DoctorRed and Mew

[DoctorRed]

The camp was a long ways away from any sort of civilization. Long fields that had once been the agricultural type stretched long and far across the borders, the center most one was the one they'd dug their ditches around. The roads that bordered it in a square were left. Deep ditches were dug, twelve feet down, twelve feet across. Two gates were centered on one side, the high fences could be slid aside there, and a bridge could be lowered. Both had to be lowered from either side for even an Olympic level athlete to cross uninjured.

The soldiers who worked as guards had been chosen by their leaders to function as correction officers, facilitating the new order in their in mates. A great building was constructed, made of girders and concrete to fill up the center of the land. The camp had livestock in one corner, fields in another and a well was dug in a third. The fourth was a recreational area. All four corners were gated off and walled in. The camp was self-sustaining. No supplies were needed. The work that the inmates did usually was what warranted for the shipments. Low supplies in, heavy loads out. Manufacturing centers were situated underneath the main prison, excavated thoroughly to keep it running for many years after this camp would probably be needed.

The ratio for inmate-to-guard was one hundred-to-one, and it was justly so. Heavily armored troops were in charge and their arsenal of skills and training made them hard to deal with. Wearing the suits that were made to keep them alive even in nuclear fallout, shrug off bullets and wade through fire, the brigade was a family of inter-linked soldiers. If one should start to be overrun by a pack of inmates, their armor would record it in real-time and upload warnings to release other soldiers into the fray to quell the riots. Few times did this ever have to happen more than once. They'd learned a lot from history, and didn't need to bother with guard towers or land-mines. Electronic collars would put down mouthy inmates, fully incapacitating the most belligerent of their lot.

The world they'd created wasn't all bad. For the most part, those who behaved and kept themselves on the strict schedule were more or less free to do as they pleased in their allotted hours of free-time. Early breakfast, a five hour shift, lunchtime, a recreational period, five hours of labor, dinner, free-time and then Cleansing. Their lives seemed full of hardship, and slavery, but who could complain? They were welcome to get brave and leap across the chasm that kept them in and become another stain on the twelve by twelve foot ditch outside. Or they could spit on the warden and earn themselves a public flogging, in front of a thousand of their peers.

Many were in this system and others around the world. Few were as thorough and sustained as this, but they were like all the others. Those who insisted upon their beliefs and refused the Master were sent here. Those who grew lazy, and fell into debt were sent here. Those who stole, cheated, extorted... all came here. The trains would come in and a long hike was started. Hundreds, chained to one another would march in lines to arrive, and cross the bridge. Few ever left in anything but a spray of dust in the wind, smoke on the sunset at cleansing time.

One guard, the only one required for such an area, spent his time often on the agricultural field, helping to make the crops turn out well. He alone was in charge of anyone who set foot into his fifth of the property and walked the high-rise, his armor tight and heavy, but his footsteps careful and measured well. On his hip he wore the synthetic whip that had been well worn by practice and on his back there bore a heavy rod. His gray steel glistened dully in the morning sun. Red lights shimmered in the visor, where he'd be able to see anything, even in the dark or a fog. On his left shoulder bore the name all who asked for one referred to him by. "HARVEST,"