The Name's Oliver - Ben Oliver. Ch. 159: Duty vs Ethics, Pt. II

[Schipperke]

Oh my, what is this now! How could they lock Ben up? What is going on here, I'd like to know! The prison looks really good, well done Schip. But tell Ben from me he's not to call you an idiot ever again! 

I'll tell him, but I have a feeling he may be calling me much worse names than that before this is over. 

Thanks for the comments everyone! 

[Swirl-Girl]

What is going on here? *Stammers uncontrollably people in nice white jackets lead me out in a straight-jacket*
P.S. I might have to take your title away. I still have to build a zoo first.

[Schipperke]

What is going on here? *Stammers uncontrollably people in nice white jackets lead me out in a straight-jacket*
P.S. I might have to take your title away. I still have to build a zoo first.

hahaha!  Swirl-Girl, I have a feeling you're just dying to speculate as to what's going on, right?  And I am very grateful for your self-restraint in keeping quiet.  It's not easy being a member of the top-hush, button-lip team! 

[ladybug53]

I'm worried for Ben being locked up with this scruffy looking inmate . I can't imagine how he's going to get out of this one . Great set up and screenshots . 

[Louise56]

Oh my! Poor Ben, the inmate is kind of big lol. The cell look awesome!

[Magz from Oz]

When I read this, I couldn't help but think of that scene from The Shawshank Redemption.  Good thing there was no Captain Hadley although the Warden is as nasty a piece of work as Norton.  But if there's anyone who can out-MacGyver MacGyver, it's Ben Oliver.  He'll get out using nothing more than his sporran and an apple.     Ooh wait his kilt is gone!  I predict trouble ahead for young Ben.   

[Saltypaws]

Great update and you pretty much nailed the décor of the prison.  Seeing how I work in a prison and the cells do not even have that elaborate of furnishings, lol.  You got it just right, especially the front where you have to be buzzed in.  To this day, I hate hearing those big doors shut behind me.  I hope Ben finds his way out of this jam.

[Schipperke]

Great update and you pretty much nailed the décor of the prison.  Seeing how I work in a prison and the cells do not even have that elaborate of furnishings, lol.  You got it just right, especially the front where you have to be buzzed in.  To this day, I hate hearing those big doors shut behind me.  I hope Ben finds his way out of this jam.

Thank you, Salty!  I was hoping you might happen to look at this chapter, because I wondered what you'd think of Ben's prison.  I'm so glad you think it's reasonably authentic!  I usually get bored with a building project and wind up throwing it together any old way, but this one kept my interest right up to the end - for some reason, it just seemed to be pure fun.  Not sure what that says about me. 

Thanks for the comments, everyone. 

[Schipperke]

Blood Island, Part IV

Diary Entry

I lay on my bunk thinking furiously.  If only I had never gotten on that plane this morning!  Or if only I had persuaded my travelling companion to run away with me, to some deserted island far from bad guys, prisons, and the inevitable call of duty.



Yeah ... if only.  But that line of thinking would get me precisely nowhere.  To my surprise, the prison authorities hadn't confiscated my phone, and I had already tried to call De Luca, with no success.  I wasn't too surprised that I was unable to get a signal inside the prison, with those thick metal-reinforced concrete walls.  Maybe in the morning I'd get a chance to slip outside and try again.  Unbidden, a memory came into my mind of an old movie I had seen about a man wrongly imprisoned for many years who finally managed to tunnel out.  But by the time he finished his tunnel, he was a very old man, and he died soon after regaining his freedom.



Never mind that kind of thinking!  I sternly told myself.  Negative thinking would only demoralize me.  I needed to think logically about this.  Why had the Warden locked me up?  I had told him I wanted to talk to the prisoners - could that be why he had done this, to give me a chance to talk to one?  No, if that were the case, he wouldn't have gassed me and taken my clothes.  Had the whole business of the reported riot and the call for help been a ploy to get me or someone here for some reason, perhaps as a hostage?  I considered this, but it didn't seem likely.  The Warden had seemed genuinely surprised when I had arrived on my own, and surely he wouldn't have been planning to lock up a whole battalion. 

No, I was sure the decision to lock me up had been made because of something that happened when I met with him.  What had I said to prompt him to take such drastic action?  I tried to remember, but my headache and fatigue were catching up to me.  I heard snores from the top bunk - my cellmate had drifted off to sleep.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  At least I wouldn't need to worry about any "visits" from him in the night.



I was loathe to sleep with him there above me, but I had no choice.  My body demanded rest, and soon I slept too.



A few hours later and still before dawn the loudspeaker blared loudly, waking me from my restless sleep. 



"There's the wake-up call you requested, Lady Jane," said my cellmate.  "If you want to eat this morning, better shake a leg."  He smirked at me and said, "See you in the showers."

Communal showers?  Oh joy.  I told myself I'd go peek in the door.  If my leering cellmate was the only one there, I'd skip the shower this morning.

As it turned out, there were other inmates in the shower so I decided to risk it. I stripped off and showered, uncomfortably aware of my cellmate's eyes on me.

[Blayzen]

Since I've already PM'd you my theories, all I can say here is that this was a great update! I just loved the hearts over Ben's new cell-mate as they were talking...Looks likes inmate #2 is the one who makes the rules in that cell. Hope he doesn't give Ben too much trouble. Although it's probably a good thing that Ben isn't wearing his Kilt in prison; I can only imagine the problems that might have caused!

And just when I'm about to say that I can't wait to see what happens next, lucky me! I get a message informing me that a new post has been submitted and it's another UPDATE!

*flies off to read*

EDIT: I should have known that Schip would have have kept me guessing right up until she's ready to share the information. Ooooh, the suspense! Great job!

[Magz from Oz]

Great use of the new communal showers from the dance studio.    I loved the way Ben logically reasoned each option through.    I have a theory where this is headed but I'll keep it zipped! 

[Schipperke]

Great use of the new communal showers from the dance studio.    I loved the way Ben logically reasoned each option through.    I have a theory where this is headed but I'll keep it zipped! 

Yeah, I was so excited when I saw those communal showers!  I had originally put outdoor showers in the shower room, but these wall-based units are much more authentic looking, and I'm so glad they were available just when I needed them!

Since I've already PM'd you my theories, all I can say here is that this was a great update!

Blayzen, I hope you'll understand that I'd rather not confirm or deny your theories at this point.  You'll be getting more information as the story progresses, and I think new possibilities will open up.  I'll say no more than that!

Thank you both for your comments, and for keeping your speculations/theories/suspicions to yourselves. 

[RainBeau]

I was thinking the same thing about those showers, well done! I like the drain in the floor. And I forgot to mention it last time, but I thought the hearts and the dialogue were perfectly creepy--well done again! I love this story, it's so good.

[Schipperke]

Thanks, Rosa!

I have to admit, the hearts were unintended.  I really hadn't planned to have Ben's cellmate doing romantic interactions with him.  But I gave the cellmate the Brooding trait, which I hadn't used before.  I saw that one of the options for him was to "talk about feelings" and I wondered what sort of animations that might have - the pink hearts were the unintended result, so I decided to go with it and write it into the story.  It seems a lot of my story twists come from unintended accidents of that sort. 

[ladybug53]

That was great timing with those new showers . I'm not too sure about his cellmate . Time will tell . Great update !