Chapter 2

A loud and obnoxious beeping ripped Mary out of her sleep. She didn’t know when she had fallen asleep last night and neither did she know how long she had actually been sleeping for. All she knew was that she still felt tired as she sluggishly push herself up and out of bed, turning her head towards the monitor overtop her door. According to the display it was 06:57 AM with the notice that the morning cell inspection would take place at 07:00 and that inmates were required to form up for a roll call as soon as their cell doors would open. As Mary sat herself upright on the edge of the bed an announcement rang throughout the cell.

“Attention all Inmates! The morning roll call is about to begin, please step into the green circle in front of your cell door to initiate the scan sequence. Inmates that fail to comply will be subject to disciplinary action.”

With that sentence the announcement concluded and a green holographic circle appeared in front of her cell door. After a moment of hesitance Mary stepped into the circle which in turn caused a small flap on the door to open.

“Scan sequence in progress, please stand still”

After a few seconds the robotic voice continued.

“Scan sequence complete. Identity confirmed. Inmate I-2257. No additional containment procedures required.”

The flap closed as the cell door, with a sharp hissing sound, slowly opened allowing Mary to step out of her cell.

The hallway was busy, guards with batons and rifles surveilling the inmates that stepped out of their cells forming a line in the middle of the hallway. Many of the other inmates wore restraints ranging from simple shackles or cuffs to collars and even full-on straightjackets.

“HEY INMATE! Stop daydreaming and get yourself in line!”

A guard barked at Mary ripping her out of her thoughts, as she swiftly positioned her herself in the middle of the hallway as well. Shortly after getting herself into position the line began to move forward, first down the hallway then down a flight of stairs before arriving at what seemed to be a checkpoint. One for one the inmates were called forward to step in front of a camera tentacle scanning their bodies for contraband. Eventually the entire line had moved past the checkpoint, some inmates being removed from it after the sensors had detected illegal items on them. The remaining inmates were instructed to walk through the door behind the checkpoint where Mary was immediately hit by the pleasant smell of food. Her stomach let out an audible growl, reminding Mary that she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. The promise of a meal did not fail to spark a little excitement in her. After quickly grabbing a tray and waiting in yet another line for what seemed like an eternity, she had finally acquired her meal consisting of a bowl of oatmeal, an apple, a few slices of cheese and bread, as well as a cup of coffee. Now with her tray full of food Mary looked around the densely packed cafeteria, most tables already fully occupied by other inmates. After walking down, the narrow aisle separating the packed tables from another she spotted a table at the very back of the dining hall that appeared to still have an open seat. The inmates sitting at the table all seemed to be minding their own business keeping their eyes on their food almost as if it was going to disappear the second they’d take them off of it. Their complete lack of interaction among each other was particularly eerie given that all the other tables seemed to have at least some kind of chatter going. In total 3 inmates were currently occupying the table. A brutish muscular woman with short reddish brown hair wearing a pair of heavy duty gloves and a tank top, a meek woman with blond hair and what looked like some sort of high tech collar around her neck, and a girl with long white hair who looked like she was barely past her teens at best wearing a straightjacket and being fed by the meek women next to her.

“Um hey, is this seat still open?”

Her question was met by more dead silence.

“Hey! Is this seat still open?”

She repeated herself, this time louder and with less hesitance, but to no avail. Now slightly annoyed by the inmates refusal to acknowledge her existence, Mary decided, in a bout of newfound bravery, to simply sit down next to the brutish looking woman instead of wasting any more time she could instead use to finally pacify her growling stomach. With a soft crinkle she plopped herself down on the bench next to the brunette and began to wolf down the food on her tray. Calling it bland was an understatement, the oatmeal might as well have been plaster judging by its consistency, the cheese’s color was such a vibrant yellow that the thought of it being genuine cheese wouldn’t even pass through the most uncultured mind, the coffee tasted like bitter black hot water and the apple was floury and tart. Not that Mary cared much for the flavor or texture of the food in front of her at the moment, all that mattered was that it was filling her up and finally got rid of that nagging feeling in her stomach. Finishing her meal, she let out a sigh of relief only to be met by 3 pairs of eyes staring at her as she lifted her head back up. Their combined stares quickly dissolved Mary’s former bravery into a puddle of creeping dread as the potential consequences of her careless previous actions started dawning on her. These were criminals, in a maximum security prison no less, this was the last place you wanted to get off on the wrong foot with someone lest you were looking to break a leg or two. Mary never imagined a scenario where she would have been glad to be wearing diapers. In this moment she was starting to feel pretty grateful for wearing them. At least she would be spared the embarrassment of pissing her pants before being beaten to a pulp. Her whole body tensed up as she felt the brunettes hand on her shoulder.

“Who do you think you are sitting down at our table?”

Her voice was calm yet domineering, like a predator circling its prey. Mary’s mouth felt like the Saharan desert, stifling every attempt of hers to speak.

“You got wax in your ears or something? I asked you a question. Who do YOU think YOU are to just sit down at OUR table?”

Chills went up and down Mary’s spine as the brutish woman tightened the grip on her shoulder, causing her to yelp out.

“I-I…I… I’m s-s-sorry, t-this was the only free spot…”

The brutes grip on her shoulder didn’t get tighter this time but neither was it getting any looser.

“I don’t recognize you, what’s your number?”

“N-Number?”

Mary asked confused.

“Your inmate number the four digits you got when you were admitted shrimp.”

“Uh…. 2…2…5…6 NO 7! 2257! That’s my number!”

“That’s better. Freja, does 2257 ring any bells with you?”

The brute was now looking at the meek blond who took her piercing green eyes off Mary as she answered.

“No, I have no recollection of an inmate with that number. I suspect she might be the transfer that was admitted yesterday.”

“A newbie huh? Well, I guess I’ll let you off easy for today then.”

The brunette finally let go of Mary’s shoulder causing her whole body to relax.

“So, what’s your name newbie? I said I’d let you off the hook but that doesn’t mean you get to go without telling us a bit about yourself.”

Mary now finally able to compose herself responded immediately.

“Mary, Mary Strasser. Mind telling me yours as well?”

“Hehe, I let the newbie off the hook for one second and they start making demands. But fine…”

She points to the meek blond.

“This, as you already heard, is Freja.”

Freja nods towards Mary.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance”

“That little bundle of crazy, is Lizbeth. But we all call her Liz”

The white haired, red eyed girl gave Mary a mischievous grin

“Uhhhh… How old is she exactly?”

“Don’t worry she’s 20, just rather short for her age and well… a little coo-coo”

Mary looked back at the strange girl who had returned her attention to being fed by Freja.

“I take it that is the reason for the straightjacket as well?”

She turned back to the brunette who had yet to reveal her name.

“Among other things… anyways guess that only leaves me.”

The brunette extended her hand towards Mary.

“Izara, it’s a pleasure”

Mary hesitantly shook her hand still very warry of the brunettes grip strength. However, to her surprise Izara’s handshake while firm was rather gentle and in no way comparable to when her hand had been on her shoulder. Their handshake also brought something else back onto Mary’s mind.

“Say… What are those gloves about? I’m gonna assume neither those nor the collar or straightjacket are on you for aesthetic purposes.”

Izara chuckled.

“Straight on the money, these are part of this places security protocol. They keep our powers in check. Now that you mention it, kinda weird that you don’t have anything on you to contain yours.”

“Powers? What are you talking about?”

The entire table stared dumbfounded at Mary for a second.

“Wait… So you wanna tell me you were sent to Saint Antonio’s without even knowing about your powers? Ya know I appreciate a good joke but this one has the stench of lies sticking to it.”

Feeling the tension in the air intensifying again Mary quickly fumbled for an explanation.

“Hold on a sec… The Doctor I spoke with before I was admitted mentioned that I was suffering from amnesia!”

“Amnesia huh? That’s one of the lousiest excuses I ever heard.”

Before Mary could get another word in Freja instead interjected.

“I don’t think she is lying Izara.”

“Hm? Why’s that?”

“Do you remember inmate 3866? Her story is not too dissimilar from this one.”

Freja turned to Mary

“Would you mind going into a little more detail concerning your conversation with Dr. Salazar?”

“Uh… Sure, I don’t know if there is much more to tell but alright.”

Mary gave an abridged retelling of her meeting with the doctor.

“Hmm… I see, it’s quite strange for her to be so sparse with an inmates personal information.”

Izara chimed in from the side.

“That quack is the most manipulative bitch I’ve ever come across, is it really surprising she would leave a newbie dangling like that?”

“Well, let’s say our conversation was cut short by an… incident”

The brunette chuckled

“Let me guess, she made ya piss your pants in front of her.”

Mary blushed at Izara’s surprisingly accurate guess

“H-how did you…?”

“Ya think you are the only one stuck in diapers around here?”

She pulled down the waistband of her sweatpants revealing a slightly yellow diaper not unlike the one Mary was wearing.

“Believe me everyone here has probably wet themselves at least once in front of that bitch, heck little Liz here even straight up shit herself in front of our dear doctor once”

The small white haired girl shot angry glares at her fellow inmate, her mouth convulsing into a pout.

“That was supposed to be a secret you meanie!”

“Relax, it’s not like ya had a choice. ‘Sides it’s not like anyone here gets to choose where they relief themselves.”

Izara turned back to Mary.

“Anyways, since you apparently really have no clue about what makes this prison special, lemme tell you the basics.”

“Every single inmate in here has some form of supernatural ability as well as an according containment measure to keep their powers in check.”

“So… what’s your special ability?”

“The eggheads studying our powers called mine Electrokinesis, basically my body is capable of generating and controlling the flow of electricity. Without these gloves you’d see the little contacts on my fingertips that I use to conduct it.”

“That sounds… pretty wild…”

“Heh I don’t blame ya for not believing me. I’d demonstrate my powers to you if it wasn’t for these gloves.”

She tucked at the fabric of her gloves.

“Anyways, ask Freja about her powers that’ll make the concept a little more believable at least.”

Mary turned to the meek girl, who returned her looks with a gentle smile.

“Would you please give me your hand for a second?”

She asked extending a hand of her own towards Mary.

“Uhhh… ok…?”

Hesitantly she put her hand onto Frejas as the blonde closed her eyes.

“Thank you I was able to establish a link between the two of us. If you don’t mind I will temporarily add you to our network so you can hear the others as well.”

Mary could hear Frejas voice despite her mouth being closed.

“I am capable of what most people would call telepathy. I can establish a telepathic link between myself and whoever I touch. I am also able to join telepathic connections into a network allowing anyone within the group to telepathically communicate with one another. This collar I am wearing however significantly limits the range of my powers.”

“Still pretty amazing don’t you think newbie?”

Izara chimed in not opening her mouth to speak either.

“Wow… this is amazing…”

“Hehe yeah Frejas powers come in pretty handy if you want to have a private conversation in this place. Well… not completely private. The guards ‘round here have telepaths as well to make sure we ain’t plotting anything in secret.”

“I guess it figures that the security staff would have powers too…”

“Most of the hounds don’t. It’s just a select few. They are part of a special unit deployed in case one of us breaks their limiters. You’ll recognize them pretty quickly. They are dressed in these black skin tight body suits…”

“And their eyes glow all green and scary!”

A third voice rang through Mary’s mind as Lizbeth interrupted their conversation.

“What Liz meant to say was that said division of the guard are equipped with gas masks with inbuild night vision goggles, which make it seem as if their eyes are glowing green.”

“What Frej Frej said!”

Came Lizbeths reply to Frejas explanation.

“I see… So, what’s your power Lizbeth?”

She said the first part of her sentence out loud before remembering that she could now also telepathically converse with the other inmates at the table.

“You wish to know the extent of my powers? Normally I would decline such a request from a mere peasant like you… but since Frej Frej and Izi seem to trust you… I guess I can tell you.”

“I was blessed with the gift of the crimson rivers… bestowed upon me by the cursed spirit of the weeping gash spring…”

“Her power’s hemokenesis. She can control her own blood but gets increasingly deranged the more foreign blood she absorbs. Hence why she is wearing that straightjacket so she cannot hurt herself and activate her powers.”

“Iziiiiiiii!! I was supposed to tell her that. I was about to get to that part! You ruined it!”

The albino huffed, before quickly being distracted by a spoonful of food being brought to her mouth by Freja.

“Be glad I cut her short there, she would have gnawed your ear off with those stories otherwise. Like I said she’s got a screw loose.”

Mary returned Izara’s kindness with an awkward smile.

“Appreciated, but this is still a lot to process. Yesterday I wake up with amnesia, am told I am a wanted criminal and then today I find out that apparently this is a prison for people with freaking super powers that also all happen to wear diapers. I feel like I might lose it too at this rate.”

“I don’t blame ya, should’ve seen me on my first day in here. I was a rabid animal.”

She mustered the tall dark skinned woman sitting next to her, shuddering at the thought of how this happening might have turned out back then.

“I can imagine.”

“Yeah I’d probably have turned a shrimp like you inside out without asking back then”

“Yeeeaaaaaaaaah… I will probably regret asking this but… what are you in for?”

Izara snorted, visibly amused by Mary’s hesitance.

“Used to be part of a pirate crew. Was the ship mechanic. Turns out when you have a knack for working with heavy machinery, fingers that double as semiconductors, and little to lose you make for an excellent pirate ship mechanic.”

For a moment the brunettes expression softened as she reminisced about her past. Before Mary could however ask any further question she was interrupted by a guard approaching her from behind.

“Inmate C-2257? You are scheduled for your first routine assessment. I will be escorting you to the assessment room.”

While Mary looked confused the rest of the table seemed to immediately understand.

“Ah well sucks that they are cutting us short here. We’ll talk later newbie alright?”

“Y-yeah… Alright I’ll see you guys around.”

She said as she nervously got up and followed the guard out of the cafeteria, down another seemingly endless hallway until they arrived at yet another bulky looking door. Another retina scanner popped out of the wall scanning both her and the guards retinas before opening the door allowing Mary to step into the yet another pristine white room.