Kazimir elbowed Leo in the side. "Hey, don't let that getchya down, sport. You probably wouldn't like meeting the Devil anyway. Doesn't sound like the sorta folk you'd have a casual conversation with."
It was then that the five minute warning for the end of mealtime beeped loudly throughout the mess hall. Kazimir realized that he had yet to finish his meal, and that as much as he hated the taste, he couldn't very well manage on an empty stomach.
"Sh*t!" He cursed before he began to scarf down his food like an animal.
Apophis literally unhinges her jaw and swallows the rest of her food.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Maahes pretended to hurriedly eat his meal, but he barely touched it. Eating more during mealtime was something he almost always avoided; he might have tried to put more effort into it, but their conversation had made eating the last thing he wanted to do.
Commander Tslukat slowly swayed side to side in her chair as she observed the screens monitoring the prisoners. Beside her sat her head psychologist, reading off the week's reports.
"Prisoner 293411 has been showing signs of increased despondence after being moved to solitary for her outburst that occurred soon after her transfer. If he spirits were not broken before, they certainly are now," the doctor commented as Tslukat's yellow eyes remained glued to the screen, watching the yellow uniforms moved around the mess hall. The commander nodded.
"You know you can use names, doctor."
The doctor's six eyes blinked. "I thought the whole purpose of using the numbers system was to strip them of their personhood."
Tslukat waved a claw-like hand at the doctor dismissively. "Of course, of course. But I already know their names. It would be frivolous of me not to. Besides, these ones are an ongoing experiment of mine. I know them, though they don't know me."
The doctor only slowly nodded. "So... prisoner 078931, otherwise known as Kazimir, is still displaying rebellious tendencies, though greatly restrained. He's showing signs of a runner."
"You think he'll try to escape?" Tslukat asked.
"That does seem to be the pattern."
"And what of his friend there. Leo."
The doctor scrolled through the notes on his holographic screen. "... it's possible, that if Kazimir were to present a reasonable enough escape plan, Leo would willingly assist. It would certainly be in character."
"Oh - wait - what about this one?" Tslukat pointed to the screen as a third joined the party at the table. "Oh," Tslukat grinned a devilish grin. "That's interesting. This could be fun."
The doctor leaned over in his chair, looking up at the screen where Tslukat had zoomed in on Kazimr, Leo, and Apophis finishing their meal.
"Apophis?" The doctor asked, a hint of doubt in his voice. "She's volatile. She's constantly being monitored and injected with sedatives to restrain her abilities."
Tslukat's spindly fingers brushed her chin in thought. "Not unlike our former empress Rem," Tslukat hummed. There was a minute's pause as the commander schemed under the doctor's eye.
"Put them together on swamp duty," she declared with finality.
"That's arguably worse than ejection duty," the doctor commented with a small laugh. "But do you really think Kazimir and Leo will be a positive influence on Apophis? She's not likely to bend to their ways. She's prone to deceit and may use them but I can't see her conform-"
Tslukat lifted up two fingers, hushing the doctor. "I don't think they'll change her. But she may change them."
The doctor stared for a moment. "I don't follow."
"You said Kazimir might try to escape. He's going to need more help than just Leo. So I say we watch them dance. I want to see them try." She laughed. "So then, just when they think they've succeeded..." she balled her fingers into a fist. "...we crush them."
--<>--
Kazimir used his plate as a giant spoon and slid the rest of the food into his mouth before grabbing Apophis's empty plate along with Leo's mostly full one. With a quick jog across the room, he set the dirty dishes on the belt that took them to the kitchen. As he jogged back over to Leo, he saw the familiar little floating bot come over to them to give them their assignments for that week.
As the bot settled onto the table, Kazimir's stomach twisted in knots.
Apophis. Leo. Kazimir. Swamp Duty.
Kazimir started to let out a quiet: "NoooooOOOOoooOOO!" as the image of himself for the next week came vividly to his mind.
Her initial reaction isn't towards the duty they've been assigned to. Rather, it's who she's with. The three of them, just so happening to be selected for the same job when they've never been put together before right after they've joined up for lunch.
Well, what a fine coincidence. Maybe it is random. There's no way of knowing, really, but what are the odds? Not high. Not high at all. But, then, why would they put them together? That's a question she doesn't know the answer to - and that's assuming she's right in her first guess that they've done this deliberately.
At any rate, it is what it is - swamp duty. She sighs. From a pharaoh, a god, a daughter of Hell, to this. Ugh.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"Something tells me I don't want to know why it's called swamp duty," he said, eying the other two nervously. Kazimir and him had spent the majority of their time in the camp together; they worked well together. Apophis seemed like she would work well with them, too. But even the best partners couldn't improve the most miserable of jobs.
Kazimir turned to Leo with an passionate, slightly desperate, gaze.
"IT'S BECAUSE IT IS DISGUSTING AND IT SMELLS LIKE A SWAMP, LEO. HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN TO THE SHOWERS AFTER A FULL DAY OF USE?!?! SOME PEOPLE DON'T KNOW BASIC HYGIENE! THE FLOOR IS A BREEDING GROUND FOR BACTERIA!!!!"
He had, in fact, never been to the showers at all.
He couldn't stand the feeling of water. Rain? That wasn't that bad. But a full torrent of water, beating down on his essence as he tried to clean a body that had none of the sweat glands that would have required showering in the first place? It was absolute torture, and he always took extra care to avoid it wherever he went.
Oh. Wait. He'd be stuck there for who knows how long to clean them!
What if the water turned on, and got him all soaked. Or what if Kazimir or Apophis decided to mess with him by shooting him with a hose or whatever they used to clean? Or what if one of the showers hadn't been drained and he had to go in it? He was a being of air and fire! He wasn't supposed to go in the water!
On their arrival to the showers they were each given a cart filled with cleaning supplies. Some of them were high tech, but Kazimir had a feeling they delighted in giving them sponges and scrubs so they had to get down on their knees and close to the disgusting scum of the earth - or uh - bathroom.
Kazimir pulled on the alarmingly yellow cleaning gloves (to match the outfit, of course) and adjusted the little mask on his face to filter out the chemicals of cleaning.
Holding up a pressure hose with determination he declared: "ALRIGHT TEAM, LET'S CLEAN THIS MOTHERF***ER!"
She sighed and pulled on the gloves. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Maahes gulped. "Which one should I start in?" he asked, desperately wishing he was anywhere but here. He looked at the others, hesitated, and then put on his gloves.
"Just choose one," she answers dryly, getting to work. She may as well get this over with.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
Kazimir headed over to a shower stall, and started blasting the wall with the water pressure hose. The dirt began to immediately dissipate, and Kazimir realized - [i]oh wait. I won't have to go scrubbing everything. Nice.[/s]
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