WELCOME TO MAX SEC

[Tori Hardison]

Fri. Feb. 10th 2012 4:45pm

Hours were spent in Kate's office. While the cat was away....the mouse would play. Tori leaned forward in Kate's leather desk chair and gawked at the monitor pulled up on the laptop on Kate's desk. Danny Austin. For days now she'd kept a vigilant eye on Austin. He'd piqued her interest several weeks ago when she'd first seen him in the mess hall. Something about him marked that he was different than most prisoners. He was a force until himself and didn't know it. Two guards were ankle deep in Austin's cell giving it a good toss. The inmate was handcuffed with his hands behind his back while a third guard watched over him. When opportunity knocked Tori wasn't one to not answer. This was her 'in' with Austin and by God she was going to take advantage of it.

It didn't matter her heated response to his complaint, he'd merely caught her on a bad day and she had to rectify that and have a face to face meeting with Austin. One of Kate's newest toys. Rising from Kate's chair Tori closed out the window and shut off the computer making sure to log-out. Kate wouldn't be any the wiser, Tori was very careful when logging into Kate's laptop. Tori left Kate's office and walked through her outer office and down to the tier. She picked up her cell but no one was on the other end, it was all for show. She spoke in a husked yet smokey tone. "Of course. I'll let them know." Snapping her phone closed and slipping it into her pants pockets she focused on the two guards ransacking Austin's cell and the one watching him like a hawk. "You're needed in the rec room. A fight has broken out. I'll finish up here and make sure all that contraband is reported and boxed up."

Her gaze swept over to Austin and she winked conspiratorially. Tori waited until the guards had clamored off then she used her keyring to un-cuff Austin. She didn't say a single word to him she brushed past him regally, her shoulder brushing Austin's and stepped inside his cell. Tori began the arduous task of putting his cell back in order. His letters she tucked away under his mattress then she turned to face him. "Allow me to introduce myself. Tori Hardison. My apologies for denying your complaint. I was having an off day and took it out on you. I hope this makes up for it. All this stuff? It'll be 'lost' you can hang onto it."

[Danny Austin]

When it came to understanding the politics of penitentiary life Danny Austin had been around the block a time or two and had the scars to prove it. Life for him was a daily fight for survival littered with a wealth of regret and what-might-have-beens along the way. Over the past month or so his spidey senses had been tingling, warning him of an impending shitstorm on the horizon. There was an edgy restlessness stirring the cloak of lethargy that hung over Manfried like a cloud of noxious gas. The cell toss he’d taken in his stride, same shit different day. They’d bust him, book him, most likely beat the crap out him and toss him in the hole for the next seven days. No biggie, Danny had more to fear from Sha’dawg for a sudden downturn in profits due to confiscated merchandise than he did the bulls but there was sweet FA he could do about that. If he were in Sha’dawg’s place he’d be pissed too.

With an expression of pained resignation he watched them trash his cell and then as if things weren’t bad enough Tori Hardison decided to stick her nose in just to add to his woes. Danny had managed to avoid her thus far but had caught her staring at him on odd occasions for no apparent reason he could think of other than there was something about him she simply didn’t like. Par for the course in this place where the chasm between team orange on one side of the bars and team VV on the other yawned as wide as the Grand Canyon. His jaw however fell open and stopped just short of hitting the floor when she flounced by him with an airy introduction and began tidying the mess the guards had made. An apology for tossing his recent gripe about Cade Tarulo in the circular waste file rendered him temporarily speechless but when she nodded at the not inconsiderable amount of contraband the cell toss had gleaned and informed him he could hang onto it alarm bells began to sound loudly in his head.

Watching her carefully in the same way one would watch a venomous snake about to strike Danny kept his tone low and even. “As far as the complaint against Tarulo goes there’s no need to apologize, you were just doing your job and called it as you saw it, but turning a blind eye to all this...” His gaze cut to the pile of narcotics on the floor large enough to stock a small pharmacy then flicked back to Hardison. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the gesture but I'd prefer to know up front what it’s gonna cost me and whether hole-time is still an option. I don’t want to get caught up in no drug war and word is you got Sarito Martinez in your pocket…if that’s so then I gotta tell you there ain’t room enough for me in there too. I’d rather take my chances in soli if it’s all the same to you, ma’am.”

[Tori Hardison]

Trust wasn't given carelessly inside of Manfried. It had to be earned, worked towards. Tori knew this well as there were very few people in general that she trusted. None of them worked or were housed inside Manfried. Danny wasn't going to fawn all over her thinking her his savior just because she'd done right by him. It was going to be a long and winding road to Danny trusting her but time was something the both of them had in abundance. Tori was a patient woman and would strive daily to pull Danny into the fold of friendship and trust, no matter how long it took. Once she'd set her mind to something come hell or high water she'd see it through till the bitter end if necessary. Giving Danny back his contraband wasn't anything big, not in the grand scheme of things but it didn't have to be. It was the small things that he'd remember over time that she'd done for him that would help warm him up to her. She'd go so far as to befriend that pretty little friend of his Jori, Jodi, whatever the fuck her name was.

Danny was what she wanted and she'd have him, time was on her side. She smiled over shoulder at him as she went about righting his tossed cell. By the time she had completed her task it was in nearly the same shape it had been in before being tossed. She dusted her hands off on her pleated dress pants and turned her body towards Austin. He stood there staring at her and she could see that look in his eye, he didn't try to hide it from her. Danny was a skeptic when it came to her. It made sense considering where he was, the belly of the beast. Danny looked as though he waited for her to strike. That wasn't her intent. It was going to take a lot of work for her to get in good with Austin but that was her plan. Reel him in until she had him hook, line and sinker. Austin would be easy enough to manipulate once she was in his good graces. Even now she could envision his reaching out to her, dependent on her. And she'd be there for him, night or day, anytime he needed her.

Austin's first comment was the cost of having his drugs back. Tori scoffed lightly and shrugged her shoulder at him. "You wanna repay me for doing this? Keep your mouth closed and we'll call it even. I get busted doing this for you and I'm out the door. I need my job." Lies, pure lies spilled effortlessly from her lips. He mentioned Sarito's being in her pocket and he had the right of it. She had a deal going with Sarito. She'd get a kickback from the drugs he ran through the prison and in return Sarito got pussy when he wanted it. It was a deal that had until now worked out well. "That's what you're worried about? Sarito? Don't be. He and I have an arrangement worked out. I'm not here to proposition you to run drugs for me Austin. I happened to see the hacks pilfering your stash and figured you might want to hang onto it. Not everyone here has an agenda." Tori shrugged her shoulders at him a second time. "If you're wanting solitary that much, I'll make sure you get it. Though it would be a waste. You've done nothing wrong as far as I'm concerned. And my paperwork will reflect that nothing was found here. You wanna put your hands behind your back and we'll head on over to the hole." Tori began unclipping the pair of handcuffs she kept clipped to her belt loop should the need/want to use them arose.

[Danny Austin]

Like all seasoned inmates who’d been indoctrinated into the US penal system from an early age Danny knew better than to take a bull at face value no matter how convincing a tale they spun, and he was under no illusion Tori Hardison was doing exactly that. He busied himself making up his bunk while keeping a vigilant eye on the administrator suddenly turned cell-maid. In her elegant designer-label finery she couldn’t have looked more out of place picking up his meager belongings from where they’d been tossed on the floor if she’d donned a superwoman cape and a pair of hotpants. He had to admit to being more than a little intrigued by her bizarre behavior, intrigue quickly turned to disenchantment however when she completed her task and turned to face him, lies falling from her lips like petals from a rose. If she seriously thought he’d fall for such BS she wasn’t as smart as he’d taken her for. There was little danger of her losing her job over this and well she knew it. She was only two scalps down the totem pole from warden, besides which she and every other uniform in the place had carte blanche to do whatever they liked without threat of repercussion. He said nothing but allowed his dubious expression to convey his disbelief. In contrast when she spoke of Sarito Martinez Danny was surprised at her candor and answered her in kind.

“With all due respect ma’am I’d be a fool not to worry about Martinez. Everyone in here knows what happens if you stand on Sarito’s toes.”

Then it was back to smoke and mirrors. She’d intervened out the goodness of her heart to prevent the hacks from pilfering his stash. Yeah right. A mercurial grin tugged at the corner of his mouth and he turned away lest she take his amusement for insolence but he felt compelled to counter her claim about not everyone having their own agenda.

“Sure they do. Some peeps just manage to keep their particular agenda better hidden than others but that don’t mean to say they don't got one.” he said with the confident air of one simply stating a fact.

Her astonishing response to his query regarding hole-time prompted a chuckle to fall from his lips and his blue eyes twinkled with amusement.

“Well that has to be a first. Being given the choice of whether I want thrown in the hole as opposed to being dragged there and getting the shit kicked out me I mean.” he went quiet for a moment before tilting his head to the side and taking on a pensive expression. “You wanna tell me what this is really about? S’cuse my cynicism but I’ve been around long enough to know top brass such as yourself don’t bother their backsides with the likes of me unless they want something and even then they generally take whatever it is without pretending to be nice about it. Lemme guess…” his lips twisted in a sardonic smile, “Kate Lawrence put you up to this. Am I warm?”

[Tori Hardison]

With Austin's cell back in it's former glory Tori was better able to scrutinize him and she did. Her eyes swept over him from head to foot and back up to his head. She smirked slightly then she rolled her shoulders and tilted her head until her neck cracked. She recalled a conversation she'd heard Kate engaged in with another of the guards and that order Kate had given was that Austin wasn't to be touched. Tori found it at odds with the way Kate target specific inmates to inflict pain and suffering on yet Austin was to be left alone. Interesting, she thought to herself. She looked at Danny and met his gaze intently. She studied his face and looked deeply into his eyes. Tori looked for any spark of what she'd call life in his gaze but saw little to none. It was disheartening. She thought Kate had made a smart move to order that Austin remain untouched as she didn't like the thought of him winding up in the hands of one of the more notorious guards. Not her Danny. A crease of worry formed across her brow but was there and gone in the blink of an eye.

Her attention and thoughts were pulled right back to the present with the sound of Austin's voice filling his cell. He spoke of Sarito and she shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly at him, making a waving motion with her had to wave off his worry over Sarito. "Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't recall asking you to do a damned thing to step on Satiro's toes. All I said sugar was that Sarito and I have something worked out. Don't worry about him. He's in his rightful place and knows better that to fuck this up." Tori had wanted control over Sarito and when it came to the drug trade she had that in spades.

Danny brought up agendas and again Tori shrugged her shoulder at him. "Okay, if that's what you want to believe you go right ahead believing that. I'm a working stiff just like everyone else and if I lose my job I lose my ability to pay my bills. As you can see," she replied bowing low and motioning at herself and her attire with a sweep of her hand, "I'm not wanting to be homeless and wearing thrown out clothing. I happen to like my lifestyle just the way it is. So I guess if, according to you, we all have an agenda mine is to keep a roof over my head and clothes on my back."

Tori was well aware of the condition most inmates were in by the time they'd been shown the hole. Beaten into submission or beaten until they'd succumbed to their injuries and had lost consciousness. Unlike the other guards Tori wasn't a brute. A sexual sadist if she had to cop to something but no brute. She practically puffed up with pride welling within her at Austin's considering her top brass but he spoke true she was heading up the corporate ladder with blinding speed.

"You are a cynic. To each their own I reckon," she replied, brushing her hair off her shoulder to hang down her back. "I was watching the monitors and saw your cell getting tossed. Didn't see any reason for it so I stepped in. If it's so upsetting to you I won't interfere again. Next time them come to take your shit they can have it." Austin had to mention Kate and Tori spoke before thinking. "Fuck Kate," she shot back vehemently, "clearly you don't know Kate as well as you'd like to believe. You think she'd send me instead of coming herself? Think about it...." she said with a tap of her index finger at her temple. "I told you why I was here, accept it or don't." Tori scoffed at him and shook her head at him, "Lawrence really did a number on you didn't she?"

[Danny Austin]

Danny tried to get a feel for Tori Hardison so he’d be better able to figure out what she wanted from him but she was giving nothing away. If it weren’t for the fact this kind of thing if left to fester usually led to a nasty surprise further down the line he would have given up puzzling over the whys or wherefores. Instead he studied her appraisingly as she reaffirmed what she’d already stated about not having any hidden agenda or ulterior motive for swooping in like some fairy godmother intent on protecting his stash of contraband from unscrupulous guards. Danny listened without saying anything, merely nodding his head to show he was listening. It wasn’t until he happened to mention Kate Lawrence’s name the outward façade of implacability slipped to reveal a very different side to Hardison’s personality to the one he’d seen up to now. Clearly he’d touched a raw nerve.

“On the contrary, I know Kate all too well, probably better than anyone else in here with the exception of Brad Clark and one other person.” he replied coolly before going on. “I don’t have to think about it. You’re right, she did come to see me herself but she didn’t get the reaction she was looking for and if you knew her as well as you seem to think you do then you’d know she’s not the type to waste time trying a tact that didn’t work first time round. That’s why I thought she’d sent you.”

Hardison scoffed at him and he shrugged. “I don’t believe a word that comes out any uniform’s mouth, be it a CO, administrator or warden, makes no difference. I've been lied to too many times before.”

His expression sobered as though he’d been doused with a bucket of ice water when Hardison came out with a cold, hard truth he was helpless to deny.

“Yeah,” he replied softly, his eyes clouding over in painful recollection, “…she tried to destroy me and damn near succeeded. So if you’re thinking of crossing her, be very careful because if she’s capable of doing what she did to me, someone she claimed to be in love with, then she’d crush you like a bug just like that.” The snap of his fingers reverberated ominously around the cramped cell.

Danny didn’t expect Tori Hardison to take a blind bit of notice of any advice he had to offer but she’d be a fool to underestimate the likes of Kate Lawrence. Not that Danny took her to be a fool but she had a streak of arrogance a mile wide and it was that which may very well lead to her downfall if she didn't watch out.

“Kate makes a very dangerous enemy so if I were you I’d make sure to stay on the right side of her.” he paused, knowing he should leave it there. He’d said too much already, enough to warrant a trip to the Killing Floor if Kate were to catch wind of this conversation but curiosity got the better of him and against his better judgement he waded in to territory he'd have done well to avoid.

“I know it’s none of my business ma’am but I was just wondering if you knew Kate before coming here?”

[Tori Hardison]

If Tori were to give up the game, as the saying goes, then all would be lost. What Tori Hardison wanted she got. She wouldn't stop until she had what she wanted and it was Austin that had made it onto her radar and now had her full undivided attention. It was as clear as the nose on her face that she was going to have to tread very carefully here as Austin knew damn near every trick in the guard's playbook. As she'd told him just a few moments ago she wasn't a guard but an Administrator. And she wasn't violent, not unless both parties involved wanted it that way. What Tori was was manipulative and she moved people around where she wanted them as pawns on a chessboard. Danny Austin was one of those pawns and she was eager to play with him.

So much so that she eyed him off heatedly from beneath lowered lashes. Had he be any other male other than an inmate he'd be on his back already, screaming her name to the high heavens. But he wasn't just any male he was an inmate and therefore she was going to have to deal differently with him. "Standing here hashing out with you which of us knows Lawrence better isn't what I'd planned but know this, Austin, Kate and I go way back, a lot further than the two of you. If you knew Kate as well as you claim to know her then you'd know that she isn't one to share what she considers hers."

Tori waved hand dismissively at Austin, she was well and done going back and forth on who knew Kate best, who gave a flying fuck? Tori certainly didn't. Of course Austin wasn't going to believe her right off the back, trust had to be gained, she could understand that. "Never asked you to trust me. You asked why I came here I told ya, simple as that. Don't make it into something it isn't."

Finally they got down to brass tacts, at least Austin did and he played right into her hands and began explaining what had gone down between him and Lawrence. Tori found it interesting to hear the turn of events from Austin's point of view, she'd already heard Kate and they differed greatly. Tori was more inclined to believe Austin's version than Kate's.

She waited for Austin to get through his mini spiel before commenting and when she did get around to adding her two cents on Kate she was walking a slow circle around Austin, giving him plenty of room careful not to crowd him or spook him. "Mmm. Kate. She's something alright. Evil through and through that one is. She's a selfish bitch, but you already know that. She's out for herself and Gallows. I'm not afraid of Kate Lawrence, she bleeds red just like the rest of us. She's not the force to be reckoned with she thinks she is. There are other people far more powerful than she." Tori spoke of herself but didn't expound, she kept her comments vague.

The question asked of her was annoying. Hadn't they talked enough of Lawrence. Gritting her teeth and completing the circle she'd paced around Austin she drew up in front of him and looked him in the eye as a slow smile spread over her lips. "I met Kate right about the time she went to work for the Bureau. Before all this dark side bullshit and she was a kind hearted woman. Something changed her. Got into the very fabric of that woman and well.....you know how she is now."

Tori forced a frown on her lips as though she was gravely upset that Kate had taken a downfall and turned darkside. In truth Tori was thankful for it as during Kate's break from her Wardenship at Penent Hells the two of them had worked well together in their endeavors. "I'm real sorry she did a number on you Austin, I really am. She leaves a slew of broken men like you in her wake. It's heartbreaking. But then again how can we expect to respect anyone when she can't even respect herself."

She stepped back from Austin not wanting him put off with having her too close to him. "You're a strong man. You lived through Kate and come out the other side. You're still standing, that's quite an accomplishment. Would you call me Tori? Ma'am makes me feel old," she replied with a kind smile. "You still wanting to go to the hole or are we good here?"

[Danny Austin]

Danny was surprised to realize Tori Hardison had his full undivided attention and not because she’d commanded it or threatened him with bodily harm into giving it but purely of his own volition. His initial impression of her based on brief glimpses and the heresay of other inmates hadn't been entirely accurate it would seem. The stuff she said about Kate being evil and only out for herself Danny made no comment on but when she coolly informed him she’d known Kate from old, right the way back to when she’d been with the bureau Danny’s eyes rounded and he sucked in a breath, clearly taken aback by the revelation.

“So you knew her when she was with me. Did she ever…uh…mention me?” Raking a hand through his hair he threw her an apologetic look and exhaled an uncertain sigh, “I’m sorry, I know you have better things to do with your time than stand here listening to me and when it comes right down to it I’m just an inmate with no right to be treated as though I have any worth. But she…she made me feel like I meant something and when she told me she loved me I truly believed her.”

When Hardison said something had changed Kate and turned her into the monster she'd become Danny was quick to pick up on it, his brow creased and his features waxed into a perplexed expression as he tried his best to understand. “What happened? It was like one minute she was making plans for us and the next she…” His breath hitched in his throat and he lowered his gaze to the floor. “…I take it you probably know what she did or rather what she got her partner to do to me." A shudder ran through him and his knuckles paled as he gripped the metal framework of the bunk. "I’d like to say it’s all water under the bridge but if I got the chance I’d…” As if suddenly realizing who he was speaking to and what he’d been about to say he stopped himself and went silent, grateful Hardison had taken a step back so as not to crowd him.

“Yeah, I’m still standing but I’m not the same as I was before. She took something from me not even Brad Clark succeeded in taking but what goes around comes around. She'll get what's coming to her one day.”

It came out sounding very much like a threat but Danny made no attempt to backtrack in order to wrap it up into something more palatable. If Tori, as she asked him to call her, disliked Kate as much as she’d have him believe then his desire for revenge wouldn’t faze her and if it was all an act and she relayed this little chat back to Kate then he’d face the consequences just like he always did. Tori relieved the tension of the moment with a kind smile and even threw in a hint of levity, prompting Danny to smile back at her, a rare occurrence when it came to interaction with the enemy.

“We’re good, ma’am…er…Tori. I can live without hole-time and all the shit that goes along with it. And thanks for the random act of kindness - whatever the motive behind it. You saved me from a beating from the guards as well as a major ass-kicking from Sha’dawg, I owe you.”

Danny wouldn’t go so far as to say he actually liked Tori Hardison but after today’s chat he was definitely warming to her though whether or not he was justified in doing so remained to be seen.

[Tori Hardison]

Tori could be anything she put her mind to. She was capable of being a raving bitch who stomped her foot until she was handed whatever it was she wanted or she could wait patiently and let that which she wanted come to her offering itself up for her to take. The latter is what was happening here with Austin. Before long he'd realize that he needed her and he'd come to depend on her and when that day was upon she'd have him. It made her smile and she did so now without restraint, lowering her eyes as desire flashed in them. Oh yes, Austin would be hers, he'd begged to be hers. That day couldn't arrive soon enough as far as Tori was concerned.

She lied when it suited her but this wasn't one of those times. She'd be truthful to Danny he deserved the truth and he'd have it. "She did. She said and I quote 'I wanted him I got him'." Just recalling those words falling from Kate's pompous lips made Tori want to shove them down her throat until she choked on them. "Don't be sorry. it's cool, it's just us. I'm sorry she treated you so badly. That wasn't right."

Tori could have expounded on how he deserved to be treated better, perhaps like a God. Austin was meant to be worshipped and Tori was more than ready and willing to bow down at the alter that was Danny. Telling him that would be spreading it too thick and she wasn't going to lost the ground she'd already made with Austin. She didn't give two shits to stand here and talk about what had happened to Lawrence but clearly Danny did and for now she'd appease him the best way she knew how. "She was asked to go undercover and investigate the VV. She got too deep, lost sight of who she was and who she wanted to be. She liked what she found and she decided to stay there. Can't beat 'em join 'em kinda thing." She nodded her head it indicate that yes she knew what Kate had done to him and had done. Kate had bragged about it to her many times.

"Don't worry you're secret is safe with me. Get in line sweetheart, there are many people wanting to take out Lawrence. You're not alone there, believe me." Without coming right out and pointing a finger at herself she'd let Austin know she too was on that long list. Austin had a feisty streak in him and for Tori it was arousing. She smiled slowly at him, a near smirk and laughed softly and huskily.

"Couldn't have said it better myself. Kate Lawrence has burned a lot of bridges on her way to being Warden, not just here but inside of the VVI. Between you and I? I think her days are numbered. But...you didn't hear that from me." Tori winked conspiratorially at Austin and brushed her hair off her shoulder while watching him intently. She had to stare he was so damn fine how could she not. At Austin's slip of the tongue she held up her index finger in warning that he was to use her given name not ma'am and Austin was quick to rephrase.

He owed her. Music to her ears. However Tori knew it was imperative that she play it cool and not cash in on Austin's owing her for sticking up for him with the hack guards that had tossed his cell looking for contraband. "Naw, we're cool. Like I said earlier no ulterior motive. Just doing the right thing." For me. Doing the right thing for me. Tori flashed her most charming smile at Danny and made her way towards the door of his cell.

"I know you don't trust anyone in uniform here, not that I can blame you, but I'm a friend, or I can be if you'd let me." She continued on towards the door of his cell and looked over her shoulder as she stepped outside onto the tier and closed his cell door closed. "Take care of yourself Austin." Tori walked away from Danny's cell with a skip in her step. She felt confident that Austin would take the right measures to see her again.