"We're skipping roll call today. Grey's got us on special assignment." Harper says, grabbing Ana's arm as she walks to roll call.

"Cool" Ana replies, softly, following after Harper.

"Negative. We will be escorting some juvenile felons through a Scared Straight program at Cal Correctional." Harper explains.

"oh, I could see why you wouldn't want to do that" Ana realizes, softly.

"Yep. I've been to these things before. It's a lot of chaos and noise -- and the jury's still out as to whether it actually makes a difference." Harper replies.

"if it helps someone, then it is making a difference, right?" Ana asks, softly.

"Your optimism makes me nauseous" Harper dead pans, a cue to Ana to shut up, which Ana does very quickly.

[Timeskip]

"All right, line up. Against the van. Marco Leland -- assault and battery. Tyson Renner — Hey, unh-unh. Up. Off the van. Stand up straight. Tyson Renner -- vandalism. Fletcher Perry -- auto --" Harper starts.

"Auto theft. That turn you on, baby?" Fletcher flirts.

"Nothing like getting hit on by a 12-year-old delinquent to get your day started." Harper sighs.

"Hey, yo, I'm 15." Fletcher corrects.

"Doesn't make it better, um, what about you?" Ana asks, softly, but the kid just ignores her.

"Hector Duran, 17. Spent three months in juvie for theft and drug possession." Harper comments.

"Okay. I'm Officer Cabrera. This is Detective Harper. Together, we're gonna be taking a little field trip down to the California Correctional Facility. For those of you who complete today's program, the rest of your sentences will be commuted." Ana explains, softly.

"But this is your last chance. Get busted again, and the prison we are going to will become your new home." Harper warns.

"Fine by me." Hector shrugs.

"have you been there?" Ana asks, softly.

"Hell yeah. My brother's doing a bit up there." Hector replies.

"Not something to be proud of." Harper scolds

"let's just get in the van" Ana decides, softly.

Ana is very quickly realizing why Harper didn't want to do this.

[Timeskip]

"Why does motor pool always give us vehicles with no gas?" Harper sighs.

"no idea" Ana says, softly.

"Who needs the restroom? Come on." Harper says, opening the doors to the van.

One of the boys comes up and hands Ana a bag of chips.

"um, you want me to buy you these?" Ana asks, softly, confused.

"Ooh, can I get a beer?" Fletcher asks.

"You two, over there. Now! You, over here. What are you doing?" Harper calls, having Ana walk over.

"they wanted me to buy them snacks" Ana explains, softly.

"They're not Boy Scouts. They're criminals." Harper says.

"W-well, you never know what these kids have been through" Ana defends, softly. "they just need some kindness-" Ana stops herself, seeing Hector holding Fletcher to the side of the van.

"You were saying?" Harper asks.

"Hector, let him go" Ana calls, running over.

"Nah, I'm not adding time to my sentence because this fool decided to boost his street cred by stealing a police ride." Hector replies.

"I got him from here" Ana says, softly and Hector lets go and Fletcher throws a punch.

Ana easily blocks the punch and pins him against the van and arrests him.

"You dummy." Hector tells Fletcher.

"You're going back to juvie, kid" Ana says, softly as she handcuffs him.

"It was worth it." Fletcher replies.

"Everything Code 4?" Harper asks, walking over.

"Yeah. Hector did the right thing" Ana smiles.

"I didn't do it for you." Hector grumbles.

"still was the right thing so I'm taking it" Ana says, softly.

"is she for real?" Hector asks Harper.

"Yep. Control, 7-Adam-15 requesting juvenile transportation." Harper replies.

[Timeskip]

"It's natural to feel nervous." Ana assures Hector.

"This ain't nothing." Hector replies.

"Welcome to Cal Correctional, Officers. Please hand over your duty belts and backup pieces. They'll be secured in a locker here. Thought you were bringing me four young men." Sharp says once they arrive.

"Uh, one of them flamed out before we got here." Harper responds.

"Sounds like I'll be meeting him soon enough. You three, face the fence. You are now in my custody. You will obey every order I give, or I will put hands on you and I will make you obey. You ball up your fist, I'll take that as a sign of aggression and I will put you on the ground and I will handcuff you. Is that clear? Is that clear?!" Sharp yells.

"Yes, sir." The boys respond.

"Let's move." Sharp says while a warden walks over to them.

"Detective Harper, Officer Cabrera. I'm Warden Miller. Have you been through this program before?" Miller asks.

"no, ma'am" Ana says, softly.

"Well, it can be intense." Miller warns.

"yes, ma'am" Ana nods, softly.

"I like her" Miller says, turning to Harper.

"yeah, she's a good one" Harper replies.

[Timeskip]

"Hey! I know you." Hutchinson says when Ana and Harper walk in.

"Hi, Oscar" Ana smiles, softly.

"You know Oscar?" Miller asks.

"Yeah, actually, um... I nabbed him a few times, we went through the end of the world together" Ana explains, softly. "is he here to help the kids?"

"Yeah, well, he's not here to say anything useful. He's here because he's the monster that they'll be locked up with. And Mr. Caine here joined us 11 years ago, after he was convicted of a double homicide." Miller says, gesturing to Caine.

"Oh, come on, Warden. Give him some credit. Caine tore the arm off of a guy that he caught his wife cheating on him with. He beat them both to death with it." Oscar pipes up.

"Not sure it's a good idea to remind him of that." Harper warns.

"No, but it sure is fun." Oscar grins.

"Mm. Yeah. I know what you're thinking -- you're better than me, right? Yeah, 'cause you on the outside, 'cause you got options. You just roll your eyes at me? What you got, a death wish? You think these guards gonna save you? I'm in here 40 years. You think I'm scared of a few weeks in the hole, five more on my sentence?" Caine says, threatening the three boys.

"Step back, Caine. Now." Miller orders.

"Caine's passionate. He's got what psychological professionals would describe as "anger issues." Say something wrong to him, he'll turn your bones to dust. But deep down, the real reason that he's here with you is because he wishes that someone had diverted him from this place. Not me. I'm here because it got me out of my cell. Plus, it gives me a glimpse of future prey. I want you guys to end up here. I'm gonna be behind bars until I'm 90... long as I don't get caught blinding another inmate. Which I will never do again, ma'am. I have learned my lesson." Oscar starts before turning to Miller.

"Don't talk to me, Oscar. Talk to them." Miller says, unimpressed.

"Yes, ma'am. So, you're the future inmates of America. Trust me, stay on this path, do that, so you can end up in here with me. How many criminals get away with their crimes, Officer Cabrera?" Oscar asks turning to Ana.

"not many" Ana says, softly.

"Why is that?" Oscar questions.

"Because they're dumb." Harper answers.

"Oh, I'm not dumb." Oscar says, offended.

"she just means that you lack... impulse control" Ana offers, softly.

"Yes! I do! What's your name?" Oscar agrees, turning to Hector.

"Hector." Hector replies.

"Do you think that you're a tough guy, Hector?" Oscar asks.

"I know I am." Hector says, being cocky.

"You're not. Uh, maybe you are. Doesn't really matter. There's always gonna be somebody tougher than you, somebody willing to do what you won't do. Do you know that tough guys get shanked to death in here every day? Not me, though. 'Cause I'm not a tough guy. I'm a cockroach. I'll do whatever it takes to come out on top." Oscar exclaims.

"Ma'am, Hector's brother, Thomas, is incarcerated here." Ana says, softly, to Miller.

"you thinking of a family reunion?" Miller asks.

"I read both their files. Hector was a model citizen before his brother got arrested. He idolized him. But he hasn't visited in almost a year because Thomas refuses to see him. Maybe it's time for Hector to see how far his brother has fallen." Ana suggests, softly.

[Timeskip]

"Down. Up. Don't -- Don't you dare stop." Caine lectures.

"Give it a rest, Caine. Boy's with me." Thomas says, walking into the room.

"Get up. On your feet, on your feet! Let's go!" Caine yells.

"Thomas?" Hector asks.

"You on the phone every week, telling me how great you're doing, and this is how I see you?" Thomas lectures.

"He's been in juvie for the past few months with drug possession, wants to end up in here with you" Ana pipes up, softly.

"Why the hell you want to do that?" Thomas questions.

"Because he doesn't know any better. He thinks you're a role model." Harper says.

"Hey, don't talk to him like that." Hector tells Harper.

"No, lady cop's right. I'm no one to be proud of." Thomas agrees.

"How can you say that? You run things in here. People respect you." Hector frowns.

"No, they're afraid of me. That ain't the same thing. When you're in here, you can't afford to be a human being. And once you lose that, you can never get it back. Don't be me." Thomas orders but then an alarm blares twice.

"What's that?" Harper asks.

"Just a little bit of trouble. It's a daily occurrence around here, but I do need to go see to it. Sharp, put the three of them on a short leash." Miller says before walking off.

"Warden's lying. Two short bursts mean there's a riot going on. About to get crazy up in here." Oscar tells Ana and Harper.

[Timeskip]

"Better hope that the Warden squashes this riot. Cops and kids are about the best hostages inmates could dream of." Oscar says.

"Oscar, shut up." Sharp orders when the alarm buzzes three times.

"I'm guessing three bursts is worse than two?" Harper asks Oscar.

"It's just a call to prayer. As in -- pray they kill you quick." Oscar answers, making Ana's eyes widen.

"alright kids, you want some advice?" Oscar questions, turning to the three kids. "that cop right there is an angel"

Oscar points at Ana, confusing everyone.

"She's been through hell and back but she's still the sweetest person alive. You're lucky that you're even in her presence. She saved my life multiple times out of the goodness of her heart." Oscar continues.

"You want to survive here in prison? You protect her with your life because I swear to god if she so much as gets a scratch on her, when ever your little behinds come into this prison, Caine and Thomas here will rip you limb from limb" Oscar threatens.

Ana turns her head to Harper.

"I don't know what to tell you, runt" Harper shrugs. "you have this freakishly annoying ability to make people like you"

[Timeskip]

"Hey, how bad is it out there?" Harper asks when Miller returns.

"Several casualties. Mostly inmates, one guard. 60% of the prison is under inmate control, which means you've got to go. Lock them in cells in B Wing and then fold in with the CERT team. C.O. Sharp is going to escort you and the kids to the nearest exit. At this moment, the coast is clear. Be safe." Miller responds.

"Remember what he said, kids" Caine says as the kids stand up.

"Cabrera" Thomas calls, making Ana turn to look at him.

"Keep him off the streets" Thomas requests.

"will do, sir" Ana says, softly, nodding.

"All right. Time to move." Sharp calls.

"Wait, Ana, what happened with Tim?" Oscar asks.

"oh, voicemail never went through" Ana replies, softly.

"sure" Oscar nods.

"Are you scared?" Ana asks, softly, as they head out.

"You want the truth?" Harper questions.

"do I?" Ana questions, softly.

"I'm not scared at all." Harper answers.

"okay" Ana exhales, shakily.

"Let's go. Is there a way out of here that doesn't go through a cell block?" Harper questions Sharp.

"No." Sharp answers.

"alright, let's go guys" Ana says, softly, ushering the three kids over.

[Timeskip]

"He's dead." Sharp says as they pass someone.

"come on, let's just keep moving" Ana says, softly.

"Hey, J.J., I got those Scared Straight kids." An inmate suddenly appears, talking over a guard's stolen radio.

"Hell yeah. On our way." J.J. says over the radio.

"get behind us" Ana murmurs, softly.

The inmate raises a stolen gun at Ana but Hector manages to grab it out of his hands.

"come on, come on" Ana says as they run away.

"It's locked." One of the boys says when they reach a locked door.

Sharp hurries to the front of the line and tries to unlock the door.

[TImeskip]

They end up in a security room with monitors.

"Listen up. We got ourselves a VIP." An inmate says, holding Miller.

"Get your hands off me!" Miller screams.

"That's the Warden." Ana exhales.

"You try and take the prison back, we'll rip her to pieces. A list of demands will be forthwith. Until then, have a great day." The inmate threatens.

"Any chance that CERT team is nearby?" Ana asks, softly, turning to Sharp.

"No, they're clear on the other side of the prison. There's no way they'll get to her in time." Sharp answers.

"But we can." Harper reasons.

"no" Hector says, grabbing Ana's arm.

"we have to save her" Ana insists, softly.

"my brother said to keep you safe" Hector disagrees.

"your brother was being kind, but right now, we need to go save the Warden" Ana argues, softly.

Sharp types in '8977' into a key pad and the door opens.

Ana and Harper exchange a look before leaving.

"we need to make a quick stop" Ana says, softly, walking towards Oscar's cell.

"Why aren't you out there running wild, like the rest of them?" Harper asks when they see Oscar chilling in his cell.

"I was, then I got tired. All I really wanted to do was beat the hell out of this one guy, Kevin Medved." Oscar replies.

"Did you?" Ana asks, softly.

"No, somebody beat me to it. I know, right? Just my luck. But I did get to laugh in his face, which was nice. I'm surprised to see you two in one piece. Where's the kids? Did you trade them for safe passage?" Oscar asks.

"No, we got them out." Harper answers.

"And then you came back. For the Warden. Mm. You shouldn't have done that, nugget" Oscar tells Ana.

"we need to save her" Ana insists, softly. "will you help us?"

"I'll help you" Oscar sighs, standing up.

"why?" Ana asks, softly, still confused on why Oscar feels so strongly about protecting her.

"Because you're the best person I've ever met" Oscar replies.

Ana tilts her head.

"Don't ask me" Oscar shrugs.

"so you're in?" Harper butts in.

"yup" Oscar nods.

"okay, so what's up with the runt and Tim?" Harper smirks, wanting to get the full story.

It makes Ana blush and Oscar laugh.

[Timeskip]

"Oscar, get your crazy ass out of here before I slice you open." An inmate calls.

"Okay. I guess I'll, uh, trade these two cops I caught to the Mexicans." Oscar responds while Ana and Harper sneak up behind the inmates.

"You got those cops? Where?" The inmate asks.

"Just outside here. I tied 'em up." Oscar says. Ana and Harper quickly knock the inmates unconscious.

"What the hell is he doing here with you?" Miller asks as Ana unties him.

"Helping nugget over here" Oscar replies.

"Makes sense" Miller nods.

"why does everyone say that?" Ana whines, really not understanding.

Then a door opens and Oscar gets in front of Ana.

"Thank the good Lord. I just found these two trying to steal the Warden from you guys." Oscar smiles.

"Where's Hector?" Thomas asks.

'He's okay" Ana promises, softly.

"For real?" Thomas checks.

"For real, sir" Ana nods, softly.

"Back off, Thomas. This ain't got nothing to do with you." An inmate says.

"They walk." Thomas decides.

"Like hell they do." Mimic disagrees.

"They walk." Thomas growls and the other inmates stand down.

"Thank you, sir" Ana says, softly.

"where you going, Oscar?" Harper calls when Oscar starts to walk off.

"back to my cell" Oscar answers.

"uh uh, I haven't gotten the full Tim story, get your ass over here, you'll walk us out" Harper decides, making Oscar grin and Ana blush.

[Timeskip]

"okay, but why?" Ana asks, still confused on why everyone seemed determined to protect her today.

"Listen, runt, you got some sort of like selfless sunshine shit going on and for people who've been through hell, it's nice" Harper shrugs.

"sunshine shit?" Ana questions.

"runt, you're the light at the end of many peoples' tunnels" Harper says before walking off.

"what does that mean?" Ana calls, huffing but Harper just keeps walking away.