Chill in the Oven
Issues 43 - 46

Loop Hughes is cooling his heels in prison following the death of Tommy Yi. He hasn't made too many friends, but the ones he has are the right ones. He's also made a lot of enemies.

Loop has been in solitary confinement for attacking fellow con Nine Train. Nine Train is a big, bad attitude con who holds lots of power within the general population. Loop lashed out at him by mistake with a dinner tray, putting Nine Train in the infirmary with a badly damaged trachea. Loop is now living in dread of his release. Of the friends he has, the most powerful is Erie, leader of a group of white supremacists. Erie tolerates Loop as he is being tutored for a  General Education Diploma by him. Another ally is Loop's cell mate Cotton.

The block is run by Sergeant Dirtz, Loop's second big problem. Dirtz is basically a total bastard. Prisoners have a habit of 'falling out of bed' when Dirtz is around. Dirtz needs little provocation to dish out a beating to Loop at any given moment. Loop sees his prison life as ruled by his two "doors", until door number three arrives, in the form of Lono.

Lono is quick to establish his position in the pecking order. He murders his cell mate on the first night, then takes on Erie and his crewhaving made a string of outrageous demands for luxury items, without the collateral to back them up. Erie winds up in the infirmary. Loop knows that Lono is aware of his presence in the jail. A lockdown is soon ordered, with Dirtz seeing it as an excuse to beat up a few prisoners, including Loop. His real target is Lono, and five correction officers pay Lono a late night visit. Lono winds up in the infirmary with a few minor fractures. It is unlikely that Lono would normally take such a beating, but getting in the infirmary is part of Lono's game plan. He gets a bed between Erie and Nine Train, and an alliance is formed.

Loop is preparing for Nine Train's imminent release from the infirmary by getting tooled up to take him down. Following a piece of advice from a chess player, Loop decides the best form of defence is to attack and makes plans to get to Nine Train whilst he is still in the infirmary. He asks Dirtz to transfer him from library duty to the infirmary, but Dirtz has a better scheme, and throws Loop down a flight of stairs, breaking his arm.

Meanwhile, Lono is visited by Shepherd. Lono greets Shepherd with all the hostility due to the man responsible for his confinement. Shepherd has a lot to say to Lono, most importantly that he needs him to be where he is now. He knows Lono wanted out of the Minutemen, Lono realises that the events from 'Night of the Payday' were the set up for a bigger job. He agrees to rejoin the Minutemen if it will get him out of prison. Shepherd tells him that Graves doesn't want him, hence setting him up in Miami. The job Shepherd wants done is his job; training a new Minuteman. He explains that Milo was killed and tells Lono  he  was responsible. Lono had not recognised the only one of the crew he gave two shits about. Shepherd says that Milo wanted to die, and wanted Lono to do it.  What Shepherd is now doing is against Graves' wishes from 'On Accidental Purpose', but is his own interpretation of the brief. Lono guesses that the new recruit will be Loop, and threatens to kill him out of spite. Shepherd is unimpressed, and says that they could easily find another, leaving Lono there for life. He leaves Lono with some advice, and Lono seems bound to do Shepherd's wishes.

Back at the infirmary, Loop has his arm cast and seems set to meet his fate, but Dirtz has seen fit to give Loop a chance, as the infirmary guard is called away, leaving Loop and Erie with Nine Train. Loop sees his opportunity and knifes Nine Train several times. Erie joins in as there is no love lost between the two men. Dirtz steps in to break heads just as Lono arrives back from meeting Shepherd. Lono uses the moment to break Dirtz's neck to show him who's boss. As the fight is broken up, Loop and Lono are taken to solitary. Here Loop begins to laugh at the situation. He explains to Lono through the wall that his three problems have effectively wiped themselves out, leaving him in the clear. Nine Train is dead, Dirtz crippled and Lono unable to reach him. Lono tells Loop that the joke is on him...

Other people are questioning that last statement on sites and message boards. It seems to me that the joke is on Loop because unknown to him, his biggest problem is now stuck with him through powers outside their control. Lono will have to mentor Loop, meaning that they will be spending a lot of time together.

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