Low Blow

Posted on Sun Oct 6th, 2024 @ 6:42am by Solveig Kallestad & Ransom Sinclair

3,542 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: San Francisco
Location: Styled Ultra-Max Correctional Facility
Timeline: August

Some people said that prison was easy. The great irony of the rehabilitation culture was that prison was less daunting for a hardened criminal than the streets; to some, prison was a break. Ransom wasn’t that kind of hardened criminal. He wanted to be free.

A distant father, a working mother, and divorce paired with a wicked temper and a hunger to belong had built him. A gang that accepted him and a bit of retaliatory violence landed him where he was, serving a seven year sentence for murder. It wasn’t his fault the dude he dropped couldn’t stop running his mouth.

Styled Ultra-Max Correctional Facility lived up to its name in some places, but seemed almost mild in others. It was built two decades ago to house the most dangerous mutants, especially those who no normal prison could hold. In reality, however, it was the hole the government put any criminal mutant they could find. Three segments were kept for varying levels of mutant: Segment 1 for the gamma and epsilon level mutants with weak abilities, or Jo abilities at all, Segment 2 for Beta and Alpha level mutants who could deal damage, but weren’t considered serious threats, and Segment 3 for the ultra-dangerous with solitary confinement and special technologies at all times to control the maniacs. Ransom was in Segment 2, and he was set to get out altogether in a month.

He sat down at a table with his associates and placed his tray of shitty, plastic food on the metal table. He had been quiet about the fact he was getting out, which was common, and barely anyone knew. For his enemies, such information could be used to get him in trouble and extend his sentence.

“They servin’ this snot corn again.” He said to the man next to him at the table as he lifted a spoon full of unappetizing creamed corn.

“Dunno. It’s growing on me.” The other man replied slowly in a deep, nasally voice that tended to annoy people so he spoke very little. He glanced over at Ransom then pushed his spoon around in the small section where the corn was. He was a seemingly average man of ambiguous heritage with mocha colored skin and small, wide features. His head was shaved, but his eyebrows hinted that what hair he might have had was only a shade darker than his skin.

“I’ll trade you for that hard-ass, nasty-ass brownie you got.” Ransom said, pointing at the near-black square on the other man’s tray.

Ransom was handsome, tall, slender, and caramel-skinned, and his body was dotted with tattoos. The only ones which were visible outside of his orange jumpsuit were on his arms and neck. But in both places, there were black and gray flames that made his muscular extremities look like they were covered in grayscale hellfire. His hair was a giant poof of an afro, having let it grow out since he’d been in prison because he didn’t trust the barber’s skills.

“Okay.” The other man agreed and shoved his tray close to Ransom’s so he could transfer the corn into it. “Don’t spill.”

Ransome scooped the snot-corn from his tray onto that of his friend’s being sure not to spill as requested. He then reached over and picked up the other brownie and placed it on his own tray. He pulled it back and started working on his over-salted chicken, after having over-salted it himself in order to give his meal some flavor. He shook his head.

“I’m tellin’ you, man. My Mama makes the best creamed corn. That’s why I’m a perfectionist.” Ransom said, talking with his mouth full in a way his mother would hate if she were there. “Imma have to get her to make you some one day to prove it to you. Fuck that snot you got, man.”

“Well I keep sayin’ I’ll try it when I get out. I believe ya.” He pulled his tray back close and began to shovel the runny corn into his mouth. “Better’n that brownie.”

“They make this shit so the dentist has somethin’ to do.” Ransom responded, and took a small bite of one of the brownies. It crunched loudly and pulled off hard. His jaw worked visibly to chew it. “It’s not even sweet, but if I close my eyes, I can pretend.”

The two of them had entered around the same time, though Max had been in a few months before Ransom. He’d helped him to get oriented to life inside Stryker. At first, Ransom thought it would be easy to handle the guards, but he soon learned that Stryker was a high-paying employer of powerful mutants and any one of them would make him think twice about acting up. They’d become friends right away and had both told the other they were getting out in the next month. Despite their affiliation to their gang, the Mutant Disciples, the two of them had tried their hardest to keep their noses clean.

“A month, man.” Ransom said quietly as the two of them dropped their trays off on a stack so the inmates on kitchen duty could wash them. “Can you believe it?”

“Not hardly.” The other man drolled, following Ransom along. He bumped shoulders with another man as he was passing by with his own tray and the two looked at each other. “Scuse you.”

“Sorry, Max.” The smaller man apologized distractedly, looking more at the slop on his tray than anything else.

“I bet you excited to see ya baby girl without some bullet-proof glass between you.” Ransom said, smiling a bit. Despite his typical stoicism, it was clear he was genuinely excited at the prospect of his friend being reunited with his loved ones. At least somebody had someone who still loved them.

“Oh yeah.” Max agreed, this time a grin actually appeared on his face. “Real excited. I’m gonna be out for her birthday by the looks of it. Haven’t been to any since her first.”

“Is Melissa gonna let you stay wit her or you gotta find somewhere else to kick back till you can get a job?” Ransom asked, his own small smile still lingering as the two of them started into the hallway that led from the cafeteria to one of the common rooms.

“Dunno. She say I gotta find somewhere else but she loves me. Guess I’ll see when I get out. What about you? Any plans?” Max asked, looking around as they walked and keeping an eye out.

“My Moms left D.C. two years ago to move to San Francisco for some other job, so I can’t go back to her crib there. My sister’s in school, my brother works at a school, and my dad looks at me like I’m a fuckin’ animal.” Ransom said, walking with a comfortable swagger. He was smooth and confident, but seemed like he didn’t really care about looking smooth and confident. “Guess that means Mama is the best option. She won’t let her baby go hungry, at least.”

He grinned and shrugged. His mother was the San Francisco public school superintendent, and he knew she had more money than she knew what to do with. He didn’t want to be any trouble for her, but she was his only real option.

“What about that girl you was seein that you told me about?” Max asked, frowning a bit and looking at Ransom as they walked. “You a lil old to be with mama.”

“That was seven years ago. That bitch been done moved on.” Ransom said, shaking his head. “I’m not too proud to stay with mama for a few months. I don’t know..I guess I put her through alot back in the day, and I don’t want to do that no more.”

“Changed man, eh?” Max grinned as if he didn’t believe one word of it. “Yeah a’ight, go see mama. Get back on your feet.”

“Never that, Max. I just want to stay free and keep my bullshit away from my family. I’m not ready to give up that life, you know.” he answered, waving his hand. “Don’t worry. I bet you three Benjamins I’ll have me a honey to help me make my money in weeks, boy.”

“Bet.” Max laughed and reached out, punching Ransom in the shoulder from behind but not putting any real power behind it. “More likely you end up with a baby momma.”

“Nah, man. I wrap it up.” Ransom said before shaking his head again. “I can’t lie, I don’t wrap it up unless I need to, but my pull out game is on point though.”

“Yeah… yeah I thought that too. We all do, then we end up with daughters to pay for for forever.” Max laughed loudly, slapping Ransom’s back. “Ah I love her though.”

The two men chuckled as they made their way down the hallway toward the common room. The hall was empty except for two mean-looking guys at the end who were approaching, probably heading to the cafeteria. One of them was pale skinned, the other quite green. Ransom took note of their approach just a few seconds before they were upon them; something was wrong.

Max for his part was distracted thinking of his daughter, his woman, and the freedom he would be enjoying in just a few short weeks. He barely even noticed the other two men until they were essentially right next to them, and only then did he frown and tense.

Despite the fact they clearly saw Ransom and Max, the two men walked straight through them, bumping shoulders hard as they did so. They immediately turned around, scowling.

“Hey, you two, how about you watch where the fuck you’re going?” He said. He was big and strong, and the two of them were known members of a rival gang.

“Who are you talkin’ to?” Ransom said, returning the anger with a frown of his own. There was no fear in his gaze as he took a step forward.

“Nah, good little Disciples like you two are the ones who need to be careful. Ain’t you the ones supposed to be getting out in a month?”

“The fuck business is it of yours?” Max asked then spat on the ground. “Keep walkin.”

He jerked his head toward the cafeteria, glowering at the other two men with his dark eyes. He wasn’t going to be the one to start anything, but getting out of not he’d finish it if someone else did. He wasn’t a bitch.

“Keep walking or what?” The big man said, quickly closing the distance between them and getting up in Max’s face. His friend followed close behind as backup. “Get into a fight, and you’re not going anywhere, ain’t that right, cupcake?”

Ransom didn’t back down, and his fists clenched. He felt his tattoos start to sting and itch and he started to move around a bit, antsy. As much as he wanted to toast these guys, he knew what they said was true. If they fought, they could completely ruin their release.

“Wouldn’t be enough of a fight to be worth it with you scrawny bitches. Let’s go, Ransom.” Max prompted his friend, still squaring up with the man in his face but not provoking anything more. He started to back up, not turning his back on the other men for even a brief moment. “Go eat your slop, maybe you’ll have a chance then.”

When the big man’s fist hit Max’s jaw, there was a bright flash of light and he went flying backward down the hallway. Ransom’s response was instant as the grayscale flames on his arms, torso, legs, and neck became quite real, and those parts of his body became engulfed in flame. As his eyes lit with fire, his tan jumpsuit burned away from his body. Despite this impressive display, he didn’t attack back. He was still frozen by the knowledge that a fight would ruin his life.

The larger man sauntered off after Max while the green man was left with Ransom. He eyed the flames coming off of the other man and then grinned terribly. “Get all undressed for me, princess? Well I love an eager bitch; later though. You be a good girl and stay there while daddy goes to deal with this problem and I’ll let you suck my cock later.”

With that, he moved from Ransom and swaggered after the larger man.

Ransom was angry, but he wasn’t sure what he should do at that moment. For a second, he had simply resolved to wait the men out, but when they both got to work on Max, he knew they were here for a fight in the first place. Part of him wanted to burn them to a crisp, but the other part knew that the future of both him and Max was at stake. He debated, and then decided the best thing to do was find a guard. He couldn’t believe himself, but snitching was his best option.

“I’ll be back, Max!” He said, and started down the hall back to the cafeteria at a full sprint, flames trailing after him.

“Ransom! Ransom!” Max yelled after the man to little effect. Seeing he was running away, Max found he had no choice but to deal with the problem alone.

Ransom emerged into the cafeteria, immediately arousing the attention of everyone in the room as any man almost completely aflame would do.

“SINCLAIR! Flame off right now!” Shouted one of the guards. He approached with a stun-stick and a frown on his face. He had a thick mustache that made him look like a complete douche.

“Wait, I need Your he-“

“I said flame off NOW!”

“Listen to me!” Ransom shouted at the guard. “Max is getti-“

His sentence was interrupted by the prod of the metal rod and the coursing of enough electricity through his body to fell an elephant. He remained upright for several seconds as the other guards in the room converged on him, but eventually lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. His flames returned to the gray-tone tattoos on his body and he came to rest there, vulnerable and completely naked.

The world went black, and for a space of time Ransom couldn’t measure, it stayed that way. Eventually, however, his dreamless sleep gave way to the waking world and his eyes fluttered open. A metal ceiling was above him, and after a few blinks, he looked around and saw the solitary cell matched. The only items in the room were the bed he was laying on, a toilet in the corner, and a metal sink. He groaned and sat up before any memories came back to him.

“Fuck..”he muttered under his breath as he held his head with one hand. He couldn’t remember what happened for a long while, but suddenly, the altercation in the hallway came back to him in memories of flame and adrenaline, and then he remembered everything. “Max..”

Rushing over to the door, he looked out of the small window and began to bang loudly on the door. Due to his considerable strength, the resulting noise was quite effectively loud.

“Stop hitting the door, inmate!” A guard outside practically barked at Ransom. “Go lie down.”

“Wait, I’m just lookin’ for answers.” Ransom said, stopping his rapping on the door and placing his palms on the metal surface. “How long I been in here? Where’s Max?”

“Fuck off, inmate.” The guard replied and hit the bars with a metal rod to drive home the point. “No talking.”

“Well how long am I supposed to be in here now?” Ransom asked, frowning. “I don’t even know what the fuck I did wrong.”

“As long as we fuckin’ say you are.” The guard said, his strange ruddy red face appearing at the door. He stared inside the cell with intense yellow eyes. “You broke the rules and attacked the guards with your fuckin’ fire, now your ass is here.”

“What the fuck? I didn’t attack anybody!” Ransom responded, too loud. He felt the familiar burning and itching of his tattoos. “Another inmate was gettin’ jumped in the hallway and I was trying to get some help. Ya fuckin’ guard zapped me before I could even tell him what was goin’ on.”

“You were told to turn your flames off and didn’t comply. It burned one of the guards when you went down, so you fuckin’ attacked the guard.” The man retorted, practically snarling at Ransom.

“When I turn my flames on it burns my clothes off, man. I was naked as fuck. I wasn’t tryin’ to show all those gay-ass men on the block my dick.” Ransom protested. “And if that dumb ass got burned, that was his own damn fault.”

“They all seen your dick, inmate. You fucks shower together, remember?” The guard scoffed and withdrew. “Go lie back down and shut the fuck up.”

“But wait, man. What ever happened to Max?”Ramson asked, tapping hard on the door again in his frustration. “Two motherfuckers from the Blades was workin’ on him when I went into the cafeteria. I was tryin’ not to get in trouble for fightin’.”

“Who the fuck is Max and why should I care?” The harsh voice barked. “If you fuckin’ touch that door again I’m gonna come in there and put you to sleep myself.”

“Yeah, okay. As long as you have that fuckin’ stick.” Ransom responded. This guard was lucky he was getting out soon. “Just look into it for me, man. I got you when I get out of solitary. You know I’m good for it.”

“The fuck was his number? I don’t bother with names for you bitches.”

“Inmate 56739.” Ransom said, satisfied the man was going to look him up. He stepped back toward the bed, keeping his face to the door. “Good lookin’ out.”

“Oh, that guy. He’s dead.” The guard replied as if he were talking about something as simple as the weather.

Ransom’s brows dropped, confusion settling on his face. He breathed heavily, turning his head as if he had misheard.

“What?”

“He’s dead.” The guard repeated. “You deaf or something?”

“What do you mean he’s dead, man? How could he be fuckin’ dead? I just saw him!” Ransom said, raising his voice, clearly upset. “I literally just saw him!”

“He is no longer among the living. We shipped his ashes out yesterday.” The guard replied through the door and was starting to sound bored. “They fucked him up real good.”

“His ashes, what the fuck? How long have I been in here?!” Random asked. “He was gettin’ out in a fuckin’ month to see his girl and his baby. What the fuck do you mean you sent his fuckin’ ashes out yesterday?!”

“Four days.” The guard sighed. “There wasn’t anything left to really send out but ashes, so I feel we did the family a kindness.”

“Why the FUCK was I unconscious for four fuckin’ days?!” Ransom said, his tattoos burning fiercely enough that the fabric of his clothing started to show signs of steam as he started losing his temper. “And what did you do with the motherfuckers who did this to him?”

“None of your concern, inmate. Now go lie down and shut the fuck up.” Came the dismissive reply.

“Fuck you, you fuckin’ bitch!” Ransom said, punching the wall next to him so hard he put a fist-sized dent in it. “You gonna have a fuckin’ gang war on your hands if you don’t deal with them.”

“LIE DOWN, INMATE.” The guard bellowed then, the door shaking slightly with the intensity. “Don’t make me come in there and put you down for a week.”

Ransom sat down on the bed, his jaw clenched and his eyes glowing like embers. There was little surprise, based on the look of him, when the collar of his shirt caught fire, and though his whole body didn’t burst into flame, he remained silently angry while the fabric burned away.

“FUCK!” He screamed, balling up his fists and slapping the frame of the bed as the mattress caught fire too and the room started to fill with smoke.

The fire suppression in the cell immediately kicked on and began spraying water not only into Ransom’s cell but the rest of the cells and the hallway. The door suddenly swung open violently, and the guard barreled in with his stun stick activated. He wasted no time in stabbing it into Ransom’s side violently.

Ransom yelped and convulsed, but didn’t fight very hard this time. When he was out again, only the sound of the angry guard and the falling water remained.

END

 

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