Captivity Narrative of Cassia and Clove Day 2

Day 2- A New Cell

The morning rolled in, and the guard unlocked the clutches on the sides of the cage bottom.  “You two are movin’ to da official New Mobotropolis prison district.”  He walked away to the back of the room. “Maybe we can escape now”, Cassia remarked. “The guard has a gun.” I duly replied back. Regardless, Cassia punted against the front of the cage  It did not move, and only made a subtle rattling. “We’re screwed.” I thought, as I saw a light come out of the guard’s room.

The light belonged to a crane armed with a claw.  This claw moved over the empty cells of the prison over to ours. Like a fat man in search of a chip, the crane dropped down and grabbed us both in our cell, lifting us into the sky. I, acrophobic as I was, shivered with fright as I glanced upon the ever-shrinking floor. I hugged Cassia for comfort, and she started to cry. I began to cry too, not knowing what was to come next as the crane began moving. I took one last look down on the battlefield. The ruin beneath us defied description.
While distended bodies lay along the blood-stained grassland, vermin frolicking amongst them, I felt more relieved than horrified: Robotnik was over. Roboticization was no longer a fear. We would have little to fear once we were released from captivity. I believed that after our prison stay, we could live normal lives again. But how would others view us? I especially worried for Cassia, as she had been Legionized due to allergies. Was she to be feared by others due to her mechanical complexion?
But still, there would be no more "COPE" posters. No more "Robotnikare". No more ghettos, watch-camera-drones, Failure Surveys, or Robotnik merchandise everywhere. We were free. We were normal.
When we came to the prison, he lowered the cage into the cell, and then came over to open our cage door and our cell door. "Breakfast!" He shouted. We were excited to see what our first meal was as he gently led us to the cafeteria.
When we got to the lunch lady, we were served our meal. This was eggplant topped with fried coconut strips, fried in what seemed to be apple juice. Our side was a bran roll. Upon sitting down, we went for the bran rolls first. Next to me, Matty, a "pill-crab" or armadillidid, asked me if I was that Eggpunt starlet. I replied, "Of course, old ally." Those surrounding us glowered menacingly. "Just ignore them.", Cassia said. And so we ignored everyone except Matty. "Can I have your autograph?", he declared, which I replied with "not now, but it would be nice to do so."
After breakfast, we were taken back into our cell and told we would soon be given community service from Queen Sally. Anything to get us away from the likelihood of prison assault. I even watched one human adjacent to me scribble Robotnik insignia on the walls. I feared for my life every second as I watched him madly scribble. Cassia suggested that we should not shower. I asked her why.
"Showers are where the real vileness of a prison happens. Dropping your doubloon means you're a target for anyone to come out and touch you anywhere on your body, and then they take you. When they take you, they send the others after you, and then they turn on the hot showers that release toxic gas. And nobody's there to help you out. The guards always stay put, and everyone's against each other. Please don't shower."
“Better to smell like garbage than to be destroyed like it,” I replied to her, as she made a sigh of relief. And what a cute sigh she sighed! If she was happy, so was I. Within the half-hour, our community service papers were handed out to us.

To Be Continued