Fathomless Fortunes [slash]

Chapter 11 - Tideheart

Part 2: Sea of Flames

"Let me tell you a tale. A tale of the greatest treasure known to man."

Henry Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead men tell no tales

Chapter 11 - Tideheart

"Come on, guys, you have to see this!" Their chief gestured wildly to get the attention of everyone present. "This crazy guy who talked about reforming prisons once and for all is holding a press conference now!"

Murmuring, the detective inspector and his fellow police officers gathered around the old-fashioned TV installed in the common room. It showed a large, bright event hall with more than fifty reporters waiting more or less patiently. On stage, a huge hologram showing the logo of a very renowned firm for medical supplies flared in mid-air.

"Ladies and gentlemen, dear members of the press, thank you all for coming. We're proud to present the CEO of Blakewood Inc, Sir Thomas Blakewood, recently knighted by Queen Elizabeth III. for his services to public health", a disembodied, female voice announced.
Some polite clapping.

Sir Thomas, a neatly groomed, white-haired gentleman in a tweed suit and with a walking stick, a picture straight out of the nineteenth century, slowly walked onto the stage.

"Thank you for coming today. This is a great day for all of us, because we at Blakewood Inc. can tell you without any exaggeration that we have found the solution to one of mankind's more dire problems. Thanks to our new invention, this country and subsequently all other countries on this planet can close their prisons - forever."

Tense whispering, bewildered looks amongst the officers and the reporters alike.
"I know what you are all thinking," Sir Thomas continued. "So please let me explain."

Behind him, the logo vanished and a video appeared, showing a prison yard with a dozen bleak-eyed men walking slowly in circles. The picture changed quickly: tiny, naked prison cells followed by nightmare-inducing washrooms and endless corridors guarded by wards looking even more grim than the prisoners. It was all carefully cut together to show the worst possible scenario reigned by hopelessness and fear, and all the police officers watching knew all too well that this was indeed reality.

"We all know the statistics. The prisons are filled beyond capacity, the rehabilitation programs lack funds and professional staff, and if a person wasn't criminal when they were convicted, they are for sure when they are released. Those places can't make people better. They're just a purgatory, but without the cleansing effect. It's only a step away from hell." Sir Thomas paused. "Of course you all know the story of how my first wife, the respected lawyer Jennifer Blakewood, went to visit one of her clients eight years ago and was brutally killed in a prison riot that broke out that day. She had taken our children with her, because she had wanted to show them how terrible life in a prison was. They had to learn this lesson in the worst possible way." Sir Thomas stopped, his eyes misty. "Ever since then, my oldest son and I dedicated our lives to this project."

The detective inspector vividly remembered that incident. It had been all over the news. The Blakewood kids, sixteen and fifteen years old, had witnessed the murder of their mother and were assaulted as well. The detective inspector remembered how quickly the teenagers had been pulled away from the prying eyes of the cameras as they were rescued. The boy, he had read later, had actually lost an eye while protecting his little sister from getting violated by the prisoners. Afterwards, he had been breezing through online classes of colleges and universities and vanished into the labs of his father's firm, never to be seen again.

The hologram picture changed again, now showing a vast, clean laboratory with a human-sized pod in the middle. Doctors and technicians in white lap coats were busy making adjustments. Through the pod's transparent lid a human figure was visible inside. The hologram zoomed closer to show one of the prisoners from before, now sleeping peacefully. A lot of cables where attached to his body.