DISCLAIMER: Quite simple: I do not own them.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The timeline for this story is mid season 3.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Angels In Chains Again
By Tashe Dangerous Eyes
Chapter 15
Sabrina Duncan felt her patience hanging by a thread and clearly seeing the bottom of the precipice. From the minute she had set foot in the prison her purpose, the reason she was there, was morphed into calamity by Becker's abhorrent agenda. The guard's fixation had caused a chain reaction of obstacle after obstacle that were hampering the detective's job and exposed her to unnecessary danger. Still, her two colleagues and she were able to uncover the evidence necessary to solve the case and the only thing that was left was to wait for their boss to extract them from the prison.
Sabrina paid attention to her surroundings for a moment, looking at the women that were around her in the shower room, women that unlike her did belong there. Some of them stared at her with rudeness while others made the effort to ignore her and it occurred to her that such loathe was going to be the only gratitude she would ever receive for doing her job because they didn't know that she had volunteered to enter hell to save them. Very soon, they were going to find themselves freed of the extra oppression without knowing that the newcomer they considered to be so dangerous was precisely the one risking her life for said freedom. However, Sabrina didn't need their gratitude; all she needed was her own freedom.
After separating from Kris she spent more than three hours doing a lot more cleaning and to her opinion most of it was unnecessary. Cain was with her all the time and she kept adding task after task as if she pretended her to clean the entire building. Sabrina had the strong suspicion that Cain's sudden need to enslave her was Becker's idea, indirectly punishing her to satisfy the need to let her anger reach her somehow. Fortunately for her, one of said unnecessary tasks had taken her to Kelly, and although there was time constraining their encounter Sabrina was able to talk to her, and what she learned from Kelly gave her hopes new life. She could still believe that a life with Kelly was a reachable dream. The thought alone made her present situation almost bearable. Bringing her mind back to the case Sabrina realized that she still didn't know if Kris was able to talk to Dan Tanna or if help was on the way. The only thing she could do was have faith that her partners were able to do what she couldn't, once again thanks to Becker.
The beautiful Angel's back was hurting and she had sweat a lot, but the water hitting her body with intense pressure during the shower she was taking was to neither massage her back nor to wash away the dirt but to erase a different kind of filth. What she wanted was to get rid of the awful sensations that were running through her body since leaving Becker's office. Sabrina wanted to clean Becker's breath from her face, her touches, her overbearing and hungry stare, but above all she wanted to eradicate the woman that had driven her to self deprecation from her mind. But she couldn't, especially not now that the game between them was over and the war just beginning.
The deal she had made with the insufferable guard had only given her control for a short period of time, but however short it had been it did help her walk out of a dangerous situation. Have she not had that control she would have had to resolve the situation another way that was surely going to land her in solitary or worse. As a result she wouldn't have discovered the Warden's journal which pretty much put an end to their investigation. But, Sabrina knew from the moment she walked out of the office that the deal was off. She could see how her rejection of Becker's constant advances was affecting the guard and how the darkness within her was starting to take over. It was the same darkness she demonstrated the first night they met, letting Sabrina know that the bully was back. No more tactics were going to be employed; no more coherent conversations to reach a happy medium, no more elaborated schemes or subterfuge…The dark hair Angel knew that the next time they saw each other Becker was coming to take what she wanted. But she also knew she herself had been ready for it since the very beginning and now she didn't have to worry about the case. Of course, if Charlie got them out of there first Sabrina would have to settle for just sending Becker to prison for a very long time.
Sabrina cut the water and dried herself off. She started to get dressed eager to find out for sure if Kris or Kelly had made contact with Dan.
Rita, accompanied by four other women, walked purposely toward the showers. She stopped at the entrance and signaled two of the four women to stay outside guarding it. The women positioned themselves in a casual stance, like they were just having a conversation in the middle of the hallway. The scarred woman and her ever present allies entered the shower room silently; looking around to make sure the woman they were looking for was there. Rita was the first to see her and a malevolent smile formed on her face. The three women stayed out of Sabrina's sight and without having to say a word made the other inmates leave the shower room. Their mere presence instilled fear in the others to whom it was clear that they were there with an agenda of death.
Sabrina noticed the en-masse evacuation and knew that something was terribly wrong. She turned her head and saw the ill intentioned trio who were now openly letting their presence be known. She kept her back to them and concentrated on her options knowing very well that talking was not one of them. Rita had wanted to do a number on her from the first moment they crossed paths and now she was going to make it happen. But Sabrina had not been an easy target then and she had no intention to be one now either. Some of the inmates had left their towels on the floor sucking up water in their hasty departure and Sabrina stepped closer to them discretely. Under the pretense of accepting her fate she faced Rita. "Three against one? How original, Rita."
"Meyer," Rita started. "…I believe I owe you a punishment, or should I say two?" A small gesture with her head sent Rita's minions toward Sabrina with the intention of holding her. Sabrina moved fast and bending down she grabbed one of the soaked towels, twirling it to make it sturdier as she straightened her body again. In a continuous motion she spun around outstretching her arm giving the towel momentum and she connected a solid hit to the side of the face of one of the women rushing her, making her lose her balance and blinding her momentarily. Sabrina continued to spin, but this time she squatted aiming low and the towel wrapped itself around the ankles of her second assailant. She pulled with all her strength sending the woman flying backwards to the floor.
Rita was on the back of her mind and Sabrina turned around to see what she was going to be facing next. The moment she turned her mid section was struck by the metal frame of the laundry cart Rita was using to trample her with who continued to push until Sabrina's back hit the shower wall right underneath the shower head. Sabrina got the wind knocked out of her and her head hit the wall with tremendous force.
"I won't let you ruin this for me this time, Meyer." Rita said still pushing the cart into Sabrina's body. The other two women managed to shake up Sabrina's surprise attack and were now ready to do Rita's bidding. Rita saw them and pulled the cart away. "Lisa seems to have a hot head. Let's help her cool down." The women grabbed Sabrina and turned her around in place, forcing her head up as Rita let the shower head sprayed a potent torrent of freezing water on her face, cutting her already labored breathing.
Sabrina's struggle became more desperate as her lungs cried out for air painfully. She felt them pulling her back and tried to breathe as much as she could, not knowing how long she had before they pushed her back under the shower head. "Something as simple as breathing…I'm going to make you appreciate it." Rita taunted her, but Sabrina didn't have a chance to react when her head was pushed under the water again. The hit she had taken to her abdomen together with the scarce gasps of new air were making her very weak and dizzy. She knew she had to do something to defend herself, but the grip the other women had on her was so strong it was starting to cut the circulation in her arms. Sabrina's front was flat against the wall denying her the use of her legs, so she rotated her hips sideways and used her right hip and leg to push herself away from the wall far enough to catch a breath of the much needed air, but just as soon she was pushed back under.
Rita saw her prey's effort and got furious with her indomitable spirit. She formed a fist with her right hand and hit Sabrina on her right kidney area as hard as she could. Sabrina's cry of pain was literally drowned. "Let her go." She ordered and the two women let go of Sabrina who just dropped to her knees, coughing due to the pain and the lack of oxygen. Rita chuckled, satisfied with her work. "Breathe in, honey. We wouldn't want you to pass out and miss the rest."
Kris Munroe was beyond frustrated with the fact that their contact, Dan Tanna, had been impossible to find. Even with Kelly's help their search ran out of time when they were ordered back to their duties. Sabrina was gone from the laundry room by the time Kris returned and she couldn't inform her that they were yet to accomplish sending Charlie her message. The only thing they could do now was to wait for Dan to contact them.
It was dinner time already and Kris was en route to the dining room where she would probably find Sabrina. On her way she passed the shower room and saw the two women standing at the entrance doing nothing at all. She observed them discretely for a moment and recognized them as part of Renee's crew. They seemed to be watching out for something and that stroke her as odd. Kris decided to investigate.
The petite blonde walked straight to the entrance of the shower room with the intention of going inside, but as soon as she was close enough she was stopped. "Where do you think you are going, blondie?"
"To get the dirty towels." Kris stated simply and tried to enter again, but again she was halted.
"Not now. Come back later." The taller of the two women pushed her away, but still she insisted.
"But I have to-"
"If you don't leave now you're going to regret it." Even more so than the words the look on the woman's face made Kris back away, but she had the terrible feeling that something really bad was going on behind the shower room doors. I better get Kelly. With that purpose on her mind she left quickly.
"Get her up and bring her here, she has rested enough." Rita ordered and stood in the middle of the room as if she were part of a main event. Her orders were followed right away, but when the women grabbed Sabrina they saw that she had caught her second wind because her strength was back. Sabrina was fighting, violently twisting her body until she started to loosen their grip on her. However, before she could get completely free Rita punched her viciously, paying equal attention to her stomach and her sides. One hit and then another and another until Sabrina's body went limp, both her strength and her breath deserting her again. Rita forced Sabrina's head up and saw that she was wheezing. "This is the woman Becker wants to substitute me with…Pathetic."
"I think we have a major problem." Kelly was surprised to see Kris standing right next to her inside the kitchen, but she could see by her face that breaking the rules was warranted.
"What do you-" She hadn't finished her question when Kris started answering it.
"Renee's girls are guarding the shower room and they're not letting anyone inside. I think they have Br…Lisa Meyer in there." Kris modified the name she was going to say when Janet joined them unannounced.
"Let's go." Kelly abandoned her post in the kitchen and started to leave with Kris when Janet stopped her grabbing her by the elbow.
"You can't leave, and besides, what do you care what happens to her?"
Kelly couldn't take Janet's uncalled hate for Sabrina anymore and snapped at her. "Don't you think that if someone had cared about Sandy she could've still been alive today?" Janet looked astonished at her words, but Kelly couldn't care less at the moment. She only cared about getting to Sabrina in time. Janet followed the duo disregarding the words said to her only wanting to watch out for the impulsive, yet ignorant woman.
"Where the hell are you going?" Another inmate assigned to the kitchen yelled after them.
"We'll be back." Janet yelled back and disappeared out the door.
Kelly and Kris ran side by side when the younger Angel suddenly had an idea. "I'm gonna get Becker." The blonde detective blurted out making them both stop in their tracks.
"What for? You know these guards don't care about what happens to us. What's she going to do?" Kelly practically growled.
"Believe me, she'll do something." Kris said with conviction and went in a different direction. Kelly didn't know what to make of her partner's action, but didn't have time to ponder it. She also didn't mind much that now she was going to Sabrina's rescue alone. Kelly felt at that moment that she could take on the world for Sabrina Duncan. She continued to the shower room. Janet once again followed her.
Sabrina knew her ribs were bruised and they protested heartily when yet another blow was delivered to her side, pushing the pain she was feeling to the verge of becoming unbearable. Rita's fist was coming her way again and she gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the impact. Her tender flesh betrayed her, holding on to the painful sensation for far too long, prolonging her agony. By the time the intensity of the pain decreased a fresh hit was already landing on her. Suddenly, Rita stopped her brutal attack. Sabrina looked like a rag doll, dangling between the clutches of Rita's merciless accomplices.
"You know, when Renee told us that there was a new prisoner who was just like us and that she was going to be part of our group, I didn't exactly like it much. But then again, I didn't like these two at the beginning either…But when she told me that it was because Becker wanted you…from that moment I hated you with all my might. I was working on a way to convince her to take me back. I don't know why she had to dismiss me, after all I did for her, and you had to come along."
Rita grabbed Sabrina's chin hard to look at her face, making her wince. For just a second she admitted that the woman was beautiful. Her skin was flawless and it felt soft to the touch. The brown eyes had an exotic look to them and her nose was perfect. She couldn't say anything about her smile because it was something she hadn't witnessed and after she was finished with her it was going to be a thing of the past. She touched her own face with her other hand and traced the scar marring it and making her hideous and repugnant, unlike the woman in front of her. "I can't recuperate my beauty, but I can destroy yours." Rita let go of Sabrina's face and back handed her in the same breath. Sabrina's head jerked to the side, but she turned her attention back to Rita.
"You don't have to do this… I never wanted anything…to do with Becker. It's not my fault…she left you and I…wasn't here when that happened…You can…take her back for all…I care." Sabrina's words came out with difficulty. She was balancing the words with the small amounts of air she was able to breathe in.
"You are here now!" Rita yelled and hit her in the face again with a closed fist this time. A streak of blood poured out of the corner of Sabrina's mouth as the metallic tasting liquid pooled inside of it. The inside of Sabrina's lower lip had split when the impact crushed it against her teeth. Once again Rita felt satisfied with the damage she was inflicting and wanted to cause more. Rita grabbed Sabrina by the hair to make her look at her again and she smiled at her, making her intentions clear and letting her know how much she was enjoying that she was finally at her mercy. The inmate's fists stroke Sabrina two more times on the face with all the hatred she felt for her. More blood sprout out, coming from under Sabrina's left eyebrow and her right cheek where Rita's ring had broken the skin. Sabrina's face became a mask of pain, painted with small crimson rivers. "Tell me, kitten, how many lives you have left?" Rita's partners in crime joined her in mocking laughter.
Kelly arrived at the shower room with Janet in tow, but she didn't slow down and headed straight for the doors.
"Get out of here. You can't go in there." Just like she had done with Kris the taller woman intercepted Kelly.
"Get out of my way. I'm going in there right now." Janet saw the two women gearing up to remove the intruder forcefully and pulled Kelly back away from them, something that was not easy at all with her resisting all the way.
"Don't be stupid, Elizabeth. They'll just beat the crap out of you and keep you out here. Let's wait for Becker. Your cousin is right, she'll intervene." Kelly's angst was visible. Janet pretended that she waited and did nothing while Sabrina was probably being killed at the other side of the door. Waiting was something that she just couldn't do.
Janet didn't react fast enough to stop Kelly; she could only see how her impetuous behavior was rewarded with a strong back hand to the face that made her land hard on the floor. Janet sighed and went to help her up. "I really don't hate saying this: I told you so." Kelly didn't respond, she just glared at the woman who had hit her and ignoring her burning cheek she got back on her feet on her own, rejecting Janet's help. To Janet's astonishment Kelly set her jaw and charged the two women.
"My hands hurt. Let's try something new." Rita reached behind her back and when she brought her hand around she was holding a knife. The instrument of death was not a makeshift one but a real knife with a long blade that looked extremely sharp.
Sabrina saw the weapon and visualized herself at a crossroads. She was in a lot of pain and felt weak from the abuse her body had received, but she knew that if she didn't find a way to fight them she was going to die that day. Two roads, Duncan: Die fighting or just die. Sabrina Duncan was not a quitter, she knew she was going to fight, but she didn't know if she could win. She also knew that if she stopped breathing forever she would never have the chance to tell Kelly that she loved her, and she wouldn't dare do that to her because Kelly deserved to know how much she was loved and needed. If only I could find the strength…
Rita's next words chased the doubts from Sabrina's mind as they gave her all the strength and motivation she needed to end her ordeal once and for all. "I want you to know what is going to happen after I kill you, Lisa. Since you stole Becker away from me I'm going to steal that beautiful brunette girl from the kitchen that you like so much. I know in time she'll grow to love me and you'll be a distant memory in both our minds." Rita didn't wait any longer and went at Sabrina with the knife heading for her heart, but Sabrina, fueled with the rage that Rita's pretentious malice had evoked in her, took advantage of the hold the other women still had on her and lifted both her legs throwing a double kick at Rita's chest with all the strength she could gather. At the impact Rita stumbled backwards a good seven feet away from Sabrina and landed on the floor hitting her head hard on the tiles. The knife skidded away from her and out of sight.
When Sabrina's legs came back down from the double kick she kept her knees bent making her legs swing back beyond the legs of the two inmates. The sudden shift in their center of gravity made them lose their balance and they instinctively dropped Sabrina trying to regain it. Sabrina saw stars when she hit the floor, but she sucked in the pain not having the time for it at that moment. A rush of adrenaline hit her and she practically jumped to a standing position in time to see one of her captors already coming back for an attack. Sabrina reacted by applying her sternum blow on her and as the woman started to bend down in pain Sabrina grabbed the back of her head to increase force and lifted her knee at the same time, crashing it against the woman's face and breaking her nose on impact. The intense pain made the woman drop to her knees crying out and she held her face as waves of blood started to seep through her fingers.
The other inmate saw this and took off in a run in Sabrina's direction slightly bending her torso with the intention of tackling her, but Sabrina spun out of the way ending at the woman's side instead and immediately grabbed the woman's collar and the waist of her pants using her own momentum to direct her head first into the wall knocking her out instantaneously. Sabrina had to fight a wave of dizziness due to the exertion and with the palm of her hands she put pressure on her sides, like trying to make her own pain subside a little, but she didn't have much time to take a breather.
"Damn you, woman, I'm going to kill you."
"Argh!" Two pairs of eyes bulged at the sight of the very tall convict succumbing to buckling knees after receiving a hard hit to the throat that cut both oxygen and speech.
"Keep your stupid threats to yourself." Kelly yelled. Take that on behalf of the woman you are trying to kill since she was the one who taught me that move. Kelly wanted to say the words more than just think them, but Janet was near, although at this point she wasn't sure why she even cared who knew the truth. The only thing she cared about was Sabrina.
The other inmate decided it was time for her to act. After deciding to let the taller of the two to take care of the enraged brunette, she was relegated to play the role of spectator, confident that the woman who looked like a doll would be put in her place in no time at all. However, the roles were unexpectedly reversed thanks to unforeseen skills and now it was her turn to take on the other woman. Her movements were precarious. The constant gagging of the woman on the floor making her hesitate even more, but she was not part of the prison's gang for nothing and unlike her fallen partner she had more than just size on her side. She finally attacked as Janet looked on, more intrigued with the motivation for the confrontation than the confrontation itself.
At the sound of Rita's voice Sabrina turned around and saw that she was coming at her again after finding the knife. Her murderous gaze was quite disconcerting, but Sabrina didn't let it intimidate her. Rita seemed to hesitate when she saw that her two accomplices were down and Sabrina knew that Rita's bravado was faltering her because it found safety in their numbers, but now she was alone. And while Rita stood there gathering her resolve Sabrina was merely catching her breath.
They circled each other once and then Rita swung the knife at Sabrina treacherously. Sabrina jumped back away from it, but it still caught her shirt. Rita inspected the slashed shirt looking for blood, but was disappointed to find that the knife didn't reach her opponent's skin. Her next move was a frontal attack trying to plunge the knife into Sabrina's gut. But the second her hand was within range of the slender brunette Sabrina's right hand gripped the wrist of the outstretched arm painfully squeezing around the carpal bones and then she twisted the arm towards Rita's center exposing the elbow to her, all in one continuous motion. However, it wasn't until Sabrina connected the heel of her left hand with her elbow almost breaking her arm in two at the joint that Rita knew what pain really was. For an instant, her cry of pain became the only sound in the world. The knife fell to the floor from a limp hand and Sabrina kicked it away. Then she let go of Rita's arm.
Rita cradled her arm and she felt nauseous and weak from the pain. Tears were streaming down her face giving faith of its intensity. She looked at her two accomplices on the floor: one was unconscious and the other was still bleeding quite considerably. Looking back at Sabrina she saw that the other woman was also in pain and that her breathing had become labored again. Not wanting to admit defeat she went to attack her once again, swinging her good fist trying to hit her, but every time she threw a punch it was blocked and returned with dexterity and strength. The wicked woman's face was now doing some bleeding of its own.
Sabrina saw an unsteady Rita come back at her yet again with her fist in the air and decided that enough was enough. She easily blocked Rita's blow and hit her in the face repeatedly. With each hit Sabrina landed Rita's head jerked farther back and she was ready to hit the floor, but before she could fall Sabrina grabbed her firmly by the collar and head butted her taking the fight out of her completely and then Sabrina threw herself back taking Rita with her. She placed her right foot on Rita's abdomen before hitting the floor and once there she pushed her over her head with her leg using all the strength she had left and saw as Rita flew away from her finally defeated.
"Did you hear that scream?" Kelly asked from her kneeling position where her knee was embedded on her attacker's back, making sure she was done fighting. The violent woman landed face first on the floor due to the discrete placing of Janet's foot in front of one of her own while she was trying to escape yet another of Kelly's punches. Janet assented in acknowledgment as the scream had been too guttural to be ignored. Kelly took a couple of decisive steps towards the shower room again, but Becker's arrival kept her from going inside.
"What the hell is going on here?" The two bullies looked like deer-caught-in-headlights when they saw the chief guard arrive and backed up by at least seven more guards including Cain, but they didn't have time to answer her or even lie when the shower room doors exploded open and Rita came flying through the air landing unceremoniously at Becker's feet. A collective gasp followed the thunderous exit. Their eyes rested on Rita for just a second before another figure caught their attention. Sabrina walked slowly out of the showers drenched in water, sweat and blood, hugging herself in an attempt to minimize the pain in her ribcage, but once outside the room she dropped to her knees completely exhausted.
Kris and Kelly rushed to Sabrina's side not minding for one second how it would look to the others. They saw the bruises, the cuts and the blood, heard how difficult it was for her to even breathe and panic overcame them. "She is badly hurt. We have to get her to the infirmary." Kris directed her statement at Becker.
"No, we have to get her to a hospital." Kelly stated next. Around her the guards were checking on Rita and also inside the bathroom. Two of them were keeping an eye on the inmates that had been guarding the door.
Becker kneeled on one knee to inspect Sabrina's injuries herself. She looked at the bloodied face carefully and then at her body. For one moment the guard's expression denoted anguish and sympathy, but it turned on a dime transforming to one of apathy. It was a transformation that mirrored her state of mind during the last few days. "Nobody is going anywhere. What did you find in there?" Becker asked the guard coming out of the shower room.
"Two more: one is unconscious and the other has a broken nose that is still bleeding. And then there's this." The guard lifted the knife so Becker could see it. Kelly, who was already feeling quite sick at the sight of Sabrina's condition, started to check for stab wounds finding none, but she was far from being totally relieved seeing how her mere touch cause her friend pain.
"Damn Rita! Take them to the solitary cells, all of them. And someone go get Renee, I'm sure this is her doing." Becker was barking orders without taking a breath.
"Wait, she needs medical attention. You can't send her to solitary, it was not her fault. Can't you see she is the victim here?" Kelly protested raising her voice at the tall redhead.
"If you don't want your own holiday in solitary don't say another word. Take them!" Kris squeezed Kelly's arm hard to keep her from defying Becker again. They had to get out of the way as the guards took Sabrina and helped her to her feet.
"I'm fine." Sabrina whispered to her friends, but she was sure she didn't convince them in the least. How could she when it was a total lie? The guards took her away and there was nothing neither one of them could do.
"Miranda, aren't you supposed to be getting ready to leave?" Becker asked the other guard when she saw her arriving at the scene.
"As a matter of fact I'm here to get Lewis. Jessica, let's go." Miranda said the name with deride as if she had taken to heart Kris' correction from that morning. Kris and Kelly shared a look because this time they both knew where Miranda was taking her. Seeing no other alternative Kris started to leave, but Kelly grabbed her hand pulling her back. It was hard for Kris to tell if Kelly didn't want her to go because of what she was going to face or if she just needed her to stay because she was about to break. Either way the choice was out of their hands.
"You have to take care of Bree. Be strong. I'll be fine." Kris' words were almost inaudible, but Kelly got the message and let her go.
Kelly did not seem able to move from where she was standing nor was she able to erase the image of a bruised up and bloodied Sabrina from her mind. She could only imagine the pain she was going through and yet she had said to them that she was fine. Kelly thought about Sabrina's typical behavior; about how she always tried to take care of them and shield them from danger as much as she could, but she also knew that now it was her turn to do the same for her.
"Get back to your work." This time it was Cain giving the orders, but Kelly just couldn't move.
Janet had witnessed the entire scene and couldn't understand why was it that her new friend couldn't stay away from Lisa Meyer's business. What was it about that woman that affected her so much? She tugged Kelly's sleeve hard enough to make her walk or fall and was glad to see she chose the former. "Let's get back to work before we get in any real trouble." Kelly just nodded and went with Janet, but she looked back one more time at the spot where Sabrina had landed on her knees. I'll find a way to get you out of there, Bree. I promise. Kelly's heart twisted with the thought of Sabrina all alone in solitary and hurt, away from her care and away from her love. Dan, where are you?