Prison Break

Part 1

Whatever she might've trying to find on the elevator ceiling, a distraction, the right words to say, she sure as hell wasn't finding it.  Leaning farther back into the corner as her hands went to her jacket pockets, she rested her head against the wall, and drew in a deep breath.  What could she possibly say now that would stick?  Was there even any point in coming down here?  She closed her eyes.  Flashes of that gaze greeted her again, a purple glow that could make anyone's spine crawl, but the expression of a scared child.  The jolt of the elevator stopping brought her suddenly out of her thoughts.  The doors opened, and she stepped off.
Making her way down the long, dark corridor of cells,Vi bit her Lowe lip trying to push back the images appearing in her mind.  It was like she could feel it happening again, the punches and kicks to the back, the stomach, the face, being thrown against the concrete floor.  Her back still acted up sometimes from the damage.  It hurt now,just with the memory, and she felt herself grimacing and reaching back with both hands to try and soothe it.  A red line ran along the floor to make sure the guards stayed at a safe distance from the prisoners,but there were no such measures the other way around.  It was only when Vi looked up from the line that she realized she'd stopped walking.  She drew in a long breath to collect, then started on her way again.
Trying to keep back the memories, she insisted made herself revisit what had happened earlier that day, the reason she was even here in the first place.  It was an odd behavior her sister had taken up lately, fleeing her crime scenes.  Usually, she was more than happy to be seen at the sight of her latest "work",but the last few weeks had told a different story.  Patience starting to wear thin,Caitlyn had ordered heightened security all around the city, and when Jinx had next decided to strike, a chase wasn't far behind,  whether she'd wanted it or not.
In the midst of what was always a chaotic string of events, Vi had managed to sort of steer her sister to go in the direction she'd wanted, and getting to the end of an alley, building walls on three sides and a platform directly above from some window cleaners,she was completely boxed in.
Vi had been quick to cut off the entrance.  "Little out of practice with the getaways, huh?"  Jinx' eyes darted around for just a second, then she reached to her back.  "What, no 'Fat Hands'?"  She didn't get a response, but was met by Jinx pulling out a chomper, and bracing herself to throw it,slipping her thumb through the ring to pull the pin.  Vi froze up.  Putting herself into the mindset of being just an enforcer had been the order of the day for months now when it came to Jinx, but this was something different, something she hadn't thought about.  Her mind screamed to be ready to dodge, but something kept her in place, rooted to the spot.  Then,the words slipped out, sounding far more stunned than she wanted to let on to.  "You really wanna do that?"
Jinx' hand paused in mid-air.  They just stood there, staring at each other for several seconds, neither daring to move.  Then,after what felt like ages,Jinx slowly lowered her hand, taking her thumb out of the ring as she did.  The next moment, there was a clattering on the concrete as the chomper fell to the ground, and rolled away a little before stopping.  She looked down avoiding Vi's gaze, then at both hands as she brought them forward for the first time.  It was only now that Vi noticed how they were shaking.  Before she could say anything, however, Jinx finally met her eyes again, a fearful expression in hers that Vi hadn't seen in eight years, her tone matching as she spoke.  "S...  Something's wrong with me!"  She lowered her eyes back to her hands,and Vi slowly took a step forward.  "It...  I-it won't...  stop!"  Her voice cracked on the last couple of words.
Things suddenly made a lot more sense, her absence from her crime scenes in recent weeks, why this chase had been so easy.  Vi took a few more steps forward, her "just an enforcer" mindset completely gone now.  She exhaled deeply, words coming more from instinct than anywhere else.  "Powder?"  Her sister looked up at her, not showing any objection to being called her old name almost even looking relieved to hear it.  Vi felt a certain tension in her chest start to relax.  "I'll talk to Caitlyn,I.."  She started to move to pull one hand out of her gauntlet.  "I'll help you."
A spark of uncertainty flashed in Powder's eyes, then vanished.  She took a step towards Vi,her face starting to look like she was about to cry.  Before either could make another move, though, there came the sharp, sudden sound of something whistling through the air.  The next moment, Powder's arms were pinned to her sides by a cord in an unnatural position!  A second later, there was a second one wrapping around her legs, causing her to lose her balance and collapse onto her side!
Caught off guard, Vi spun around to see a group of three or four other enforcers rushing into the alley!  Her mind was still trying to catch up as they ran past her.  "Vi!" came Caitlyn's voice.
"Cait?" said Vi,still stunned.
Cait rushed up to her.  "Are you alright?"
"Yeah.  Yeah, I...  I'm fine."  She quickly turned her glance from her partner to the others, untangling the cords from around Powder and putting her wrists in cuffs behind her back.
"Was starting to think I'd never see the day!" remarked Cait.  Vi didn't answer, but just wanted as her sister was pulled to her feet again.
"Come on," said one of the enforcers, giving her a bit of a shove from behind.  He steered her out of the alley,past Vi and Cait.  As she passed, she turned her head and shot a cold,scornful look at Vi.  Knowing what her sister must have been thinking, unable to explain otherwise, that look hit harder than a punch straight to the gut.
Vi drew in a long breath as she remembered that look,words she was thinking about maybe saying now writing and rewriting themselves over and over in her head as she walked.  The dark corridor seemed much longer than she remembered, probably because her sister's cell was far further back than hers had been.  This was by design, she'd realized.  From the way the guard upstairs had reacted to Vi wanting to see her, it was pretty clear they were afraid of her.  He'd even said outright that they'd put her so far back to keep the other inmates from winding up as corpses.  They were still trying to figure out how they were supposed to feed her, and seemed relieved that it would at least only be for a few days.
Vi's chest tightened at the thought.  Her conversation about an hour before with Caitlyn was still fresh in her mind, she could hear it almost word-for-word.  "Vi?" Cait had said once the case report had been filled out and they were going to get something to eat.  "Are you alright?"
Vi looked up from her feet,not even trying to hide what she was thinking.  With Cait,there was literally no point.  "What's gonna happen to her?"
Cait bit her lower lip.  "To Jinx?"
"Pow..."  Vi stopped herself and gave a deep sigh.  "Yeah.  Jinx."
"I...  don't know."  Her voice was quivery and uneasy,the way it always was when she was trying to lie.
"Yes,you do.  Just tell me."  This time, Cait was the one to look down at her feet.  "Cait, come on.  She's my sister, I want to know what they're gonna do."
Cait sighed.  "With everything she's done, Vi,I...  I don't think they'll have much of a choice."
"They can't keep her there!"  Vi's voice was suddenly panicked.  "I was...  I was in that hole for eight years, I barely...  Sh-she won't...  It...  I-it'll ruin her!"  She checked herself, but couldn't keep her tone from shaking a little.
"I don't think they will.  That is...  Not for long.  I mean...  Well, not...  exactly."
Vi stared at her.  "What does that mean?"
Cait stopped walking, and turned to face her head-on.  "Most likely, they'll...  find her to be too big a threat to others to be kept alive."  She was met with stunned silence, and her partner turning away from her as the words sank in.  "I'm sorry, Vi."
Vi barely heard her.  She could barely make out her own thoughts, everything was just white noise.  "I-I'm not really that hungry." she said without looking up.
"Vi..."
"I'll see you at home, Cupcake.  Okay?"  And she took off for their apartment without waiting for a reply.
As the words kept replaying themselves in Vi's mind, a voice broke into her thoughts.  "I know, I should've...  Well,how was I supposed to know that?  I just thought maybe...  Yeah.  It would've been pretty funny.  Seeing her go KA-BLOOSH!"
Vi's chest tightened as she came up to the very last cell in the row,after passing quite a few empty ones.  It was hard to tell at first that it wasn't empty as well.  It took her a few seconds to see that her sister was sitting on the floor, beyond the reach of the gray light from the bars,back turned to the door.  Peering through the slats between the bars,she could just make out her hands, still in cuffs behind her back, still shaking.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, there was a sudden, sharp movement inside the cell, and one glowing purple eye stared at her through the darkness.  "OH!  LOOK WHO IT IS!" Jinx said loudly in a mocking tone.  "Come to rub it in, Fat Hands?"
Vi took a breath.  "Powder, I..."
"Jinx!"  Her voice was cold and indignant.  "You know...  You really had me going there, sis!  For a minute, I...  almost thought you actually wanted me back!"  She shook her head, letting out a loud chuckle, then turned it the other way.
"Powder, you have to believe me, I wasn't trying to..."
"Yeah, tell me about it!  Really doesn't know when to stop, does she?"  Jinx turned back to her.  "Gotta give you credit.  You really know how to commit to the bit."  Her head turned sharply.  "Ho, believe me, I want to!  Just...  give her neck a little squeeze 'til she turns blue.  Or...  You know, stops breathing.  Either one."
"Powder, they're going to kill you!  Look, hate me if you want, but at least, just..."
"You done?"  Vi's breath caught in her throat, she looked down.  "I'll bet that'll make you pretty happy.  No more Jinx, you can just...  live happily ever after with your precious, little Cupcake."
Vi was at a loss.  If her sister wouldn't listen, she knew she couldn't make her.  "I'm sorry, Powder...  If I could've just..."  She sighed.  "I'm so sorry."  She turned and started back up the corridor.
Before she could get far, though, she was surprised to hear her sister's voice again, only much soffer this time.  "Vi?  Wai..."  It was suddenly cut off by a violent fit of coughing!
"Powder!"  In the blink of an eye, Vi was running back to the cell, and pressed right up against the metal door.  All she could do from here was watch, and it felt awful.  After a few seconds, she saw something come out of her sister's mouth and land on the floor beside her.  In the dim light, she could just see a bit of red mixed with a purple glow.  Vi swallowed hard seeing it, a new fear creeping into her mind.
After a few moments, the coughing stopped.  Jinx looked down at the floor as she caught her breath, then up at the door.  Vi couldn't quite tell if she was looking at her or past her, but either way, she was slowly getting up to her knees a minute later, then to her feet.  Her bleached skin looked gray as she stepped into the light, some blood visible on her bottom lip.
About halfway to the door, she suddenly stopped and turned her head to the side.  "No, she's not...  Well, I just...  I-I don't know, okay?!  Sh-she wouldn't do that.  I mean..."  She turned back to Vi.  "You're not... just trying to mess with me.  You wouldn't..."  Another bout of coughing cut her off.
Vi looked around before reaching into her jacket pocket .  "I'd never do that to you, Powder."
Jinx shook her head, turning to the side again.  "No, I...  I don't mind, it's fine!  Since...  J-just shut up.  It's fine."  Her voice was rough and scratchy.
Vi took one more look around, then pulled a small bottle out of the pocket.  "I...  thought you might want some water.  I remember it never felt like these fuckers gave us enough to eat or drink."  Her sister looked stunned by this, but slowly came the rest of the way up to the door.  "Okay...  I can just about get the neck through, you're gonna have to meet it with your mouth."  Her voice was low, just in case a guard happened to come by.  Her sister nodded.  Vi reached a hand between the bars and gently wiped the blood off her lip, then uncapped the bottle and put the top of it through one of the slats.  The process wasn't the most comfortable or the prettiest, but it proved effective.
Once she'd had enough, Jinx' face took on a sort of confused expression as she looked at her sister.  "That feel a little better?" asked Vi.
Jinx didn't answer, but looked down and away from her, silent for several moments.  "Why are you...  I know you hate me, what..."
"I never hated you!"  The words seemed to carry a shock for her sister, she looked back up.  "I didn't know what else to do, I couldn't just let you keep..."  Vi sighed.  "If I wasn't involved, they wouldn't have had any problem with...  I didn't think they'd just...  do it anyway once they had you."  Her sister's eyes widened, she just stared at her.  Vi closed her eyes and rested her head on the door facing the floor.  "I never meant for it to end up like...  like this!"
A long pause followed.  "You...  Y-you were trying to protect me?"  Vi barely nodded, head still pressed downward against the door.  Another but shorter pause came, this time broken by little more than a murmur.  Vi just caught it, but it sent a small sting into her heart.  "You love me."
Vi brought her eyes back up to see her sister, now avoiding her gaze.  She reached a hand into the cell.  "I've always loved you, Powder."  Her head found her sister's cheek, causing a brief start, but then being allowed to settle.  A moment later, there came a soft, vainly suppressed whimper.  Vi rubbed her cheek with her thumb.  "Shhhhh..."  She bent down and put the bottle down, then rested the other hand on her sister's shoulder.  "Shhhhh...  It's okay."
Minutes passed, Vi wishing more than anything that she could wrap her sister in her arms.  With the door between them, however, the only comfort she could offer was through her touch and words.  yet, as she stood there speaking softly to her, she felt an iron-hard determination growing inside her chest.
At length, Powder slowly quieted, then caught sight of Vi's hand on her shoulder.  "What is this?"
Vi's chest tightened, she'd all but forgotten about the ring on her finger.  She drew in a long breath.  "Cait asked me last night, I said Yes."  She tried to manage a chuckle but failed.  "Gotta be in the running for shortest engagement ever."
Powder looked at her puzzled.  "What's that mean?"
Vi dropped her voice to barely a whisper.  "I don't want them linking her to what I'm about to do."  She smoothed Powder's cheek, then looked into her eyes.  "I'm getting you out of here...  Tonight."
A light that hadn't been there before flickered in Powder's eyes, but quickly faded.  Her head snapped to the side.  "N-no, no!  She's not...  Why would she lie about that?"
"I'm not lying," Vi insisted.  "I just need to get some things sorted out, I'll be back when I have night cover."  Powder's face looked conflicted, torn between wanting to believe her, and something else that Vi couldn't quite identify.  Vi tried to think of a way to reassure her, then, looking around, took off her jacket.  "Here."  She slipped it through the door and onto Powder's shoulders.  "Pretty...  uncomfortable walking around a place like topside with a bunch of prison tattoos showing.  'Specially for a, uh...  highly esteemed enforcer, such as myself."  She said it in her best snooty Piltie voice, and it was enough to get a giggle from Powder.  Vi smiled hearing it.  "You'd better believe I'll be back for that."
Powder smiled up at her sister, her face looking much calmer now, and with a certain heir of confidence.  Vi stroked her cheek once more.  "I have to go now, okay?  I'll be back for you tonight."  Then, the memory of that night threatening to flood back to her yet again, she held her gaze.  "And I will never...  leave you again."