Adolfo had returned with dinner and a little canvas first aid kit. Dinner was a combination of what looked like different colored puddings and a small bunch of asparagus.
"Sorry I couldn't get you any real food," he said, handing her the tray and a plastic spoon, "all they've got here is military snot," he tried to chuckle in humor, but it was apparent he felt awkward. She smiled at him encouragingly, and he eased a bit.
He opened the first aid kit and clumsily browsed through the contents until he found the disinfecting wipes and a bandage. He sat by her on the bed and cleaned the cut on her head as she stirred a puce colored pudding with the spoon. He stuck the large bandage over the cut and smiled, "there, all better."
Kaylin lifted her hand away from the spoon and touched the smooth artificial surface of the bandage. What she wouldn't have done to get a first aid kit for her hut, to just have bandaids when they were needed. Adolfo closed the first aid kit and went to the folding chair. He opened it and sat as she ate. Each colored pudding was apparently supposed to have some kind of flavor to it. Unlike what she thought it was, the brown pudding tasted vaguely like some kind of meat. The puce had a distinct but off-grape flavor, and the off-white pudding actually kind of tasted like pudding.
She enjoyed the asparagus.
"Why'd you do it?"
Kaylin paused in nibbling on an asparagus and looked at Adolfo, his eyes wondering.
"Why'd you kill seven people?"
Kaylin looked at the ground, finishing that stick of vegetable, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"I've seen some shit," Adolfo begged to differ, "including that alien downstairs."
Kaylin fumbled with another asparagus, of which she only had three left, and kept her eyes on the ground, and added quietly, "they might hurt you if I told you."
Adolfo furrowed his brow, "who would hurt me?" he asked just as quietly.
"Weyland-Yutani."
Adolfo inhaled deeply and leaned back to rest in his chair, "yeah, I am kinda employed by them at the moment."
Kaylin thought about not eating, having lost her appetite from memories of blood, but forced herself to. She would need the strength.
"Seven people," she heard Adolfo murmur and she handed him back the tray and spoon. He took it and folded up his chair again, setting it to the side. He then moved to the bed and reached for the first aid kit.
"Could you leave that?" she asked softly, "so I can change my bandage?"
Adolfo's lips thinned and his eyes went to the ceiling. He then turned and flicked the first aid kit open and rummaged through it, removing the small metal tweezers and the scissors that were inside. He looked it over again, picked up the emergency glowstick and pondered it for a bit, then put it back. Satisfied that he had the parts of the kit that could be used as a weapon, he closed it and smiled back at her.
"Sorry, protocol," he said and Kaylin nodded and smiled as best she could.
"I understand."
He smiled back and left with the things in his hands. She watched him go and opened the kit, looking at what was left inside and counting the supplies she had. She would be able to work with this. She picked it up and set it on the dresser.
Moving back to the bed, she sat on it and wrapped her arms around her upraised knees and thought about her situation.
This operation had been planned for a really long time, for that much concrete to be set in an underground bunker. It was possible that, if she had interpreted what Jitar had said correctly, the plans for this had been in motion for as long as New Australia had been used as a prison planet, or even longer.
She didn't want to think of what they were doing to Jitar right now. But she figured that their plans for him had been the same as they had been when they first met. This meant one of two horrifying things. There was a supply of the parasitoids on the planet already, or that they were bringing them now that they had Jitar.
This was bad for more than just Jitar. Now that they had what they wanted, it would not be a far stretch to think they would gather up the inmates to use as hosts for others. With how many people there were on Neo Australia, they could build an army in as little time as it took the nymphs to grow.
Kaylin felt ill and frowned, burying her face in her knees. It had only been maybe half an hour and she was already growing irritable with boredom, having little more to do than to look around, rub her arms and think.
Finally, after some time, she wasn't sure how long, maybe hours, she stood and went to the dresser again. She opened the drawers, of where there were only three, one after the other. One was full of dark grey jumpsuits she hadn't needed to wear in nine years. The middle drawer was full of linens, weak and thin so that they couldn't be used for strangulation or escape. The third drawer at the bottom was basic white underwear.
She opened the drawers and took out one of the sheets. Looking around the room she was able to locate the camera in the corner nearest to the door, angled towards the rest of the room. She walked over and used the metal chair to cover the camera, then set the chair to the side again and walked back to the dresser, undressing out of her dirt, sweat and blood-stained clothes.
She set one of the jumpsuits to the side and was grabbing a pair of underwear and sports-bra when there was sudden yelling and her door flew open. She quickly covered herself with her arms and backed away.
"What are you doing!? What are you doing!?" Came the angry demands.
"I was just changing!" she cried, shrinking away from the guns, still trying to cover herself, though one of the marines had her by her wrist and had forced her to the ground, "I was just getting dressed I'm sorry!"
Tears sprung from her eyes at the painful angle the marine was twisting her wrist. One arm wrapped around her chest as best she could. Behind the marine the other soldier was grunting trying to pull the sheet from the camera. There was no one else in the room.
"Wait a second Jerid," said the marine and the one with the sheet paused and looked at him. Kaylin looked away from the hungry gaze he was giving her, knowing full well that it meant nothing but future pain, "been here nine years without seeing a proper woman, all we got here are butch lesbians who'd rather rip Mr. Happy off than play with him. Your hands look too soft for that."
The other marine let go of the sheet and folded his arms, a smirk plastered on his face.
"Please leave me alone," Kaylin whispered, keeping her eyes tightly shut.
"Nine years hard time," the marine with her wrist joked, pulling her up to her feet though she tried to pull herself free, "don't worry, I'll treat you better than those criminals probably did."
Kaylin protested and pulled and kicked as the marine threw her to the bed. He scoffed and laughed at her attempts to fight him, pinning her legs with his knees and her arms with one hand.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed, "help! Somebody help me please!"
The marine's free hand went to his pants and she heard them come undone. She shut her eyes tight, fought and writhed and twisted, trying to get free. She threw her head back and her voice broke from her throat, and she cried out a name.
"Jitar!"
The door suddenly slammed open.
"What the fuck do you putos think you're doing!?"
Kaylin's eyes opened in time to see the sheet come down from the camera. Her wrists were released and she scrambled to cover herself with the sheet on the bed and watch as Adolfo flipped Jarid over his shoulder and to the ground and start punching his face in.
"Look out!" Kaylin cried and Adolfo looked up as the marine with his pants open tried to bull-rush into his fellow. Adolfo caught the marine around his shoulders as the other caught Adolfo around his middle, succeeding in getting the man to the ground. The two wrestled on the ground and Kaylin's wild eyes moved to Jarid, whose nose was bleeding and he was holding his bruised cheek. Adolfo was outnumbered.
Kaylin's breathing increased as she thought quickly of what she could do to help and shot forward, grabbing Jarid by the back of his head, lacing her fingers into his hair and pulling. With a pained cry he stumbled and fell backwards and Kaylin leapt out of the way, still holding the sheet to her front.
She was almost knocked over as Adolfo spun the unnamed marine so that he was on top, punching his face repeatedly with both hands. Jarid was on his feet again to come to the aid of his buddy but Kaylin stepped in his way, throwing the sheet at him and then ramming her shoulder into his middle as he smacked the linen away. She held her sore shoulder and backed away as Jarid tried to catch his breath, then snapped his hands around her neck.
She grabbed his wrist and gagged on his grip, trying to ease his fingers away so that she could breathe. Then reached forward and dug her nails into his skin. He yelled out and let go of her long enough to smack her. She fell to the ground and tried to scramble away, but her ankle was grabbed and she was dragged across the concrete. Her hands lashed out and grabbed the belt of Jarid's buddy, pulling him away from Adolfo just as he landed a solid hit against the former inmate's jaw.
Adolfo stood and kicked the head of the unknown marine and lunged at the one with Kaylin's ankle, slamming him against the wall. He had him by the front of his shirt as Kaylin curled into a ball, and the marine pulled his arm back to punch him and break more bones in his face.
"What the fuck is going on here!?"
The whole room went quiet except for Kaylin's blubbering. She looked up and saw there was another marine, a woman, standing at the doorway with two more soldiers.
Adolfo dropped the front of Jarid's shirt, straightened his own and then saluted, "sergeant, this puto was going to rape the prisoner, ma'am."
The woman, as severe in countenance as she was in expression, stepped into the room, ire radiating from all five feet of her and filled the cell instantly.
"Which puto lance corporal?"
"Private Marten, sergeant."
The named man stood, wiping the back of his hand against his bleeding nose and stood straight.
"You have proof?"
"Made sure to catch it on video sergeant," Adolfo nodded to the camera, which the woman turned to look, some of her short dark hair falling to her face. She then whipped around and with a crack like a falling tree, her fist hit Private Marten square in the middle of his face, and the man went down screaming and covering it with his hands.
She didn't give him time to recover as the heel of her boot boxed his ear, smashing his head between it and the concrete.
"Who do you think you are private!?" she kicked him again in the stomach, "one of those murdering fuckwit bastards they got here on this planet?"
Private Marten groaned, curling into a ball, trying to answer.
"Get up soldier," she growled and he obeyed as instantly as he could. She jabbed her finger at the door, "you're dismissed."
Holding his stomach, Private Marten limbed out of the room. The sergeant's head snapped to the other man and his flinched.
"You too."
"Yes sergeant," he saluted quickly and left.
Her gaze snapped to Kaylin next, who had crawled to the sheet on the ground and to the wall, covering herself and blubbering. Patches of blood had started to seep through the pristine cloth.
"I—just—wanted—to—change—my—clothes," she managed to speak through hyperventilating, unable to see past her squinted tear-ridden eyes, "I—just—wanted—to—."
"You're Kaylin?"
Kaylin flinched and her eyes opened wide and wild at the stern face of the woman who had crouched beside her.
"I'm sorry—I'm sorry—I'm sorry—."
There was no voice to her words; it all came out as gasps.
"Shh," the sergeant said sharply and Kaylin shut her mouth and swallowed and tried to breathe through her nose.
"Tell me," the dark-eyed woman said, cocking her head to one side and looking at Kaylin down the length of her nose, "did you know a Tesya Langlaise out there in 'Neo Australia.'"
The question was baited. Kaylin could sense danger. Her eyes shot to Adolfo, who looked like he could possibly be related to this woman, as if he had the answer. He looked sympathetically back but did not move, or answer.
"Eyes down here sweety," the woman said again, that same sharp dangerous tone as before, and Kaylin's amber gaze dropped back to the coffee black of the woman's.
Kaylin tried hard to remember, very very hard, past the panic and the shock, and then remembered, a lady, dark curly hair, white smile, seemed too gentle to be where she was. She had been a member of the Eagles, mostly Mexican but part Irish, before Adolfo was dropped.
"Yes, I knew her," Kaylin whispered.
"I know you did," said the woman with a deep frown, "she spoke of you often, she liked you. You dug a broken shiv out of her stomach with sticks and natural medicines."
She didn't sound happy about this. Kaylin looked to Adolfo again and he turned his gaze towards the door, standing in a position with his legs spread and his arms behind his back.
"Eyes here doctor," Kaylin snapped her gaze back. The calm of this woman seemed even more dangerous than her anger at the men, and Kaylin pulled the sheet closer to her. She studied the woman with quick movements of her eyes, trying to figure out the relation the sergeant had to Tesya. She didn't look related.
"She was a lance corporal like Pruez here," the woman said quietly, venomously, "what happened to her?"
Kaylin remembered that clearly, remembered the territory dispute between the Eagles and the Cazadores. She hadn't been there for the fight, but she was there for the aftermath. She had run there the moment the runner got within yelling distance.
"She—she sustained six stab wounds to her upper body, three in her chest, two in her abdomen, and one in her right arm. Her lung had been punctured, there was sever internal bleeding," Kaylin squinted her eyes, remembering Tesya crying in pain as Kaylin tried to clean the wounds and stop the bleeding, remembered blood coming out of her mouth as she was drowning in her own vital fluids.
"Her lung was punctured, and she was drowning in her own blood. I—I had to operate to close the wound, but I didn't have the tools I needed. I closed it, but her lungs kept filling up with fluid, even after the blood was expelled."
Kaylin remembered giving CPR to the woman, pushing blood and clear fluid out of her lungs repeatedly so that she could breathe.
"Pulmonary edema, her body kept trying to drown itself," for two days, Kaylin had emptied the woman's lungs over and over and had stayed awake for two days while the woman cried and suffered, "I remember, she kept telling me that she shouldn't have been there, that she should never have been on this planet. It was the third year since I had been imprisoned, it was her fifth. The third night after the attack, she… she smiled at me, coughed, closed her eyes and… passed away."
Kaylin took a heavy breath, looking down at the sergeant's hands but seeing her own, covered in dry blood, remembering crying, remembering cursing that she couldn't have done more, that if only she had the tools and medicine, "and I remember, that at that moment, I hated everyone, for being such… monsters."
Kaylin looked up at the sergeant, seeing the thin sheen of tears at the edge of her lower lid. The woman then inhaled deeply and stood, hands clenching into fists. This time Kaylin didn't cower to protect herself.
"I did all that I could, and I couldn't save her. I'm sorry."
The cold eyes of the sergeant stared down at her and Kaylin waited to be hit or kicked or worse, but the woman turned, said, "it's not your fault," and walked to the door.
"You two," the sergeant's voice commanded the marines that had come with her, "guard her door," and she stopped and hissed at the both of them, "you lay a finger on her, and I will gut you. Do you understand?"
"Yes sergeant!" they cried and took up their positions by the door. Adolfo grabbed the first aid kit and got ready to treat the scrapes Kaylin had gotten from the concrete.
"Wait!" Kaylin called to the woman and she stopped and turned, cold hateful gaze looking at her, "who was she?"
The sergeant didn't answer at first, then said coldly, "my wife," and walked away. Kaylin shrunk back, and stared at the shrinking space of the doorway until it was gone.