"MARIA, THIS IS Liz confirming a code three alert on a missing Glock handgun at G station two." The voice of the administrative commander----"Liz" crackled through Maria's radio.350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQfdnS4ocC
"That's affirmative, Liz," Maria responded in French.
"This was Coralie's post, Maria?"
"Affirmative. I can't locate her."
Maria looked at the monitors. Nothing in the infirmary except the prisoner, sleeping peacefully. "Affirmative."
"All officers, this is Liz. All officers shall arm themselves immediately. And we'll issue a no further movement order pending a head-count confirmation."
Maria frowned. This was turning into a big deal. In all likelihood, Coralie was fooling around somewhere with the Glock and had killed her radio. Maybe hazing one of the new prisoners or something. Oh, was she was going to be pissed at Mira.
Well, fuck her. She gave the rest of the guards a bad name.
Maria removed a Glock from the stash and stood near her station. Guarding the infirmary wasn't exactly a grueling job. She had all of one inmate, who was locked inside a room. But the order was to arm, so she did.
She listened to the radio as each station called out its confirmation that all prisoners were accounted for. When they got G wing, she called out, "Affirmative, one prisoner."
Then a thought occurred to her. It was Coralie, after all. One of the more sadistic guards. And the word was she was none too friendly toward Mischa Barton. Maybe---maybe she'd decided to have some fun with Mischa tonight. Maybe a game of Russian roulette or something.
Kind of hard to believe, but there was a gun missing. Maybe Coralie was careless enough to leave it in the infirmary, knowing that Mischa was locking into that secured room.
Careless would be an understatement. It would be reckless as hell. But stranger things had happened around here. Maria buzzed open the infirmary door and walked in.
She walked from bed to bed, scanning the place for the missing Glock. Her eyes passed over the clock on the wall.
It was 2:11 a.m.
When the roll call was completed a few moments later, Liz announced over the radio that all prisoners were present and accounted for. The no further movement order---require that all inmates basically freeze in their tracks until further notice----was moot. There wasn't a single prisoner out of her cell at twelve minutes past two in the morning: "All secure at zero two twelve hours," Liz said. "But let's find that weapon, officers."
Maria looked under pillows and sheets in the main room. She kicked towels on the floor. She sighed. It was probably nothing. The odds of that Glock being in this room were slim to none.
"Elisabeth, at perimeter one, this is Liz. What is your status on Coralie?"
"Liz, this is Elisabeth at perimeter one. Coralie has not passed through the gate.
Maria approached the secured room but stopped short of the door. If she was considering every possibility, she had to consider the possibility that Mischa Barton had the weapon, and she was waiting for an opportunity to use it in an ambush.
She wouldn't give her that chance.
She pushed the intercom button outside the room.
"Barton, wake up," she said. "Stand away from the bed and raise your hands."
The body lying in bed 1 didn't stir. Maria watched her chest expand and contract with the rhythms of sleep.
"Barton!" she cried.
No movement.
Getting a little hot herself now, Maria walked to the door. It was bulletproof, she'd be safe as long as she stayed on this side.
She raised a fist, prepared to pound on the glass. When she reached the door, she almost jumped out of her skin. She bounced backward, then righted herself, moved a few steps to the left so she could see more clearly what it was she thought she saw in her peripheral vision, in the far front corner of the room.
Something she couldn't see from the security camera monitor.350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWzJFfHQrI
Because it was directly under the security camera.350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTqE5CEErv
It was Coralie, unconscious, handcuffed by the hands and feet to a chair.350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuUa7uw5o6
"This is---this is Maria at G station two," she stammered into the radio, her nerves choking her throat. "This is a code one alert. That's code one. Request an immediate lockdown."350Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGB32B4MmGX
