Number 501 (Needs Editing)

Solitary Confinement

"Quiet. Quiet down now. As most of you know I am owner and runner of ECO SEC. My name is Reckt. That's all you know me by. Yesterday evening, a group of newcomers made their way here. If you're new, please step forward."

I looked around first to see who else would step towards the podium, one, two, three, and then I realized I was one of those and stepped ahead fast. There was only six of us. There would have been seven but his brains were blown out onto the courtyard. 

"Some of you know that recently last night, one of my most important men were killed in plain sight. I want to know who that man is, I don't care if I get him today, or tomorrow, or the next day, I just want him right in front of me. And when that happens, there will be consequences!" She screamed slamming her fist down onto the alter in front of her. 

Everyone looked around except for 304, he stared right at me and I knew what I had to do to get the publicity I needed. I stepped forward. She stared down onto me and I stared back without blinking. Normally I wouldn't do this, but in this situation with thousands of prisoners around who all hate her and only a few hundred guards, she had no chance to get to me. I waited it out and she broke the stare and sent guards to grab me. One grabbed my left arm and one grabbed my right and escorted me up to the alter. My head hang down and I saw my number again. 280. I needed it higher. I broke free of one of the guards' grip and elbowed him in the face. He fell to the ground and alerted the second guard who tried to restrain me but I threw him back into the group of prisoners. We had to let them know we were in control. I didn't let the guards take me but I ran up to the alter anyway. 

The members that guard each block stepped back and let me pass and Reckt just stood there and watched me come straight up to her and stand put. Meanwhile several guards and prisoners were in a brawl and it wasn't stopping. 

"Stop this nonsense at once!" Reckt screamed but no one listened. 

"Keep fighting! Rise against them! Show them who's bo-" Before I could finish, a gun was knocked into the back of my head. I knew if I said one more word the trigger would be pulled. I could already hear the clicks of it barely being pulled back. I walked backwards and they put me in cuffs and sat me down next to Reckt's son. I didn't say one more word. 

Suddenly multiple gunshots started down below. I jumped from my seat and watched as the guards fired on the prisoners. I could see 304 in the distance and he was still okay. Freaking out but still okay. I think the guards were just trying to scare them. That is until I saw many people fall backwards with bullet holes in them, one of them being 304. I ran forward and screamed seeing him fall to the ground. Guards tackled me down and I just tried to get loose and run to him. He was my only friend. 

"What the hell are you doing? They don't deserve this!" I screamed and boom. I was hit with the backside of a rifle and blacked out. Hours passed, maybe days, I couldn't tell the difference. I woke up in all white room. I sighed and knew where I was. Solitary Confinement. I wiped my eyes and felt my head, my head was puffed up and had an immense amount of swelling around it. My eyes were watery and I think bloodshot a little. There was a door in the corner of the room with a tiny peep hole that I looked out of and heard some of the guards. I was fully aware I was sitting in block A. Security Center, medical center, guards station, solitary confinement. I put my ear up to the door and heard a brief conversation going on between two people.

"How many casualties?" 

"After clearing the room and identifying all of the bodies, we have a total number of eighty three."

"God. Okay, and injured?"

"Seven. Numbers are 209, 335, 401, 304, 376, 278, and 362."

I got immediately happy, 304 was still alive. Then I kept listening.

"Kind of funny, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Reckt."

"What about her?"

"She owns this prison, she takes in more prisoners every week and she acts like she's number one. I was there during the recent speech. She specifically said that if you're hurt, we weren't doing shit. Look at us now, here we are digging for bullets and stitching up wounds. She's nothing but a big jar of lies."

"Yeah well that's how Reckt is. Remember that guy she shot in the courtyard?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"It was a hologram. Reckt never wants to kill anyone, so in order to make her seem scary, she puts fake prisoners in her prison. Crazy right?"

"But he grabbed her, didn't he? If he was a hologram his hand would go right through her."

"Not necessarily, these are complex times. Complex to where we have the capability to make a fully functional hologram with skin, bones, a personality, a complete genome and everything. Exactly like a human, just controlled by a computer."

"Holy shit. That's F'ed up." 

"Tell me about it."

I stepped back from the peep hole and slid down against the wall and rubbed my eyes. What did I just listen to? Whatever. At least I had more info on Reckt. I held my head because it ached more than I could explain. I caught a glance of my number. 350. Right on. Seventy more than last time. I guess knocking a few guards out and starting a riot would get me some extra numbers. 

I walked in a few circles and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. If I was dedicated, I could probably even teach myself how to do a backflip. The floor was foam so it wouldn't hurt that much if I failed and landed on my face. However the silence was finally broken by a knock at the locked door. I walked up and looked out the peep hole. It was Dynam. Reckt's son. I decided to play it off like I didn't know the guy, after all, if it wasn't for 304 I wouldn't know who he is. 

"Do I know you?" I asked quietly leaning up against the door. He leaned in closer.

"Probably not. You will soon though. I'm Reckt's son, Dynam. Personally, if this was my prison and I was Reckt, I would have you killed in an instant but I see this as an opportunity. You took care of our guy in cell block C. What I was supposed to do was come down here, inform you of everything that happened and leave but I'm not going to do that. I can see strenghts, talent, and smarts, and you have them all and that's exactly the kind of person we need on our team. If you can start a riot and no one even knows you, just think what you can do with a reputation. So, do you want to be my new man for cell block C?"