Three Strikes [✓]

Trust and Tests

Chapter Nine: Trust and Tests

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444th Air Base, Zapland.
July 1st, 2019.
1600hrs.

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Naomi leaned her head back against the smooth walls of her new friend, solitary confinement. McKinsey had not been happy that they'd shot down the bombers without his permission, so he sent them all to solitary, insisting they miss out on breakfast and lunch and they could come back out before dinnertime. The cell was dark, way too hot and dusty, but there was enough room for her to just barely move around. Coughing fits hadn't been uncommon in the last few hours, and she could even hear her fellow inmates coughing every once and a while.

It had been a little after nine o' clock when they'd been thrown in there, and as the day dragged on, the hotter it became. This had to be some form of torture, right? It gave her time to think, yes, but not about what she'd done wrong. No, it made her think about whether or not McKinsey was sane. It also made her think about how she'd rather be in Osea, or back at Fort Grays, not stuck in this hell hole.

At last, the sound of footsteps and guards talking came from outside and she heard the latch on the cell door open up. She squinted against the sudden sunlight before someone grabbed her arm and roughly pulled her out of the cell, dropping her onto the hard ground. Naomi grunted, coughing as more dirt filled her lungs. Her eyes adjusted and she rolled over to look around her, feeling a little. Count put a hand to his head as he sat up, groaning a few feet away. Soon they were joined by Tabloid, Full Band, and soon enough the entire squadron had been released from solitary.

"There," one of the guards snapped at them, taking a step back away. "I hope that taught you all a lesson." He looked at the wristwatch he had and then at the setting sun in the distance. "Dinner is in an hour. You have until then to wash up and get your worthless asses in gear." Naomi glared at them as she stood up. She attempted to follow the others as she began to drag their feet to the showers, but the guard stopped her. "Hold on, there, Trigger. McKinsey wants to speak with you before you go, so you're coming with me. The rest of you, stop wasting time and hurry it along!"

Naomi began a tired walk alongside the guard as he accompanied her away from the area where they kept the cells for solitary. The main building wasn't too far away from the yard, so it was only about a three minute walk through the scorching heat. The guards didn't look at all uncomfortable in the weather, then again, they hadn't been locked away to be toasted for six or seven hours. The only thing that didn't keep her from falling to her knees from exhaustion was the thought of the air conditioning inside the building.

Once inside the dirty gray building, she let out a sigh of relief and took a long, deep breath. It wasn't exactly what one could consider fresh air, but it was cold and it was probably the cleanest they had around this dump. The guard continued his escort to McKinsey's office, reaching the door and giving it a firm knock. McKinsey called out to them, "What do you want?"

"It's Sergeant Baker, sir," the guard replied. "I've brought you Harling's murderer, just like you requested."

There was a pause on the other side before McKinsey answered, "Go ahead and let her in." The guard opened the door and like they had on her first day, he shoved her inside and slammed it shut behind her. The office was darker now that it wasn't receiving any direct sunlight. In the torn up couch by the window, the Scrap Queen was sitting, her arms spread across the back and a leg with a brace on it was stretched out. She looked pissed, and most of her anger seemed directed at McKinsey, although she gave a cold look when Naomi entered the office. McKinsey greeted her. "Well, Trigger, how'd you like your first trip to solitary?"