Jailhouse Blues

Posted on 29 Jun 2026 @ 9:19pm by Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Edited on on 30 Jun 2026 @ 1:36am

614 words; about a 3 minute read

///Jailhouse///

After being fingerprinted and photographed, Ryan was escorted into a cell that was empty of anyone else. Apparently Sherman Oaks didn't have a lot of crime going on. He had no money for a lawyer. His requests for a public one were laughed away.

He also 'accidently' ran into a wall. Several times.

He rubbed his sore wrists. He didn't see where Steve had gone. He hoped that wherever he was, he was far away from here. Maybe he could find the answers on his own. Ryan just hoped he could discover them himself.

He had been in jail before-he was sure of it. The flashbacks were coming more frequently now. It was though part of him was trying to break free and escape this dream he was trapped in. It left him terrified. And exhausted at the same time.

There were footsteps outside of his cell. A tall man with a goatee and a gaze that commanded authority. The star on his chest indicated he was the chief of police. He shoved a bag of ice through the tray slot.

Slowly, Ryan stood and grabbed it. He applied it to the swelling on his face.

"Where's your friend?" he asked.

Ryan shrugged. "What friend?"

"Where are the devices you used?"

"No idea."

"We genuinely don't want to hurt you, Mister Collingway. But we do need your cooperation."

"Not hurt me-then what do you call this?" Ryan demanded.

The police chief sighed. "I also cannot control every variable." He raised his eyebrow. "I call that a direct consequence of your actions."

The man talked funny. "What the hell is this place?" Ryan wondered out loud, mostly to himself.

"This is a holding cell. In more ways then one." The police chief said. "It would have been better for everyone if you had just lives your life as a student. Instead..." he shrugged.

Ryan's head snapped up. The man knew something. He had to. "Did you do this to me?" he demanded. "Try to give me memories that weren't mine?"

The chief said nothing for a moment, a glint of anger on his face. "Again, actions...consequences. We didn't exactly invite you all down here."

"What does that mean?" Ryan pressed.

Once again the chief of police sighed. This was getting him nowhere. He knew he was doing the right thing. Someone had seen the weapons fire and called the station in a panic. If the entire town had seen it? Complete destablization of the holding frame. Which meant their two 'guests' and their unexpected toys had to be locked away for the time being.

He knew all of this, because the correction event which had created the holding frame had also created him to oversee things. "It means that I am a police chief. It's my job to keep the peace in this town. You, and your friend, are a growing threat to that peace. Which is why you're now here, indefinitely. I can't release you. But if you cooperate with us, I can make your stay more comfortable than it currently is. A TV. Decent food. Things like that."

Ryan scoffed. "No thanks."

"Well, maybe after some time has passed you'll think differently. Amazing what isolation can do to a person after a while." He shrugged. "Enjoy your stay, Mister Collingway."

He left.

Ryan pressed the bag of ice harder against his face. At least that provided some relief. "Now would be a really good time for some future knowledge to help me now."

But unfortunately, the one time he needed it, no new memories surfaced.

Utterly miserable, all Ryan could do was wait.

Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

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