Chapter 29: the Collective

“It’s you.”

C-1 turned to Cindy pointing at a bobblehead replica of her on the warden’s desk. Next to it were more figurines, the rest of the Collective with one notable absentee: C-6, the newest member.

It wasn’t just the Collective. The margin of the L shaped desk was lined with bobbleheads. Toy versions of all the key figures from the seven major prison gangs.

In the corner of the office, a small work station where warden crafted them all.

“You’ve quite the hobby warden,” C-1 said.

The warden remained silent, his pink face pulped and blonde beard stained red. C-4 stood behind him with dark toned hands pressed on the warden’s shoulders.

“Password?” C-1 asked for the umpteenth time.

The warden remained silent again.

C-4 spun the chair around, ploughed into him with vicious haymakers. The warden received the blows with the indifference of a zoo donkey.

C-4 paused.

The warden spat out a mouthful of blood and teeth, his grey eyes bland, empty, unfeeling.

“You’re a hard man warden,” C-1 said. “But everyone breaks eventually.”

‘He must’ve have muted himself.’

The warden himself was a cybermage so it wasn’t too surprising.

‘So we have to attack the psyche.’

C-5 retrieved a craft knife from the workspace. Pain or not, the loss of a finger or two was psycho-traumatic.

‘Hopefully this method will speed things up.’

The Collective could’ve attempted to hack the computer but that would take too long. A federation server would have numerous firewalls and they needed access to the tomb’s controls before reinforcements arrived.

“You have a nice family,” Cindy said evenly, holding up a picture frame. Images of the warden’s family flashed past its digital screen.

She tapped on the screen, turned the frame toward the warden. It was paused on a picture of the warden’s daughter being dropped off at the entrance to a high school.

“Your little girl goes to Wilkins Academy,” Cindy said. “A really posh school. I used to dream of going there as a kid not that my folks could’ve afforded it.”

She paused for effect.

“She’s really pretty. I think we’d make good friends me and your girl.”

The warden remained silent but his twisted face betrayed his concern.

Cindy twirled to C-1. “Can you guys have Broker say hello to her for me.”

“She has bodyguards. She’s protected,” The warden snapped, more in an attempt to convince himself than them.

“Unless they’re mage bodyguards she’s as good as naked,” C-1 said, lips curling.

Cybermage bodyguards: perhaps a privilege only the league corporations could afford.

Cindy put a finger over her luscious lips. “Or better yet. Have Broker follow her home so we can say hi to the warden’s whole family.”

There was a horrified look on the warden’s face.

C-1 leaned in close and whispered.

“Password.”

“I can’t,” the warden croaked.

‘He’s thinks were bluffing.’

“It’s a good thing you have network in here,” the Collective said all at once.

C-6 standing at the door, took out a communicator, tapped on it and waited a moment as it rang. Broker’s virtual projection beamed from the communicator.

Cindy held up the frame to Broker’s projection.

“I need you to find her,” C-6 said. “The warden’s daughter. She goes to Wilk—”

“Wait!” The warden said. “Drop the call. I’ll give you what you want.”

“Sorry about that,” C-6 said.

Broker furrowed his thick brows. “Did you jus—”

C-6 dropped the call before Broker could reprimand them for using him as a prop.

The warden typed in his password and placed his palm on the smart desk for the secondary DNA scan verification.

The smart desk loaded its home screen.

C-5 flicked her dreads to her back and made for Cindy. Pulled her into an embrace and planted a sloppy kiss on her. Saliva dripped between them in the intense sparring of tongues. The Collective tingled in sync.

“Good work,” C-1 exhaled as C-5 let Cindy go.

C-5 and 6 filed out the room to begin phase two of the plan.

C-4’s black hands vice gripped the warden’s head.

“Hey don—”

C-4 snapped his neck, tossed the corpse out the chair.

C-1 plopped into the chair, brought up the surveillance feeds. Six virtual screens popped up over the smart desk.

The first screen displayed the dining hall which was empty with the exception of the dead guards.

The next screen showed the cells where a few inmates dawdled or vandalized anything and everything.

The third screen had on display the female bathrooms.

The Collective paused, frowned. ‘We’ll have to delete the video archives.’

The fourth screen showed the guard lounge. Where the remaining guards had barricaded themselves in and made a last stand against the raging mob of inmates trying to break through.

The fifth screen displayed the empty visitors’ hall.

And the last screen was zoomed in on the main gate outside, which was around 500 meters away from the tomb. A handful of armed guards manned the gate. She tapped the screen and it switched viewpoints, displayed the back of the tomb. More guards at the smaller private gate.

The reinforcements hadn’t arrived yet so the gate guards held their positions to try and prevent anyone from fleeing. Only when their back-up arrived would they enter the tomb to suppress the riot.

But the Collective had the warden’s control so there was no one to let the reinforcements in. The tomb was a fortress so the Collective could maintain the lockdown indefinitely if they wanted.

‘And if their persistent.’

The tomb’s weapon controls came up.