Bitter - Sweet (Installment 3)

Nalia waited expectantly for the man to respond to her query. He merely glared, failing miserably at looking stern. Confused and confounded is difficult to hide when one is, in fact, confused and confounded. Nalia took great delight in the young man's discomfort. Finally, he found his voice.

"I don't . . . remember. And, even if I did, why should I tell you?" He sought to disrupt the woman's cool confidence, but he was not gifted in such skills. Or rather, he was not nearly as skilled as his opponent. Nalia did not even blink.

"No reason, save what harm can it do. Loneliness is a powerful enemy that, in time, defeats us all."

"You speak in riddles," the man interjected, Nalia continued, uninterrupted

"Besides, what's it matter, can't possibly get any worse, can it? I mean, you are locked away in an intergalactic prison." Suddenly, she looked directly at the man, "What's your name?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't you know your own name?"

"Of course I do! It's just . . . . never mind. I'm Anton. And you are?"

"You haven't earned the right to my name," she saucily replied.

"But, I gave mine, it's only polite to offer your own."

"That may be so, but my inherent politeness was lost long ago. It's the sort of thing that happens when you have been in prison for over seven years."

"Seven years? What for?"

"Now why would I tell you why I am incarcerated if I haven't deemed you worthy of even knowing my name?"

"Surely you didn't. . ." Anton hesitated, " kill anybody?"

"No, no!," Nalia quickly corrected, "not anything nearly so dramatic--"

"But--!"

"Hush!" Nalia had picked up the sound of a guard's footsteps. She did not want their conversation overheard. Soon a young guard came striding through the ward.

"Evening, Darrell!" she called.

"Evenin'" Darrell curtly replied.

"Visiting Meig this evening?"

"That is none of your concern, prisoner."

"But," Nalia pouted, "I get lonely all by myself. How come you never visit me?" Nalia was pleased as she noted the guard becoming flustered.

"You know I'm just doin' my rounds." Darrell defended himself.

"Of course, silly, I know that. I meant later. When everyone else is asleep and I can have you all to myself," she let just a hint of the seductive tone she used earlier with Grayson slip into her voice. Darrell responded with a nervous cough.

"Yes, well, umm . . . we shall see. Bye, now." Darrell hurried away, Nalia tracked his movements until she was certain he was far enough away.

"He won't be back," she informed Anton.

"How do you know?

"You'll see!" Anton collapsed in exhasperation against his cell wall, only to jump with a gasp of pain.

"Ooh, yeah, you want to be careful. Electro-atoms tend to hurt a little if you aren't used to them. I get hardly more than a slight tingle anymore." With that, Nalia, fished for her tool, Anton's brow furrowed as she withdrew the long rod and eased it through the electro-atom wall.

"What on earth?"

"Shh!" she warned. A slight twist and the side of her cell disintegrated as before, only then did she address the shocked Anton, "Kitchen raid, come with?"

"But!", the man was still puzzling out her escape plan, "How did you manage to do that?"

"Common misconception with electro-atom walls. Many people thing they are solid, like rock or wood, when in reality they are more like canvas or mesh. The orbits of the atoms interweave forming a net of sorts that is impenetrable by most things. However, a small enough object, like a needle, and push right through. Then it's only a matter of exerting pressure on the exterior of the force-field to either activate or deactivate it."

"Where did you get . . . that?"

"Courtesy of prison laundry, it was a wire hanger. You know, like they used to use in the 20th century, all I had to do was unbend it. You coming?"

"Something tells me this is against the rules. . ."

"Of course it is, why do it otherwise?" Nalia swung easily down from her suspended cell, dropping silently onto the floor.

"But, the guards, surely they will have rounds coming through, what if you get caught?"

"I won't!" Nalia rolled her eyes, "I've done this countless times, the guards are gonna be slacking off at this time, most prisoners are alseep. And if y some exceedingly off chance I do get caught, I will say it was a bathroom emergency. Last chance for kitchen raid. I myself am craving ice cream."

"I'm not -" just the a series of soft moans echoed through the ward, "what's that? A ghost?"

"My best guess? Darrel is keeping Meig company." She sighed, "Let's go."

"Wait--!"

"Oh, come on!" Nalia dashed over to a control panel and paused just for a moment before pressing a button. Anton gasped as he felt himself descending. By the time her reached ground level, he was eye-to-eye with Nalia.

"You're mad."

"So they say," she shrugged before opening his cell and pulling him into the realm of mischief.