Ch.165Cowabunga! (3)

#165

After CERT was deployed, the correctional officers no longer directly engaged in riot suppression, but rather handled the cleanup after the situation had been somewhat resolved.

The correctional officers waiting in the scorching sun on the yard of Medium Security Facility Block 4 began to whisper among themselves as they heard sounds leaking from inside Block 4.

“…Men are trying to suppress us! All inmates fight back… Aaaagh!”

“I’m a woman, you crazy bitch!”

“CERT called me a crazy bitch… Arrrgh!”

“My eyeees! What the fuck did you spray in my eyes, you fucking bitches!”

“Stop hitting me! Please stop hitting! Why are you hitting me? Why are you hitting me? Aagh, ack!!”

“Rubber bullets! They’re firing rubber bullets! Everyone take cover!”

It was impossible to imagine what CERT was doing inside as screams and wails erupted from within.

“I thought Block 4 inmates were supposed to be scary?”

With the sound of dull thuds and the screams of inmates being subdued in an instant, Dexter asked Dan in a low voice.

“No matter how scary they are, they can’t do much against plastic shields, and how could they possibly win against CERT with their rubber bullets and tear spray as a last resort? With toothbrushes and makeshift knives from broken razor blades?”

Dan pointed to the nearest watchtower to Block 4 and added:

“Spencer’s up there too.”

When Dan waved toward the watchtower, someone there briefly set down their sniper rifle and waved back.

“Spencer has never placed outside the top three in the Nevada prison sharpshooter competition.”

“Huh, they’re just rats in a trap then.”

After about 30 minutes, the CERT team leader came out and approached Raymond, who had been waiting outside.

“Situation resolved. Let’s send in the correctional officers now.”

The CERT team leader’s protective gear was stained with reddish-brown liquid in several places.

This was the first time the CERT team had been deployed since Honeygood Prison had been transferred to the private security company P&J Secure, so the leader wore a dazed expression from an inexplicable sense of elation and adrenaline.

“Good work.”

After Raymond encouraged the CERT team leader, he looked at the correctional officers still assembled in two rows and shouted:

“Attention!”

“”””Attention!””””

When the officers responded in unison, Raymond nodded with a stern expression and said:

“The ringleaders have all been subdued, but there may still be inmates attempting to resist, so proceed with caution as you return them to their cells. Understood?”

“”””Yes, sir!””””

“Move in!”

“”””Moving in!””””

With that, the correctional officers entered Block 4 with grim expressions, and Dexter and Dan followed with equally serious faces.

“Whoa!”

Both Dexter and Dan were shocked by the scene that greeted them as soon as they entered Block 4.

CERT team members stood at regular intervals with riot shotguns loaded with rubber bullets, monitoring the inmates.

Moreover, numerous inmates were lying face down with their hands clasped behind their heads, causing Dexter to involuntarily comment:

“I’ve only seen this during siren drills. Never thought I’d see it for real.”

“It’s been years since I’ve seen this too.”

Dan agreed with Dexter’s sentiment, shaking his head.

As many correctional officers spread out, lifting the prone inmates and sending them back to their cells, Raymond gestured for Dexter to come over.

“Yes, sir.”

“Once the officers have all inmates secured in their cells, I want you to go to the basement of Block 4 and head to the isolation cell at the very end.”

“Is Turner there, sir?”

“Normally, we’d just put him in isolation and transfer him to another facility, but it seems this isn’t a matter we can resolve with a simple transfer.”

Since Dexter had already reported Turner’s problematic behavior following Emily’s advice, Raymond suspected that Dexter might know how to handle the situation.

It was a reasonable assumption, and Dexter was curious about what kind of “silver tongue” Turner had that could so thoroughly convince the other inmates, so he immediately agreed.

“Understood, sir.”

“Oh, and inmate Carranza, the head of the Carranza Cartel, also wants to see you.”

“…Carranza, sir?”

When Dexter asked for confirmation, Raymond quietly nodded.

From what Dexter had heard from Emily, Jesse, and other inmates, while Massey played the role of matriarch in Block 2, Block 4 was structured around a Latin cartel centered on Carranza.

Raymond added that while Carranza wasn’t the ringleader of this riot, as the cartel boss, he was being held in an isolation cell on the opposite end from Turner.

“If you think it might be dangerous, I can assign another officer to go with you. Would that be alright?”

Dexter shook his head at that suggestion.

“It’s fine, sir. I can subdue inmates like that easily.”

Raymond looked over Dexter’s impressive forearms, similar to his own, and nodded.

“Everything should be wrapped up soon, so go ahead down.”

Nodding, Dexter headed to the basement of Block 4, where he could hear muffled shouts and screams.

[You sons of bitches… What did I do wrong…]

-Bang! Bang!

It seemed some inmates were kicking or throwing themselves against their cell doors.

Since such behavior wasn’t allowed, Dexter knocked firmly on the doors as he passed by.

-Knock, knock!

Seeing how the inmates immediately quieted down when he knocked, Dexter nodded and thought to himself:

“I hope Turner does the same.”

He could use this as an excuse to beat Turner soundly under the pretext of subduing him, which would be an interesting method to employ.

‘Of course, I won’t do that.’

Though his total time with Turner amounted to less than an hour, making predictions difficult, based on the human patterns he’d observed so far, Turner was likely the type to take good care of himself.

‘He might grumble, but he’s not the type to openly defy.’

When Dexter reached the last isolation cell where Turner was supposed to be, he opened the small cover on the door.

“Kuk.”

As soon as Dexter opened the cover, he saw Turner with both eyes reddened, likely from tear spray, wearing an expression of indignation. Upon noticing Dexter’s gaze, Turner’s expression immediately changed.

Since this was a temporary confinement, Turner still had handcuffs on both wrists.

When Dexter opened the cell door, Turner flinched, probably still feeling the effects of the CERT team’s handling.

“How does it feel to get what you deserve?”

“Did you come here to mock me?”

“Of course not.”

Dexter leaned against one wall of the cell and said:

“I don’t know how you managed to manipulate the Block 4 inmates, but it was impressive.”

“Criminals are criminals, whether they’re men or women.”

Turner sneered.

“But the interrogator doesn’t even bring a glass of water?”

“Am I your water boy? You’re a funny bitch.”

“Funny bitch?”

“You’d be perfect for stand-up comedy. Not as good as Sarah Silverman, though.”

Turner tried to start his “silver tongue” routine, but Dexter beat him to the punch.

“I’m guessing you read a few lines of outdated neurolinguistic programming and figured it would be enough for uneducated inmates.”

“I thought you were just another muscle-head guard who loves pumping iron, with muscles for brains, but you know about neurolinguistic programming?”

“Obviously, a correctional officer hired for his experience has studied more than some crazy unemployed woman who sets fire to bars because she hates men. Don’t you think?”

When Dexter, who knew Turner’s personal details thoroughly, started speaking, Turner closed her mouth with a disgruntled expression.

“What’s wrong? Realizing I know more than you expected, so it’s better to keep quiet? That works for me.”

Dexter, still leaning against the cell wall with his arms crossed, smirked, prompting Turner to sneer:

“You must have done some debating somewhere?”

“Debating? I’ve done plenty of physical debating.”

Dexter showed his clenched fist, and Turner scoffed:

“Men always boast about their strength.”

“That’s how we’re born. Why should I go through the trouble of talking and coaxing someone who opposes me when one punch will do? It’s simpler.”

“You’re really no different from other men.”

“I never asked to be different from other men.”

Dexter was well aware of his exceptional strength and saw no reason to abandon such an advantage.

For someone like him, accusations of being similar to others or only knowing how to boast about strength were meaningless.

When her logical deconstruction failed to work, Turner tried a different approach.

“Haven’t you ever thought about it?”

“About what?”

“Why you’re talking to me right now.”

“Because the Chief Correctional Officer ordered me to.”

“Why do you think that darkie told you to interrogate me? It’s because you’re easy to manipulate. People are that cruel.”

Turner casually made a racist remark and continued in a mocking tone:

“Such cruel people exploit kindness. At first, that darkie probably asked you for a very small favor. Then, when that became easy, he asked for something a little more difficult, and when you did that, he raised the difficulty again.”

When Dexter remained silent, Turner grinned and continued:

“People like you just do as you’re told and end up becoming subordinate to people like that darkie. Why do you do favors for someone like that? You could handle everything yourself. That taco bitch who fought me and shakes her ass at anyone is the same.”

With a contemptuous expression that Dexter hadn’t known a person could make, Turner spoke while thinking of Carranza:

“Immigrant bitches like her and that darkie Chief Correctional Officer are tainting the superiority of hardworking white people like you. Don’t you think so? Why should we be treated like this? It’s those whore-like Latin bitches and darkies who are polluting the foundation built by white people like us and exploiting the kindness we’ve shown them. Right?”

Dexter still said nothing, just staring intently at Turner, who continued with a greedy, gleaming expression:

“I know you’re just a muscular male guard who follows your superior’s orders without thinking! But now is different. If not now, you’ll just keep listening to those idiots’ stories, fall for them completely, and never get a high position, spending your whole life working under others!”

“Is that so.”

After Turner blurted out such a long sentence that she was slightly out of breath, Dexter gave a short reply.

“Of course! Think about how you’ve been foolishly taken advantage of! I’m not the enemy! Those bastards are the problem!”

Dexter nodded at those words, then recapped and evaluated what Turner had said so far:

“You quickly identify the characteristics of the person you’re talking to, then use information heard from other officers to create an imaginary enemy and redirect attention there? Isn’t this what they call ‘hot reading’ in mind-reading techniques?”

“What?”

“Plus, you’re claiming racial commonality while using racism to create a sense of shared identity between us. Right? You’re slightly praising me while putting down others.”

Seeing that Dexter had instantly recognized the mind-reading and incitement techniques she’d been using, Turner’s expression turned hostile.

“…You bastard. I thought you were just a bear. Is that why you weren’t responding?”

“Of course. Why would I bother listening to a pathetic arsonist like you? Look at you, getting all excited like an idiot.”

Dexter grinned, then took two steps back, grabbed the cell door, and said:

“Thanks for the information. You’ll be in isolation for a while before transferring to another prison, so don’t worry about seeing me again.”

-Slam!

Dexter closed the cell door with a loud bang, and shortly after, a shrill scream was heard.

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! You fucking muscle-man bastard!!]

Dexter had only done this because Raymond asked, as he had no desire to have a deep conversation with Turner. It was like catching a mouse while backing away.

‘I might have fallen for it if I were an inmate.’

While it wasn’t effective from the position of a correctional officer to an inmate, it was an effective logical approach when used between inmates.

‘I should advise them to either lock her up in a supermax facility or keep her in permanent isolation.’

The moment Turner interacts with other inmates, there’s a high probability they’ll sympathize with her views. Turner’s conversational style of adapting her radical opinions to suit the other person’s taste was like a ticking time bomb for not only junior officers but also senior correctional staff.

Still, the likelihood of further problems at Honeygood Prison was low now.

Having extracted the information he wanted, Dexter chuckled as he opened his phone and summarized Turner’s words in the notes app while heading toward Carranza’s isolation cell.

‘I don’t understand why this inmate called for me.’

While Dexter tended to get involved in various situations, it was his first time being requested for a private meeting with someone connected to the head of Mexico’s largest cartel.

‘And not just any connection—the boss’s wife.’

Curious about many things, Dexter opened the cover on the isolation cell door and immediately became intrigued.

‘Well, look at that?’

As if she had known Dexter was approaching, Carranza was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed in a seductive pose, looking at Dexter.

While Himena was also Latina, she was only in her twenties with a vibrant and fresh image—the complete opposite of Carranza.

With a penetrating gaze that suggested she knew everything and a voluptuous, bold posture that indicated she wouldn’t hesitate to use her physical advantages, Carranza stared at Dexter.

Moreover, she seemed to deliberately wear a smaller size of the khaki prison uniform, accentuating her figure.

Dexter was taken aback by her blatant attempt at seduction, complete with a beckoning finger and a light wink.

But an inmate was still an inmate.

‘Does she think I’ll fall for that?’

Dexter didn’t succumb to Carranza’s bold provocation and opened the cell door.