Prison AU. Also released on RvBfics with several differnces. Hope you enjoy, written to Three Days Grace's Get Out Alive.
Chapter 1[]
Delta was marched slowly through the sections of prison, glowering all the way. He didn't even know what he did wrong. He woke up in front of the prison, bound and gagged, with a written confession tied to his face.
Logic would indicate that his name wasn't Delta. But then again, that was all he remembered. "Delta," he seemed to have been saying over and over, to no avail. He just couldn't remember.
Delta was a sucker for logic.
"Okay," said one of the burly, nameless guards, opening a cell door, "this one will be yours. Now, don't cause any trouble, or I'll have to get dirty. And you don't want that."
"OK?" Delta said, walking slowly into his new home till he was eighteen. Then he would be transferred to a real prison.
The door clicked shut behind him, and a feeling of hoplessness prevailed. And he didn't even know.
"Hey," came a voice to his right. Whipping around, Delta was rather shocked to find a small window leading into the next cell. Inside was a small, brown-haired girl. A girl? What was a girl doing in Juvy? Well, if he lost his memory, a girl in Juvy made perfect sence.
"Hello?" he said, walking a little closer to the window. She grinned, and he instantly knew she would just love to screw him. Fat chance, he thought, and took a single step back.
"Who are you?" she asked, trying to act nonchalant. Delta wasn't fooled. For he had faced stuff worse than that before. Where did that come from?
"Delta," he said, after a noticable pause, "at least, I think my name is Delta. It's one of the only things I really remember."
"Wow," she said, standing up and walking closer to the cell window. Delta instinctavely took a step back.
"Name's Theta," she replied, and for a moment Delta thought she was joking. Then his inhuman sence of logic kicked in, and he knew she wasn't. Not with the way she was talking.
"Nice to meet you," he replied, frantically thinking of something to say. He had never been good around women. Where did that come from?
"You remind me of Upsilon," she said, "always at a loss for words. Except for you I can tell you're thinking."
Delta nodded mutely. She had a point. And whoever Upsilon was, he or she didn't seem very bright.
"Don't worry," Theta said, stepping back, "I'm not the only girl around here. There's Beta, Psi, and maybe Sigma."
Delta replied, "Any psychos I should know about?"
She took a moment to think. "Yes," she replied almost hesitantly, "I'm not sure Lambda counts, he's pretty much harmless. But there's Omega, just stay away from him. He likes new guys."
When she said that, Delta felt chills go up his back. Something about that last sentance felt... wrong.
Suddenly the bell rung for lights out. Theta looked around quickly, then said, "Gotta go. KIT."
She was across the room before Delta could even remember what KIT meant. He was going to be here a long time.
He couldn't wait
Chapter 2[]
The door opened slowly, and Delta got his feet, staring at a new guard. This guard wore cheifly tan, and his left eye was unnaturaly pale.
"Get up," he said, eying Delta with almost... surprise? Delta walked out, and the guard closed the door behind him. Theta gave a little wave as Delta was marched away. He didn't wave back.
"What's your name?" he asked the guard.
"York." The guard seemed intent on not talking. He prodded Delta again, and they made their way to the small dining hall.
The food wasn't bad. It was bland, and tasteless, but still, edible. Delta took his tray quickly, then looked around for a place to sit. He had nowhere, he knew no one. Then someone tapped on his shoulder. He spun around, to see a small, pale faced man. "You want to sit down quickly," he whispered, "Omega's coming, and you do not want to meet him."
Delta nodded slowly, then followed the man to a small table filled with three other inmates. He took his seat beside the pale man.
"I'm Upsilon," the pale man said, then pointed to the others at the table, "there's Sigma, Epsilon, and Theta." Theta gave him a cheery wave. Delta tried to ignore it.
"You know her?" Upsilon asked. Delta shrugged.
"We've met," he replied. Upsilon nodded wisely. A man with black, stringy hair that he had introduced as Epsilon shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you," he replied, kind of nervous. Someone who could have been either a girl or boy, presumably Sigma, nodded as well. He/she wore rather large close, disguising any idea of gender. Delta regardered her carefully, then turned his attention to his toast.
"So," Upsilon said nervously, "have you met anyone else?" Delta shook his head.
"Well, there's Psi, she's a techno-geek, there's Lambda, he's kind of... weird, and there's Mu, who's optimistic. In a crazy sort of way."
"Is their any sane people here, by any chance?"
Upsilon laughed, "Well, there's me. And some other inmates who don't like to talk to us. That's about it."
Delta nodded slowly. "Logic would indicate," he began, "that there would be more than us here, so I guess I'll have to take your word for it."
Upsilon waved his hand. "We eat in shifts," he said, "you'll be lucky to eat with anyone else."
Delta, finished, stood up. "Now what do I do?" he asked.
"Whatever. If you want to hang out with us, just go to your cell, we'll find you."
Delta stood up, dumped his tray, and headed for the door. Theta waved at him again, and Delta rolled his eyes, responded with a small wave. Theta went back to her food with a satisfied look on her face.
Chapter 3[]
Delta waited in his cell for about an hour before there was a small knock. Walking out, he found Upsilon and Theta waiting for him.
"Well, what do you know," Theta laughed, "the zombie lives."
Delta scowled. He'd been napping, of course, but that wasn't any reason for Theta to tease him for it. Then he realized that he was thinking exactly what she wanted him to. When the look of realization hit his face, she laughed.
Blushing, Delta turned to Upsilon. "What do you want to do?" he asked. Upsilon shrugged.
"Usually we trick the guards," he said, "send them false notes from the boss or something. It's hilarious when they realize it's a fake."
Delta nodded. He followed them to a small nook which had probably been forgotten by most of the guards.
"OK," Upsilon began, pulling a small list, "York's the hardest to trick, but he usually laughs along. Wash's the easiest, but he gets mad. Pros and cons, people-"
"Hey," Delta interrupted, "is that a list?"
"Yeah? Why?"
"All it would take for your whole operation to come down is one guard to inspect your rooms."
"So what?" Upsilon said, "are you going to tell?"
"No, but I suggest you find another way to remember."
"Normally I would, but Epsilon's not here right now."
Delta sighed, crowded in with the rest of them.
"Okay," Theta continued, "I think we should try York. Maybe cheer him up."
"Cheer him up?" Delta asked. The guard had certainly looked down.
"He got his eye messed up," Upsilon explained, "he's been kind of depressed. So are you in or not?"
For the first time in a while, Delta grinned. "Of course."
Chapter 3[]
Delta, Theta, and Upsilon slid silently through the silent corridors. Their group was the first group to eat, so it was unlikely they would meet anyone else.
"Okay," Upsilon whispered into Delta's ear, "we have to get to York, let him know that there's a fight going on. That will be your job. I'll find Epsilon, he'll oblige. We'll mock fight, and then we-"
Suddenly a figure appeared in front of them. He had strange red hair, and a twisted smile on his face.
"Omega," Upsilon took a step forward, "why aren't you eating."
"Oh, I just wasn't hungry today," Omega said, tilting his head in a mocking way. Delta instantly hated him.
"Can you just get out?" Upsilon asked, "we're trying to do something important."
Omega let out a mocking laugh. "And what would that be?" he asked, tilting his head the other way, "and hello? Who's this?" He had seen Delta.
"He's Delta," Theta said, stepping in front of him. Delta raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.
"Ah, Theta," Omega said, noticing her for the first time, "beutiful as ever. Pity about your father."
"Shut. Up." Theta said, fists clenching. Delta took a step back. trying to stay out of the line of fire.
"Three's a crowd," Omega said, laughing as he walked away.
The group quickly dispersed. Delta made his way back to his cell, confused. This place was going to drive him insane. And he didn't even know what was going on!
And Omega. It was obvious he was a creap, but how was he able to get to Theta like that. That was the first time he had seen her act anything that wasn't happy and carefree.
And York. The few times he'd met with the guard, he'd seem shocked, keeping his distance from Delta, as though trying to recognize him.
And he still couldn't remember!
Rubbing his head, Delta laid down on the small cot in the corner of the cell. Closing his eyes, he let his body relax.
Flashes of chaos and discord flew through his mind and dreams. He was running down a alley, running from someone.
He was in a house, and someone inexplicably familiar putting a hand on his shoulder and saying, "It's okay, D. We'll get through this."
And one thought among all others: "I have to get out of here before it's too late. Before everyone I know dies. Before-"
And then someone was shaking him. He groaned, and swatted at it. Then he woke up. He had slept through the day, and he was covered in sweat, panting, blankets twisted around him.
He pushed himself up, thinking over what had just happened. D. Who had ever called him D? The voice was inhumanly familiar, and he could swear he had heard it recently, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember who it was.
Am I losing my mind? Delta thought, pushing some strands of dark hair out of his face.
Chapter 4[]
Delta sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes closed, breathing evenly. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
Meditation. Since when did he know how to do that? He shook his head, trying to clear the cotton.
He heard footsteps, running quickly by the door. Ignore them. In. Out. In. Out. Some shouts. Just keep ignoring it. Don't even think about it. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
"Delta?" came a voice from far away. He ignored it. In. Out. Someone said his name again. In. Out.
"Delta? Upsilon, get over here. No, you can't finish brushing your teeth! Just get over here!"
In. Out.
"What's he doing?"
"Jeeze, Theta. He's meditating. Don't you know what that is?"
In. Out. In. Out.
"Maybe he's committing suicde."
"Yes, and he's doing it while breathing deeply.
In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
"He's having a heart attack!"
"Have you ever heard of a 19-year old having a heart attack?!"
Okay, they were officialy getting annoying. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
"Maybe he's just asleep. DELTA!"
"Stop shouting!"
In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
"DEELTTA!"
In. Out. Out. Out. In. In.
"That's it, don't say I didn't warn you."
Theta leaped on top of him, sending him toppling down. Delta's eyes snapped open.
"Finally," Theta said from his waist.
"Jeeze!" Delta rubbed his head and let it fall back, "what was that for, Theta? You nearly gave me a seizure."
"Tell us next time you're meditating," Theta replied, leaning over him. Gently, Delta pushed her back.
"It's three o'clock in the morning," he said, keeping Theta back, "not exactly a public time."
"Oh," she laughed, hopping off him. Delta rubbed his forehead, then stood up.
"Okay," he said, "you've got me fully awake. Now what did you wake me up for? Seriously."
Upsilon looked excited. "It's time for you to meet someone!" he announced. Theta nodded, still uncomfortably close. What was wrong with him?
"Who?" Delta asked, walking towards the door.
"Alpha." Theta said from behind him, even more excited. Delta took a step forward.
Chapter 5[]
Delta followed them through the still nearly-dark rooms of Juvy. He heard the snores from other inmates, and tried to ignore it. He held his breath when they passed Omega's cell.
"Alright, we're here," Upsilon whispered, raising a hand. They stopped, and he reached down, knocking gently on the floor of a bigger cell than the others. Delta was suprised to see who see who opened it.
"Epsilon?" he asked. Epsilon grinned, beckoned them inside. They followed, to find it was in fact, a two-bed cell. Another man sat on the other one, looking remarkably like Epsilon, looked out with a smile.
"What's up?" he asked. Delta was taken aback. He hadn't expected a friendly greeting. Yet another suprise.
"Hello," he said, nervous. Alpha jumped up, shook his hand. Delta was shocked for a minute, then shook back.
"So," he said, "you must be Delta?"
"Affirmative."
"Afirma-what?"
"Just ignore him," Theta said, "D's always like that."
Delta stirred. She had called him D. Another first.
"Well, to buisness," Alpha said, "I don't like what Omega's been doing recently. At all."
They nodded. Omega had killed two other inmates for looking at him the wrong way. Delta had made a mental note: Do not tick Omega off.
"He's been becoming more unchecked," Delta said. Alpha looked pleased, nodded.
"And since we can't kill him," he continued, "we'll have to settle for putting him in solitary."
"How?" Upsilon spoke up.
"Easy. We cause a... disturbance during lunch. Then, we goad Omega into doing something... illegal. After that, he's in the bag."
"Logical." Delta said.
"I have no idea what that means, so I'll go with it. Are we clear?"
They nodded.
"Good. Now, let's go get some sleep. We'll need it."
And with that they were dismissed.
Delta, Upsilon, and Theta made their way back to their cells. "Well," Upsilon began, "what do you think?"
"It's a good plan," Delta replied, "with some flaws."
"What flaws?" Theta asked.
"One, what if Omega's little illegal action is to kill us? Do I need to go any further?"
"Oh." Theta was sobered for the first time in a while.
"Now," Delta said, as they reached their cells, turning to face them, "if they'res not going to be any more interruptions, I would appreaciate it if I could go back to medititating.
"No promises," Theta responded.
"And that's why I'm using my padlock for the first time."
Chapter 6[]
Someone slapped him. Delta slapped at empty air. He had been meditating for several minutes, but Theta's talking had distracted him. Finally, he had passed out.
"Up," came a strong voice. Delta swatted again. And again. Finally, he was slapped again.
"Theta," he mumbled, "I thought I padlocked my door."
"I'm a lockpicker."
Delta opened his eyes, saw York standing in front of him. "Oops," he muttered, "guess you're not Theta?"
"Who where you expecting?"
Delta related the story of Theta's tackling him while he was meditating. York grimaced.
"That's Theta's problem. Can't stay still. And she doesn't expect anyone else too. Meditating would seem slow to her."
Delta grinned. York was one of the few guards who seemed to get him. It was uncanny.
Delta made his way uneasily to the breakfast table. Sigma waved, gender still unclear.
"What's up, D?" Upsilon asked. The group had taken to calling him D. Apparently Delta was to hard to say. Honestly.
"Had a rude awakening," Delta muttered. Theta laughed.
"I couldn't get in, I even yelled at you. You're the deepest sleeper I ever saw, and you even beat my dad."
"Hey," came a voice behind him. Delta turned around, to see Alpha standing there, looking uneasy.
"Why are you here?" Delta asked, looking up at him. Alpha squirmed uneasily, clearly uncomfortable.
"You remember what today is, right?" he asked. Delta thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Okay. Just wanted to check. Three o'clock, alright?" he asked. This time Upsilon nodded.
Delta stayed in his cell, not even trying to meditate. He heard the others moving around, doing things, but the nervousness chocked him.
"Hey," came a voice at his door. He looked up. Upsilon stood before him.
"Yeah?"
"Want to go the library?"
"We have a library?"
"Of course," said Theta, jumping in as usual. "Come on, D."
As they darted away, Delta walked outside. For the first time he could remember, he had a family. Friends. And he liked it.
"D," he mumbled running a hand through his hair, "okay. Let's do this."
Chapter 7[]
Upsilon lead the way into the library. Delta was shocked and pleased at the same time. Wall after wall of books, tables, a few reading lamps. Everything covered in abestos.
"Wow," he said. Upsilon smiled at him.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" he asked, then turned and waved his arm, "Lambda! Buddy, where you at?"
"Here!" came a laughing voice from around the corner. A blonde haired, muscualer dude, presumably Lambda, raced around the corner. Laugh marks were all over his face.
"Yo, peoples," he said, grinning. Upsilon and Theta high-faved, but Delta stayed back. Something about Lambda struck him as... familiar. He just couldn't place it.
Slowly, he wandered into the shelves of books, hands running over the spines. He found one that struck him as ironic. Crime and Punishment.
Pulling it off the shelf, Delta plopped into a chair, and began to read, almost eagerly.
A few minutes later he reached the last page. Theta and Upsilon where in different chairs, each reading. Lambda was stalking the shelves, working.
Reading the final words, Delta set the book down. Then something struck him. A memory, almost...
He was in the same house as his dreams. He was in a bed, while a figure who he couldn't clearly say, yet who was incredibly familiar. He set down the very same book and cleared his throat. "Time for bed, D," he said. Delta nodded absentmindedly.
Delta jolted back into existance. Almost no time had taken place. Shaking his head unhappily, he stood up and walked out, ignoring Theta's eyes burning into his back.
Delta stode into his cell, closing the door behind him. He leaped on the bed, closed his eyes. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
He'd need all his energy for lunch. Plus, he needed to clear his head. Everything was confusing right now.
"He's meditating again," came Theta's voice in front of his cell door.
"Just leave him alone," came Upsilon's reply.
In. Out. In. Out.
"Theta, don't even try jumping on him again."
"I won't. Something more drastic."
"What?! No!"
"Why not?"
"He's intitled to his privacy."
"And I'm intitled to violating it."
Suddenly the call for lunch flashed through all the speakers. Delta's eyes opened, and he followed his friends silently towards the lunchroom.
It was time.