Holding out a hand to keep the guard at bay, Jacob fixed his gaze on Iris as he waited for his call to the hospital to go through. Not knowing what state she had been in before he’d arrived, he assumed the soldier was either right that she was getting better or just trying to cover his own ass by lying. Either way, the condition she was in now was unacceptable. Just because the standard was to place all rebels on death row upon their arrest didn’t mean orders couldn’t be tweaked and changed. The workers at the penitentiary should have obeyed his new instructions without question, and he was still vexed that they had defied him.

“Your boss should have sent someone with more experience,” he said curtly when the guard floundered to give an explanation for his actions. Though harsh, the statement wasn’t meant to be an insult. It was true. Matthew knew damn well that the isolation wing required guards more skill to manage it. Sending a novice was just another slap in the face, showing how little regard the interrogator had for his authority. He scowled at the girl’s unmoving body, thoroughly pissed that the penitentiary workers were so incompetent that he had to come down and do everything himself.

[i]Capital’s first response. What is your emergency?[/i] A voice finally came through the phone.

“I have a prisoner here at the penitentiary who needs immediate medical attention,” he explained concisely. “Send an ambulance right away. My clearance code is JXC7002.”

[i]Let’s see… Mr. Curry? I’ll send a team to retrieve the prisoner now. Bring him out to the landing pad.[/i]

“Thank you,” he hung up the phone and slid it into his back pocket, not bothering to correct technician’s assumption that the prisoner was male. The paramedics would find out soon enough anyway. Keeping one hand on Iris’s side, he frowned as she tried to sit up and speak. It seemed like she’d taken poorly to the interrogation under Aproveset and was still shaken up from the torture. Currently unsure if the foul treatment was warranted, he hoped the medical team would be able to provide her quick relief when they arrived. If she was really innocent like Caspian believed her to be, then he didn’t want to be held responsible for abusing her during questionings.

At the sound of Matthew’s voice, he looked up and narrowed his eyes. “Fine, my ass,” he growled, rising to his full height from the ground and crossing his arms. “I don’t know where you get off trying to take over responsibility for this prisoner, but you’re out of line, Matt. Even if I hadn’t given you the order to send her to the hospital, you report to Warden Walker. Somehow, I have a feeling even the warden doesn’t know about this little power trip of yours though.” He cocked his chin at the mention of the other man’s name. Well aware of the chain of command in the prison, he knew Walker would have the authority to override Matthew’s inane decision to throw Iris in isolation.

“It doesn’t matter now,” he went on, standing over her defensively. “I already called the hospital, and an ambulance is on the way. You might as well back off and let me take her up to the landing pad to be transported before I get your superior involved. It would be in your best interest not to mar your record with this tomfuckery while I’m still willing to pretend like it never happened.”