Within The Prison Walls...

At the very center of the Payne prison was a special cell, where the temperature was always kept well bellow freezing. It was kept just below the excersize yard, though the only token of its existance, from the surface, was a 11 foot by 11 foot metal square in the dirt. That, and the screams.

Within his frozen prison, the Mercury Man screamed and threw himself against his walls. He was frozen nearly solid--able to move about, with difficulty, but completely unable to change shape. He dug his nails into the reinforced steel walls and he yelled and thrashed and demanded to be let out, or else yelled things which made little sense. From time to time, he'd go quiet, and then he'd simply pace about his prison, or he'd lay or sit down against a wall very mildly. From time to time, he'd talk to his guards, and talk very pleasantly; from time to time he'd threaten them, or actually try to kill them. Though, those endeavours were rarely successful, since the guards were always outside. They were under orders never to get within reach of the Mercury Man. He needed no food, so there was no reason to enter the cell. Even so, he had been able to trick a couple of them into entering.

Their funeral services were very nice and tasteful.

Alyssa laid on the floor with her hands behind her head as if she was enjoying a day at the beach. She frowned when she heard another scream from a cell not to far from hers. "God damn it..." she spat looking up at the ceiling. She heard footsteps belonging to the guard who patrolled the cells on her floor. "Hey guard, yeah you. Who is that guy carryin' on like that?" The guard had stopped responding to her every time he passed. He was growing tired of her constant chatter. "Hellooo?" she said in a irritating voice. The guard finally turned around, "He is known as The Mercury Man." The guard then turned back around and started to walk off. "HEY! GET BACK HERE!" she yelled, sitting up. She sighed when she saw that he was gone.

The Mercury Man's screams continued on, somewhat muffled by the thick walls of his cell. He was screaming about retribution, as well as about remorse.

"That guard doesn't seem to like you much," said an older man from the cell beside Crimson Witch. "You're new here, right? Or did you just get moved to this cell block? Either way, I'm surprised you don't know they keep the Mercury Man here."

Alyssa looked at the man a bit startled, "I'm new, but I won't be here long." She gritted her teeth, "I better not be here long." She tapped her long fingernails on the ground, "So, the Mercury Man. I've never even heard of him, I think. How long has he been stuck here?"

"Not very long. About a year," said the man. "You never heard of him? Ever? He made the news when they caught him. Like, world news. He was tearing up cities all over--Aurora City, Umbra City, Spectre, Valiant Town, Lyeville... You really never heard anything about that?"

"Let's just say I lived pretty far from the places you are talkin' about." She stopped tapping her nails on the ground. "Or I just heard of him but didn't really care. I don't exactly care much about stuff." She raised a brow when she heard him scream again, "Hmm, what can he do exactly?"

"He's made of metal," the man told her. "He can change shape, too. That's why they have him seperated from the rest of the population."

"Well that's just snazzy." said Alyssa with a interested expression. She heard a guard yell at another guard, something about a dog breaking in. "There is only one dog who would break into a high security prison." said Alyssa, standing up. She was grinning again, "Cerberus!" said squealed.