Chapter 299: Penitentiary Visit
The next day.
Scott was finally discharged from the hospital.
Well, only after having to endure a stressful farewell party thrown by Dr. Bellwood and the nurses.
It was a fresh morning when Scott arrived at Ashgate Penitentiary to see Maya.
Stepping off his motorcycle, he took off his helmet and let the chilly air blow against his messy hair. He kinda missed the heat in LA. The winter in Metro City always came heavy, and since it was still early January, the season hadn’t even gotten to its peak yet.
Scott adjusted the collar of his black B-3 style bomber jacket and walked into the building.
Since he was an official Guarantor for Pulsar, it wasn’t going to be hard to see her. In the hero world, guarantors were people superheroes could personally trust with their secret identities. But this status also came with an NDA and the harsh reality that they could be sued or entirely erased by the Hero Agency if they ever broke it.
He showed his guarantor ID to the guard on duty, and a few minutes later, he was escorted down a cold hallway to the non-contact visiting room.
The moment he saw Maya waiting on the other side of the glass, a smile visited his face.
Maya smiled right back.
He could tell she was deeply stressed and depressed just by looking at her, but the fact that she could still manage a smile gave him some faith. She also looked surprisingly cute in her baggy orange jumpsuit... then again, anyone with a petite body like hers would look good in whatever they wore.
Scott took a seat as they both reached for the built-in phones next to them.
They’re both still smiling.
"Ouuu... you wore a leather jacket."
Maya teased through her receiver as her eyes crinkled.
Scott casually adjusted the fur-lined neck of the jacket to play it cool.
"Oh, this old thing? Well, yunno, I’ve really changed up my wardrobe in the last few months. I wear these when I’m out on my motorcycle."
Maya tilted her head and her smile got even wider as her big purple eyes got bigger and prettier.
"A motorcycle? Hot."
Scott did his best to hold back a proud smirk and calmly looked away as he cleared his throat.
"Well, well... that’s good to know."
Just seeing him fluster a bit was enough to make Maya smile even more.
The last time she’d seen him was at BC Medical Center.
They talked well, but this felt entirely different.
This situation was dead serious, and yet here they were, talking like they hadn’t been broken up for over half a year now. It was almost like something special happened to them after that encounter in the elevator. Did they talk again after that? Well, it certainly felt like it.
"So..."
Scott gently eased into the conversation.
"How you holdin’ up?"
"I... I’m fine."
Maya nodded absentmindedly.
"The food here is not good, though. I’d honestly kill for a cheeseburger right now."
Scott laughed but kept his lips unparted.
It was a quiet chuckle fitting of this "intimate" room?
The booth got silent after.
Maya leaned closer to the glass pane separating them as her face turned scared.
"Scott... I really didn’t do this. You have to trust me. I was framed by Vincent and the Hero Agency. I keep saying this to everyone, but no one believes me... they told me there won’t even be a trial for me. I’m going to be taken to the supermax facility soon."
She lowered her head to hide her shame.
"After everything I’ve done to you... I’d never dare to ask for your help. But I don’t really have a choice."
"..."
"I’m so sorry."
"..."
Scott didn’t say a word.
Seeing his silence, Maya suddenly felt stupid.
After all the pain she’d caused him in the past, she felt selfish for calling him here. But was desperate. The only other person she could’ve called who would care enough to believe her was maybe Nightwatch. She had actually managed to charm a few of the guards and get them to give her a burner phone so she could text him, but Nightwatch hadn’t returned a single one of her messages.
A dull smile appeared on her pretty face.
"He’s probably just busy..."
That was her only means to cope.
Because the reality that Nightwatch didn’t care what she was going through scared her.
"What really happened?" Scott asked quietly.
Maya leaned in even more desperately.
"I’ve been having problems with Vincent for a while now because of all the endorsement deals and movie roles he keeps forcing onto me. All I ever wanted was just to be a pro hero and make my dad proud, not all this celebrity stuff. So when me and Nightwatch did a collab on his stream... it was a violation of a lot of laws, apparently. The Hero Agency has labeled him as a terrorist, so me being with him..."
"Makes you... a terrorist sympathizer."
Scott finished up for her.
To think the Hero Agency would destroy their own?
He was overwhelmed with shock.
Maya held back a sob, hiding her face in her hand as she nodded. There was never a time she explained this story without crying.
"Supermax... I haven’t even turned nineteen yet, and they’re taking me there. I heard they don’t even let you get out of the cell to take a shower. They just roll a portable one up to your door. I can’t go there, Scott. I can’t. I won’t."
Her forehead fell against the cold glass between them and she started sniffling heavily.
"Damn pigs... I’m so sick of getting pushed around."
Scott placed his hand firmly on the glass, just right over her head.
"It’s okay."
Maya cried quietly into the phone.
"It’s not... it’s just not."
Scott suddenly stood up and shoved his hands deep into his stylish jacket pockets.
"Welp, it actually is. Because I’m not going to let you end up in supermax. I can promise you that much. So, can you just have a little faith in the guy you used to date?"
Maya looked up with big teary eyes.
"How are you going to do that?"
Scott smirked confidently.
"The fact that you called me here means you believe there’s something I can do. So just sit tight and leave all your hopes on me, okay?"
Maya didn’t know why, but her tears instantly stopped.
She found herself nodding.
Even if her rational mind couldn’t convince her that a civilian could protect her from the Agency, her heart... which had always been deeply in love with him... fully believed the man standing before her.
"Do you know the name of the agent who’ll be handling your transfer to Ashgate Supermax?"
That’s all Scott needed to know.
Maya shook her head helplessly.
"No. I’ve tried to get it out of the guards I’m friends with here, but they won’t take the risk. They said it’s a breach of federal law or something."
She choked back another wave of tears.
"I’m sorry... I’m no help at all..."
"Meh, it’s fine."
Scott said with a casual shrug.
"I’ll save you. But when I do, you have to finally agree that 3.5e is better than 4e."
Maya forced a small, genuine smile through her misery.
"That’s just a lie."
They shared one last soft smile, and then Scott hung up the phone and walked out.
...
Exiting the visitation area, Scott looked around the prison corridors. A few officers passed by, offering him polite nods and waves. It wasn’t unusual for Ashgate Penitentiary to have visitors, and the guards always did their best to be nice to them. After all, it wasn’t easy having superpowered freaks as friends or relatives.
As he walked, Scott spotted the records office.
A grumpy old woman was sitting behind the desk.
He strolled right in and waved.
The gremlin-faced old woman looked up.
"What do you want, pretty boy?"
"Hmph. I want to check ALL the supermax transport schedules myself!"
Scott complained dramatically.
"Bureaucracy is absolute murder!"
He was quite furious. Like some kind of activist.
The old lady’s eyes turned half-lidded. To her, he was just another frustrated civilian or annoying colleague coming to bother her. She dealt with dozens of people like him every single week.
"Get out..." she said flatly.
Scott used that exact moment of dismissal to rapidly study her cluttered desk. She had an active computer terminal, stacks of case files, and a coffee mug. There was also a mini-fridge in the corner of the room, and right near the desk was an open file drawer that likely contained the dossiers on the supermax drivers.
"Didn’t you hear me? I said get out."
Her gremlin face was quite scary when she glared.
"I refuse!" Scott yelled.
He swung his fists dramatically.
His hand "accidentally" clipped a tall stack of files on the edge of her desk.
Clatter...
They fell all over the floor.
"Goddammit!"
The old woman immediately bent down to scoop up the scattered papers.
Because her head was beneath the desk line, she didn’t see Scott casually step over to the water cooler, refill a paper cup with water, and quickly palm a couple of ice cubes.
"Sure you don’t need help with that, ma’am?"
"Oh, shut up!"
"Suit yourself."
He placed the paper cup on top of a single ice cube and balanced it precariously on the very edge of the tall file drawer right above the officer’s desk.
The old woman popped back up with a scowl.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Scott quickly grabbed the landline phone on the wall and started dialing random numbers.
"I’m calling your superiors! I’m going to let them know I’m fighting for the rights of these innocent prisoners you want to condemn to supermax, dammit!"
Beep... beep...
Scott kept dialing nonsense.
This pissed off the old lady.
"It’s not smart to do stupid protests in a prison facility. If you act out again, I’ll personally make sure you join the prisoners down here. Is that clear?"
Her wrinkled finger was already pointed at him.
"Tch! This is a violation of the First Amendment!"
Scott stomped out of the office in a huff.
The old lady rolled her eyes as she turned back to her computer setup.
"Thought he’d never leave... all these men with fine faces can never just act normal."
Outside in the hallway.
Scott sat down in the waiting area directly opposite the records office. He’s listening to some nightcore music on his sleek headphones as he watched the door.
A few minutes ticked by...
The ice cube melted.
Without the solid ice propping it up, the disposable cup lost its balance and tilted forward, spilling a full rush of water directly over the computer keyboard and the active monitor. It instantly soaked several open case files on the desk, including the sensitive printouts the old lady was currently referencing.
"SHIT!"
Sitting outside, Scott smirked with eyes closed.
"Bingo."
Inside, the old lady frantically tried to save the files as she handled the sparking, malfunctioning police terminal with sheer panic.
"I need to call IT, dammit!"
She rushed to the landline phone to call for backup.
"I need help upstai—"
She slammed the receiver down.
Water had temporarily disabled the phone line as well.
Utterly fed up, the old lady rushed out of the records office and shouted down the hall.
"I need some help in here right now!"
The moment she ran past him, Scott stood up and walked right into the empty office with his headphones still playing a light tune. He hummed the music while going over the file drawer and flipping through the tabs until he found the folder labeled [Supermax Drivers].
He took all the pictures he needed and casually strolled out after arranging the files back.
Soon, the old lady returned with an IT technician.
But Scott was already out in the prison compound.
He leaned back comfortably against his motorcycle and chewed on a piece of beef jerky as he scrolled through the photos on his phone.
"Hmm... let’s see here..."
He zoomed in on the official transport roster.
"Mmm, finally."
He found the name of the driver assigned to handle Maya’s upcoming transportation to supermax.
"Ted Buffernickle..."
...
Ted Buffernickle’s modest home in the South District was exceptionally quiet.
He just got back from a long shift at the precinct and slowly took off his police bombed jacket.
Click...
He turned on the living room lights.
There was a young man relaxing in his single sofa.
Scott looked up with a neutral face.
"Welcome home, Ted."
Ted froze as his hand dropped from his jacket zipper.
He frowned viciously.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?"
"My apologies for barging in like this..."
Scott mentioned with a small smile.
"I just need your help with something, if that’s fine."
"Get the fuck out of my house before I throw you out!"
Ted growled as he stepped forward.
"I will in a moment. But first, we really need to talk."
Scott didn’t move an inch.
This deeply irritated the police officer.
"I have absolutely nothing to say to you."
Scott tilted his head slightly and gestured toward the center table between them.
"Have a drink and listen then..."
On the table sat a freshly opened bottle of whiskey alongside a clean rocks glass.
Ted stared at the bottle then cautiously walked over and poured himself some whiskey. He sat heavily on the sofa directly across from Scott and held his breath.
"Alright. Talk."
He set the glass down.
Scott leaned back and crossed his legs.
"I’m here to set you free."
Ted let out a dry, mocking scoff.
"Set me free? Set me free from what?"
"I know Vincent has a lot of dirt on you. That’s the exact reason he arranged for you to be the specific driver taking Pulsar to the supermax facility, right?"
Those words from Scott left Ted like a statue.
The color began to drain from his weathered face as his lips pressed into a thin, tight line.
He didn’t utter a syllable.
Scott noted his panic with a small nod.
"No answer. Means I’m right."
Scott reached inside his jacket.
"Hey—!"
Ted panicked and his police instincts took over as he reached for his waistband to pull his standard-issue sidearm and point it directly at Scott’s chest.
Scott didn’t even flinch at the barrel of the gun.
He smoothly pulled his hand out.
It was a thin manila folder.
"Relax. It’s just harmless paper."
Ted’s breathing was shallow.
His hand trembled slightly as he slowly lowered the firearm, though he kept it gripped tightly in his lap.
Scott tossed the documents carelessly onto a table.
"Well... actually, I lied. It is paper, yes, but it’s definitely not harmless."
"What... do you mean?"
Scott smiled. "Have a look."
Ted reached out and picked up the folder.
He opened it, flipping through the pages one by one. As his eyes scanned the typed text, financial ledgers, and printed logs, his face went from pale to a sickly white. The fear hitting his system was so violent he felt like he was about to suffer a cardiac arrest right on the spot.
Scott relaxed deeper into the sofa and draped his arms along the armrests.
"You abused your ex-wife and child for ten years. You cheated on your current wife with five different women. I have the digital proof for all of it... from your account history on secret prostitution websites to the illicit text messages stored on your encrypted work phone. There’s Alicia, Lena, Rory... and quite a few others."
Ted’s chest hitched.
Only he could understand the weight of all this.
Anyone else wouldn’t even take Scott seriously with how casually he listed out Ted Buffernickle’s crimes like they were just groceries on a list.
"And to make things even more interesting. Before you transferred over to Metro City, you used to be a correctional officer at Meteor City. Where you actively raped three different inmates. My, my, you’re stupid, vile, and profoundly cruel, Ted."
The papers fluttered wildly in Ted’s hands.
He began shaking with a kind fear so intense that his vision started to blur. His grip tightened on the empty rocks glass on the table; the urge to smash it and stab himself with a jagged shard just to escape this nightmare briefly flashed through his panicked mind.
Scott casually stood up from the sofa and adjusted the cuffs of his bomber jacket.
"Look, I’m not going to blackmail you..."
He placed a hand on the trembling officer’s shoulder.
"But... hmm. How exactly do I convince you NOT to show up on Maya’s day of transport? Delaying the transfer will buy me enough time to fully vindicate her."
"I..."
This was a desperate situation for Ted.
He dropped the files, slid out of his chair, and fell onto his knees right on the carpet.
"I can disappear!"
Ted begged with bloodshot eyes.
"I’ll run! I can leave the city, leave the country before the transfer date! They’ll have to find a replacement driver, it’ll take them days to clear the paperwork! Just please don’t release those files!"
Scott looked down at him with a mild smile.
"Hm. Good."
"You... you believe me? You’ll let me go?"
Scott nodded easily. "Of course."
A feverish smile appeared on Ted’s sweaty face.
"Thank you... thank you..."
Scott turned walked toward the front exit.
Just as his hand touched the doorknob, he paused to look over his shoulder.
"By the way... is there any definitive way to prove Maya Rivera is completely innocent?"
Ted nodded shakily, still groveling on the floor.
"Vincent... he has a few encrypted emails on his personal server that prove he framed her. But... they’re probably deleted by now. He doesn’t keep liabilities around."
"I see. Thank you..."
Scott said calmly.
When he left, Officer Buffernickle was relieved.
But soon his house was surrounded by countless wailing police squad cars.
The whole place was flashing red and blue.
"THAT BASTARD!"
