, making decisions and other sacrifices for the blood of a family member.

"Oh, who?" Ryan was curious he didn't know of any new inmates other than Armstrong and her didn't think that should be up to punching others.

"Her names Joey" Cyril said and pointed to the female sitting all by herself at the table situated as far away from the males as possible, in the far corner. Although she was still getting stares and catcalls.

Ryan tried not to say anything he didn't want his brother getting attached to the woman that he was about to destroy. He knew that once his brother got attached that the attraction and attachment would complicate everything that Ryan had spend the morning putting into place.

"I think she could teach me something about boxing" Cyril told his brother.

Boxing, Ryan stopped and listened to what his brother was telling him of seeing her working the back in the gym. Boxing made prefect sense, everyone here had an outlet for their anger. It helped keep them all sane, he had just found the keep to peak her aggression.

Now all he needed to do was some how get her on restriction, he knew that in time that would make he go crazy. And combine that with the plans that he had already in place. Everything was going better then expected.

"Oh, Cyril please doesn't be getting attached to her" Ryan warned his brother.

The only problem that he could foresee that his brother was going to go and get attached to her, and ask his brother to protect her. And he didn't want to risk alienating his already alienated brother that way.

"But she's nice, and she doesn't treat me like the rest of the people. She actually listens" Cyril said. In line they had talked about cartoons and other things like that. Turns out she also liked cartoons. And when she was a child had a puppy named muffin.

'So my brother is gonna be her weakness. She has a soft spot. I only hope that I don't hurt Cyril in the process' Ryan thought to himself.

Although he had been known to take his brother's feelings into consideration he was looking out for himself now. He needed her gone. Because with her here everyone was too busy trying woo her and other ways to get the upper hand. He would lose his advantage. Something he'd been working on recovering for little over a year.

In the Pod's later that night...

"So, Armstrong I hear that you're a boxer, have you been training long?" Ryan asked curious to his competition.

"Yep, been training since I was six years old. My daddy taught me." Joey said.

The only one good thing had had every come from her father. The need to protect oneself by using physical violence like punching someone's lights out, the need to physically damage. Funny how that gift was how she ended up making her living, and how he ultimately died.

"Oh, he a professional boxer then?" Ryan questioned her although didn't believe her story, he hadn't read it in her file. But then again files could easily have been changed.

He often had wondered throughout the day, where she had friends to land herself in Em city. The project had been a failure. So why add more shit into the flames. The upper brass must've known the outcome of adding a female.

Although once he thought about it more, the fact that she was a boxer which was probably why she was chosen. If she was truly a boxer she would easily be able to defend herself against one of these guys. But not when they become gangs like the ones here.

"No, he used to beat up my mother and when he went to far I used to have to punch out his kneecaps" Joey explained not ashamed of her 'humble' roots.

She never denied that her parents were immigrants nor her violent tendencies; she always loved putting others in their place. And if telling Ryan that maybe word would spread and things would get better. But even she knew that was a stretch.

"Wow, so I heard you've been at the violence a long time" Ryan said not wanting to reveal his source, nor that he had taken a peak at her file.

"Well, I'm Irish what can I say. I'm volatile" Joey said and smiled. And flipped her right red hair, the trademark of the Irish

"Wow, half or full?" Ryan asked he thought that all this information she was giving freely could somehow destroy her…but then again maybe not.

"I'm a full blood. My parents were immigrants - - fresh of the boat, when I was born" Joey explained to him.

"Nice" Ryan said and nodded his head in understanding.

"Nice tattoo, it's Celtic isn't it?" Ryan commented on the image on her arm. If she was truly Irish it would make a lot of sense that she would be Catholic, and that she would have a banned catholic symbol, a Celtic cross with a serpent through it.

"Yes, well it's not that original. I was part of one of the Irish gangs that ran out of New York. But hey that's enough about my life's story." Joey told him realizing that she was telling him way too much information about herself

She wondered how she was going to get information about the players that were already here. This was like any other game of poker, and she needed background information, her informant only knew so much.

"Your brother's Cyril right?" Joey questioned him. She liked Cyril. Reminded her of one of the kids off the street that she'd taken under her wing and shown the ropes of the business.

"Yep" Ryan said and he didn't want volunteer any information. Of course he didn't want to be accused of consorting with the enemy. That would have people questioning his alliances, another thing he couldn't have right now.

"He boxes fairly well" Joey commented with a flip of her hand, flexing her wrist from the punches.

"I'm his trainer, don't be giving him different ideas" Ryan told her sternly and wagged his finger in her face. He wanted her anywhere near his brother. She might be a calming influence on him and that could only prove to be really bad thing.

"Don't worry it's hard to mess with a winning fighters style." Joey told him and put her hands in defence

She knew a lot about a winning fighter's style, she was 0-38. She'd never lost. And that was something she was very proud of. She wondered if she dropped her fighting name if Ryan's contacts would give him her profile.

She mentally kicked himself. She was letting Cyril's brother get to her. She shouldn't care what Ryan thought of her profile or her record. Nor did she want anybody finding out about her.

'Why is everyone around here is liable to bite your head off' Joey asked herself ' and then they come back and say that I need an attitude adjustment' ha she laughed to herself.

"Good" Ryan said and wandered back to his Pod.

Ryan thought that he'd clear up enough issues for the night. He didn't wan to push things, and he knew that he'd only get so much. First thing in the morning he'd have her name run through his contacts in New York.

"Thanks for nothing" Joey said to herself and wandered into her own pod.

'This was going to be more difficult then I originally thought' Joey said to herself ' got I hope that maybe this is nothing like boot camp, now that was hell'