What's been going on so far?
OZ has a new inmate, as well as Em City. A female, known for her bad temper, a boxer, Irish and O'Riley is out to get her. Ironically enough she's made friends with his brother Cyril, so that should prove to be interesting.
"Inmates inside your pods' the guard called. It was lockdown for the night. The same procedure every night, this was the third night that I'd been here. And so far there were no physical repercussions to my presence.
'Well I guess that's good night to me. I've made it through the first day, things can only get better from here right?' Joey said talking to herself.
Joey was not the type to spend the whole night sleeping, maybe an hour or two, but nothing much. So she spent the rest of the time amusing herself playing solitaire, I mean, they can't take a deck of cards now can they?
It was the little things that were beginning to bother her. Cyril's whimpering in the pod above her. The other inmates playing with themselves in the pods across the floor, the guard reading with a little light on, or the movements up in McManus's office that didn't look quite right.
the next morning
"Inmates, set back from your doors" The guard called over the intercom
The doors opened and the men and lone woman exited their sleeping quarters. It was morning, and they were releasing us for the day. Welcome to day four, Joey thought to herself. Most of the inmates looking relieved to be out of the glass cage, since after all they were going to be spending quite a while in there. Some even the rest of their lives.
"Hey Joey, are you coming to breakfast with us?" Cyril asked his new friend. And greeted her with a smile. The one friendly face in the whole place, Joey thought to herself. If it weren't for Cyril I would have gone crazy being locked up.
"Hey Cyril, sleep well?" Joey asked, and then noticed the shaking of Ryan's head and the 'no' on his lips.
"Well, that was weird, how about we go and get something to eat?" Joey asked Cyril and gave him a smile, hoping to smooth over her small mistake that she had no way of knowing about.
The next moment, Ryan had pulled Joey aside to talk to her for a moment.
"I heard they were thinking about making you Cyril's new roommate." Ryan told her.
He didn't like the idea of how there were getting so chummy. And now learning that his brother was a contender to become her new roommate. For him, it was all to convenient, and he didn't want his brother hurt.
This was news to Joey; but then again, he probably had an insider telling him all the dirty office gossip. But she had no problems with that. It wasn't like there were other women that she could room with.
"And I just wanted to let you know, that he has nightmares, and at first they can be scary, but if you help him I would be very happy." Ryan said
Ryan looked downcast that he was losing his brother to a female. Or that he had to share his brother's dirty little secret. The abuse they both had suffered as a child, especially from their father had made Cyril the way he was now.
"Yea, sure, I don't sleep much anyway so that shouldn't be much of a problem" Joey told him and walked faster to met up with Cyril who was already sitting at a table with Breakfast that didn't look all that appealing, but then again none of the meals she ate here looked appealing.
"Hey Joey, would you like to spend sometime today working on some defense moves?" Ryan asked which again surprised Joey because he was being so civil toward her.
First he was telling her about his brother's little problem. She had chalked that up to him trying to scare her off. But now wanting to spent time working on moves with Cyril, she guessed that he wanted to know what made her tick, and getting in on the fast track and using his brother wasn't below him.
Something must have happened last night, to totally change Ryan's view of her. This really scared her, because it could never lead to anything good. She had read about how a guy if they can't win you over with violence and being all tough, they try to big softie approach, and Ryan was a big Softie with Cyril.
Outside of the Cafeteria
"Joey" Said greeted the fellow female inmate, this being his first confrontation with the female, he wanted to met in person the woman that was causing so much upheaval and chaos within Em city. The person every man in Em city couldn't stop talking about, or staring at.
"Said?" Joey says and then proceeds to say something in Arabic.
"You know the language," Said asked surprised to what other hidden talents this woman might possess.
"I know the basic greetings" Joey told him, shrugging off her abilities. She had learned early on as a child not to give away all your bag of goodies.
"And how did you come across this information?" Said asked he was shocked, he didn't want to let on he was also quite impressed.
"I lived in Saudi Arabia with my parents when I was a child. We left and came back to the states when I was ten. I have during my experience gathered a respect" Joey explained.
"Ah, but I thought you were Irish, like the O' Riley's" Said asked genuinely confused, he didn't know of many Irish Muslims.
"My heritage is that of Irish descend, but I grew up and spend my childhood in Saudi. And I grew up on army bases, and I know a lot of the American legal system as useless as it is." Joey attempted an explanation
It also seemed that Ryan was very interested in this conversation. He hadn't originally believed that she too could be Irish. They might have a bond now, and he was starting to think that he was getting a little soft after his years in here. First at roll call, and then again at breakfast and for the third time in less then a day overhearing her conversation of her abridged life's story.
I'm fucked now, the Irish look out for their own, but then I have the rest of the guys breathing down my neck, which is ten times worse, which side do I side with? This is some messed up shit. They fact that you have t o be a bloody politician to survive your prison sentence, now that should be a crime.
later that same day, in the gym
"Come on work the bag" Joey called over to Cyril who need some minor help with his foot work
"Why is she yelling at me Ryan?" Cyril stopped punching and turned to speak to his brother, who was also present. He wanted to supervise the interactions between his brother and the new female.
"Because Cyril, she sees that your footwork is becoming rather sloppy and wide, and any opponent can take advantage of that. It makes you weak, and she's trying not to tell that happen to you." Ryan explained the best he could to his brother.
"So shouldn't we help her with her fighting style, because she's doing it for me?" Cyril asked and looked over at his new friend. He was someone who was always willing to return the favor.
"Yes, but I don't know if she would like our help" Ryan told his brother, hoping that she wanted their help and praying that she turned them down.
"Hey, want don't you switch it up" Ryan suggested and motioned to the bag.
"Nah, I'll pass. I don't need the extra practice it doesn't ever get me into trouble." Joey told him and shook her head.
"Oh come on, you know you want to. Come on" Ryan coaxed he wanted to see what skills she had. She'd avoided the bag for the last two days.
"All right fine, but let it be known that this wasn't my idea" Joey said.
Taking the gloves that Cyril handed her, not bothering to wrap her hands, something she would pay for dearly in a few days, but right now she could care less. And putting them one, getting a feel of the layout of the immediate and started with basic footwork, and then moving onto some jabs, and punched slowly working in a right cross, and upper and lower cuts.
"Wow" Cyril said watching the way that Joey seemed to move like a skilled operating professional.
"Yea, I used to be part of a street gang, I fought on the streets then I realized I had a gift and took it to a gym" Joey explain to him, not really caring who overhear. Everyone was researching knowing already everything about her life
"Is there anything you don't know, or can't do?" Ryan asked totally impressed with this woman, had they met under different circumstance he might have thought about giving her another look. But to anyone with eyes, you could see that Cyril diffidently loved the attention that the only female was giving him.
"Hey Cyril, why don't you head back and take a shower" Ryan suggested to his brother wanting to get in a few minutes alone with Joey.
"Sure Ryan. That sounds like a good idea" Cyril said grabbed his towel and headed out.
"So what is it exactly you wanted to tell me that you couldn't or wouldn't say in front of your brother?" Joey asked him; she was quick. And becoming very alert to her surrounds and the ways things worked around here.
"Well, your becoming more aware of your surrounds that's good" Ryan told her. He was on to her. He seemed to know exactly the way the she thought. This would be good for when he took her down, although he was having second thoughts about that.
"I know the lesson; this place is like the streets. Watch your back; only in here you don't have the option of settling this with guns, and fighting. We're fucking caged animals." Joey said and punched the bag.
She didn't like being caged. She was what one could call a wild spirit. Although those we're the types that most ended up in prison. She needed to be free, look out a window, and to feel the wind on her skin. Always on the move, never staying in one place for long.
"Well some of the guys, are planning to get you bad, so watch out" Ryan said " Start talking with the powers to be, and work on getting your pretty self out of here, that is if you want to stay pretty"
"I am not going anywhere. I'm Irish, and we, as you should already know don't run from our problems "Joey said and pulled off one of her gloves.
"Yes, well in here, things don't exactly play by the rules of life" Ryan said "Watch your back, I can't be everywhere for you"
"I never asked for your help, and I don't expect it, or want it. If bleeding helps get those morons off my back, then I'm willing to do it." Joey told him and shoved him away, like he was an offending piece of garbage.
"What the fuck are you suicidal?" He asked confused to her ideas.
"I learned bleeding, somehow gets other people's respect, it isn't any different in here" She told him and shrugged.
She was very used to the hard life, shedding a little blood was nothing new to her. Although she hadn't planned on being the only one who was going to bleed.
"How the fuck did a woman get into 'Em' City anyway?" Ryan asked himself. He didn't want to deal with all this bullshit right now; he just wanted things to go back to the way they were before she had come along
"It seems since the original idea had been a total failure, so why not add some new idea to it, and hey if it becomes a bigger failure it doesn't exactly matter." Joey explained the politics behind her presence here.
"So how the hell do I explain that to the guys? The Aryans? You're white so you shouldn't have any problems with them, only there wanting to fuck you. But then again never the gays want to get into your pants" Ryan said and ran his finger down the front of her t-shirt stopping at the button to her jeans.
"Well I refuse to be anybody's hoe. I don't plan on spending my life as being a garden instrument, but I'm always up for a good time, although I highly doubt that I'm going to get that here" Joey said and chuckled.
"Well you certainly don't seem to care what others think, hear, and talk about you. Let's see if you can keep it up" Ryan said and removed his hand and walked away.
"Thanks" Joey called to his retreating back.
Confrontations with him they always served to confuse her more about the inner workings of his mind, and the inner workings of Oswald. She didn't know anymore about what goes on here then she did four days ago when she was facing coming to this place.
"Maybe a trip to the resident priest might get me somewhere." Joey said to herself right before being cornered by five black, muscled, mad, Muslim's
"Did you know it's hazardous to oneself to talk out loud in public?" Arif said.
"Yes I did, but then again my health's been going to shit lately" Joey calmly stated back She didn't want to anger him further but she would not step down.
"The only reason nobody will touch you, is that Said has gotten your back. And he wishes you to come see him later" Arif told her
"And if I don't go?" Joey asked defiantly
"Everyone always shows up" Arif said and walked away with his buddies
"Well I guess he'll be receiving a caller later" Joey said and headed in search of the chapel and the resident priest.
Chapel
Joey walked in, and crossed herself, she wasn't the typed to do to church but she was born a catholic. Her roots were always very obvious to anybody who looked, seems they did.
"I hear you're the new inmate here at OZ" The priest greeted her
"That would be me" She said and nodded at him
"So I guess your in need of some guidance" He said and motioned toward a nearby pew.
"Well me being new and all, I've been told to watch my back. And I believe this to be sound advice. But I don't know if this place is where exactly I should be. I mean I can deal with the looks, and the gestures, and maybe even getting raped. But I don't know. Something I incredible wrong with this, I feel it in my gut. Have you heard anything?" Joey asked looked hopeless at the older man
"I have hear a few things, nothing I can give any credibility to. But if you'd like to be moved to isolation until a more permanent place can be arranged for your sentence, I'm sure that would be no problem. The priest said
"Thanks father" Joey said " But I don't run away from my problems, and I certainly don't hide, it might be hazardous to my health, but it's always kept me safe, and being able to sleep at night." Joey said and walked out.
