Roo is in her cell smoking a fag whilst listening to the radio when Kath strolls in.

Roo - What can I do for you then Maxwell?

Kath smiles and sits beside Roo

Kath - I thought we could have a little chat and sort a few things out

Roo blows smoke straight into Kath's face

Roo - If you're here to try and heavy me I can be nice and give you a chance to leave right now and I'll forget about this or you can stay and bug me and I'll see to it you end up where Jenkins is right now

Kath - You've got me all wrong Roo, it's nothing like that

Roo stubs out her cigarette and opens her packet to discover there are none left

Roo - Damn! That was my last pack!

Kath smiles and produces a pack and offers Roo one. Roo takes it and lights up

Roo - I didn't know you smoked?

Kath - I don't really, just the occasional one you know, but I always have a pack or two to hand. Well you know how it is in here, Ciggies are as good as cold hard cash for trading with

Roo - Very true. Well, I guess you're smarter than I thought Maxwell. So....tell me what do you want to chat about?

Kath - Well it's like this. I figure it's pointless fighting against you. I can see you're the boss around here now. Connors is a loser, so is Jenkins. I've figured out I'm a loser too if I stick with them.

Roo - You certainly are but the trouble is who says I want you on my side? A kid killer?

Kath looks angry but suppresses it

Kath - We could make a good team you know. I'm sure you've heard about my partnership with Ferguson. The protection rackets I had going? I might not be much of a fighter but I've got brains Morgan and that counts in here

Roo sneers

Roo - I got brains too love. You still ain't convincing me that I need you on my team

Kath - Well I can wrap Mr. Adams around my little finger if I like

Roo chuckles

Roo - Ah yes Mr. Adams. I have him under control nicely too

Rita is hiding outside the cell she glances into the cell. She is out of Roo's eye line but within Kath's, She has eye contact with Kath and gives Kath a nod. Roo has her back to Rita as she slowly creeps into the room with the knife

Kath - Well I have Merle on my side remember. Believe me, I can set Merle on you if I like

Roo (laughing) - That big fat fool! I'll just set my girls on her, it will be about 12 against one. Then your loony mate will be history

Kath - You really are quite the bitch aren't you!

Roo - Yeah that's right, that's the way it works in prison love

Kath - Oh I know, I'm not knocking it, really I admire it. I can play pretty dirty myself when I need to

Roo gives Kath a look and appears to be thinking

Roo - Hmm well maybe I can use you, Maxwell. You'd have to prove yourself mind

Kath - Of course, I realise that

Roo nods

Rita is behind Roo with the knife. She raises the knife above her head ready to plunge it into Roo's back

Chrissie comes in

Chrissie - ERE WHAT THE HELL!

Roo turns around quickly just as Rita is bringing the knife down. Roo lunges forward and they fight over the knife.

Rodney is in the staffroom with a coffee and a magazine.

Vera and Joyce are coming down the outside corridor

Joyce - All I'm saying governor is there was no need to put Jones on report

Vera (snapping) - I gave the girl fair warning Mrs. Pringle. I warned her to get that mess cleaned up, she didn't

Joyce - I know but she's...

Vera - She's a prisoner like all the rest, no different!

They arrive in the staffroom. Vera claps eyes on an oblivious Rodney, lost in his magazine

Vera - Mr. Adams what's going on here?

Rodney jumps to his feet clumsily spilling coffee everywhere

Rodney - Governor!

Vera - Why aren't you supervising Maxwell?

Rodney - Um...err...

Vera - Just get back there at once! We'll talk later

Rodney - I need to clear this mess up

Vera - I'll clean the coffee up Mr. Adams, just get back to Maxwell now!

Rodney races off

Vera shouts after him

Vera - And make sure she cleans up every last spot of dirt!!

Vera shakes her head with dismay

Vera - Mr. Adams gave me such a good first impression of himself. I'm disappointed I really am. Slackers will not be tolerated in my prison

Joyce - Yes well Mr. Adams was only a trainee not so long ago, he still has a lot to learn

Vera - Well he better learn it damn fast hadn't he Mrs. Pringle!

Roo's cell.

Roo and Rita are violently struggling for the knife. Kath tries to attack Roo to overpower her but Chrissie attacks Kath and they fight.

Chrissie - just what I fancy right now, beating the crap out of the kid killer!

Kath lands a heavy blow on Chrissie knocking her to the floor. She rushes forwards to help Rita and Chrissie grabs her leg and trips her onto the floor, they roll around on the floor

Roo gets hold of the knife and pins an exhausted Rita down

Roo - You just made a very big mistake Connors....your last mistake

Kath grabs a kettle and smashes it across Chrissie's head knocking her out

Kath - Take that bitch!

She rushes to grab the knife from Roo but is too late. Roo brutally stabs Rita who screams in pain. Roo goes for Kath

A large crowd has gathered by the phone outside the rec room. There is a lot of noise and moaning

Brumby - I tell ya I never did it you dumb bitches, I just found it like this

Vicki - She did it I saw her

Brumby - You lying bitch McPherson!

Vera arrives with Joyce

Vera - What's all the noise about ladies?

Brumby - Miss Bennett someone tore the phone off its cord and everyone thinks it was me but i swear it wasn't me

Vicki - It was her, I saw her do it Miss Bennett

Brumby - You bitch Vicki!

Brumby goes for Vicki and Joyce pulls them apart

Joyce - Really can you girls not act your age!

Vera smirks

Vera - Well ladies I can tell you that I was going to get this phone disconnected anyway so whoever it was has saved me a job.

Rodney races up in a panic

Rodney - Governor Maxwell's not where she should be, she must have sneaked off when I was on my break

Vera - She could have escaped Mr. Adams!

Joyce - Oh I doubt she would have done anything that drastic

Vera - Well let's search the prison for her right away. I hope for your sake she hasn't escaped Mr. Adams

Rodney, Joyce, and Vera rush off.

Vicki watches them go then turns to the others

Vicki - So ladies, we gonna let Tucker get away with this?

Lorna - Nah, I don't reckon we are.

Everyone surrounds Brumby

Brumby - Look girls, please?!...

Rodney, Joyce, and Vera dash around a corner and run into Kath who is soaked in blood

Kath (panting, out of breath) - You better come quick

They follow Kath to Roo's cell where they find Roo and Rita laying side by side bleeding heavily from stab wounds and Chrissie sitting on the floor barely conscious nursing a nasty-looking head wound

Lizzie is alone in her cell with a cigarette. She is singing to herself loudly

Lizzie - EARLY ONE MORNING, JUST AS THE SUN WAS RISING...

Brumby is staggering past in tears and Lizzie spots her

Lizzie - Hey love, what's wrong?

Brumby - Who are you?

Lizzie - I'm Lizzie love, Lizzie Birdsworth

Brumby - I'm Brumby

Lizzie puts an arm around Brumby and leads her into her cell.

Lizzie - Now what's the matter Brumby

Brumby - Those bitches just beat me up for something I didn't even do

Lizzie - Ah ya poor little thing

Brumby turns the tears on a bit more

Brumby - They always pick on me, I never hurt anyone. I hate this place it stinks

Lizzie - I know love. It's bloody rotten they put a nice little thing like you in prison. I'm just a hopeless old no-hoper but prison is no place for the young.

Brumby - I'm not even guilty of the crime I was convicted for, I was set up

Lizzie - Ah ya poor little thing. You just sit there and aunty Lizzie will make us a nice cup of cocoa ok

Brumby - Thank you, Lizzie, you're the nicest person I have met since I came here

Lizzie laughs happily and turns her back on brumby who takes the opportunity to pinch Lizzie's packet of cigarettes and lighter

The infirmary

Chrissie is sitting in bed with her head in a bandage.

Vera and Rodney are with Sister Hall in the other room

Sister Hall = Latham will live, she'll have a sore head for a day or two. I'd like to keep her here overnight just so she can get some proper rest but there is no reason why she can't rejoin the others tomorrow

Vera - Thank you sister

Vera marches in to Chrissie

Vera - Ok Latham what happened? Connors and Morgan have both been rushed to hospital with stab wounds

Chrissie - It was all Maxwell Miss Bennett, she just went crazy

Vera - Really? And any idea what caused this?

Chrissie shakes her head

Chrissie - No none, it was bleeding scary though I can tell you that.

Vera - Well knowing you and Morgan I find it hard to believe you wouldn't have provoked her in some way. But we'll talk about it more tomorrow

Vera leaves followed by Rodney

Vera - None of this would have happened if you had stayed where you were supposed to be Mr. Adams. We will talk about this more tomorrow and I will have to decide what disciplinary action to impose on you, Mr. Adams!

Rodney looks terrified

Lizzie is now alone again and can't find her cigarettes and lighter

Lizzie (to herself)- BUGGER IT! I could have sworn I left them here!

Brumby is in her cell alone smoking Lizzie's cigarettes and spots Vicki passing by. She rushes to confront her

Brumby - You bitch McPherson, you know damn well it wasn't me who pulled that stupid phone off the cord

Vicki - You shouldn't have screwed things up for me with my mum Tucker. I was just bringing her around to forgive me for ending up in here but this? I don't know if I can ever get her to accept this

Brumby gives a nasty smirk

Brumby - I hope she never talks to you again, I hope you have nothing and no one when you leave here

Vicki grabs Brumby by the throat

Vicki - And that's why I told the others you did it. And ya know what I'm gonna keep on doing stuff to you Brumby. You'll pay for what you did

Brumby yanks Vicki's arm away

Brumby - I'm not scared of you McPherson. You just bring it on, you hurt me I hurt you right back every time

Vicki - Yeah?

Brumby - Yeah

Brumby grabs Vicki's arm and bites it hard, sinking her teeth in

Vicki cries out with pain and pushes Brumby away

Vicki - You animal!

Brumby licks her lips with the look of a predator in her eyes

Brumby - Tastes good Vic, real good

Vicki looks freaked out, she backs away and rushes off quickly

GATESLAM

PART 2

Exterior shot of Wentworth in daylight

Inside Vera is asleep at her desk. She is wearing the same clothes from the night before so has clearly been at Wentworth all night.

The exterior phone rings which wakes her up. She answers

Vera - Aha.....yes......thank you

She hangs up.

There is a knock at the door

Vera - Come in

A sheepish Rodney enters

Vera - Ah Mr. Adams

Rodney - Morning governor

Rodney slips into a chair

Vera - I did not give you permission to sit down Mr. Adams!!

Rodney shoots back up

Rodney - Sorry governor

Vera - Now I have just had a call thru from the hospital. Morgan is on her way back here now, it appears her wounds were superficial and she is going to be fine. Sister hall is releasing Latham from the infirmary. Connors however is in a bad way, a very bad way by all accounts

Rodney - Oh dear...

Vera - Yes oh dear indeed, if she dies you will be partly to blame!

Rodney - I'm sorry governor but I don't see how I am to blame for Maxwell's actions

Vera - It's perfectly simple, if you had been supervising her as you were supposed to she wouldn't have had the chance to do this.

Rodney - No I'm not going to take that! If she did it she could have done it anytime she wanted to. If she hadn't done it last night it would have been another night. That's if she even did it, we only have Latham's word on that, and she's hardly reliable...

Vera - The point is you were supposed to be supervising her and you took it upon yourself to go on a break and while you were on that break she slipped off. Now when I hand out orders to stay and supervise a prisoner I expect it to be obeyed without fail

Rodney - Yes governor, I'm sorry

Vera - And don't think that the fact you only fully qualified a while ago will cut any ice with me, you have been here long enough to know better by now. Six months probation

Rodney - Six months?!

Vera - Yes six months. The senior officers will report to me on your performance during this time

Rodney - But 6 months?

Vera snaps

Vera - I have made my decision Mr. Adams!! It's not for you to question it. Remember that when a prisoner messes up they get punished, the same goes for officers. Now you may go

Rodney leaves in a huff

Marty's flat

Marty and Spike are having breakfast. Spike seems quiet

Marty - Any plans for today?

Spike shrugs

Spike - I thought I might try and look for a job. I'm getting bored sitting about here all-day

Marty - Good idea

Spike - Yeah, let's see if I can get one with my record

Marty - You have to think positive or you'll never get anything

Spike - Suppose

Spike plays with her food

Marty - What's wrong?

Spike - Nothing

Marty - Somethings wrong, I know it. Come on tell me

Spike - Well I wasn't gonna say anything but it's your mother. She came over yesterday to ask me to leave you, she even offered me money. She says she doesn't believe that I love you and she thinks I'm just using you and will hurt you

Marty looks furious

Marty - Right that does it, I'm sick of this. I'll talk to her when I see her

Spike - No Marty don't, I don't want to cause trouble between you and your mother

Marty - She's the one causing the trouble and it's going to stop

Marty looks at his watch

Marty - Well it's time I was off. Don't worry I'll sort all this out. I won't have her coming over here upsetting you like this

Marty leaves. Spike looks concerned

Vera's office.

Roo is stood in front of Vera clutching her side. Delia is stood to the side

Roo - I'm still in a lot of pain, if you ask me it's a bloody disgrace they sent me back so soon

Vera - You're fine, I'll let you have lighter duties for a day or two

Roo - Big deal!

Vera (angry) - Or maybe a week's rest in solitary will suit you better?

Roo is silent

Vera - I want to know what happened Morgan. Latham claims that Maxwell attacked all three of you

Roo - Yeah that's right she did

Vera - What all three of you on her own without help?

Roo - Yeah that's right

Vera - I find it hard to believe she would have the strength to take on three of you

Roo - She took us by surprise

Vera looks dubious

Vera - Officer Stoat take Morgan to H Block and then get Maxwell from solitary

Delia nods her head and shows Roo out

H Block corridor.

The women are lined up for muster.

Rodney and Marty are doing muster

Rodney - Laundry McPherson, Tucker

Vicki - Oh do I have to work with that bitch?

Rodney - You'll work where you're told now shut up

Vicki - No way I'm not working with her

Brumby - Yeah I'd rather work in the kitchen or something than work with that bitch

Rodney - Oh very well Tucker, you can go to the kitchen, you can swap with Latham

Brumby - Nice one Mr. Adams

Marty - You can't just swap the roster around like that Rodney...

Rodney (Abrupt) - So? Complain to Miss Bennett about it Mr. Jackson, that's the sort of sneaky thing you'd do

Sensing Rodney's bad mood Marty backs down

Lizzie - Hey did he just call you Mr. Jackson?

Marty - Yes that's right

Lizzie laughs with delight

Lizzie - Mrs. M told me you were here... I was staying with her for a while, she's so kind your mum

Marty - You were staying with mum?

Lizzie - Yes that's right! See I was in here before years ago see. Mrs. M was always our fave officer. i knew she'd take me in when I needed her, she always did in the past too

Rodney has overheard

Rodney - You mean Mrs. Morris knew you were a prisoner before and still put you up?

Lizzie - Yeah that's right, real beaut of her

Rodney looks at Marty, the smirk has returned

Rodney - That's pretty bad Marty, dear old mummy breaking the rules. I'm shocked, old boy

Marty - Shut up Rodney

Marty looks annoyed

Kath is in Vera's office

Vera - Both Morgan and Latham claim you attacked them. Of course, we can only wait to hear what Connors has to say when she pulls thru.....IF she pulls thru that is. So I can only be fair and ask for your side of the story

Kath - It's true I hit Latham and stabbed Morgan but only in self-defense. It was them who attacked Rita and i. Morgan stabbed Rita and She was going to stab me too, I had to defend myself didn't i?

Vera - So let me get this straight? You're telling me that you did not stab Connors and you only stabbed Morgan in self-defense?

Kath - Yes that's right...and Latham was attacking me too I have the bruises to show it

Vera - Yes can see the bruises, it's clear the whole lot of you had a fight since the others are badly bruised too.

Kath - I couldn't take the three of them on by myself Miss Bennett, I simply don't have the strength. Just take a look in my file and you will see records of all the times I coped a thrashing off of the women

Vera picks Kath's file up off the desk and proudly waves it at her

Vera - I already did Maxwell. I always read a prisoner's file before I talk to them. I have to say I find it hard to believe you could take on the three of them. But until we can hear from Connors it's simply your word against theirs

Kath - But with all due respect you surely can't believe a word either of them says, they are known, liars. As you have checked my file you will surely know I have an almost perfect record here. I was a trustee after all

Vera - You also have two escapes against your name, one of which you had the audacity to claim you were abducted, a likely story I'm sure!

Kath - It was the truth but no one believed me then so I don't expect anyone to believe me now