those are hardly ever used. Anyone going in or
out usually comes through here."
37 "Why are there only woman Guards up here?" asked Bullet.
38 "This is a control center for the men's section," explained the
Guard. "Only women Guards. Only men come and go through here. The
woman's control center is below us."
39 "Women Guards for the men and men Guards for the women. Of course!"
sighed Bullet. "And because it's men I want to see, I come through
here!" The Guard nodded. "Some of the prisoners have their mates here?"
40 "After a year," explained the Guard, "their families can move into
one of the blocks. And if the prisoners behave themselves, they can
live quite a comfortable life. Of course, the prisoner can never leave
the apartment, but the women and children can go out daily.
41 But if the prisoner is dropped down to yellow, they can sometimes
get passes to go to the theaters and recreation centers inside the
prison complex. It's a good encouragement for them to behave. If they
break the rules, they end up back in the block, and the families might
not see them for months.
42 And you know, it's a strange thing, a child raised in here very
rarely comes back. Maybe they learn a hard lesson from whichever parent
has to spend the rest of their life here."
43 Bullet took up his note pad. "That's something I'll tell The World
Speaker!" he promised.
44 An older prisoner came up with three folders. "The records you
requested, Chief Guard." The Guard took them and nodded. The man wore a
yellow uniform.
45 "How long has he been here?" asked Bullet.
46 "He was one of the first prisoners I checked in when I was a rookie
Guard thirty seasons ago. We've been friends a long time. Come along.
I'll take you down to the