[i]There weren't many people Ryobi respected more than Warden Pryce. Day in and day out, she took the worst of the insults, shouldered the blame, and worst of all, filled out reams of paperwork while everyone else had gone home. Today had been especially bad in all fronts. Ryobi felt exhausted from splitting up fights between an inmate and an asshole with a mouth. Benton deserved every bit of what he got, and he should know better. Worse, a few stray punches had found their way back to Ryobi. He would owe Benton one for that. 

Tired as he was, the thought of driving back to Home Bay was not at the top of his to-do list. Sayako and Benji were on a rare shore leave, but Ryobi had to miss out to cover an emergency shift. That meant while his family enjoyed a few weeks back on Earth, Ryobi was getting punched in the lip by Officer Benton. Sure, it only stung a little while, and Dr. Ami had already checked it out, but the circumstances simply made Ryobi less willing to take that journey home.

And now they led here, with a coy look on his superior officer's face, and a half-empty whiskey bottle dangling between her fingers, an invitation like no other. A moment passed where Ryobi had hesitated, the warning lights flashing in his brain, telling him to politely decline. The next moment, those warnings were drowned by a swig from the bottle.

Maybe he had done so to get to know the warden better. Maybe it was to join her in the celebration of the end to a miserable day. Maybe Ryobi was feeling a little lonely himself, or perhaps a different feeling than loneliness had crept up in response to the obviously inebriated woman in front of him. Maybe her hair being down made Ryobi see her as more than his boss, more than Warden Pryce, but a woman. Janetta. Jan.

Ryobi nodded and held the bottle back to Pryce, his expression clearly saying "challenge accepted." Good thing they were both off duty. And that the door was closed. [/i]

~ = + = ~

Two figures in the direction of the Warden's office. That could mean just about anything. There could be a couple of looters, or two officers searching for Prtce. Or maybe Janetta herself was there, with either a friend or a foe. In any case, it was more likely than not thst Ryobi wanted to remain unseen and unheard until he could get more information.

"Ok, Kitt, listen carefully. It is vital that we are quiet here," Ryobi replied in a low whisper. "If those are inmates, our only advantage is surprise. We're gonna sneak up there, and you're gonna scan them again. As soon as you know who's in there, you gotta let me know. Quietly."

Ryobi thought for a moment. Alright, how about this: if the Warden is in there, raise your right arm. If it's inmates, your left. Anyone else, just tap me on the shoulder. Got it?" Without waiting for a response, Ryobi darted forward, keeping low to the ground, his feet landing heel-toe so as to minimize noise. Kitt did her best to keep up, and although she was certainly not programmed for stealth, she seemed to be able to move forward without much commotion. It wasn't long before Ryobi got her signal: two hands raised: an inmate and the warden. That could only mean Pryce was in trouble. 

The good news was that they were still out of earshot of the door. Those scanners had a longer range than Ryobi had expected. "Alright, what else can you tell me?" Ryobi whispered. "Quietly!"

"The identities are Janetta Pryce and Timothy Ginhearst, sir. Mr. Ginhearst has his back towards the door and Officer Pryce is sitting, facing the door in a chair." Kitt peered towards the door, fiddling with her sensors. "It seems that Mr. Ginhearst is quite agitated, as his heart rate is rather high. I am unsure of Officer Pryce's condition, but she is alive."

That was more disturbing than Ryobi cared to think about. He darted forward once again, hearing muffled shouts from inside the door. Profanities peppered the man's ululations, and Ryobi gripped the knife tightly. He would have just one shot at this.

Ryobi took a deep breath in, then out, calming himself despite what he could clearly hear transpiring inside the room. One second. Two. On the third, Ryobi pushed open the door with his left hand and rushed forward, bringing the blade about to hopefully sever the man's jugular. 

~ = + = ~ 

[i]"Long day, hm?" The fingers ran through her hair with an unintentional elegance. Ryobi doubted she even knew. Why was she approaching? Why is she handing out the bottle? 

Why is she... oh.

Don't tell my wife. [/i]