Raven Knight

Chapter 36 - Incarcerated

2nd October 2311 03:10 EST - Frustrated, anxious and nauseating, that's how Jason felt as he continued to stare at the same three walls and buzzing red door of the cell that he had been incarcerated in for just over a week. At least he thought it was just over a week; the only way of telling the time had been by studying the guard's routine.

His mind had been going dangerously into overdrive. With very little to do, it had caused him to dwell on himself. Being overly critical of his actions and his decisions, occasionally it would leave him with a sense of pride, but mostly with a sense of anger and frustration.

They say hindsight is a wonderful thing, but for Jason, it had been anything but. His arrogance had cost and blinded him from those key people around him. The injury that almost caused Aurora to lose her life and the cluelessness that caused Donnelly to lose hers had been at the forefront of most of his thoughts and every time it did, it caused him to loathe himself.

Today was the day that he would be shipped to Io, the volcanic moon orbiting Jupiter, to spend the remainder of the war with other military personnel who had been jailed for several different crimes that they had committed... or not. Yet, Jason longed for this moment, away from the confined space of his cell and his over-enthusiastic mind.

"Inmates!" A call could be heard echoing through the corridors of the brig. "Stand up against the wall."

Jason stopped his pacing up and down his cell, immediately following the instructions to stand at the wall. As he did, he felt his arms being drawn together like two opposite magnetic fields. He hated the feeling of being controlled, and even with all his strength, he could not separate his arms apart.

He chuckled to himself, smiling at the irony of his thoughts. He hated being controlled, yet that was exactly what he and the other Blue Ravens had endured as puppets for General von Striken.

In a few hours, Jason would either be free from the strings that controlled him, or he would forever be at the mercy of the puppet master. He had to be alert now, to focus on the now instead of reliving the past. The past would not be going away and he would have plenty of time to chastise himself in the future.

"Inmate 12, stand away from the door."

Jason did as he was told, as three armed fully armoured guards stood in front of the red buzzing doorway. He wondered if he could take on all three. As he sized up each one, he could tell that they were well trained and physically capable but he would likely be able to incapacitate two easily through his speed and capabilities. With his arms bound, however, the third would prove difficult, and would likely have the time to fire his weapon at Jason before he could engage in combat with him.

As the military police officers entered the cell, Jason scolded himself once again. It was that type of arrogance that had got him into this situation. Aurora Pendergast, his closest friend, was as capable as he was, and if it hadn't been for the horrific injury on Loki, she would have likely been recruited by the Blue Ravens or some other SOR unit too. Jason had never appreciated her or respected her in the way she did to him, and as a result, her career had stalled and their friendship had faltered.

Jacqueline Donnelly was also as capable, in fact, more so. She had not only been his lover, but his mentor, and yet he had seen her mentally snap and also outmanoeuvred by General von Striken and his subordinates. With all her abilities and intelligence, she was the one in Jason's arms dead on the planet Loki.

Donnelly was a hero. She had fought an unwinnable war and had given her life for a just cause while Jason had stood in her shadow. Now Jason would take her mantle and continue to fight, yet his arrogance, his pride, and his sense of heroism would all need to be sacrificed to succeed.