OZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!
Title: Merry Old Land of Oz (Part 6)
Pairing: John/Randy, Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase
Rating: NC-17
Summary: They're all locked up at Oswald State Penn, with John as the leader of the Italians, Randy is an "Other," Ted is a Christian and Cody is one of the gays. Lots of shit goes down, good and bad. And while it may not all be started by and of those guys, they make sure to finish it.
Disclaimer: All rights belong to the WWE and Tom Fontana
Word Count: 15042
For anyone that needs a refresher, here's Part 5-2
While the prison was still in lockdown the night of Kingston’s death, Warden Leo Glynn held a meeting with Tim McManus, Sister Peter-Marie Reimondo, Father Ray Mukada, Dr. Gloria Nathan and several members of the CO staff. “The number of deaths amongst the inmates is far too high. Shit, the amount of violence is too high. Levesque is still in solitary for nearly killing Cena, a mini riot broke out in the cafeteria, leaving one inmate dead, not to mention the injuries to the CO staff. Then DiBiase was raped just feet from the hospital ward, Kennedy is found in pieces just days after that, obviously someone getting retribution for DiBiase, and now we have Kingston.”
“Well, we all know Cena was behind Kennedy’s death. That had Nino Schibetta written all over it,” Claire Howell chimed in.
“You weren’t even here when Schibetta died,” McManus said. “Why the fuck are you even at this meeting?”
“Because I add an unbiased opinion to the whole situation. And I read my crime reports before coming to work here, thank you very much. So, how come nothing was ever done about it? We all know it was Cena, probably his butt buddy, Orton, too.”
“His death was insignificant,” Glynn told her.
“He was cut into pieces, Leo!” she argued.
“So much for unbiased,” Tim said.
“We still don’t know who killed the biker in the cafeteria,” he carried on, ignoring Howell and McManus’ bickering, “but I would imagine that Orton had something to do with Kingston.”
“But, Leo, all men were accounted for in the kitchen,” Mineo informed him. “Pancamo came to me asking if they could all go to the kitchen early to give it a good scrub down. I let them go, and once the officers reached the kitchen, everyone who currently works the kitchen was there. Plus they were all clean. No way any of them could have been involved in Kingston’s death.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little strange for Pancamo to be asking to go to the kitchen early to clean?” Howell questioned.
Tim turned his head towards her. “Why the fuck do you have to question everything? Pancamo wants to run a clean kitchen. I don’t see a problem with that, considering he’s feeding the entire prison.”
“Maybe you should start questioning your precious inmates. They’re in here for a reason; it’s not like they’re the shining example of humanity.”
“And you are?” Tim asked, barely able to control the laughter in his voice.
“You two need to quit arguing, because that won’t help us solve this violence problem.”
“Tim,” Sister Pete began, “did you ever observe Kofi with anyone?”
“He mainly stayed with Poet. And when he wasn’t with Poet or one of the other Homeboys, he was off on his own staring into space.”
“Are you sure he was staring off into space and not staring at someone?” Pete asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean was he staring at Randal? I heard about what happened in the cafeteria. Kofi started a ruckus because Randal was the one serving him. Do you think Kofi managed to infuriate Randal to the point where he just snapped? Or perhaps Randal was in some form of danger and wound up killing Kofi in self defense?”
“Then how did he get into the kitchen?”
“Walked there? It’s just a theory. Do you know if Kofi had any other enemies?”
“Probably. Even though he was always around Poet, the two never seemed close,” Tim informed her.
“If you don’t care about Kennedy getting sliced to pieces, why the fuck do you give two shits about some ni…” She paused, noting the look Warden Glynn was giving her, stopping her from saying what she was about to say. “Some Homeboy getting his throat slit open?”
“What if Kingston’s death had been self defense, who, apart from Orton, did he have trouble with?” Leo carried on, paying no mind to Howell once more.
“Well, by default, he’d have trouble with Cena, probably Runnels and DiBiase and the rest of the Italians, as well as Keller.”
“Why the fuck do you let Orton and Cena run together? They cause nothing but trouble. And everyone knows they’re fucking, which is against the rules. How can you let that happen Leo?” Claire asked of both Tim and Glynn.
“They’re more trouble apart.”
“Claire,” Pete said, “sometimes the rules need to be broken. They’re relatively happy when they’re together, and happy inmates should cause fewer problems.”
“God, you and your fucking have a hug and pass the granola bullshit. They’re prisoners, for Christ’s sake!”
Leo was getting fed up with how this meeting was progressing. “I’m going to bring in a detective to question select inmates about Kingston, maybe Kennedy. Cena and Orton are staying together, because, as everyone’s said, they’re more trouble apart. Runnels and DiBiase will stay together, too, since that kid seems to help with DiBiase’s recovery. Wouldn’t you agree, Pete?”
“Absolutely, Leo.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you people?! This is a goddamn max security prison, not some five star spa and resort.”
“And when they’re behaved, your job is easier. What a concept,” Tim said.
“They’re still human beings,” Pete added. “In fact, I’d wager they’re more human than you, Claire.”
Father Mukada’s mouth fell open in surprise at what Pete just said. Of course, he agreed with her every word.
“This meeting is adjourned,” Leo said before things got too out of control.
They were going into the second day of the lockdown, and John woke up to find Randy practically on top of him as the lights flashed on. He moved out from under Randy, hearing the other man groan as he was awoken. John walked to the sink and turned on the tap, letting the cold water run into his hands before splashing it on his face. “Good morning,” he said as he looked into the mirror and saw Randy stirring. He then shut off the water and took two steps to his left, proceeding to take a leak.
“Did yesterday really happen?” Randy asked, rolling over onto his side, looking at John’s bare back, appreciating the flexing muscles.
“We ain’t been called to count yet, have we?” John asked as he turned around.
“So, we really are in lockdown? Because I killed someone,” Randy stated, rolling over onto his back.
“You startin’ to regret it? Don’t tell me that, not after what you was sayin’ last night.”
“No, don’t regret it, just… Hard to believe… I…”
“He deserved it,” John said as he moved over to Randy, squatting down next to the bed. “Simple as that. Don’t think on it, and if you do, thinka that high you felt while you had my shank in your hand, thinka the rush you felt as you watched Kofi crumple to the floor. Thinka last night.”
“What am I supposed to do if they start to question us?”
“That’s the dumbest question I ever fuckin’ heard. You say you don’t know dick about it, and that you was in the kitchen the whole time. That’s what I’m gonna say, it’s what Chucky’s gonna say, it’s what Ted and Cody are gonna say, and it’s definitely what you gonna say.”
“What if they don’t believe me?”
“You was in the kitchen when the hacks came in. They got no reason to think you lyin’, since how else you get there unless you was there the whole time?”
“But we weren’t there the whole time!”
John reached out a hand and rested it on the side of Randy’s face, one of his rare, gentle touches. “You gotta calm the fuck down. Quit gettin’ yourself worked up. If they question you, just remember what we talked about. You real good at bullshittin’ man, don’t fuck this up now.”
“What if I do, though?”
“Ok, what if you do? They extend your sentence to life. You already gonna be ‘bout 80 when you leave, anyway. Practically life as it is. Least in here you guaranteed three square every day and a bed to sleep in every night… And me,” John added after a brief pause.
Randy couldn’t help the grin that began to form on his face. But then… “Would they put me on death row?” It would be one thing to wind up on a murder charge and have that extended to life in prison, which he could deal with, so long as John was there with him. But death row? That would be something completely different. Sure, he was going to die someday, but he’d rather it not be counted down and calculated to the very second.
John stood up, just enough to be able to sit down on the bed. He then laid himself down on the mattress, close to Randy, his hand once more resting on Randy’s face. “Ain’t gonna put you on death row for killin’ an inmate. A hack, yeah, sure, but not some other scum fuck con.”
“But-”
“Would you quit fuckin’ thinkin’ about it? Fuck’s sake. You ain’t goin’ to death row. Don’t even know what they gonna do yet ‘bout Kofi. You just gotta relax. Never seen you so fuckin’ jumpy. Shit.” He pulled Randy’s body in closer to him; he’d never get sick of the feeling of the skin on skin contact.
“I know… This isn’t like me at all. Fuck. Shit, nothing’s even happened yet.”
“And once it does, you got it, man. Got nothin’ to worry ‘bout.”
“Cody,” Ted said as he sat up in the bed.
“Teddy.”
“I wasn’t in the cafeteria from the start, and the hacks know that. If they start askin’ around, they’ll find up I showed up late. And since it was the same time that Kofi wound up dead…”
Cody sat up next to him and wrapped his arm about him, pulling Ted in close, and Ted rested his head on Cody’s shoulder. “But you wound up there. So say I went to the library to find you, since I knew where you were going.”
“What about Kofi?”
“Shit. He ran into you.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“Fuck. And we can’t even talk to anyone right now.”
“Nope, not unless they end the lockdown.”
Down in John and Randy’s pod, they were having a similar conversation. “Hacks know Teddy was in the library. Should we tell ‘em we found him? No, no, we can’t put ourselves there with Kofi,” John said in answer to his own question. “We say we told Cody to go to find him.”
“And, what, we just hope Cody and Ted say the same thing? Plus, Kofi was there, and the hacks knew where Kofi was going, right? If he was off to the library, then maybe Ted can just tell ‘em what happened. And then Cody showed up instead of us, which distracted Kofi. Then Ted punched him, leaving him in the hall where anyone could have gotten to him.”
“See, I told you you was good with the bullshittin’,” John told him, a smirk on his face. This plan could work brilliantly.
“Just stretchin’ the truth a little bit, that’s all.”
Cody happened to look out the door and saw the warden, a CO and some other guy in a suit walking down the central area of Emerald City. He stood up, going to get a better look out the door. “The fuck’s going on?”
Ted stood up as well, joining Cody by the door. “Dunno.”
“Oh, shit,” Cody muttered as they stopped in front of John and Randy’s pod.
Leo opened the door, walking in on the couple, who simply looked over at the intruders, never breaking apart. “Cena, we need to talk. We’ll be back for you later, Orton.”
“I get some pants on first?” John asked as he pulled away from Randy and rolled off the bed, leaving him standing there in just his boxers.
“Hurry up.”
John grabbed a pair of pants from on top of the trunk at the end of the bed, then found a shirt that he had inside the same trunk. “Happy now?”
“Come on, let’s go.”
John followed Leo, glancing back at Randy as the door shut and automatically locked. “So, do I get the honour of being questioned first?”
“Just walk.” They headed into an empty interrogation room, Leo, the detective and officer all sat behind the table, telling John to take a seat on the other side.
“What can I do for ya today?” John asked, reclining back in the chair.
“Kingston. Were you involved in his death?” the detective asked.
“No, Sir,” John replied.
“Do you know anything about his death?”
“No, Sir.”
“What do you know of the death of Kennedy Kennedy?”
“Pretty nasty from what I heard. What kinda sick fuck would cut off a man’s dick and actually mail it to another man?”
“We know you were behind that, Cena,” Leo told him.
John raised an eyebrow at him and a grin spread across his face. “Oh, yeah? And you ain’t said nothin’ to me about it yet? How unlike you.”
“Because of his… standing… amongst his fellow inmates, we felt as though no investigation was needed, nor should there be repercussions against the man, or men, behind his murder. Don’t make us change our minds.”
“I wouldn’t dream of such a thing. Wouldn’t want anyone getting in trouble for killing that fucker.”
“Were you in the kitchen with Pancamo at the time of Kofi’s death?”
“Yes.”
“Theodore DiBiase, you’re closse with him I hear.”
“That I am.”
“CO records show that he was supposed to be in the library when Pancamo requested to go to the kitchen.”
“That’s why we told Cody Runnels to go get him first. They showed up a few minutes later, and Ted looked pretty shaken up.”
“Did he say why?”
“Said Kingston cornered him. Kid was freaked the fuck out, especially after what happened back in September. Then Cody showed up. Ted told us that he punched Kingston during that bit of distraction. Then they left him lyin’ there on the floor. Someone else musta come by and, uh, taken care a things.”
“You’re also close with Orton.”
“You could say that,” John replied with a smirk.
“He had trouble with Kingston outside Oz.”
“That he did,” John answered, his face once more becoming stoic.
“Could he have killed Kingston?”
“Not as far as I know. He was with me the whole time.”
“And you were in the kitchen.”
“Yup.”
Leo looked to the detective then said, “We’re done with you for now. If we have further questions, we’ll come and get you again.”
“All right then. Whatever you need.”
The CO accompanied John back to Em City, where he then fetched Randy from the pod. John and Randy made eye contact, John’s eyes reading “You got this.”
As soon as they were in the interrogation room, Randy took the seat John had just been in and looked at the detective. “What can you tell me about Kofi Kingston?”
“He died.”
“And what do you know about his death?”
“Got whacked in the gym.” Randy leaned back in the chair, realizing that he could deal with them. John was right; he could bullshit with the best of ‘em. “That’s all I got.”
“And where were you when Kingston was murdered?”
“In the kitchen. With John and Pancamo. But I’m sure you knew that already.”
“And you’re also friends with DiBiase.”
“Sure am.”
“I heard he was alone with Kingston for a time.”
“That he was. Until Runnels showed up. Used the distraction to give Kingston a nasty right hook and they took off to the kitchen.”
“And did he tell this to you, or to everyone in the kitchen once he arrived?”
“Far as I know, just me and John.”
“Do you believe DiBiase or Runnels could have killed Kingston?”
“Absolutely not,” Randy said, making sure they knew neither of them were guilty.
The detective looked back at Leo. Their stories seemed to match up. But they had had time to talk. However, they had no time to speak with Runnels or DiBiase, so who knew what of the story was true. “Kingston was found with his throat slit. Your friend Cena is guilty of two counts of murder, and in both cases, he slit their throats.”
“You sayin’ John’s guilty? I’m sure lots of guys have the same MO.”
After a little more questioning, Randy was brought back to Em City. He found John lying in his bed, waiting for Randy to get back. Once the door was shut, John asked, “How’d everything go?”
“Pretty smooth.” Randy joined John on the bed, who sat up as Randy sat down. “Hope I said everything you said. They brought you up.”
“Brought you up, too. Told ‘em you was guilty.”
“Fucker,” Randy said, elbowing John in the side.
“Oh, shit,” John muttered. He looked past Randy as he saw Cody with the CO now. “Looks like Cody’s next in line. Fuck, I hope we match up stories good enough for ‘em.”
“Hope so, too.”
Soon, Cody was sitting in the chair that minutes ago Randy and John occupied. He looked far more nervous than John and Randy combined. “Can you tell us anything about the death of Kofi Kingston?”
“No. At least not anything everyone else doesn’t already know.”
“Cena told us that he went looking for DiBiase once Pancamo requested to leave for the kitchens,” the detective said, switching the story to see if Runnels would agree with him, “since DiBiase was going to the library.”
“Actually, sir, I was the one who went to get Teddy,” Cody told them. There’s no way John would ever say he was off alone somewhere, and to Cody, it made more sense if he were the one to get Ted. “If John told you that, I think it was only because he didn’t want us to get in any trouble for being away from everyone else. But it was me who went to find him.”
“And when you found him, where was he?”
“Well, he was by the library, but Kofi had him pinned against a wall in a corridor. When I showed up, I was pretty freaked about what Kofi was gonna do to him. But, then Ted managed to… Well, we got away and to the kitchen.”
Once again the detective met eyes with Glynn. Runnels had just said the same thing Cena and Orton had told them. Maybe there wasn’t anything else to this story. Maybe they had been telling the truth the entire time and someone else completely had murdered Kingston. “Now, I know that you’re close with Cena and Orton. Both men were in the kitchen with you?”
“Yup.”
“Do you know of anyone else that had problems with Kingston?”
“Aryans. Bikers. Think he pissed off a Latino or two. Muslims didn’t like him much.” Cody tilted his head to the side as he continued, “Ccme to think of it, he didn’t really get on with the Homeboys, either. He was basically fucked from day one.”
“Well, that narrows things down… We’re done with you. Bring him back to Em City. Get DiBiase.”
When Ted was sitting across from the three men, he looked utterly terrified. “Let’s cut to the chase. We know you weren’t in Emerald City when the others left for the kitchen. You were off getting something from the library, which, records show, you never actually reached, at the same time as Kingston. Then, that same day he ends up dead? Seems like much more than a coincidence.”
“I left for the library before he did, sir. I had intended to go there and grab something to read later on, but since I had to go to work in the kitchen, I wouldn’t have been able to go any later. And, no, I hadn’t made it there, because before I could, Kofi had me pinned up against a wall.”
“And you managed to break free from him and get to the kitchen?”
“Uh, well, I thought at first… Anyway, I, uh, realized he wasn’t gonna… It wasn’t gonna be like Kennedy…” Ted was staring at the table as he once again flashed back to the events involving Ken, and how he thought Kofi was going to do something similar. “So, I told him he was a dumbass, since anyone could walk by and see us. Then Cody showed up,” Ted lied. He just hoped everyone else had been saying the same thing. He really did hate lying, and he hoped God would forgive him for it, since it was for the best for everyone.
“And then you and Cody headed straight to the kitchens?”
“Yeah. I mean… I did punch Kofi. Left him there…”
“You punched him even though he did you no physical harm?”
“I thought he was...!” Ted shouted, trailing off, unable to finish the sentence.
Glynn looked down at Ted, and it was obvious this man was still torn up about his rape, and was legitimately afraid that something similar was going to happen with Kingston. “I think that’s enough for now. I want Pancamo next.”
John glanced out the window when he saw movement, and noticed that Ted was getting escorted back to his pod. As the hack went for Pancamo, he muttered, “Leo’s got a busy day ahead of him. Who you think he’ll go for after Chuck?”
Randy let his eyes follow the CO and Pancamo then turned back to John. “I got five on O’Reily.”
“Ok. I got Poet.” John reached out his hand to Randy, who shook it, sealing their bet. They had to do something for kicks in Oz during lockdowns before lights out. During that period of time before lights out each night, not only would the two men talk about their pasts outside of Oz, but they would think of ridiculous bets to make with one another. There was one that they had running for quite some time now: who would finally take Cody down in a game of checkers.
That one had actually spread across Emerald City, and John had a spreadsheet of all the bets and odds for each inmate. The first time Randy saw it, he refused to speak for John for the remainder of the day. Next to Randy’s name, John wrote 1:Impossible, because, as John so lovingly told him, the chances of Randy beating anyone in checkers, much less Cody, was like getting struck by lightening twice, winning the lottery, rolling double sixes in craps, landing ten straight up bets in roulette, only to wind up getting struck by lightning once again.
It still amazed John when guys would actually come up to him and ask how much they’d win if they bet on Randy. John would just stare at them, his look reading, ‘Don’t waste your money, it’ll never happen.’ The pool had grown enormously large, as, so far, no one had managed to upset Cody in a game. The closest call was a draw with Rebadow, but, as John told everyone, a draw wasn’t a loss, therefore no one won. Their bets had definitely become a form of entertainment for many.
Randy then moved from his sitting position, lying down and grabbing John around the neck to pull him down next to him. After several minutes of lying together in silence, Randy said, “John?”
“Yeah?”
“If I never came here, think you ever woulda wound up fuckin’ another dude in here?”
“Can’t say that’s too likely. Been three years before you showed up and the thought never crossed my mind before that. Don’t normally like my dick anywhere near there. And I can’t say I like the idea of much else in my ass, either.”
“You think the only reason we got close to Cody was cuz we’re fuckin’?”
“Probably. He a good kid, for sure, but I can’t say I woulda paid any attention to some fag comin’ to Em City. And before you ask, I never woulda talked to Teddy neither. Bible thumpers ain’t my type.”
Randy’s left leg hooked over John’s, and his hand slid over John’s chest, pulling his body in even closer. “Would you really have whacked Cody if he came onto me again?” he whispered into John’s ear.
“No questions asked. It’s one thing to look and appreciate the view, but no one touches you. Kinda like that car of yours.”
“I bet you’re waiting for someone to try again. It’d satisfy your bloodlust.”
“Quit it; you’re makin’ me sound like some blood thirsty killing machine, or sumthin,” he muttered, letting his hand drift upwards to cover Randy’s hand on his chest.
“You sayin’ you’re not?”
“Maybe… To some extent… But only if they deserve it, shit. Did catch Cody starin’ at my ass one time in the showers.”
“What’s with that boy and showers? I mean, sure, he’s got great taste, but one of these days he’s gonna stare at the wrong ass.”
“Nah, he’s a smart kid, knows he won’t get shit for eyein’ either of us up. Long as lookin’s all he does.”
“If we were out,” Randy began, completely changing the subject as a new thought popped into his mind, “where would you wanna go?”
“I’d love to, for once in my life, get outta the city. Always wanted to get somewhere with wide, open spaces, but all I seen my whole life has been skyscrapers and city traffic. Could see us maybe up in Alaska smack dab in the middle of nowhere shacked up in some cabin with nothin’ but trees and the blue sky around us.”
Randy couldn’t help his smile as John told him about their fantasy life. “Would we have sled dogs, too?”
John chuckled, “Why the fuck not? Not like there’d be much else to do there. What about you? Where would you wanna go?”
“Well… I always wanted to see the ocean.”
“Me too,” John told him.
“Think of all the places we could go: Florida, Hawaii, Rio, Caribbean…”
“Summer house in Alaska, winters in the Caribbean… Shit, thinkin’ ‘bout all that makes me wish I didn’t fuck up so much.”
“Or at least get caught fuckin’ up,” Randy added.
“Yeah, or that. Mighta been helpful if I didn’t get caught. Now all we can ever see of the beach is Miss Sally teachin’ her aerobics class.”
“I know. Sucks.”
“Oh, look, they finished with Chucky,” John said as he saw movement outside their door. The guard walked up the stairs and came down with Ryan O’Reily in tow.
“That’s five bucks.”
“Fuck… I’ll get it later.”
“Think they’ll figure out who did it?”
“Hope not. I mean, we got a lotta guys on our side who ain’t gonna give you up.”
Randy shut his eyes and drew a breath, letting it out slowly. “Hope to God you’re right…”
“I am. Shit, you know what I miss?”
“What?” Randy asked, appreciating the change of subject.
“Quarter pounders with cheese. Fuck, hamburgers in general. Fuckin’ Christ, what I’d do for a goddamn bacon double cheeseburger right now.”
“Shit, I’d do just about anything for a beef and bean burrito. Great, now I’m gonna fuckin’ dream about Taco Bell.”
“Should be dreamin’ ‘bout me,” John teased, elbowing Randy in the side.
“See you enough all day; really don’t need to be thinkin’ about you while I’m sleepin’, too. You dream about me?”
“Course I do. All the time. Think about you non-stop.”
Randy grinned into John’s neck, “Quit with the bullshit.”
“Me bullshit? Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Right… What are we, anyway?” Randy asked, raising his head out of the crook of John’s neck.
John rolled over onto his back, looking up into Randy’s face. “Easy. You my bitch.”
“Fuck you, Cena. I’m serious,” he said, even though he was grinning from John’s answer.
“Why we gotta be anything?”
“I dunno. I mean, you almost died for me; that’s gotta count for something.”
“Ok, so I almost died for you, think that means more than some word used to describe us, don’t you think? I got this scar for you,” John said, and Randy’s hand automatically drifted to brush over the angry mark that would forever mar John’s skin, “and I’d tell anyone who asks the story. But I don’t think that means we boyfriends or nothin’ like that. Seems so teenager to call us boyfriends. And I sure as fuck ain’t gonna call no one my lover. So I guess we just two guys who happen to like to fuck… each other.”
“Think I can live with that,” Randy told him, leaning down to place a kiss on John’s lips. When a CO walked by on their rounds, they tapped on the glass, trying to get the two to break apart. However, just the opposite happened. Randy moved to deepen the kiss, letting his tongue slide into John’s mouth as he raised his left hand and flipped off the guy knocking on their door.
Murphy walked past the newest addition to the Em City CO staff and rolled his eyes. “Just leave ‘em. Tim and Glynn know about ‘em, decided it’d be best if they were kept together, since they’d do nothing but cause problems. Tim tried splitting them up once. Bad idea. So just keep moving. They’ll go right back to each other, anyway, so you’re just wasting your time.”
Glynn had finished questioning Pancamo and O’Reily, and was now at a loss. Every one of their stories seemed to match up. So if that were the case, who the fuck was it that killed Kingston? His number one suspect had been Orton. And there’s no way that they had been able to coordinate a story, since none of them had been able to speak to each other. Which meant that it wasn’t Orton or Cena. Runnels had said Kingston had it in with a majority of people in Em City, so maybe it really was someone else. It had to be someone else. He looked at O’Reily, then up at the CO, and waved them off, saying, “End the lockdown, and bring me Poet,” as they walked out of the room.
The CO brought Ryan back to Emerald City, stopping off to tell the hacks at the station that Glynn ordered an end to the lockdown. As soon as their doors were unlocked, everyone was out of their rooms. Like always, John, Randy, Ted and Cody found each other at an empty table.
“Oh, now he goes for Poet,” John mumbled as Poet was escorted out of Em City and off to questioning with Glynn. “Saw they went for you guys, too. How’d all that go?”
“Nearly pissed myself sittin’ in front of all those guys,” Ted told them.
“I was worried as fuck that we all might say different things,” Cody admitted.
“Us, too. We know we had the same story, but everyone else? Not a clue what they gonna say,” John said.
“Well, I said that I went for Ted, not you.”
John’s eyes widened and a grin began to form on his face. “You did?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, fuck me-”
“Don’t say that to him, or he will,” Randy cut John off, talking about Cody.
Cody muttered, “Fuck off,” and proceeded to flip Randy the bird.
“I’ll be damned,” John amended, “we all good. Can’t fuckin’ believe it. What made you say it was you went for him?”
“You’d never want to put yourself there alone. And everyone knows about me and Ted, so it made the most sense,” Cody said.
“And you said it, too?” John asked, turning to Ted.
“Yeah. Cody said that’s what I should say.”
“Cody, you a fuckin’ genius. I tell you that before? Cuz it’s true.”
“Just tried to think like I thought you would. And, well, you wouldn’t give yourself up. That’d be foolish.”
“Smart kid.”
Two chairs were moved to their table, Toby sitting down and Chris straddling the chair. “What did I miss?” Chris asked, leaning forward over the chair, his elbows resting on the table as his chin rested on his folded hands.
“Nothin’ too excitin’.”
“Saw you all gettin’ your asses escorted outta Em City. That about that scum fuck Kingston?”
“Sure is,” John answered.
“So, Glynn and his posse of incompetent detective buddies are trying to figure out who done it,” Toby said.
“Got it in one,” Randy replied.
“Any of you guys know who it was?” Toby asked the other men at the table, letting his eyes roam over each of them.
“Not a clue,” John answered. Ted and Cody both shrugged and Randy shook his head, saying, “Nope.”
Keller smirked, “Gotcha.”
The rest of that day, the questioning continued, and Glynn was still at a loss. The other men in the kitchen had no idea who was in the kitchen at what point, which didn’t do anyone any good. All they knew was that John and Randy left with them, and they were there once the hacks showed up. Everything else that happened was a complete blur what with Chucky handing out assignments to everyone as they began to clean the kitchen.
Days went by, with seemingly less action from the higher ups towards the murder of Kingston. Glynn had McManus in his office, contemplating calling off further investigation. “I could have sworn it was one of your guys.”
“My guys all have alibis. How do you know it wasn’t someone from Unit B? Lots of Aryans over in B, you know that. They’d love to take the opportunity to kill Kingston, just for the hell of it. Maybe you should just let this one go, Leo. It’s been over a week, no one’s coming forward, and everyone seems to be in agreement on who was where. So, either you turn your attention to some different guys, or you just leave it.”
Leo still wasn’t sure what to do.
“DiBiase!” Murphy yelled from his spot at the station. When Ted looked up at him, he jerked his head, gesturing for Ted to come upstairs.
Ted glanced around at the guys at the table, who all told him to go on and see what was going on. He left them and headed up the stairs. “Yeah?”
“Just got word that you have a visitor.”
Ted quirked an eyebrow at that. “Me? I have a visitor?”
“Yeah, you got a visitor. Don’t think there are any other DiBiases here, far as I know.”
“Who is it?” Ted asked. No one ever visited him, so who on earth would be coming to see him now?
“Fuck if I know. They don’t tell me nothin’. Now go.”
Ted shrugged at his friends sitting at the table and mouthed, “Visitor,” as he left Em City to go find out just who it was. When he reached the door to the visitor’s room, he stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes spotted the man who came to see him. “Dad?”
“Hi, Ted,” his father greeted, standing from the chair. “Well, aren’t you going to say hello to your old man?”
“Hi, Dad.” Ted finally began walking inside when the CO at the door pushed on his back. He took a seat, as did his father. “Why…?”
“I thought I’d come and see how you were doing.”
“How do you think I’m doing?” Teddy asked, fighting the urge to raise his voice. “I’ve been here for close to six months!”
“I know, I’ve just been-”
“You’ve been busy. I get it. No, really, I do. You’re the owner of a multi-million dollar corporation, and your son got arrested for vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol, and now you have to clean up my mess. Brush me under the carpet while you fix all the damage I’ve done.”
“Teddy, now that’s not true.”
“Oh, sure. Don’t try to bullshit me, Dad. What made you decide to come now? After all this time?”
“I wanted to see you, make sure you were doing ok.”
“Doing ok… That’s real funny, Dad. Real fuckin’ funny. You make sure I get put into a max security prison and now you’re here to see if I’m doing ok.” Now Ted wasn’t even attempting to fight his voice level from rising. By the end, he was yelling at his father, who stared at him, surprised. Now he was simply trying to hold back tears. He was not going to cry in front of his father. He took a breath, regaining his composure and lowering his voice back down. “You couldn’t have seen me my first week here when I was a complete mess? Or how about a month ago when I was in the hospital?”
“You were in the hospital? Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Why didn’t you ever bother to ask?! Don’t you care about what happens to me? No, don’t even answer that, because I already know. You don’t. You’re the reason that I’m here in the first place! It’s because of you that… It’s because of you that I was raped.”
Ted Sr.’s mouth fell open. “What?” he whispered in complete shock.
“Yeah, Dad. I love your strong family ties, especially with your own son. Have me locked up, feed me to the beasts and turn your back on me, never so much as checking in to see how things are going until it’s too fuckin’ late.”
“Ted, I had no idea…” he trailed off, reaching a hand out to try and rest it on Ted’s arm. Ted just moved back, standing up to get away from his dad.
“Don’t touch me. Don’t think you can tell me you’re sorry, because nothing that you say or do can take back what happened. I hope you’re happy with yourself, knowing what happened to me in here because you insisted that I get what I deserve. You think I got what I deserved? You don’t even know what kind of shit I’ve gone through in here. Can’t even begin to imagine it. So fuck you, Dad. Fuck you. And don’t come back here. I don’t want to see you again.”
“Teddy, wait.”
“No! Fuck off. Fuck your business. Fuck. You!” Ted shouted, storming out of the visitor’s room, leaving his father behind at the table.
He was steaming. He couldn’t remember a time when he was this angry at anyone in his life. What he needed to do was go to his pod and sit down on his bed and try to clear his mind of the fog that was his father. Maybe he could talk to Cody, or, just have him hold him, calm him down a bit. But then someone tapped him on the shoulder, trying to get his attention. “Hey, DiBiase.”
Ted was in no mood to talk to anyone. Nor was he in any mood to see anyone. So, without caring who it was behind him, he turned, swinging his first as he went. He looked down on the floor, seeing one of his fellow Christians, probably on his way to his hospital ward shift, now lying on the floor, his hand holding his jaw. Next thing he knew, a CO had him, by the arm, dragging him in the direction of the hole. After some initial resistance at the contact, he began walking with him willingly.
Soon he was made to strip down and he then continued down the hall to the hole, shoved inside by a hack as the door slammed shut and was locked behind him. The first thing that struck him about the little cube was how cold it was. He instantly wrapped his arms around himself to attempt to keep himself warm. He glanced downward, seeing his bare feet on the cement floor. That was when he thought about how dirty it must be in there. Did they ever clean up after a prisoner was allowed to leave to return to their unit? Probably not. How many men had been in here before him?
He turned in a circle, looking at every wall over and over until he finally walked towards a corner and leaned his back against it, sliding down to sit on the cold floor. How many men had sat in this same corner? How many men had paced these floors and punched these walls and moped and prayed and begged in here? How many men had screamed and cried in here? Had anyone died in here? He tried not to think about it.
As he sat in the corner, he thought about what landed him in here. He had punched someone. A fellow Christian was laid out on the floor because of him. He hurt another human out of anger, and, strangely enough, he found that he didn’t care. Why wasn’t he caring? He was a Christian, supposed to have compassion for anyone and everyone, despite their circumstance. But if his own family didn’t give a shit about him, why should he give a shit about anyone else? He raised his eyes upwards, asking, “What did I ever do to deserve all this? God, please, tell me what I’ve done. Everyone here tells me that you gave Cody to me, because he makes me a better person. Am I really a better person, though? Am I better with him? I like to think that I am.
“I don’t understand. What have I done? Is this because of the way I treated him when he first met? Is this because I killed an innocent woman? Haven’t I paid for that? I’m here in Oz, aren’t I? Is that not good enough for you? You have to send two men after me to violate me in some storage closet. And since that wasn’t enough, you have to turn my family against me.
“Or is it because I’ve questioned you? Is that why you’re doing all this to me? Because I doubted your word once I arrived in here? Is this all some test to make sure my faith doesn’t waiver? Please. Please, God, just tell me what I’ve done.” His head slammed backwards against the wall as his eyes shut, finally letting the tears fall where no one else could see him cry.
Part 6-2
Pairing: John/Randy, Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase
Rating: NC-17
Summary: They're all locked up at Oswald State Penn, with John as the leader of the Italians, Randy is an "Other," Ted is a Christian and Cody is one of the gays. Lots of shit goes down, good and bad. And while it may not all be started by and of those guys, they make sure to finish it.
Disclaimer: All rights belong to the WWE and Tom Fontana
Word Count: 15042
For anyone that needs a refresher, here's Part 5-2
While the prison was still in lockdown the night of Kingston’s death, Warden Leo Glynn held a meeting with Tim McManus, Sister Peter-Marie Reimondo, Father Ray Mukada, Dr. Gloria Nathan and several members of the CO staff. “The number of deaths amongst the inmates is far too high. Shit, the amount of violence is too high. Levesque is still in solitary for nearly killing Cena, a mini riot broke out in the cafeteria, leaving one inmate dead, not to mention the injuries to the CO staff. Then DiBiase was raped just feet from the hospital ward, Kennedy is found in pieces just days after that, obviously someone getting retribution for DiBiase, and now we have Kingston.”
“Well, we all know Cena was behind Kennedy’s death. That had Nino Schibetta written all over it,” Claire Howell chimed in.
“You weren’t even here when Schibetta died,” McManus said. “Why the fuck are you even at this meeting?”
“Because I add an unbiased opinion to the whole situation. And I read my crime reports before coming to work here, thank you very much. So, how come nothing was ever done about it? We all know it was Cena, probably his butt buddy, Orton, too.”
“His death was insignificant,” Glynn told her.
“He was cut into pieces, Leo!” she argued.
“So much for unbiased,” Tim said.
“We still don’t know who killed the biker in the cafeteria,” he carried on, ignoring Howell and McManus’ bickering, “but I would imagine that Orton had something to do with Kingston.”
“But, Leo, all men were accounted for in the kitchen,” Mineo informed him. “Pancamo came to me asking if they could all go to the kitchen early to give it a good scrub down. I let them go, and once the officers reached the kitchen, everyone who currently works the kitchen was there. Plus they were all clean. No way any of them could have been involved in Kingston’s death.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little strange for Pancamo to be asking to go to the kitchen early to clean?” Howell questioned.
Tim turned his head towards her. “Why the fuck do you have to question everything? Pancamo wants to run a clean kitchen. I don’t see a problem with that, considering he’s feeding the entire prison.”
“Maybe you should start questioning your precious inmates. They’re in here for a reason; it’s not like they’re the shining example of humanity.”
“And you are?” Tim asked, barely able to control the laughter in his voice.
“You two need to quit arguing, because that won’t help us solve this violence problem.”
“Tim,” Sister Pete began, “did you ever observe Kofi with anyone?”
“He mainly stayed with Poet. And when he wasn’t with Poet or one of the other Homeboys, he was off on his own staring into space.”
“Are you sure he was staring off into space and not staring at someone?” Pete asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean was he staring at Randal? I heard about what happened in the cafeteria. Kofi started a ruckus because Randal was the one serving him. Do you think Kofi managed to infuriate Randal to the point where he just snapped? Or perhaps Randal was in some form of danger and wound up killing Kofi in self defense?”
“Then how did he get into the kitchen?”
“Walked there? It’s just a theory. Do you know if Kofi had any other enemies?”
“Probably. Even though he was always around Poet, the two never seemed close,” Tim informed her.
“If you don’t care about Kennedy getting sliced to pieces, why the fuck do you give two shits about some ni…” She paused, noting the look Warden Glynn was giving her, stopping her from saying what she was about to say. “Some Homeboy getting his throat slit open?”
“What if Kingston’s death had been self defense, who, apart from Orton, did he have trouble with?” Leo carried on, paying no mind to Howell once more.
“Well, by default, he’d have trouble with Cena, probably Runnels and DiBiase and the rest of the Italians, as well as Keller.”
“Why the fuck do you let Orton and Cena run together? They cause nothing but trouble. And everyone knows they’re fucking, which is against the rules. How can you let that happen Leo?” Claire asked of both Tim and Glynn.
“They’re more trouble apart.”
“Claire,” Pete said, “sometimes the rules need to be broken. They’re relatively happy when they’re together, and happy inmates should cause fewer problems.”
“God, you and your fucking have a hug and pass the granola bullshit. They’re prisoners, for Christ’s sake!”
Leo was getting fed up with how this meeting was progressing. “I’m going to bring in a detective to question select inmates about Kingston, maybe Kennedy. Cena and Orton are staying together, because, as everyone’s said, they’re more trouble apart. Runnels and DiBiase will stay together, too, since that kid seems to help with DiBiase’s recovery. Wouldn’t you agree, Pete?”
“Absolutely, Leo.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you people?! This is a goddamn max security prison, not some five star spa and resort.”
“And when they’re behaved, your job is easier. What a concept,” Tim said.
“They’re still human beings,” Pete added. “In fact, I’d wager they’re more human than you, Claire.”
Father Mukada’s mouth fell open in surprise at what Pete just said. Of course, he agreed with her every word.
“This meeting is adjourned,” Leo said before things got too out of control.
They were going into the second day of the lockdown, and John woke up to find Randy practically on top of him as the lights flashed on. He moved out from under Randy, hearing the other man groan as he was awoken. John walked to the sink and turned on the tap, letting the cold water run into his hands before splashing it on his face. “Good morning,” he said as he looked into the mirror and saw Randy stirring. He then shut off the water and took two steps to his left, proceeding to take a leak.
“Did yesterday really happen?” Randy asked, rolling over onto his side, looking at John’s bare back, appreciating the flexing muscles.
“We ain’t been called to count yet, have we?” John asked as he turned around.
“So, we really are in lockdown? Because I killed someone,” Randy stated, rolling over onto his back.
“You startin’ to regret it? Don’t tell me that, not after what you was sayin’ last night.”
“No, don’t regret it, just… Hard to believe… I…”
“He deserved it,” John said as he moved over to Randy, squatting down next to the bed. “Simple as that. Don’t think on it, and if you do, thinka that high you felt while you had my shank in your hand, thinka the rush you felt as you watched Kofi crumple to the floor. Thinka last night.”
“What am I supposed to do if they start to question us?”
“That’s the dumbest question I ever fuckin’ heard. You say you don’t know dick about it, and that you was in the kitchen the whole time. That’s what I’m gonna say, it’s what Chucky’s gonna say, it’s what Ted and Cody are gonna say, and it’s definitely what you gonna say.”
“What if they don’t believe me?”
“You was in the kitchen when the hacks came in. They got no reason to think you lyin’, since how else you get there unless you was there the whole time?”
“But we weren’t there the whole time!”
John reached out a hand and rested it on the side of Randy’s face, one of his rare, gentle touches. “You gotta calm the fuck down. Quit gettin’ yourself worked up. If they question you, just remember what we talked about. You real good at bullshittin’ man, don’t fuck this up now.”
“What if I do, though?”
“Ok, what if you do? They extend your sentence to life. You already gonna be ‘bout 80 when you leave, anyway. Practically life as it is. Least in here you guaranteed three square every day and a bed to sleep in every night… And me,” John added after a brief pause.
Randy couldn’t help the grin that began to form on his face. But then… “Would they put me on death row?” It would be one thing to wind up on a murder charge and have that extended to life in prison, which he could deal with, so long as John was there with him. But death row? That would be something completely different. Sure, he was going to die someday, but he’d rather it not be counted down and calculated to the very second.
John stood up, just enough to be able to sit down on the bed. He then laid himself down on the mattress, close to Randy, his hand once more resting on Randy’s face. “Ain’t gonna put you on death row for killin’ an inmate. A hack, yeah, sure, but not some other scum fuck con.”
“But-”
“Would you quit fuckin’ thinkin’ about it? Fuck’s sake. You ain’t goin’ to death row. Don’t even know what they gonna do yet ‘bout Kofi. You just gotta relax. Never seen you so fuckin’ jumpy. Shit.” He pulled Randy’s body in closer to him; he’d never get sick of the feeling of the skin on skin contact.
“I know… This isn’t like me at all. Fuck. Shit, nothing’s even happened yet.”
“And once it does, you got it, man. Got nothin’ to worry ‘bout.”
“Cody,” Ted said as he sat up in the bed.
“Teddy.”
“I wasn’t in the cafeteria from the start, and the hacks know that. If they start askin’ around, they’ll find up I showed up late. And since it was the same time that Kofi wound up dead…”
Cody sat up next to him and wrapped his arm about him, pulling Ted in close, and Ted rested his head on Cody’s shoulder. “But you wound up there. So say I went to the library to find you, since I knew where you were going.”
“What about Kofi?”
“Shit. He ran into you.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“Fuck. And we can’t even talk to anyone right now.”
“Nope, not unless they end the lockdown.”
Down in John and Randy’s pod, they were having a similar conversation. “Hacks know Teddy was in the library. Should we tell ‘em we found him? No, no, we can’t put ourselves there with Kofi,” John said in answer to his own question. “We say we told Cody to go to find him.”
“And, what, we just hope Cody and Ted say the same thing? Plus, Kofi was there, and the hacks knew where Kofi was going, right? If he was off to the library, then maybe Ted can just tell ‘em what happened. And then Cody showed up instead of us, which distracted Kofi. Then Ted punched him, leaving him in the hall where anyone could have gotten to him.”
“See, I told you you was good with the bullshittin’,” John told him, a smirk on his face. This plan could work brilliantly.
“Just stretchin’ the truth a little bit, that’s all.”
Cody happened to look out the door and saw the warden, a CO and some other guy in a suit walking down the central area of Emerald City. He stood up, going to get a better look out the door. “The fuck’s going on?”
Ted stood up as well, joining Cody by the door. “Dunno.”
“Oh, shit,” Cody muttered as they stopped in front of John and Randy’s pod.
Leo opened the door, walking in on the couple, who simply looked over at the intruders, never breaking apart. “Cena, we need to talk. We’ll be back for you later, Orton.”
“I get some pants on first?” John asked as he pulled away from Randy and rolled off the bed, leaving him standing there in just his boxers.
“Hurry up.”
John grabbed a pair of pants from on top of the trunk at the end of the bed, then found a shirt that he had inside the same trunk. “Happy now?”
“Come on, let’s go.”
John followed Leo, glancing back at Randy as the door shut and automatically locked. “So, do I get the honour of being questioned first?”
“Just walk.” They headed into an empty interrogation room, Leo, the detective and officer all sat behind the table, telling John to take a seat on the other side.
“What can I do for ya today?” John asked, reclining back in the chair.
“Kingston. Were you involved in his death?” the detective asked.
“No, Sir,” John replied.
“Do you know anything about his death?”
“No, Sir.”
“What do you know of the death of Kennedy Kennedy?”
“Pretty nasty from what I heard. What kinda sick fuck would cut off a man’s dick and actually mail it to another man?”
“We know you were behind that, Cena,” Leo told him.
John raised an eyebrow at him and a grin spread across his face. “Oh, yeah? And you ain’t said nothin’ to me about it yet? How unlike you.”
“Because of his… standing… amongst his fellow inmates, we felt as though no investigation was needed, nor should there be repercussions against the man, or men, behind his murder. Don’t make us change our minds.”
“I wouldn’t dream of such a thing. Wouldn’t want anyone getting in trouble for killing that fucker.”
“Were you in the kitchen with Pancamo at the time of Kofi’s death?”
“Yes.”
“Theodore DiBiase, you’re closse with him I hear.”
“That I am.”
“CO records show that he was supposed to be in the library when Pancamo requested to go to the kitchen.”
“That’s why we told Cody Runnels to go get him first. They showed up a few minutes later, and Ted looked pretty shaken up.”
“Did he say why?”
“Said Kingston cornered him. Kid was freaked the fuck out, especially after what happened back in September. Then Cody showed up. Ted told us that he punched Kingston during that bit of distraction. Then they left him lyin’ there on the floor. Someone else musta come by and, uh, taken care a things.”
“You’re also close with Orton.”
“You could say that,” John replied with a smirk.
“He had trouble with Kingston outside Oz.”
“That he did,” John answered, his face once more becoming stoic.
“Could he have killed Kingston?”
“Not as far as I know. He was with me the whole time.”
“And you were in the kitchen.”
“Yup.”
Leo looked to the detective then said, “We’re done with you for now. If we have further questions, we’ll come and get you again.”
“All right then. Whatever you need.”
The CO accompanied John back to Em City, where he then fetched Randy from the pod. John and Randy made eye contact, John’s eyes reading “You got this.”
As soon as they were in the interrogation room, Randy took the seat John had just been in and looked at the detective. “What can you tell me about Kofi Kingston?”
“He died.”
“And what do you know about his death?”
“Got whacked in the gym.” Randy leaned back in the chair, realizing that he could deal with them. John was right; he could bullshit with the best of ‘em. “That’s all I got.”
“And where were you when Kingston was murdered?”
“In the kitchen. With John and Pancamo. But I’m sure you knew that already.”
“And you’re also friends with DiBiase.”
“Sure am.”
“I heard he was alone with Kingston for a time.”
“That he was. Until Runnels showed up. Used the distraction to give Kingston a nasty right hook and they took off to the kitchen.”
“And did he tell this to you, or to everyone in the kitchen once he arrived?”
“Far as I know, just me and John.”
“Do you believe DiBiase or Runnels could have killed Kingston?”
“Absolutely not,” Randy said, making sure they knew neither of them were guilty.
The detective looked back at Leo. Their stories seemed to match up. But they had had time to talk. However, they had no time to speak with Runnels or DiBiase, so who knew what of the story was true. “Kingston was found with his throat slit. Your friend Cena is guilty of two counts of murder, and in both cases, he slit their throats.”
“You sayin’ John’s guilty? I’m sure lots of guys have the same MO.”
After a little more questioning, Randy was brought back to Em City. He found John lying in his bed, waiting for Randy to get back. Once the door was shut, John asked, “How’d everything go?”
“Pretty smooth.” Randy joined John on the bed, who sat up as Randy sat down. “Hope I said everything you said. They brought you up.”
“Brought you up, too. Told ‘em you was guilty.”
“Fucker,” Randy said, elbowing John in the side.
“Oh, shit,” John muttered. He looked past Randy as he saw Cody with the CO now. “Looks like Cody’s next in line. Fuck, I hope we match up stories good enough for ‘em.”
“Hope so, too.”
Soon, Cody was sitting in the chair that minutes ago Randy and John occupied. He looked far more nervous than John and Randy combined. “Can you tell us anything about the death of Kofi Kingston?”
“No. At least not anything everyone else doesn’t already know.”
“Cena told us that he went looking for DiBiase once Pancamo requested to leave for the kitchens,” the detective said, switching the story to see if Runnels would agree with him, “since DiBiase was going to the library.”
“Actually, sir, I was the one who went to get Teddy,” Cody told them. There’s no way John would ever say he was off alone somewhere, and to Cody, it made more sense if he were the one to get Ted. “If John told you that, I think it was only because he didn’t want us to get in any trouble for being away from everyone else. But it was me who went to find him.”
“And when you found him, where was he?”
“Well, he was by the library, but Kofi had him pinned against a wall in a corridor. When I showed up, I was pretty freaked about what Kofi was gonna do to him. But, then Ted managed to… Well, we got away and to the kitchen.”
Once again the detective met eyes with Glynn. Runnels had just said the same thing Cena and Orton had told them. Maybe there wasn’t anything else to this story. Maybe they had been telling the truth the entire time and someone else completely had murdered Kingston. “Now, I know that you’re close with Cena and Orton. Both men were in the kitchen with you?”
“Yup.”
“Do you know of anyone else that had problems with Kingston?”
“Aryans. Bikers. Think he pissed off a Latino or two. Muslims didn’t like him much.” Cody tilted his head to the side as he continued, “Ccme to think of it, he didn’t really get on with the Homeboys, either. He was basically fucked from day one.”
“Well, that narrows things down… We’re done with you. Bring him back to Em City. Get DiBiase.”
When Ted was sitting across from the three men, he looked utterly terrified. “Let’s cut to the chase. We know you weren’t in Emerald City when the others left for the kitchen. You were off getting something from the library, which, records show, you never actually reached, at the same time as Kingston. Then, that same day he ends up dead? Seems like much more than a coincidence.”
“I left for the library before he did, sir. I had intended to go there and grab something to read later on, but since I had to go to work in the kitchen, I wouldn’t have been able to go any later. And, no, I hadn’t made it there, because before I could, Kofi had me pinned up against a wall.”
“And you managed to break free from him and get to the kitchen?”
“Uh, well, I thought at first… Anyway, I, uh, realized he wasn’t gonna… It wasn’t gonna be like Kennedy…” Ted was staring at the table as he once again flashed back to the events involving Ken, and how he thought Kofi was going to do something similar. “So, I told him he was a dumbass, since anyone could walk by and see us. Then Cody showed up,” Ted lied. He just hoped everyone else had been saying the same thing. He really did hate lying, and he hoped God would forgive him for it, since it was for the best for everyone.
“And then you and Cody headed straight to the kitchens?”
“Yeah. I mean… I did punch Kofi. Left him there…”
“You punched him even though he did you no physical harm?”
“I thought he was...!” Ted shouted, trailing off, unable to finish the sentence.
Glynn looked down at Ted, and it was obvious this man was still torn up about his rape, and was legitimately afraid that something similar was going to happen with Kingston. “I think that’s enough for now. I want Pancamo next.”
John glanced out the window when he saw movement, and noticed that Ted was getting escorted back to his pod. As the hack went for Pancamo, he muttered, “Leo’s got a busy day ahead of him. Who you think he’ll go for after Chuck?”
Randy let his eyes follow the CO and Pancamo then turned back to John. “I got five on O’Reily.”
“Ok. I got Poet.” John reached out his hand to Randy, who shook it, sealing their bet. They had to do something for kicks in Oz during lockdowns before lights out. During that period of time before lights out each night, not only would the two men talk about their pasts outside of Oz, but they would think of ridiculous bets to make with one another. There was one that they had running for quite some time now: who would finally take Cody down in a game of checkers.
That one had actually spread across Emerald City, and John had a spreadsheet of all the bets and odds for each inmate. The first time Randy saw it, he refused to speak for John for the remainder of the day. Next to Randy’s name, John wrote 1:Impossible, because, as John so lovingly told him, the chances of Randy beating anyone in checkers, much less Cody, was like getting struck by lightening twice, winning the lottery, rolling double sixes in craps, landing ten straight up bets in roulette, only to wind up getting struck by lightning once again.
It still amazed John when guys would actually come up to him and ask how much they’d win if they bet on Randy. John would just stare at them, his look reading, ‘Don’t waste your money, it’ll never happen.’ The pool had grown enormously large, as, so far, no one had managed to upset Cody in a game. The closest call was a draw with Rebadow, but, as John told everyone, a draw wasn’t a loss, therefore no one won. Their bets had definitely become a form of entertainment for many.
Randy then moved from his sitting position, lying down and grabbing John around the neck to pull him down next to him. After several minutes of lying together in silence, Randy said, “John?”
“Yeah?”
“If I never came here, think you ever woulda wound up fuckin’ another dude in here?”
“Can’t say that’s too likely. Been three years before you showed up and the thought never crossed my mind before that. Don’t normally like my dick anywhere near there. And I can’t say I like the idea of much else in my ass, either.”
“You think the only reason we got close to Cody was cuz we’re fuckin’?”
“Probably. He a good kid, for sure, but I can’t say I woulda paid any attention to some fag comin’ to Em City. And before you ask, I never woulda talked to Teddy neither. Bible thumpers ain’t my type.”
Randy’s left leg hooked over John’s, and his hand slid over John’s chest, pulling his body in even closer. “Would you really have whacked Cody if he came onto me again?” he whispered into John’s ear.
“No questions asked. It’s one thing to look and appreciate the view, but no one touches you. Kinda like that car of yours.”
“I bet you’re waiting for someone to try again. It’d satisfy your bloodlust.”
“Quit it; you’re makin’ me sound like some blood thirsty killing machine, or sumthin,” he muttered, letting his hand drift upwards to cover Randy’s hand on his chest.
“You sayin’ you’re not?”
“Maybe… To some extent… But only if they deserve it, shit. Did catch Cody starin’ at my ass one time in the showers.”
“What’s with that boy and showers? I mean, sure, he’s got great taste, but one of these days he’s gonna stare at the wrong ass.”
“Nah, he’s a smart kid, knows he won’t get shit for eyein’ either of us up. Long as lookin’s all he does.”
“If we were out,” Randy began, completely changing the subject as a new thought popped into his mind, “where would you wanna go?”
“I’d love to, for once in my life, get outta the city. Always wanted to get somewhere with wide, open spaces, but all I seen my whole life has been skyscrapers and city traffic. Could see us maybe up in Alaska smack dab in the middle of nowhere shacked up in some cabin with nothin’ but trees and the blue sky around us.”
Randy couldn’t help his smile as John told him about their fantasy life. “Would we have sled dogs, too?”
John chuckled, “Why the fuck not? Not like there’d be much else to do there. What about you? Where would you wanna go?”
“Well… I always wanted to see the ocean.”
“Me too,” John told him.
“Think of all the places we could go: Florida, Hawaii, Rio, Caribbean…”
“Summer house in Alaska, winters in the Caribbean… Shit, thinkin’ ‘bout all that makes me wish I didn’t fuck up so much.”
“Or at least get caught fuckin’ up,” Randy added.
“Yeah, or that. Mighta been helpful if I didn’t get caught. Now all we can ever see of the beach is Miss Sally teachin’ her aerobics class.”
“I know. Sucks.”
“Oh, look, they finished with Chucky,” John said as he saw movement outside their door. The guard walked up the stairs and came down with Ryan O’Reily in tow.
“That’s five bucks.”
“Fuck… I’ll get it later.”
“Think they’ll figure out who did it?”
“Hope not. I mean, we got a lotta guys on our side who ain’t gonna give you up.”
Randy shut his eyes and drew a breath, letting it out slowly. “Hope to God you’re right…”
“I am. Shit, you know what I miss?”
“What?” Randy asked, appreciating the change of subject.
“Quarter pounders with cheese. Fuck, hamburgers in general. Fuckin’ Christ, what I’d do for a goddamn bacon double cheeseburger right now.”
“Shit, I’d do just about anything for a beef and bean burrito. Great, now I’m gonna fuckin’ dream about Taco Bell.”
“Should be dreamin’ ‘bout me,” John teased, elbowing Randy in the side.
“See you enough all day; really don’t need to be thinkin’ about you while I’m sleepin’, too. You dream about me?”
“Course I do. All the time. Think about you non-stop.”
Randy grinned into John’s neck, “Quit with the bullshit.”
“Me bullshit? Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Right… What are we, anyway?” Randy asked, raising his head out of the crook of John’s neck.
John rolled over onto his back, looking up into Randy’s face. “Easy. You my bitch.”
“Fuck you, Cena. I’m serious,” he said, even though he was grinning from John’s answer.
“Why we gotta be anything?”
“I dunno. I mean, you almost died for me; that’s gotta count for something.”
“Ok, so I almost died for you, think that means more than some word used to describe us, don’t you think? I got this scar for you,” John said, and Randy’s hand automatically drifted to brush over the angry mark that would forever mar John’s skin, “and I’d tell anyone who asks the story. But I don’t think that means we boyfriends or nothin’ like that. Seems so teenager to call us boyfriends. And I sure as fuck ain’t gonna call no one my lover. So I guess we just two guys who happen to like to fuck… each other.”
“Think I can live with that,” Randy told him, leaning down to place a kiss on John’s lips. When a CO walked by on their rounds, they tapped on the glass, trying to get the two to break apart. However, just the opposite happened. Randy moved to deepen the kiss, letting his tongue slide into John’s mouth as he raised his left hand and flipped off the guy knocking on their door.
Murphy walked past the newest addition to the Em City CO staff and rolled his eyes. “Just leave ‘em. Tim and Glynn know about ‘em, decided it’d be best if they were kept together, since they’d do nothing but cause problems. Tim tried splitting them up once. Bad idea. So just keep moving. They’ll go right back to each other, anyway, so you’re just wasting your time.”
Glynn had finished questioning Pancamo and O’Reily, and was now at a loss. Every one of their stories seemed to match up. So if that were the case, who the fuck was it that killed Kingston? His number one suspect had been Orton. And there’s no way that they had been able to coordinate a story, since none of them had been able to speak to each other. Which meant that it wasn’t Orton or Cena. Runnels had said Kingston had it in with a majority of people in Em City, so maybe it really was someone else. It had to be someone else. He looked at O’Reily, then up at the CO, and waved them off, saying, “End the lockdown, and bring me Poet,” as they walked out of the room.
The CO brought Ryan back to Emerald City, stopping off to tell the hacks at the station that Glynn ordered an end to the lockdown. As soon as their doors were unlocked, everyone was out of their rooms. Like always, John, Randy, Ted and Cody found each other at an empty table.
“Oh, now he goes for Poet,” John mumbled as Poet was escorted out of Em City and off to questioning with Glynn. “Saw they went for you guys, too. How’d all that go?”
“Nearly pissed myself sittin’ in front of all those guys,” Ted told them.
“I was worried as fuck that we all might say different things,” Cody admitted.
“Us, too. We know we had the same story, but everyone else? Not a clue what they gonna say,” John said.
“Well, I said that I went for Ted, not you.”
John’s eyes widened and a grin began to form on his face. “You did?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, fuck me-”
“Don’t say that to him, or he will,” Randy cut John off, talking about Cody.
Cody muttered, “Fuck off,” and proceeded to flip Randy the bird.
“I’ll be damned,” John amended, “we all good. Can’t fuckin’ believe it. What made you say it was you went for him?”
“You’d never want to put yourself there alone. And everyone knows about me and Ted, so it made the most sense,” Cody said.
“And you said it, too?” John asked, turning to Ted.
“Yeah. Cody said that’s what I should say.”
“Cody, you a fuckin’ genius. I tell you that before? Cuz it’s true.”
“Just tried to think like I thought you would. And, well, you wouldn’t give yourself up. That’d be foolish.”
“Smart kid.”
Two chairs were moved to their table, Toby sitting down and Chris straddling the chair. “What did I miss?” Chris asked, leaning forward over the chair, his elbows resting on the table as his chin rested on his folded hands.
“Nothin’ too excitin’.”
“Saw you all gettin’ your asses escorted outta Em City. That about that scum fuck Kingston?”
“Sure is,” John answered.
“So, Glynn and his posse of incompetent detective buddies are trying to figure out who done it,” Toby said.
“Got it in one,” Randy replied.
“Any of you guys know who it was?” Toby asked the other men at the table, letting his eyes roam over each of them.
“Not a clue,” John answered. Ted and Cody both shrugged and Randy shook his head, saying, “Nope.”
Keller smirked, “Gotcha.”
The rest of that day, the questioning continued, and Glynn was still at a loss. The other men in the kitchen had no idea who was in the kitchen at what point, which didn’t do anyone any good. All they knew was that John and Randy left with them, and they were there once the hacks showed up. Everything else that happened was a complete blur what with Chucky handing out assignments to everyone as they began to clean the kitchen.
Days went by, with seemingly less action from the higher ups towards the murder of Kingston. Glynn had McManus in his office, contemplating calling off further investigation. “I could have sworn it was one of your guys.”
“My guys all have alibis. How do you know it wasn’t someone from Unit B? Lots of Aryans over in B, you know that. They’d love to take the opportunity to kill Kingston, just for the hell of it. Maybe you should just let this one go, Leo. It’s been over a week, no one’s coming forward, and everyone seems to be in agreement on who was where. So, either you turn your attention to some different guys, or you just leave it.”
Leo still wasn’t sure what to do.
“DiBiase!” Murphy yelled from his spot at the station. When Ted looked up at him, he jerked his head, gesturing for Ted to come upstairs.
Ted glanced around at the guys at the table, who all told him to go on and see what was going on. He left them and headed up the stairs. “Yeah?”
“Just got word that you have a visitor.”
Ted quirked an eyebrow at that. “Me? I have a visitor?”
“Yeah, you got a visitor. Don’t think there are any other DiBiases here, far as I know.”
“Who is it?” Ted asked. No one ever visited him, so who on earth would be coming to see him now?
“Fuck if I know. They don’t tell me nothin’. Now go.”
Ted shrugged at his friends sitting at the table and mouthed, “Visitor,” as he left Em City to go find out just who it was. When he reached the door to the visitor’s room, he stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes spotted the man who came to see him. “Dad?”
“Hi, Ted,” his father greeted, standing from the chair. “Well, aren’t you going to say hello to your old man?”
“Hi, Dad.” Ted finally began walking inside when the CO at the door pushed on his back. He took a seat, as did his father. “Why…?”
“I thought I’d come and see how you were doing.”
“How do you think I’m doing?” Teddy asked, fighting the urge to raise his voice. “I’ve been here for close to six months!”
“I know, I’ve just been-”
“You’ve been busy. I get it. No, really, I do. You’re the owner of a multi-million dollar corporation, and your son got arrested for vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol, and now you have to clean up my mess. Brush me under the carpet while you fix all the damage I’ve done.”
“Teddy, now that’s not true.”
“Oh, sure. Don’t try to bullshit me, Dad. What made you decide to come now? After all this time?”
“I wanted to see you, make sure you were doing ok.”
“Doing ok… That’s real funny, Dad. Real fuckin’ funny. You make sure I get put into a max security prison and now you’re here to see if I’m doing ok.” Now Ted wasn’t even attempting to fight his voice level from rising. By the end, he was yelling at his father, who stared at him, surprised. Now he was simply trying to hold back tears. He was not going to cry in front of his father. He took a breath, regaining his composure and lowering his voice back down. “You couldn’t have seen me my first week here when I was a complete mess? Or how about a month ago when I was in the hospital?”
“You were in the hospital? Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Why didn’t you ever bother to ask?! Don’t you care about what happens to me? No, don’t even answer that, because I already know. You don’t. You’re the reason that I’m here in the first place! It’s because of you that… It’s because of you that I was raped.”
Ted Sr.’s mouth fell open. “What?” he whispered in complete shock.
“Yeah, Dad. I love your strong family ties, especially with your own son. Have me locked up, feed me to the beasts and turn your back on me, never so much as checking in to see how things are going until it’s too fuckin’ late.”
“Ted, I had no idea…” he trailed off, reaching a hand out to try and rest it on Ted’s arm. Ted just moved back, standing up to get away from his dad.
“Don’t touch me. Don’t think you can tell me you’re sorry, because nothing that you say or do can take back what happened. I hope you’re happy with yourself, knowing what happened to me in here because you insisted that I get what I deserve. You think I got what I deserved? You don’t even know what kind of shit I’ve gone through in here. Can’t even begin to imagine it. So fuck you, Dad. Fuck you. And don’t come back here. I don’t want to see you again.”
“Teddy, wait.”
“No! Fuck off. Fuck your business. Fuck. You!” Ted shouted, storming out of the visitor’s room, leaving his father behind at the table.
He was steaming. He couldn’t remember a time when he was this angry at anyone in his life. What he needed to do was go to his pod and sit down on his bed and try to clear his mind of the fog that was his father. Maybe he could talk to Cody, or, just have him hold him, calm him down a bit. But then someone tapped him on the shoulder, trying to get his attention. “Hey, DiBiase.”
Ted was in no mood to talk to anyone. Nor was he in any mood to see anyone. So, without caring who it was behind him, he turned, swinging his first as he went. He looked down on the floor, seeing one of his fellow Christians, probably on his way to his hospital ward shift, now lying on the floor, his hand holding his jaw. Next thing he knew, a CO had him, by the arm, dragging him in the direction of the hole. After some initial resistance at the contact, he began walking with him willingly.
Soon he was made to strip down and he then continued down the hall to the hole, shoved inside by a hack as the door slammed shut and was locked behind him. The first thing that struck him about the little cube was how cold it was. He instantly wrapped his arms around himself to attempt to keep himself warm. He glanced downward, seeing his bare feet on the cement floor. That was when he thought about how dirty it must be in there. Did they ever clean up after a prisoner was allowed to leave to return to their unit? Probably not. How many men had been in here before him?
He turned in a circle, looking at every wall over and over until he finally walked towards a corner and leaned his back against it, sliding down to sit on the cold floor. How many men had sat in this same corner? How many men had paced these floors and punched these walls and moped and prayed and begged in here? How many men had screamed and cried in here? Had anyone died in here? He tried not to think about it.
As he sat in the corner, he thought about what landed him in here. He had punched someone. A fellow Christian was laid out on the floor because of him. He hurt another human out of anger, and, strangely enough, he found that he didn’t care. Why wasn’t he caring? He was a Christian, supposed to have compassion for anyone and everyone, despite their circumstance. But if his own family didn’t give a shit about him, why should he give a shit about anyone else? He raised his eyes upwards, asking, “What did I ever do to deserve all this? God, please, tell me what I’ve done. Everyone here tells me that you gave Cody to me, because he makes me a better person. Am I really a better person, though? Am I better with him? I like to think that I am.
“I don’t understand. What have I done? Is this because of the way I treated him when he first met? Is this because I killed an innocent woman? Haven’t I paid for that? I’m here in Oz, aren’t I? Is that not good enough for you? You have to send two men after me to violate me in some storage closet. And since that wasn’t enough, you have to turn my family against me.
“Or is it because I’ve questioned you? Is that why you’re doing all this to me? Because I doubted your word once I arrived in here? Is this all some test to make sure my faith doesn’t waiver? Please. Please, God, just tell me what I’ve done.” His head slammed backwards against the wall as his eyes shut, finally letting the tears fall where no one else could see him cry.
Part 6-2