The Icebox - 1. Into the Icebox

Albert Jenkins

“Alright so let’s see here,” Cortez spins in his chair with his datapad in his hands, his pen bouncing along the side of it.

“This one here is Zafiro Banderas,” He continues. “Age twenty, lived on Earth and stayed in Sector 4. He is a thief who stole from different people and government property. He had a large part in the gang war in the city last month. He had publicly killed the leader of the attack and resisted arrest.”

Glancing up from his tablet with all the details, I look through the window at the one being identified.

Zafiro stands in the usual jumpsuit our inmates wear. The top is undone and tied around his hips so that he can just be in his tank top.

Most of them do that since it gets quite hot at this time of day.

He is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He looks bored and stares off at the ceiling.

For someone coming into the Icebox for the first time, he sure seems fine with this.

He rolls his weird blue eyes and he shakes his head as if someone were talking to him. His eyes almost look like they are glowing.

“All in all, he is charged with stealing, gang activity, resisting arrest, attacking U.U.P.P. officers, killing U.U.P.P. officers, murdering civilians, destruction of government property, and illegal signs of augmentation.”

I raise my eyebrow as Cortez says that.

The guy looks fairly normal. Aside from his eyes of course. He does look rather scratched up with all these scars on him but he looks like some college kid caught being indecent.

“Onto his abilities and why he is here,” Cortez sighs, already bored having to record these lines for documentation.

“Abilities include: intensified strength, reflexes, stamina, speed, agility, regenerative abilities, and increased durability.”

Now both of my eyebrows raise up at that.

I guess they weren’t kidding about him being such a hassle to catch. That must be a shitload of augments on one person! How the hell does he look so normal? I would think someone with all that would look like some blob of flesh or even just a dead body.

“While his abilities alone are enough for his transfer here, he had escaped from two different prisons before his transfer. His last capture led to a shootout that killed six officers before the inmate was detained. Since the Earth facilities proved to be inefficient, U.U.P.P. decided then that he was to be sent to the moon to decrease his chance at attempting to escape again.”

I nod along, a bit impressed and a little shocked such a small guy could cause so much trouble. I guess he’ll fit right in.

Zafiro yawns loudly and stretches his arms above his head.

“It was recommended the inmate be placed in his own cell for the safety of other inmates. He has been known for mood swings that would sometimes get violent.”

Cortez finishes up and drops the tablet on the counter and turns to me.

“I guess time for the paperwork! Go collar the bitch and get him in here.”

I chuckle at Cortez sounding so dead inside and walk to the door to grab the new inmate.

As soon as I walk in, those blue eyes look me up and down.

“Ready?” I ask cheerfully, though a bit sarcastically.

He shrugs. “I guess so. Don’t make that thing too tight.”

~~~

Zafiro

At least he listened! The collar doesn’t feel like it’s choking me alive. There is a faint red glow coming from the side of my neck now.

Well…they really did a number on me this time.

When I heard that one dude say that I was transferred to the moon, it took a lot to pretend I didn’t care.

How the hell am I supposed to escape the damn moon? It’s the moon!

“SPAAAAACEEE”

I wince slightly at a voice screaming inside my head.

When I look behind me, I only see the officer nod for me to keep walking.

Not wanting too much trouble this time, I do as he says.

A few windows line the way to my left. They give a rather beautiful view of the Earth and stars glittering behind it.

Yeah I’m a bit fucked right now.

I squeeze my pillow and bedsheets in my arms, a bit nervous about this whole situation.

I didn’t even know there was a prison on the moon. Just why the hell is there?

Thinking about mama makes me frown, but I do remember her and Tin can talking about something called the Icebox. Is this it?

Looks like I might have caused a little too much trouble down planetside.

“Turn at the hallway on your right,” The officer says behind me.

Jenkins is his name or possibly his last name. It was stitched into his uniform. He seems a little more lively than all the other officers I’ve seen. The rest look dead inside and bored as hell.

When I turn the corner, I hear voices picking up further down the hall.

Already we are starting to pass by some cells. Some of them have bunk beds which makes me cringe thinking about possibly getting a bunkmate. Though, I did hear I could be placed by myself which is a small victory I suppose.

Most of the cells seem rather nice. They are clean and shiny with metal walls and a small window to look out into space.

The cells aren’t too small which is a bit shocking. I was expecting something bordering close to being called a broom closet.

Most of these look as if they could fit in three or four people.

I’m seeing they have space for two beds on either side, two small bathrooms behind doors(which is a shock honestly). Some have room for exercise equipment! One room has a small plant area they are taking care of, though the plants look like they are about to die.

I blame how hot it is right now.

I'm already a bit sweaty. I wipe my brow and have to stop myself from groaning in annoyance.

“The air conditioning gets turned off from time to time,” Officer Jenkins says behind me. “It’s to help with saving energy before we get restocked. It’ll be back on before tonight.”

I can’t help the annoyance on my face hearing all that.

“We’re being cooked alive!”
“Ugh! We’re gonna die here!”

Already I feel a headache coming along from the heat and the voices aren’t going to be helpful if they keep complaining.

“Alright turn left.”

As I do, I hear loud voices coming from a large opening to a room coming up. Based on the steam, I’m guessing it’s the showers. There is a lot of laughter and shouting going on.

How anyone could take a hot shower right now is beyond me.

I jump when a large body comes out of the doorway.

A giant alien with a head like a hammerhead shark with little glowing spikes on top has to bend down to come out through the large doorway.

He is so tall, my neck strains a bit from having to look up so high. I only reach the middle of his stomach!

This big hunk of muscle only has a towel wrapped around his waist and…boy is he fun to look at.

Scars litter every inch of his dark grey body. His abs are so defined, I swear you can wash clothes with them.

Of course, he also has a collar like me.

“Anjak, I already told you to bring another uniform with you when you go get showered,” Jenkins says sternly behind me.

Anjak huffs and looks me up and down. He’s got only one eye that looks to be working. The other is a cloudy white thing.

Water trails down those muscles and uh…it’s doing things to me.

The big alien lets out a deep chuckle that makes my stomach get all fluttery.

“Cute,” he says before walking past us.

His thick tail drags behind him. Drops of water leave a trail following him.

Well I think I’ve already fallen for him.

“Alright stop ogling and keep moving,” Jenkins says loudly, making that sexy tall glass of water look back and flash a grin at me.

Fuck! Did he have to expose me like that?

I glare at the officer and keep moving.

The further we walk into this maze of a prison, the more empty cells I see. This place is surprisingly empty. There probably isn’t a huge demand to use such a place.

Pursing my lips, I’m seeing a cell at the end of this hallway with a large glass wall that looks into the place. It’s on the side of the hallway so it isn’t exactly easy to look into, but it does make me nervous with how close we are getting to it when there is a deadend.

“Oh god! They are going to watch us like we’re in a fishtank!”
“Privacy be damned I guess.”
“We should get them a show! Maybe that’s how we’ll escape!”

Rubbing at the faded scar on my temple, I keep walking, getting more and more nervous.

“Here we are,” Jenkins says all excited. “Welcome to your new home.”

I sigh in annoyance and stare at the glass wall in front of us.

Fuck.

“Is there a reason I have to be in this one?” I glare at it.

It is way nicer than all the others we passed. It is spotless, has nice lighting, more space, a giant bed on one side, a holoscreen on the wall across from the bed, a closet, and a bathroom with a shower.

“Great. Imagine when everyone learns we get the fancy treatment.”
“The whole prison is going to hate us!”
“We’re going to die on this floating rock just for having our own holoscreen.”

“Special cases get these types of cells,” The officer shrugs.

~~~

I was given a small tour of the place by Officer Jenkins.

This place is rather large for how empty these cells are. It definitely isn’t too low or deserted that it’s ridiculous, but it sure as hell makes sense why they are struggling to keep that air conditioning online.

Some parts of the moon prison are dirty and disgusting. Officers are seen hanging out with each other in some hallways or even some empty cells having a chat or even playing games on their tablets together.

This place is overstaffed somehow and too many people are lazy and don’t know what to do when they are ignoring their jobs.

Aside from all that…this place has a shitload of stuff for inmates to do.

There is a gym, a pool room, a sauna, a gaming room, two kitchens, a counseling room that would have a full on therapist if there was one, and about three different bathing areas.

The reason the place has two kitchens is if the Alien inmates aren’t too in the mood for human food.

Why it needs to be two separate areas for something that could easily be in one is beyond me.

Jenkins happened to mention Anjak likes human food so he never goes to the other dining area.

Real subtle, bitch.

While I’m over lusting for that shark looking alien, my brain can’t help but wonder how Tin can is doing.

He kinda confessed his feelings to me when we last talked and I’m over here wanting to fuck an alien already.

Maybe I really am not that great with relationship stuff?

“We know how you really feel about Roy!”
“You miss him! You miss his juicy pecs too!”
“We should escape to see him again.”

I purse my lips at the voices and actually feel myself heating up a little.

Things are complicated and I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to see him again when I’m stuck here.

“Are visitors allowed to come up here?” I ask Jenkins.

He turns to me and gives a small knowing smile.

“Of course, my friend. We don’t get many of them but our usual visiting day is on Wednesdays. Who you got in mind to come visit? We’ll have to call them up ourselves for approval.”

My heart feels like it’s starting to beat faster thinking about seeing Roy’s face again. It feels like it’s been so long!

“Roy Kyung! He lives in Sector Four on Earth,” I rush out, a bit excited. “He’s a former officer so I’m sure you can find him in your files or whatever!”

Officer Jenkins types into his tablet and nods to me when he’s done. “I’ll look right into it!”

I probably should mention Mama or even Arturo. Hell, even Ama, but I don’t really feel like I can handle seeing them. Mama and Arturo because…it’s a mess, but I would feel like a disappointment if Ama saw me in here.

~~~

At the end of the tour, Jenkins drops me off at the cafeteria. It’s dinnertime and everyone is here.

There are way more humans than I thought there would be honestly.

Yes there are a fair amount of Aliens, though I imagine more are at their own cafeteria, but humans outnumber them here by a longshot.

Where the line is to collect your food is none other than that sexy shark alien.

He’s got more clothes on now but he also has an apron on. I find it cute!

“Hey you,” A voice calls to my right.

“Come sit with us,” A man beams, flashing a gorgeous smile.

He definitely has an augment going on. He’s got dark skin that shimmers on his shoulders and a bit on his cheeks. The shimmer almost looks like a rainbow from oil.

He’s got curly hair cut short as if he was in the army. That makes me think he must’ve been a part of the good ol’ U.U.P.P.

I slowly walk over, finding this weird.

At his table is a small group of people. Four to be exact, including him.

All but one have clear signs of augmentation to their bodies.

One guy has orange skin and what looks like catfish whiskers on his cheeks. His hair is so fluffy, I would think he might also have some weird lion trait as well. He looks me up and down before rolling his eyes, ignoring me and eating his food again.

Another man has a blindfold over his eyes but he smiles at me. He looks a bit normal until I look a bit further down. At the bottom of his pants, there is a glow coming from underneath them.

Not sure how to feel about that honestly.

The last man is an older man. This one is the normal one. No augmentations that I can see.

I’m immediately drawn to him simply because he’s like me. Hispanic.

He’s got shoulder length dark grey hair, super dark eyes like a shark, a surprising amount of muscle on him, and a cigar between his lips.

How he is able to smoke in this place is a mystery to me.

“What’s your name,” the handsome man with rainbows on his skin asks.

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Zafiro.”

He chuckles and smiles, “name is Zee. Looks like we’re going to be partners with our names so close together!”

The catfish man shakes his head and sighs into his peas.

I shrug, weirded out that anyone would want to talk to me so soon in this place.

“You should sit with us,” The old man says, turning his head to me now. “After you get your food of course.”

One of his eyes has a golden eyepatch molded on top.

“Uh,” I stumble with my words when I see the weird thing on his eye. “Sure. Alright.”

Making my way to the line for my tray, I can’t help but feel like all those people are kind of familiar.

“Maybe we worked with some of them in sector 4.”
“OR…we met them in another life! Past life friends!”

That one makes me laugh a bit.

I get a bit nervous realizing I’m laughing to myself but everyone ignores me.

“Here you go, cutie,” A deep voice rumbles, making me look up.

Anjak has a tray in one hand, a cup in the other, and a smile on his face.

I swear I’m going to die just from him looking at me.

He places the water in front of me and moves onto the next inmate waiting behind me.

I frown thinking I offended the cook or something but when I look at the other food being served, I realize I’m not too hungry for it.

Pursing my lips, I stare up at Anjak in curiosity.

How the hell would he know I wouldn’t be in the mood for any of this food right now?

Taking the water, I kind of stare at it and up at Anjak.

“Probably a mind reader? Or a future reader?”

As dumb as that sounds, that’s the only thing that makes sense to me.

Making my way back to the group of weirdos, I can’t help but feel like everything about this place feels very weird.

“Hey, welcome back, baby,” Zee grins and lightly spanks my ass as I sit next to him.

That makes me freeze when I sit down, a bit surprised he was bold enough to do that.

“Touch me again and this cup goes down your throat,” I say with a smile and sparkle in my eye.

He raises his hands up in surrender and tries to laugh it off. “My bad, too soon I guess!”

The old man chuckles to himself and smiles at me.

“That’s Charlie,” he nods to the catfish, “the glowing legs belong to Gus, and I am Maksim. A pleasure to meet you Zafiro.”

I am about to respond but when he says my name, I pause.

I never told them my name. How would they know?

Frown I stare at my cup on the table.

Maybe I’m going crazy.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see black letters on the strap of my tank top. It has my name stitched onto it.

Or maybe I’m not?

“Looks like we’ll have to see!”

“You’ll be juuuuuust fine!”

Glaring at my distorted reflection on the metal table, I can’t help but feel like something wrong is happening. Something doesn’t feel right here. I feel as though a presence is watching me. I’m on edge and I have no idea why. My body keeps trembling but the voices aren’t even loud right now.

They whisper in the back of my mind but I barely understand them right now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I see a red figure dancing against the wall but when I look, all that’s there is a poster with the menu for today.

Turning back to the group, I see the old man is watching me. He nods silently to me as Zee is talking up some story to the group.

Biting my lip, I will myself to calm down.

I just need to concentrate on listening to my new friends.

If they are trying to be friends that is.

This place is going to be one hell of a shithole to get used to.