The Foundry Pt. 01

"According to the ancient documents and scriptures, The Foundry was established back in the waning days of society, back from the times of the Byzantine Empire. The Mesopotamian days. It has seen the Fall of Rome. The devastation of the Black Plague. And despite that, we are still standing. We are proud to boast, in addition to our record of zero escapees since creation, that we are the oldest, most historical prison in existence."

Jun looked up at the shocking facts he had just heard. 'Seriously? This place is that old?'

He had been lined up with four other inmates after the gondola had docked on the rocky shores of the Foundry. The five of them were escorted up the steep stairs into the tall, intimidating iron walls of the Foundry. It was massively large, unlike anything Jun expected it to be. Like its namesake, it looked just like a metal factory -- complete with barred windows and thick, tall iron walls that seemed to shoot straight into the sky. Its walls seemed to go on for miles, fading into the dark foggy distance. Inescapable.

Jun and the others had been taken into a small dim room, lined up against one side of the walls, while directly across from them, was an intimidating young woman standing fiercely in her black and white uniform. Her golden shoulder pads seemed to signify a higher status than the commonly seen white lab coat officers Jun had noticed on his way here. Her long dark brown hair cascaded down from her tilted cap, and oddly, for a prison staff member, she was very beautiful - although Jun had no interest.

"My name is Sakina Aburagi," the intimidating woman said sharply. "I am the Chief Warden here at the beloved place we call 'the Foundry'. For those of you too stupid to figure it out, 'Chief Warden' means I'm in charge of you rats."

Sakina's iron high heels clicked menacingly on the floor, echoing throughout the silent room. She eyed each of the prisoners with a stunning glare of her brown eyes. The light reflected off her polished badges on her uniform, shining all over as she paced back and forth. Behind her, standing firm and motionless, was a short young woman in black glasses and a gruff middle aged man with a large scar running down his left cheek, both also dressed in a guard uniform.

"I assure you, behave as you're told, and we'll get along famously." She stopped and stared Jun down as a wicked smile crept across her face. "Okay?"

A few weak mumbles of compliance emerged from the line of prisoners. Jun stayed quiet. He looked down, to avoid the cold heartless gaze from Sakina.

Seemingly satisfied, the Chief Warden continued on, pacing back and forth like a predator eyeing its prey. She gazed at a tall lanky prisoner in the middle of the line, trembling and sweating. "You. You look like you have a question. Speak."

Blushing, the man stammered over his words. "Y-you're very b-beautiful. Really! H-how do you protect yourselves from all the men?"

Sakina smirked cruelly and quickly pulled out a shiny black pistol concealed within her uniform. "Like this." Before anyone else could utter a word, Sakina shot him dead-center in his forehead. The ringing of the gunshot echoed ominously throughout the room.

The man's lifeless body fell back against the wall with a slight 'thump', sliding down to the floor as a pool of blood formed around his body.

Jun and the other inmates stood completely still. His blue eyes widened with shock and fear as he looked at the horrendous scene before him. 'Th-this woman is insane!' Chilling shivers went down his spine. 'This is real! This actually just happened!'

Her young assistant behind her rushed forward and inspected the body, flustered and nervous, while the other inmates in line mumbled in shock amongst themselves.

She pressed a small button on her earpiece. "I need the medics into Entry Room 5A! Repeat, medics into Entry Room 5A!"

She turned towards the calm Chief Warden. "M-Miss Sakina! Don't you think that was a bit too harsh?" the assistant said, panicking and adjusting her glasses.

The Chief Warden shrugged. "Maybe."

She looked back and motioned for the middle aged man to step forward, pushing a rolling table full of burlap sacks as he did. The Chief Warden continued her speech, putting her gun away calmly as if nothing had happened.

"In addition to the standard prison garbs you've already been given and wearing, you'll also receive an inmate bag," she said as her other assistant calmly handed out a sack to each prisoner, seemingly unaffected by the gruesome scene. "Inside, you rats will see they contain the basic necessities for surviving here in the Foundry. Toothbrushes. Toothpaste. A comb."

Jun reached in and pulled out a single white round tablet. It was small and looked like a regular medicine pill.

"And that," Sakina said, eyeing Jun's confused expression, "is what we call a Refresher Pill. It nullifies the poison injected into your body every seven days by the bracelet you're wearing. So be sure to take it every week. Or else."

Jun eyed the metal bracelet wrapped ominously around his wrist, reflecting the light mockingly. After inspecting it closer, he noticed a small blinking light built into it. He was curious for answers, but decided not to ask, not wanting to risk getting shot by the vicious warden.

Almost as if she read his mind, Sakina explained in detail about the bracelet. "It's called a Limiter Ring. Technology to the highest level, it adjusts itself according to the sizes of your wrist. You'll notice it feels oddly snug on you. It's a GPS, inmate identification system, inmate tracking system, and most importantly, a poison dispenser. Your Refresher Pill, I suggest you eat them now. Your first dose of poison was administered just seconds ago."

Jun panicked. His bracelet just shot poison into him without him knowing; it could kill him at anytime. He looked nervously at the other inmates, who seemed a bit hesitant to consume the pill as well. After one did, another one did, and then Jun followed suit. It was dry and a little uncomfortable to swallow, but it didn't have a horrifying taste like other pills.

"The Foundry is divided into two parts, the A-Block and the B-Block. A-Block is for males and B-Block is for females." Sakina smiled. "Unfortunately, for you rats, I oversee both sections. So you'll be stuck with yours truly from now on. Follow me."

Without another word, Sakina and her two assistants led them out of the room and down a hallway. Everything was quiet save for Sakina's heels clicking on the floor and the crackling of the intercom faraway along with the faint sound of heavy doors slamming shut. Jun noticed the Foundry lacked the many barred cells most prisons opted for. Instead, the hallway was long and dark, with large metal doors on each side. Each door had a big red letter painted on it.

Jun's heart was pounding as he followed the brutal woman. She was leading him to his new home - a home he never wanted, nor wanted to be in. Prison - especially one like the Foundry - was not a place Jun was meant to be in.

'Calm down, calm down,' Jun thought to himself as he followed her. 'I don't need to panic. I've got that weird power to make crystals. I'll just practice it secretly and bust my way out of here. No one here can hold me back!'

Sakina made several stops along the way, dropping off each prisoner one by one into their designated cell. Unlike traditional prisons, four inmates are roomed together in a large cell. Each cell contains two beds on opposite sides of the room. Inmates are free to decorate the cell as they see fit, provided their bunkmates find it acceptable.

Due to Sakina's infamous ruthless brutality, many inmates refrain from doing anything that would cause them to cross her path. In turn, the Foundry has less riots, fights and other prison disruptions than others.

Soon, it had come down to just Jun left to escort. Sakina turned to her young female assistant. "Minami, what cell does this one go in?"

Minami quickly looked in her hand held computer, nervously stumbling through the data. "Cell C2, ma'am."

Sakina gazed at Jun, narrowing her eyes at him, as if she couldn't believe he was going to be sent into that cell. "Well then, let's go, you last rat." She motioned for Jun to follow her deeper down the corridor. "Minami, Gohi, you're free to go back to headquarters."

Gohi and Minami, her two assistants, both nodded and saluted, visibly confused by the warden's decision. "Yes ma'am!" They split, leaving Jun alone with the fearsome warden.

After a long, uncomfortable silent trip down numerous turns in the hallways, Sakina stopped in front of a large steel door at the end of a lone hallway. In the very center of the door was a giant 'C2'.

Sakina stepped to the side at a numbered keypad and quickly typed in a code. As the pad blinked and beeped, she turned aside and pushed Jun in front of her. The large door began to slide open, and Jun got the first glimpse of his new home.

CHAPTER FOUR: Friend or Foe?

The room behind the door was large, fit to perfectly house four inmates. Wide barred windows lay on the gray metal walls of the cell, providing a view of the vast ocean that laid on the other side. Freedom. Sakina nudged him in, then slammed the door shut behind him.

Jun's heart pounded harder than ever as everyone in the room stared him down, silently judging him. His own eyes scanned the room, studying everyone - there was three other people already in the room. In the middle of the room was a large round table with playing cards on it, and in the far back corner was a shelf of weights and a bench press machine along with a punching bag. In the back, with the weights, was a tall muscular young man with glaring eyes; in a nearby chair was one elderly man reading quietly by himself, and a boy who looked as young and youthful as Jun himself playing video games.

After a while, the tall muscular young man walked up to Jun, staring him down with a fierce glare. He wasn't a bodybuilder; just someone who like to stay fit. The white tank top he wore hugged his muscular body tightly as he folded his arms. His black hair, shaved on the sides, and spiked up on top added to his menacing appearance as he studied the nervous youngster up close. Jun thought he was incredibly handsome for someone who was in prison, but didn't make a sound.

'He looks like a god,' Jun thought, feeling a slight blush creep up to his face. 'He's really good looking. What's he doing in prison? I wonder if he's ... like me?'

"Well, well, well, look what the waves washed ashore today," he said mockingly. His voice was low yet powerful, full of strength. "A piece of trash."

Jun gritted his teeth angrily, his blush fading away instantly. He didn't want to start trouble, especially being the newbie and not against someone twice his size, but insults never sat well with someone as hot headed as him.

"I'm not a mirror," Jun retorted firmly, shocking everyone - including himself. "You shouldn't talk about yourself like that, though."

The man looked down at Jun silently. Angrily. His cold golden eyes seemed to pierce right through Jun's soul. Jun was nervous but decided not to show fear or back down. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and watched anticipating.

Then, surprisingly, the bigger man's anger faded and a look of joy and lightness replaced it. He laughed joyously and rubbed Jun's head, ruffling his spiky brown hair. "Well aren't you a feisty little fireball? What's your name, kid?"

Jun blushed, surprised by his drastic change of moods. "Kimura. Jun Kimura."

"What a lovely name," the elderly men said from the barracks. He smiled slightly, which seemed hard to do with his weary face.

"Eh, it's alright," the muscular man chimed in. "I'm gonna call you ghostie. Your skin's really pale, like a ... ghost."

"It really is. But don't tease him, Reaper!" the boy Jun's age said. He had youthful green eyes and blonde hair that stuck up all over the place. "Look! He's practically got a crush on you already!"

Jun's blush grew even redder at the comment he made. "I do not!"

Everyone laughed joyously. Jun, though he was in prison, felt it wasn't as bad as he thought. 'Everyone seems nice so far. A lot better than what I expected.'

The muscular man turned back to Jun and extended a large hand out. "My name's Takuya. Round these parts, though, they call me Reaper. Nice to meet ya, ghostie."

The young boy hopped off his bed and walked up to Jun with a friendly smile. "I'm Mudora. My codename is Apparition." He shook Jun's slim hand then hugged him.

"Sogen," the elderly man introduced from his side of the room, putting the book down. "Codename Spectre."

"Codename?" Jun repeated, confused. 'What is this? Some kind of government spy center?' he thought. "What's with the codenames?"

"They're to protect our identities," Mudora answered. "When we get called to do a Blood Bath."

"A Blood Bath?" Jun repeated, again confused. "What's that?"

Everyone grew silent. The atmosphere of the room grew dark and heavy and Jun immediately regretted asking questions.

"Our worst nightmare," Takuya answered quietly. "This goddamn place the most fucked up thing on earth!"

"Language, child," Sogen reprimanded sternly. "A foul mouth will bring that handsome face of yours down. You'll never find a wife then."

Takuya scoffed. "Whatever."

Mudora smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Enough about that! Let's talk about something more fitting." He turned to Jun and asked, "so what's your Skill?"

Jun stared at him silently for a few seconds. "I can tie a cherry stem with my tongue," he answered after a while. "And not get it stuck on my tongue piercing. Is that good enough?"

Mudora laughed. "Yes, I suppose. But that's not what I meant."

"He's an idiot, Apparition," Takuya said, eyeing the look of confusion on Jun's face. "He doesn't know what you're talking about." He went back to lifting the weights in corner of the room.

"There was a time when you didn't either, Reaper," Sogen said calmly. "Before you call someone hurtful words, look at yourself first."

"Sogen!" Takuya exclaimed angrily. "Whose side are you on?"

"Ignore them," Mudora said softly. "When I said 'Skill', I meant your Skill of Soul. You know, your special ability that got you in trouble?"

Suddenly it all made sense to Jun. Skill of Soul. His mysterious and sudden power of crystal manifestation. 'So that's what it's called,' Jun thought. "You must know a lot about me if you knew about my powers," he said, suspicious of Mudora.

Mudora smiled shyly. "Not really. In order to be arrested in the Foundry, you have to have a Skill of Soul. Like me, Takuya, Sogen, and everyone else here does."

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean everyone here has some weird power?" Jun asked incredulously. He was hoping he was the only one with it - to break out with no one to resist him or fight back.

Mudora nodded. "Yep. So if you're here, that means they must've discovered your Skill of Soul, right?"

Jun looked away. "Well, I'm not sure if they know I have this ... skill you're talking about. I'm here because I was falsely charged. They think I killed my family."

Mudora's cheery face faded. "Oh. I'm sorry." His voice was gentle and soft as he patted Jun's shoulder. A look of sympathy filled his green eyes. "I think that's what they did to us all. They thought I stole candy from a corner store using my Skill of Soul. And sent me here. I've been here three years."

Jun looked devastated. "Three years? For that? We'll never get out!" He felt his heart sank at the sign of hopelessness, tugging at his spiky brown hair in sadness.

"That's the point, young child," Sogen said, climbing out of his bed. Jun was able to get a better look at him - and he wasn't as helpless and frail as other people his age. He could walk on his own without a limp or stagger, and he still radiated an aura of strength and vitality. "We are to never escape the reality of the Foundry. That is our fate as the Cursed."

"The Cursed," Mudora quickly explained, seeing Jun's confused expression, "is the collective name they call us. We're not humans anymore. We're 'Cursed' due to our possession of a Skill of Soul. Or so they say so."

"Who is 'they'?" Jun asked, a bit annoyed. Being called anything but a human irked him. He was definitely a human, special powers or not, and he was definitely not 'cursed.'

"The higher up," Sogen answered. "The one who is in charge of this place. The Gatekeeper. He has total control of the Foundry, even more so than Sakina. He runs the entire prison."

"That sneaky little bastard," Takuya said, punching the sandbag furiously. "Wait till I get my hands on that goddamn motherfucker! I'll wring his tiny little neck!"

Jun opened his mouth to say something but a loud beep cut him off, startling him. It reminded him of the bells at school, when one class was over.

"Ah! That's the dinner signal," Mudora explained, as everyone else in the room headed out. "Follow me, Jun. I'll show you around."

The empty hallways he was in escorted by Sakina was now filled with a variety of prisoners. Jun looked around in awe. The Foundry, despite being on an island, was as large as some cities, so it was only natural that many hundreds of people were imprisoned here, much more than Jun expected.

Mudora led him into the cafeteria, which was surprisingly almost the size of two football fields together. Despite being a prison cafe, it was very well decorated and clean, rivaling the most luxurious restaurants in the world . In the middle of the ceiling hung a large extravagant crystal chandelier, much fancier than any Jun ever saw. Rows and rows of marble white tables filled the room, occupied by white clad prisoners, chatting amongst each other as they ate.

"There's a lot of people here," Jun said, following Mudora closely. There was numerous inmates around them and he didn't want to get lost on his first day. "More than I've ever seen."

Mudora laughed as he picked up a tray and silverware, getting into line. "Me too. I come from a small town, so this is definitely more than what I was used to." He handed Jun a tray and motioned to follow him.

Dinner served at the Foundry far surpassed what Jun was used to at his old home. The aroma wafting from the mountain of freshly baked sweet bread rolls assaulted Jun's nose along with marinated steak. Lasagna sat on a tray as large as a ballroom floor next to it, surprising the new inmate.

"Is that all for us?" Jun asked Mudora incredulously. "Isn't prison food supposed to be slop?"

"Not in the Foundry," Mudora answered, grinning and picking up a slice of lasagna. "The food is what I like to call 'five star cuisine'. It's one of the good things about this place."

Jun picked up a plate of steak and hurriedly followed Mudora to an empty corner of a table. It was by the large window looking out into the ocean. The sunset had dyed the sky a mesmerizing blend of oranges, reds, and purples.

"It doesn't feel like a prison here," Jun commented, looking out the window with a longing gaze.

Mudora laughed. "Doesn't it? If you asked me, this is something I'd expect out of a five star hotel! Nice food, comfy beds, you name it."

Jun nodded and glumly poked his steak with his fork, pushing it around his plate. He licked the fork, and while he had to admit it was amazing, he just wasn't in the mood for food.

"Hi there!"

Jun looked up at the cheery, soft voice. It belonged to a young girl about his age wearing a pink frilly dress. Her brown hair had been braided into a long braid, resting over her shoulder and her warm green eyes looked at him kindly.

"You're a new face," she said cheerfully, smiling. "What's your name?"

"J-Jun," he answered, stuttering. He definitely was not expecting someone so kind and bubbly in a ruthless prison.