Kaukolastan
27-02-2004, 03:39
The Hole - Prison or Crime?
Created in 1993, The Hole continues to be the most elaborate prison in Kaukolstan, and, when polling the populace, seems to be the greatest deterrant to crime. However, it's methods and measures continually bring down condemnations from the Church, Civil Rights Groups, and others. Protests rage over its existance, but not to close, for the land about it is secured. Though it's name is known, a review may be in order.
Constructed into the middle of the Corsis Barrens, situated on a large plateau in the mountains, is some of the starkest land in the world. The temperature varies from below zero at night to hundreds of degrees in the daytime. No animals live here, and plants are rare. There is no civilization for a hundred miles. This plateau sits five hundred feet above the surrounding lands, and is three miles wide at narrowest. It is accessible only by a small airstrip and helipads, and as our plane descends, the harsh light and sparse surroundings are already bothering some of our crew.
In the center of this flat is a ring of buildings, almost like an arena, but perfectly circular. These buildings are steel, rising against the sky, and two helicopter gunships are visible from this location, as well as several parked HMMWVs. There are three guards who come to meet us, including the Captain, by the name of Olinger. "Welcome to the Hole." Olinger states as he leads us towards the bunkerlike entrance of the compound. Around us, signs warn of mines, and machine guns cover every angle of approach. We enter the sloping bunker ramp, and we're taken into the inside of complex to rival any military base.
The hallways gently curve off in either direction, and each layer of the base is set as a smaller circle, with crossing hallways on radial lines. Rec centers and housing sectors sit about, but there is an air of tension. The floors and walls are onyx, and red lensed camera watch us at every step. "The guards here live here. The pay is triple any other prison, and the facilities are top notch." Olinger explains. "We don't allow guards with families to come here." The Captain leads us into the next layer of circle, and we approach an elevator, passing control rooms and armories.
"Why is security this tight in the guards' barracks?" I asked.
Olinger, looking up from the button on the elevator, only offered this cryptic remark. "Those things in the Hole would do anything to get out." He spoke no more until we broke the surface.
We emerged from the elevator on the inside of the "arena" construct, and we looked down into the Hole. Situated, like a stairstepped funnel, in the center of the arena, was the Hole. The sandy surface was patrolled by guards and vehicles, and hundreds of gun turrets faced down into the pit in the center. The Hole was laid out in layers, each narrower than the one above, and it spiralled into a single dark circular room, open to the top. From here, I could throw something down to the solitary figure huddled in that shadowy pit.
The first layer of the Hole was only one beneath the surface, and it was a circle, nearly a mile in diameter. The Cells started at Number Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine, and then began their gradual downward spiral. The pattern moved counterclockwise, spinning around the exterior wall of the Hole, and gradually sinking into the next layer. Each layer was a little smaller than the one above, and there were no stairs on the gently curving gangway outside the cells, until it reached the bottom of the Hole. There were no lights in the Hole, only the sun, and with each layer, the sun got less and less, until it was a dim point of light visible only at noon. Every layer could see down, into the center, the singularity.
Olinger spoke again, "This prison hold nine hundred and ninety-nine prisoners. Upon entering the prison, the prisoner is given the name 999, which is how they will be adressed. At that time, the current 999 becomes number 998, and 998 becomes 997, and so on. As such, they are tranquilized and shifted to the next cell, and the new 999 gets the first cell."
I thought for a moment. "What happens to number one?" I pointed to the center of the Hole, figuring that to be the destination.
Olinger paused. "Just wait. There's a prisoner transfer in progress. Some child molestor from Terenaus." He pointed to the helicopter that was landing inside the Arena. Guards escorted the tranquilized prisoner from the chopper, and a portion of the sandground split, as if to swallow the man. The guards threw the man forward, and he fell into the pit with a smashing noise. At once, the entire Hole erupted into feverish wails and maddened cries. I stared into the depths, as the prisoners thrashed about. What is happening? I wonderd to myself. To my side, Olinger was offering a prayer of forgiveness. He saw me staring, and stated simply. "That man is now dead. His mind will go first, and then his body." The metal doors were closing, and the clang silenced the cries from the Hole.
A computerized voice called out inside the Hole, "A new Prisoner has been rostered. Space must be secured. Prisoner Number One has been Slated."
A single, inhuman cry echoed from the center of the Hole, from that filthy pit. I glanced down to see the cowed and broken man backing up from a guard, who lowered a rifle- CRACK! The former Prisoner Number One was thrown down, his chest exploded. Two guards grabbed his body, and hauled it up the ramp. They moved with diligent slowness, bringing the mangled corpse up each layer in an ascending cycle from the center. As it passed each and every solitary cell, I could feel the fear radiating. As the body reached the top, it was thrown into an incinerator, and the computerized voice returned with it's mechanical precision.
"Prisoner Number Two is now Prisoner Number One." A door opened to the side of the Center, and guards threw a sedated form into the pit. The door closed. "Prisoner Number Three is now Prisoner Number Two." Another exchange was made, and another being was moved ever closer to the center.
I was numbed by this procedure as it wound through all remaining nine hundred and ninety-eight prisoners, as each was shoved from one cell to the next, their name changed to their location, thrust deeper into the abyss. Behind me, someone was getting sick, but I just stared. I turned to Olinger, but he pointed grimly to the now empty cell of nine hundred and ninety-nine. The computer spoke again. "Welcome to the Hole, Prisoner Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine." The prisoner I had seen delivered was dragged into the room, and the guards left him sleeping there, under drug-induced unconsciousness." The computer fell silent, and I could hear sobbing and wailing inside the Hole's cycle.
I turned to Olinger. "How long do they last?"
He replied. "They're insane by Number Five Hundred, usually. The worst part is the randomness. The Hole cycles only when another prisoner is added, so they don't know when the next Slating will happen."
I stared numbly. "And it's just a matter of time, then."
He nodded. "Yes. There is a way out... but it's just an illusion, to intensify the punishment. You see, prisoners are added when they are convicted. There is a caveat. If no crime deserving of the Hole is committed, such as Premeditated Murder, Rape, or Treason, for an entire year, then the prisoners within will be released to life sentence in a normal prison. In effect, they are held bound by the goodness of their fellow citizens. You want this to end? Convince the world not to commit crimes."
"That's impossible!" I declared.
Olinger nodded. "And so, their hope is false."
We left the surface then, returned to the plane. We had spent only two hours in this place, but it is burned into my mind forever. This is the fate of the worst of the worst, a fate that I cannot clear from my mind. The sight that remains the most in my mind though, is not any of the prisoners in their twisted, inhuman life, or the ragged body falling to the flames, is the site I saw as we left. I last saw Olinger, he was washing his hands fervently, scrubbing at a stain I could not see. This is The Hole. I have seen it. Thanks to this footage, so have you.
Created in 1993, The Hole continues to be the most elaborate prison in Kaukolstan, and, when polling the populace, seems to be the greatest deterrant to crime. However, it's methods and measures continually bring down condemnations from the Church, Civil Rights Groups, and others. Protests rage over its existance, but not to close, for the land about it is secured. Though it's name is known, a review may be in order.
Constructed into the middle of the Corsis Barrens, situated on a large plateau in the mountains, is some of the starkest land in the world. The temperature varies from below zero at night to hundreds of degrees in the daytime. No animals live here, and plants are rare. There is no civilization for a hundred miles. This plateau sits five hundred feet above the surrounding lands, and is three miles wide at narrowest. It is accessible only by a small airstrip and helipads, and as our plane descends, the harsh light and sparse surroundings are already bothering some of our crew.
In the center of this flat is a ring of buildings, almost like an arena, but perfectly circular. These buildings are steel, rising against the sky, and two helicopter gunships are visible from this location, as well as several parked HMMWVs. There are three guards who come to meet us, including the Captain, by the name of Olinger. "Welcome to the Hole." Olinger states as he leads us towards the bunkerlike entrance of the compound. Around us, signs warn of mines, and machine guns cover every angle of approach. We enter the sloping bunker ramp, and we're taken into the inside of complex to rival any military base.
The hallways gently curve off in either direction, and each layer of the base is set as a smaller circle, with crossing hallways on radial lines. Rec centers and housing sectors sit about, but there is an air of tension. The floors and walls are onyx, and red lensed camera watch us at every step. "The guards here live here. The pay is triple any other prison, and the facilities are top notch." Olinger explains. "We don't allow guards with families to come here." The Captain leads us into the next layer of circle, and we approach an elevator, passing control rooms and armories.
"Why is security this tight in the guards' barracks?" I asked.
Olinger, looking up from the button on the elevator, only offered this cryptic remark. "Those things in the Hole would do anything to get out." He spoke no more until we broke the surface.
We emerged from the elevator on the inside of the "arena" construct, and we looked down into the Hole. Situated, like a stairstepped funnel, in the center of the arena, was the Hole. The sandy surface was patrolled by guards and vehicles, and hundreds of gun turrets faced down into the pit in the center. The Hole was laid out in layers, each narrower than the one above, and it spiralled into a single dark circular room, open to the top. From here, I could throw something down to the solitary figure huddled in that shadowy pit.
The first layer of the Hole was only one beneath the surface, and it was a circle, nearly a mile in diameter. The Cells started at Number Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine, and then began their gradual downward spiral. The pattern moved counterclockwise, spinning around the exterior wall of the Hole, and gradually sinking into the next layer. Each layer was a little smaller than the one above, and there were no stairs on the gently curving gangway outside the cells, until it reached the bottom of the Hole. There were no lights in the Hole, only the sun, and with each layer, the sun got less and less, until it was a dim point of light visible only at noon. Every layer could see down, into the center, the singularity.
Olinger spoke again, "This prison hold nine hundred and ninety-nine prisoners. Upon entering the prison, the prisoner is given the name 999, which is how they will be adressed. At that time, the current 999 becomes number 998, and 998 becomes 997, and so on. As such, they are tranquilized and shifted to the next cell, and the new 999 gets the first cell."
I thought for a moment. "What happens to number one?" I pointed to the center of the Hole, figuring that to be the destination.
Olinger paused. "Just wait. There's a prisoner transfer in progress. Some child molestor from Terenaus." He pointed to the helicopter that was landing inside the Arena. Guards escorted the tranquilized prisoner from the chopper, and a portion of the sandground split, as if to swallow the man. The guards threw the man forward, and he fell into the pit with a smashing noise. At once, the entire Hole erupted into feverish wails and maddened cries. I stared into the depths, as the prisoners thrashed about. What is happening? I wonderd to myself. To my side, Olinger was offering a prayer of forgiveness. He saw me staring, and stated simply. "That man is now dead. His mind will go first, and then his body." The metal doors were closing, and the clang silenced the cries from the Hole.
A computerized voice called out inside the Hole, "A new Prisoner has been rostered. Space must be secured. Prisoner Number One has been Slated."
A single, inhuman cry echoed from the center of the Hole, from that filthy pit. I glanced down to see the cowed and broken man backing up from a guard, who lowered a rifle- CRACK! The former Prisoner Number One was thrown down, his chest exploded. Two guards grabbed his body, and hauled it up the ramp. They moved with diligent slowness, bringing the mangled corpse up each layer in an ascending cycle from the center. As it passed each and every solitary cell, I could feel the fear radiating. As the body reached the top, it was thrown into an incinerator, and the computerized voice returned with it's mechanical precision.
"Prisoner Number Two is now Prisoner Number One." A door opened to the side of the Center, and guards threw a sedated form into the pit. The door closed. "Prisoner Number Three is now Prisoner Number Two." Another exchange was made, and another being was moved ever closer to the center.
I was numbed by this procedure as it wound through all remaining nine hundred and ninety-eight prisoners, as each was shoved from one cell to the next, their name changed to their location, thrust deeper into the abyss. Behind me, someone was getting sick, but I just stared. I turned to Olinger, but he pointed grimly to the now empty cell of nine hundred and ninety-nine. The computer spoke again. "Welcome to the Hole, Prisoner Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine." The prisoner I had seen delivered was dragged into the room, and the guards left him sleeping there, under drug-induced unconsciousness." The computer fell silent, and I could hear sobbing and wailing inside the Hole's cycle.
I turned to Olinger. "How long do they last?"
He replied. "They're insane by Number Five Hundred, usually. The worst part is the randomness. The Hole cycles only when another prisoner is added, so they don't know when the next Slating will happen."
I stared numbly. "And it's just a matter of time, then."
He nodded. "Yes. There is a way out... but it's just an illusion, to intensify the punishment. You see, prisoners are added when they are convicted. There is a caveat. If no crime deserving of the Hole is committed, such as Premeditated Murder, Rape, or Treason, for an entire year, then the prisoners within will be released to life sentence in a normal prison. In effect, they are held bound by the goodness of their fellow citizens. You want this to end? Convince the world not to commit crimes."
"That's impossible!" I declared.
Olinger nodded. "And so, their hope is false."
We left the surface then, returned to the plane. We had spent only two hours in this place, but it is burned into my mind forever. This is the fate of the worst of the worst, a fate that I cannot clear from my mind. The sight that remains the most in my mind though, is not any of the prisoners in their twisted, inhuman life, or the ragged body falling to the flames, is the site I saw as we left. I last saw Olinger, he was washing his hands fervently, scrubbing at a stain I could not see. This is The Hole. I have seen it. Thanks to this footage, so have you.