章節 25: Chapter 25: Seizing the Prison

"Freedom? It's freedom alright...the freedom to choose between listening to which politician, which media group, and which businessman. We claim to be better than the Empire, but in reality, the only difference between us and them is who the commoners obey."

- Jason Olsen, two days before being executed by the Republic Judiciary Branch for domestic terrorism.

In the end, Vice-Warden Jason Stone didn't last too long. He didn't need to be blackmailed or threatened. All it took was a few creative uses of blades, and the man swore the oath and sold his soul to Alexander for all of eternity.

He eventually found out why all those around him betrayed so swiftly...although Alexander suspected the man preferred to be ignorant instead.

Now with both commanders of Darkbane Prison under his command, Alexander was able to do things a lot more aggressively. After all, most prison personnel wouldn't dare question the orders of their commanding officers. When they were requested to go to the interrogation room, they obeyed...and by the time they left the rooms a while later, they had become a Disciple of Agony.

Another benefit of the increased control over the facility was that Alexander could now control the prisoner rotation process. In other words, he could actively pair up Disciples of Agony with non-Disciples prisoners. This meant the conversion process was a lot more efficient than before.

Within a day, the entire 9th District was filled with screams. Hundreds of ordinary prisoners were caught by surprise by their new cellmates, who didn't hesitate to beat them to an inch of their lives before forcing them to make a strange oath. In some cases, the oath worked, and the prisoners found themselves in a whole new world. In other cases that the oath failed, the beating simply resumed.

Most of the prisoners didn't stand a chance against the enhanced Disciples, who were only made stronger and faster with every blow received. Add that to the element of surprise, and before long, the prisoners were completely overwhelmed.

Soon, the entire district was converted. Over 500 prisoners were transformed into Disciples of Agony. A few of the prisoners were tortured to death either because they were really that tough or because the Disciples weren't careful enough. Still, that was of no real importance.

The freshly made Disciples were linked into the psychic hierarchy with Alexander at the top, ready to live and die by his command.

Soon, the same thing occurred across every other prison district. Even the prisoners kept in the isolated cells in District 5 were not safe from the mass conversion. With every wave of screams and cries of shock and horror, the number of Disciples of Agony grew.

Some of the guards were very concerned by the increased number of fighting and how systematic and brutal they were, but their officers simply told them to ignore it. Those especially curious of what was going on were ordered to a 'meeting', and when they returned to their posts, they were no longer asking questions.

Things were going equally well outside of the cells. In a few days, Warden Locke and Vice-Warden Stone have converted hundreds of members of the Darkbane Prison Security Forces to Alexander's service, with many of them being officers. As they worked, their actions grew more and more efficient as their need for discreteness dropped.

In one case, a trooper who stepped into an interrogation room was immediately jumped by two Disciples of Agony. Yet the trooper, who was surprisingly experienced and fast, drew his weapon and shot one of the Disciples in the chest twice before being taken down. The gunshots escaped the interrogation room, only to reach the ears of dozens of uncaring Disciples standing outside.

Just like that, Alexander's influence spread through Darkbane Prison like a plague. There were just so many things in the prison working to his favor. The Warden was the first to fall to him during that desperate gambit, and after that, the Warden showed Alexander that he didn't serve years of war by being a fool. He was a brilliant tactician, and with full control and knowledge over the prison and everyone inside it, he was easily able to isolate and convert countless unsuspecting soldiers and non-combatants alike. The nature of the prison also meant tortures and conversions could be done in complete secrecy.

Just like that, hundreds of troopers went down without putting up anything resembling a fight. The local armories held enough firearms to repel an invasion, but none of that mattered when the threat came from within.

In any other scenario, things wouldn't be so easy for Alexander.

Two weeks after his near-death skirmish with Warden Locke, Alexander was escorted out of his cell by four Disciples of Agony. These Disciples wore the black body armors and carried their standard shotguns, but they were no longer loyal Imperial guards. No...now, they were servants of Agony and warriors of Alexander Wolf, Lord of Agony.

This was the first time Alexander had walked around the halls of the prison as a free man. As he stretched his arms and strolled across the cells, a part of him was almost in tears. The past months have been tough for him, and it was only the desire for vengeance and the knowledge that he could get out of the cells one day that kept him moving. Otherwise, he would've ended his own life already.

Still, he told himself this was only a small victory. A few thousand people and a prison under his command was nothing too impressive. Not when his enemies were some of the most powerful people in the Holy Phoenix Empire. He could still recall how Count Lamb condemned a city of millions to death with a single order. Thousands meant nothing to him.

He still had a long way to go, and he was willing to take every step needed.

On the way, Alexander glanced at the cells and the prisoners inside. He could sense the presence of all the prisoners in the psychic network. They were still themselves, with all their original personalities and memories. In other words, many of these prisoners were brilliant fighters, and now, Alexander's gift had made them faster and stronger than ever before.

The group made their way out of the 9th District and headed for the 1st. Most of the troops on the way lowered their heads at Alexander in submission. Regardless of what the circumstances of their oath was, they have made a pact with Alexander that they could never go against. If Alexander wanted them dead, they would have no choice but to shoot themselves.

The group took a stop along the way. Alexander went to an empty living quarter, where he took a quick shower and changed into a set of black prison uniforms. By the time he was done, Alexander looked a lot better than before. Whereas previously he looked like, well, a filthy prisoner, now he truly appeared like the son of a Lord.

At long last, Alexander found himself standing in the Command Center of Darkbane Prison, located in the 1st District. This was the heart of Darkbane Prison and one of the most defended places on the premises, along with the Armory and the Communication Centre. Yet when Alexander, a mere prisoner, stepped inside, no one objected.

"My Lord." As soon as Alexander walked through the thick blast door that could deflect gauss rounds for a week, everyone inside the Command Center stood up and saluted him.

Alexander silently glanced around the room. He knew 99% of the people here probably hated him to the guts. After all, he used deceptions and torture to force them to swear away their souls, and from now on, they would be forever enslaved to his will.

Many of the people in this room had their own goals and aspirations. They weren't NPCs in some game who were simply a collection of attributes. They were living, breathing, thinking human beings. Warden Locke, for example, wanted to go home to his family after a lifetime of war. Now, he had no choice but to give up his own dreams and stay at Darkbane Prison in Alexander's service. The retirement he had been dreaming for for years paled in comparison to the loyalty that was forced upon him.

Vice-Warden Jason Stone, who was standing behind the Warden, simply wanted to stay in the safety of Darkbane Prison and enjoy the freedom and power brought to him by his last name. Now, if Alexander desired, he could send the Vice-Warden into certain death and there would be nothing he could do about it. In fact, he could order the man to slit his own throat and he would have no choice but to obey.

Honestly, even the thought of this made Alexander uncomfortable, but he didn't have the luxury to choose his methods. He was already at a disadvantage, and if he still held onto things like principles or morals, then he was a true fool. Choices were for those winning. He didn't like meaningless cruelty, but he was fine with necessary cruelty, or that was what he told himself.

Still, as he stared at the dozens of saluting men and women before him, Alexander felt like he had to say something.

"I am sorry for what I did to you. All of you. No one deserves this..." Alexander sighed. Even the cruelest Imperial Nobles couldn't control the minds of their subjects, but the pact he forced on these people…

There was a moment of silence in the room before Warden Locke raised his voice and broke the tension.

"What's done is done, my Lord. To be fair, I have seen imperial officers who would order their troops to charge into certain death just to draw the enemy's fire. I have seen imperial captains who would abandon entire regiments to die on foreign worlds without batting an eye. It is all too common for Imperial Nobles to order the death of a metropolis just to make an example. The fact that you are apologizing for this, my Lord...it makes you better than most of them."

Alexander gave him a nod of gratitude before moving onto what was truly important here. He waved his hand, and the officers in the Command Center sat back down and got back to work on their tasks. Finally, Alexander turned to Warden Locke and Vice-Warden Stone.

"How is the conversion process going? I can sense around 3,000 links in the network." Alexander asked. In other words, three thousand of the five thousand inhabitants of the prison have been converted.

"Indeed, my Lord. We have converted around 1,200 prison personnel and 1,800 prisoners. The rest of the prisoners should be converted within 24 hours. The process with the prison personnel is slower, but we should be able to get everyone in around three more days."

The Warden paused before adding some reassurance.

"We have the entire facility under control, my Lord. Most of the prison personnel yet to be converted are in non-combat roles. Even if they realize what's going on, which is unlikely, they will be outnumbered and outgunned. One of the first things I did was put the Armory under heavy security, and I just dispatched another Company of Disciples to the Armory just in case."

"Very well." Alexander nodded in satisfaction before continuing. "And are we certain the outside world knows nothing about this?" He knew it would take more than a few thousand Disciples to take on Count Lamb. They had to keep what was going on here a secret regardless of the cost.

"There are no ships on the island and I have not received any report of incoming traffic, but I have already sent entire Companies of Disciples to patrol the coastline. The Communication Centre, which is the only way to contact the outside world, is entirely secured and under lockdown. Plus, even if someone manages to get to the Centre, they will need the security code of one of us to send a message, and that is never going to happen."

"Very well." Alexander repeated, more than amazed by how prepared the Warden was. "And my extraction process? Any idea how I can get off this island?"

"Indeed, my Lord." Warden Locke nodded. He had both the experience and the information to answer Alexander's questions. "The only practical way to get off this island without being destroyed before reaching the mainland is by the annual personnel transfer ship. This ship comes once a year, and it brings over fresh transfers and takes those leaving off the island."

"Of course, the transferring personnel will be heavily verified on this end before boarding, which shouldn't be a problem. We should be able to capture and convert the crew members. All we have to do is to find a departing personnel who looks like you, my Lord, and you will be able to assume his identity to make it to the other end of the island. As far as Count Lamb, and the world, knows, you have already perished within these walls."

"Transfer ship? I see...and when is the next ship coming?" Alexander nodded at the Warden with approving eyes. The Warden might not be the bravest man in the world, but he was definitely brilliant at his job.

"In around two weeks, my Lord."

Alexander nodded slowly. Two weeks...a little shorter than he expected. He was hoping for some more time to train and prepare himself, but alas, he couldn't afford to wait another year. Still, the thought of making Count Lamb pay soon made his heart beat even faster.

"How about the monthly supply ships?" Vice-Warden Stone frowned before suggesting. This was the first time he talked at this meeting, which was a realization that quite bothered the Vice-Warden. After all, ever since he screamed the oath, his allegiance was changed, and his family could no longer help him.

If he wanted to have some influence in this prison, or just in general, he needed to gain the favor of the young man standing before him. This Alexander Wolf. Did he like it? Hell no. But reality didn't change based on his desires, and he had no choice but to try to get on Alexander's good side. To do that, he needed to prove his value.

Warden Locke glanced at him. Even now, the Vice-Warden wasn't his biggest fan. In fact, the two of them hated each other even more than before, and the only thing that could bring them together was their common loyalty to Alexander.

"The supply ships carry the same crew here and back. We don't know for sure that some of the crew will look like Lord Wolf. Plus, the men on the other end of the island will likely know all the faces of the crew members very well. This is a foolish idea, Jason." The Warden left a jab at the end just for good measure. "If it's not the fact that we physically cannot betray our Lord, then I may suspect that you're trying to get our Lord killed."

Jason snapped to Warden Locke with fury in his eyes, but Alexander simply raised his hand and put an end to this conversation. Indeed, the Vice-Warden came up with a stupid idea, but it wasn't on purpose. None of the converts could actively harm or endanger Alexander. No...he was just being an idiot.

"Very well. I can wait for two weeks. Also, Warden Locke…go to the 9th District and bring me Cara Allen. She was my cellmate. Bring her here…" Alexander paused. "I have important things to discuss with her."