Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. ï>¿The Courier by EC Chapter 11 - The trial of Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres While the student protestors continued to kneel outside, Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna, Director Cecilia Sanchez, Prisoner # 101025, and the two officers escorting the prisoner passed through the main door of the Central Courthouse. They walked through an ornate entryway and passed through a second set of doors that led to the main courtroom chamber. The main trial room was large, with old wooden furnishings and huge windows on the left side. On the right side were benches where spectators sat. The judge sat at a large desk on an elevated platform at the end of the room opposite from where the prisoner entered, and the prosecution team had a table near the judge's platform. The most important detail for Maria Elena was a second wooden platform about 5 meters in front of the judge's desk. It was round, about a meter and a half high, and had stairs going to the top. That second platform was where the prisoner would have to stand throughout the trial. Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna took a deep breath as she looked at the prisoner's platform. Already she had spoken on behalf of more than 100 clients, all of whom had to stand during the proceedings. However, the memory burned into her mind was from the first time she saw that platform, now more than eight years ago. She had been only 18, just out of high school, and had entered the room as Prisoner # 98945. She was a terrified and bewildered foreigner, with no knowledge of the culture or language of Upper Danubia (as the country was called back then) facing a 20-year sentence for marijuana trafficking. How much things had changed since then, but one detail remained constant in the Spokeswoman's mind. Every time she saw that platform, her memory flashed back to her own trial. No matter how many times she escorted her own clients into the Courtroom, for a second Kim's imagination brought back to her, in vivid detail, everything she felt the first moment she saw the platform. It was only for an instant, but that instant never let her forget what it felt like to be going on trial herself. The Spokeswoman blinked and brought herself back to the present. The cops were un-cuffing her client, who would not be able to escape now that the door was locked. Kim took out the key to Maria Elena's temporary collar and unlocked it. She handed the collar to a courtroom attendant to return to the Ministry, since it no longer would be needed. Maria Elena felt the cool air of the courtroom on her neck, knowing that within a short time she would be collared again, this time permanently. The Spokeswoman pointed to a worn spot in the Courtroom's old carpeting and told her client to kneel. Then she issued the following instructions: "Maria Elena, when the judge comes in everyone will stand and salute him, except you. You must kneel forward and put your forehead to the carpet. You will stay that way until the judge orders you to step forward. You will climb the platform and assume the prisoner's stance. That means you must stand with your legs spread and your hands behind your head. No matter who else is talking, you must remain in that position, facing the judge. Director Sanchez will translate anything you need to know or any answers you need to provide the court." The prisoner sadly responded: "Doc-doc, Advokatna Lee-Dolkivna." She remained kneeling, nervously looking at the numerous spectators and trial witnesses sitting in the benches to her right. She recognized almost everyone who had been with the Inspector in the airport interrogation chamber: all those cops who had fondled her and smiled while she was being paddled and humiliated. She saw that female medical assistant who had dishonored her. Unfortunately their eyes met and the woman gave her a cruel smile. When the Inspector entered the courtroom to take his seat among the prosecutors, Kim signaled that she needed to talk to him privately. She told Cecilia to remain standing with the kneeling prisoner while she walked over to him. Her heart was pounding, because she had decided to force him to request that the prosecutor drop the charge of perjury against her client. With every bit of effort to control her voice and maintain a calm, confident appearance she quietly asked: "Inspector, are you aware that there are 13 demonstrators outside this courthouse who are protesting on behalf of my client?" "Yes, Spokeswoman, I saw them as I was entering." "Well, Inspector. I believe that the fact there are demonstrators will mean that we will have to play the entire interrogation video of my client during the trial. The demonstrators are not going to accept that my client committed perjury unless the actual footage documenting that accusation is made part of my client's trial record. I am going to have to call you and the medical staff as witnesses to explain your method for proving that my client is guilty of the crime of perjury. When we do that, I will ask that the demonstrators be brought into the courtroom to witness that footage for themselves." Kim noticed the Inspector's face going pale. She knew that the last thing he wanted was for footage of his unit's interrogation tactics played during a trial. The fact that there were demonstrators, who had Church approval no less, present outside the courtroom, would obligate him to show the film of Maria Elena being beaten and throwing up. There was no question that would cause a huge scandal and possibly cost him his position at the airport. He knew that the Spokeswoman had backed him into a corner. He would have to drop the charge of perjury. He was defeated, but outwardly maintained his calm. "Spokeswoman, I would imagine, thinking about it, that perjury really is not relevant in the case of your client. I am convinced that she did not understand what we were asking of her. It will not be necessary to enter the interrogation tape into the trial because it simply shows something that we cannot be sure of anyway. If you wish, I will notify the prosecutor of our misgiving about the perjury charge." "Very well, Inspector. I appreciate your understanding about the perjury issue. If that charge is not included in my client's hearing, I would agree that showing the interrogation video will not be necessary. There is something else." "Yes, Spokeswoman?" "Perhaps we might agree to minimize the number of switchings my client will face? I think that, given her sentence will still be 35 years; we could have her switched once a year? That would still be 34 switchings, which I think is enough." "Yes, I would agree, Spokeswoman. That would be plenty. I will discuss our misgivings with the prosecutor." "Thank you, Inspector." As the Inspector turned to talk to the prosecutor, Kim struggled not to faint and not to scream with joy. She took a deep breath and returned to her client. She was trembling and trying to control her emotions. Maria Elena looked at her with concern, while Cecilia whispered: "What happened?" "I... I think I'm going to get the perjury charge dropped. If I do, I'll owe that to your students." "My students?" "Yes, your students. Because they're out there, I would've forced the Inspector to play the video where they were interrogating Maria Elena. He wants to keep that out, because he doesn't want a bunch of protestors to see what his crew did to her. So, without that video, there's no proof she committed perjury." Kim and Cecilia watched as the Inspector and the prosecutor discussed the matter. They glanced at the Spokeswoman with worried expressions. The prosecutor then said something unpleasant to the Inspector, before crossing off several lines from his statement. He glanced up again at Kim, his expression full of resentment. It was obvious the perjury charge would indeed have to be dropped. Kim whispered to Cecilia: "They're really pissed. Essentially I blackmailed them. But I couldn't have done it without your students. As soon as you can, I need you to get out there and let 'em know what they've accomplished." The judge entered the chamber. The entire room shouted "Doc-doc Danube!" and everyone saluted, including Kim and Cecilia. As instructed, Kim's client knelt forward and placed her hands on the worn carpet, her forehead touching the ground. Maria Elena felt the cool air of the courtroom blowing against her exposed vagina and bottom. She realized how much she was on display, but after two weeks in Danubia, she understood that modesty was a privilege that no longer was part of her life. The prosecutor read the charges, which included cocaine possession, cocaine trafficking, and violating the sanctity of her body. Kim signed with relief, because not included in the list was the perjury charge. She had scored a significant win against the Inspector. The trial judge asked Kim in Danubian: "Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna, is your client properly aware of the charges she is facing and that you are her representative in this court?" "Yes, your honor, although with your permission, I'd like to clarify to her what charges she is, and is not facing." The prosecutor tightened his lips, because it was obvious his opponent was referring to dropped perjury accusation. "Very well, Spokeswoman. Please make that clarification so we can continue." Kim told Cecilia to translate what had happened, that the perjury charge and its resulting 20-year sentence had been dropped. That detail only heartened Maria Elena slightly, because she still was facing 35 years of being collared and a bunch of judicial switchings. Still, Kim's pre-trial victory heightened the prisoner's confidence that her Spokeswoman really was determined to protect her as much as possible. The trial judge addressed Kim again: "Spokeswoman, please tell your client to present herself to the court." Kim tapped Maria Elena's shoulder and pointed at the platform. The prisoner approached it and climbed the steps, finding herself standing about a meter and a half above the ground. Reluctantly she spread her legs and put her hands behind her head. Four spotlights shined on her from different directions. She heard the murmurings of the spectators and saw the flashes of reporters' cameras. The first portion of the trial was dedicated to presenting the evidence against Prisoner # 101025. The prosecutor stood before the judge with a metal cart containing the evidence. The most important item the official presented was a tray containing 100 grape-sized bluish-gray ovals, the "pellets" of cocaine that Maria Elena was carrying with her when she was arrested. The prosecutor called the dog handler to testify how his dog initially sniffed out the pellets Maria Elena had in her jacket, and then the head doctor to explain how Maria Elena had the other pellets concealed inside her body. That detail caused a stir in the courtroom, because to use one's own body for such a disgusting purpose was totally offensive to Danubian values. Other evidence presented during the trial included Maria Elena's cell phone and the arrest record of El Flaco in Germany. Kim did not contest anything, because she already had eliminated the evidence that most would have mattered, the interrogation video. Anyhow, both she and the Inspector agreed that Maria Elena was much better off having been arrested in Danubia than she would have been had she continued on to Germany. After two hours, Maria Elena's body was starting to cramp badly, and she wondered how much longer she could stay in her position. Just as the prisoner felt like she was going to faint, the judge stood up. Suddenly the Spokeswoman whispered desperately "Maria Elena! Quick! You must kneel!" The Colombian just made it to the platform on her knees when the entire room exploded with "Doc-doc Danube!" Kim ordered her client to step off the platform and passed her a glass of water. Meanwhile, Cecilia went outside to tell Carmen and the other students what they had accomplished by demonstrating. They stood up along with the Priest, wincing as they stretched. Their knees ached and their muscles were horribly cramped from being immobile for such a long time. As for their initial unease of being naked in front of the Courthouse, that concern had passed a long time ago. The loss of their modesty was overshadowed by their ongoing physical discomfort. "So far, just by being here, you've managed to cut 20 years off her sentence. In this country that's a big deal. You really helped Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna and she wants me to tell you how grateful she is." The Americans were relieved. They had accomplished something significant, so their efforts had not been wasted. Cecilia could tell that they were happy to be finished and thought they were about to leave. However, their commitment was far from over. "Kim and I need you to get back on your knees for the rest of the trial. The next part is the defense, where the Spokeswoman's gonna negotiate her sentence. Right now she's hoping she can get Maria Elena's switchings cut down to once a year. The Prosecutor wants her to get a switching every three months. So if you guys leave now, Maria Elena's still gonna get screwed. Keep at it, because you're making a difference for her. You really are." Cecilia briefly summarized what had happened to the Priest in Danubian. He returned to his knees. Carmen immediately knelt and picked up her sign. Reluctantly the others followed, trying to ignore the mounting pain in their knees and the cramps in their legs and backs. As soon as Cecilia returned to the courtroom to take her place next to the Spokeswoman, the judge stood up to resume the trial. There was a loud shout of "Doc-doc Danube!" Maria Elena scrambled to get into her kneeling position on top of her platform as the rest of the room saluted the judge. He read over some procedural issues and then ordered the prisoner to stand. Cecilia relayed the order in Spanish and she resumed her position on top of the platform, legs apart and hands behind her head. The judge then called the Spokesman of the Criminal to speak up on her behalf. Kim made no attempt refute any of the evidence or allege Maria Elena's innocence, because that was not her job. There was no question her client had entered Danubia while transporting a kilogram of cocaine on behalf of a drug trafficking organization. Her job instead was to point out mitigating factors. In Maria Elena's case there were several significant details that Kim was able to present to the court, the most important of which was the fact that, thanks to the prisoner's cooperation with the Inspector, her handler had been arrested in Germany. As she translated, Cecilia noted that neither Kim nor the Inspector had any desire to tell the court the real reason Maria Elena had cooperated. The Inspector was worried about his unit's abuse of the detainee becoming public record, while the Spokeswoman wanted to portray her client in a way that would make the court sympathize with her. How ironic that the opposing sides shared the same goal, but for totally different reasons. Cecilia was able to appreciate how difficult and complicated her friend's job truly was, because she had to use guile and tact to outwit prosecutors and police officials whose only goal in life was to treat all criminals as ruthlessly as the law would allow. Kim's job forced her to be cunning and opportunistic, to look for whatever opportunities she could find that would help a client avoid the maximum punishment. What made her position more difficult was that she had to be scrupulously honest about whether or not she believed that her clients actually did commit the crimes of which they were accused. Cecilia knew that if Kim ever attempted to declare a client innocent of a crime while knowing that person was in fact guilty, she could be put on trial herself for perjury and possibly executed. The defense portion of the trial went quickly, since there was no conflict between how the Inspector and how the Spokeswoman wanted to treat the prisoner. Finally the judge looked directly at Maria Elena and asked her a question in Danubian. Cecilia translated: "They are about to pronounce the sentence. He wants to know if you have anything to say to the court. If you do, get on your knees before you speak." Maria Elena thought for a moment before sinking to her knees. She was neither educated nor introspective, but she felt that she did have something to say. Haltingly she tried to express herself in Spanish, while Cecilia translated and tried to put what she was saying into a more coherent format. The court heard the following: "I don't really have a good explanation for what I did or why I did it. I know it was wrong... and when I was doing it I knew it was wrong. I guess I'm going to get what I deserved. But I am lucky. I realize I am lucky, because I didn't know what was really gonna happen to me. I didn't know that... I wasn't gonna be allowed to leave... that they were gonna keep me. And my Spokeswoman said to me that I have to ask myself, why did all those other women end up as... prostitutes... and why didn't that happen to me... why I was spared... and I don't really know. I mean... maybe it was so that you could stop them from what they were doing. But I'm sorry for what I did... I'm sorry for everyone I disappointed... everyone in my life... " Cecilia gently cut off Maria Elena's rambling so the trial could end. She ordered the prisoner to remain kneeling during the reading of the verdict and sentencing: "This court finds the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres guilty of the crimes of cocaine trafficking through the King Vladik International Airport, possession of one kilogram of pure cocaine in the form of powder, and violation of the sanctity of her body, an offense against the gift that the Creator gave to her soul. The conditions of the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres' sentence are as follows:" "Item One: The Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres will wear the criminal's collar for thirty five years. Twenty of those years will be for bringing a kilogram of cocaine to the King Vladik International Airport while transporting that drug on behalf of an international criminal organization. For insulting the sanctity of her body the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres will wear the criminal's collar an additional ten years. Finally, for the possession of 1000 grams of powdered cocaine the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres will wear the criminal's collar an additional five years. The collar will identify her as a criminal, monitor her movements, and alert the police should she try to leave this city. For the next ten years the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres is prohibited from traveling more than 10 kilometers from this courthouse. At no point during her sentence will the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres be allowed to travel outside the Danubikt Moskt collar zone, unless such moment is deemed necessary by the government of the Republic of Danubia." "Item Two: For the duration of her sentence the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres is prohibited from covering any part of her body with any article of clothing. That prohibition will remain in effect for the full 35 years, regardless of any other changes to the conditions of her sentence. She has disgraced herself and our nation with her actions, and the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres' disgrace will be shown to the world as a result of this conviction." "Item Three: the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres will receive 34 vigorous punishments on the naked buttocks with a standard leather switch. One of the punishments will be given in this chamber immediately at the closing of this hearing, the others on the anniversary of this sentencing in the Central Police Station each year for the duration of her sentence. The arresting officer or his assigned partner will administer all punishments." "Item Four: Finally, Spokeswoman Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna will be awarded full legal custody of the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres for the duration of her sentence. Spokeswoman Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna will act on behalf of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Danubia, and as her custodian will be held personally responsible for any violations of this sentence that might be committed by the Colombian Maria Elena Rodriguez-Torres." Kim looked up at her client. "Maria Elena, you are now convicted and sentenced. You need to come down and kneel at the judge's table." Once Maria Elena was kneeling on the floor the judge issued another command. The collar technician walked up to her and put a measuring tape around her neck. He checked the pulse of her jugular vein and wrote down the measurement from the tape. He left and shortly returned with the collar-fitting device, which looked like an enormous pair of salad tongs. Maria Elena glanced at it in terror. "That's what they use to put the Ministry collar on you," explained Cecilia. "It won't hurt." The technician slipped the imposing tong-device over Maria Elena's head and closed it around her neck. He checked to make sure it would not pinch her skin, and then clamped it shut. There was a faint hiss and a dull click. When the man opened the device and moved it away, Criminal # 101025 had a metal collar around her neck. Maria Elena now was marked as a convicted criminal by a collar that was virtually indestructible. Like every other person who had been collared, Maria Elena's hands went involuntarily to her neck to feel the device that permanently set her apart from the world of free citizens. The court attendants were collapsing the prisoner's stand to reveal the switching table. Maria Elena glanced at it not so much in fear, but in sad resignation. Over the past two weeks, Kim and Cecilia had told her how to behave in court and what to expect, so there was no need to explain now. Kim would release custody of her client to the airport dog handler, he would punish her and present her to the judge, she would thank him, and she then would return to the police station to spend a painful afternoon on the recovery table in Kim's office. Kim and Cecilia, with Maria Elena kneeling at their side, saluted the airport officer and his partner. There was the tap of the switch on Maria Elena's shoulder, which was the cop's recognition that Criminal # 101025 had been handed over to his custody for the duration of her punishment. The dog handler's partner tapped the criminal on the shoulder, pointed at the switching table and touched one of the straps, indicating that she needed to position her hands so she could be immobilized. Maria Elena reluctantly complied. The female officer tightened the leather around the criminal's right wrist, then took her left hand and immobilized her other arm. She tightened a thick strap around Maria Elena's waist before tapping the insides of her thighs to force her to spread her legs. The criminal felt the cuffs tighten around her ankles, forcing her legs to remain spread and completely exposing her bottom. The cop placed the switch in front of Maria Elena's face to let her see, close up, the implement with which she would be punished. That small taunt had the effect he wanted; the criminal began trembling with fright. Cecilia whispered in Spanish: "Maria Elena, a lot of people have sacrificed for you. You need to be brave and show everyone you have guts and honor. It's gonna be hard, but you've got to do it." Maria Elena took a deep breath and nodded, but she couldn't stop from trembling. The dog handler exchanged glances with his partner, and then with the Spokeswoman. He picked up the switch and tapped the implement to Maria Elena's bottom to let her know where the first stroke was going to land. He repositioned himself slightly, drew back, and struck hard at the base of her buttocks. A reddish line appeared and quickly began to darken as Maria Elena winced and clenched her fists. The pain continued to mount... and that was just one stroke... the first out of 50. Tears welled up in her eyes and she continued to tremble, but managed not to make any noise. Honor... stay silent and defend your honor, she thought to herself. The dog handler slashed the switch through the air several times before tapping Maria Elena's bottom again and striking another vicious blow. A second line of solid pain marked her exposed bottom, soon to be joined by a third, a fourth, a fifth. The criminal bit hard on her lip. She couldn't believe how much the blows hurt, but she managed to stay silent. For a while she pressed her forehead against the table as she involuntarily pulled hard against her cuffs. She understood that there was no way the officer would show her any mercy and no way that either her Spokeswoman or anyone else could help her. However, as hard as it might be, she knew that she had to show Kim and Cecilia, as well as her two tormentors, the courtroom, and most importantly herself, that she could take a severe punishment would courage and dignity. It had to be that way, a vital step in her path to personal redemption and to the beginning of the rest of her life. The dog handler punished Maria Elena in the normal methodical manner that was taught at the National Police Academy. He tapped the victim's bottom to let her know where the next stroke would land, drew back, and then delivered a fearful blow. He waited for his subject to fully appreciate the pain from the stroke. After about 40 seconds he tapped his target and struck again. He slowly worked his way up towards the top of her bottom leaving it covered with 20 welts. Starting with the 21st stroke he slowly worked his way back down, trying as best he could to aim at the unmarked skin between the reddish lines on Maria Elena's agonized backside. He wanted to leave her bottom a solid mass of evenly placed welts before moving on to her thighs and shoulders. Sweat and tears poured down Maria Elena's face as she gasped through her clenched teeth. Her knees were shaking and her body jerked each time the switch landed. The punishment was a real judicial whipping, far more severe than the paddling she had faced in the interrogation room. As the pain intensified, it forced her mind off of everything else that had occupied her thoughts over the last several weeks. Her old life had completely ended. Even as everything else faded in her mind: the blows drove that point home. Her old life was gone and all she had left was her future as a Danubian criminal. The cop continued striking viciously. He carefully laid a series of hard strokes at the base of Maria Elena's bottom cheeks and then continued down her thighs. As the painful area extended beyond her bottom, Maria Elena couldn't resist any longer. At the 28th stroke she let out a cry and began sobbing, totally humiliated that she had not been able to stay silent after-all. Kim and Cecilia exchanged looks. She still had 22 strokes and 30 minutes of punishment to go. As the cop continued to land blows on the criminal's legs she sobbed, but managed to avoid screaming. As the welts swelled and darkened, the Spokeswoman carefully watched the final portion of the punishment. It was her duty to make sure the cop did not come close to breaking her client's skin, and if she felt that the criminal was in any danger she could order him to strike another part of her body. At the 43rd stoke Kim raised her hand and pointed at the Colombian's exposed back. The cop would have to finish by laying blows across his victim's shoulders to spare her badly swollen bottom. She screamed pitifully as each of the final blows landed. Nearly an hour after the punishment began, the cop struck for the 50th time and Kim was able to raise her hand. It was the Spokesperson's job, not the cop's job, to make sure the switching did not go beyond 50 strokes. Maria Elena's body was jerking with sobs and her bottom was deep red, with a series of dark purple lines punctuating where the dog handler had landed his final blows before moving on to her shoulders. Seven solid reddish stripes crossed her upper back. Kim and the cop saluted each other as the man's partner began unbuckling the broken prisoner. In spite of what she thought about her own resistance, Maria Elena had held up fairly well. She wasn't the bravest criminal Kim had ever defended, but at least she had not dishonored herself either. Once the straps were completely unbuckled, she struggled to get off the table. The pain seemed to be getting worse, not better, even though the punishment was completed. In spite of what everyone had warned her, she couldn't believe how much the switching actually hurt. Her legs trembled and barely supported her weight as she struggled to get up. She was unsteady while standing, but the dog handler and his partner grabbed her arms, walked her over to the judge, and turned her around. The judge counted the strokes to make sure she had been struck 50 times before signing the punishment certificate. Once he stamped that document, the two cops led the still-crying criminal to Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna. Cecilia translated: "OK, that's it. All you gotta do is get on your knees and thank the officer. Just kiss his shoes and say 'thank you for correcting my evil behavior'." Maria Elena clumsily got on her knees and between sobs repeated the required sentence in Spanish, which Cecilia translated for the court. The cop touched Maria Elena on the shoulder with his switch and saluted Kim. The Spokeswoman saluted back, and with that formal custody of Criminal # 101025 was transferred back to her. With her client slumped on her knees at her feet, the Spokeswoman saluted the judge. He asked if Criminal # 101025 had gainful employment that exposed her body to public view. Kim responded that she did, explaining about the gardening position at the university. The judge was satisfied and stamped another document verifying that Maria Elena already was working. There was one final indignity waiting for Maria Elena at the Courthouse, one that was a final ritual of her trial and conviction. Immediately following her switching, Criminal # 101025 had to pose for a series of photos for her official sentencing certificate. The certificate included two photos of her teary face, now complete with her permanent collar, and three shots of her body, with the evidence of her switching on prominent display. Sadly she turned around for the camera, knowing that the welts on her body would be forever part of her official criminal record. ***** A few minutes later Criminal # 101025 exited the Central Courthouse with her Spokeswoman and translator. Kim held her arm as she struggled to get down the stairs, but informed her that she would need to walk across the plaza unassisted. She passed 13 naked kneeling classmates, who looked at her injured backside in horror. The Americans were not allowed to say anything, because they had been instructed that to maintain the dignity of their solidarity they needed to remain silent. As soon as she crossed the plaza they would be allowed to stand up, after nearly four hours of kneeling. However, they would have to accompany the Priest to the Temple of the Ancients and go through the purification ritual to begin formal Public Penance. The physical agony of kneeling in silence had ended, but their commitment to Criminal # 101025 had only begun. Maria Elena made her way across the plaza towards the Central Police Station, a journey made by every criminal following trial and conviction. It was a long, agonizing trip that exposed her punished body to hundreds of ordinary people running about. A recently convicted and punished criminal always drew a lot of attention, so most of the people in the plaza stood still to watch as the injured woman made her way to the police station. Kim and Cecilia gave their assistance to help Maria Elena get up the steps to the entrance, and again assisted her as she made her way up the steps leading to the third floor and the Spokeswoman's office. Merchant Victor Dukov was waiting for Criminal # 101025. Exhausted and traumatized she fell into his arms. She began crying again, as he did what he needed to do, hold her and not say anything. He gently helped her get on a recovery table and continued holding her hand as she lay on her stomach. Victor continued massaging his lover's hand as she quietly cried on the table. After a long time she finally fell asleep, happy that he was with her. As they waited for Maria Elena to go to sleep, Kim and Cecilia stood in silence, enormously relieved that the trial and punishment had ended. Finally Kim commented: "Go check on your students. And make sure they know that I am grateful for what they did for her. Because of what they did, I got 20 years cut off her sentence and her switchings reduced by two thirds, if not more. Make sure they realize they made a difference, and that I am honored to have them in this country." Cecilia nodded and left the police station. As she entered the Central Plaza, she realized that in one day 13 of her students had learned more about what it meant to have honor in Danubia than she could have taught them in an entire semester. Chapter 12 - Criminal # 101025 Maria Elena spent the next several hours in Kim's office, recovering from the first of 34 judicial switchings that were part of her formal sentence. Victor moved a chair close to the recovery table and took a seat to massage her hands and the uninjured parts of her body. Maria Elena did not move once she was settled on her stomach on the table. The pain searing into her was bearable as long as she stayed still, but any movement caused her welts to throb and burn. For a long time the pain and trauma from the switching filled her thoughts, pushing out anything else that might have worried her just a day or two before. But anyhow, it was done. The trial was over and her first punishment was over. She would fall asleep (or pass out), her welts would turn much darker, and eventually she would wake up and begin her life as a convicted criminal. As happy as she might have been about her success during Criminal # 101025's trial and sentencing, Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna had to move on with other responsibilities. For the moment she was done with Maria Elena. The criminal had been switched, returned to her custody, and now was safely on a recovery table with her lover to comfort her. Meanwhile, she had to deal with other cases, including the recent arrest of a French antiquities dealer who had been caught smuggling some ancient artifacts out of the country. That particular case would be a real challenge, because Kim had never defended a suspect who had violated the country's antiquities laws. The Spokeswoman glanced at her assistant, Criminal # 98946, who was more than eight months pregnant with a stomach that was painfully swollen. She had held up well so far, but within a week or two she would have to go on maternity leave, leaving her boss with a double-load of work. Not a pleasant thing to contemplate, especially with the trial of that antiquities smuggler coming up. ***** Program Director Cecilia Sanchez briefly went into the Central Cathedral to make sure her students' clothing and other personal items were safely stored. She smiled slightly as she picked up a bag full of unused signs and banners, the props with which the Americans would have created a public scandal had Kim not intervened. Cecilia thought it would be better to get rid of the bag of protest items, just in case they decided to get stupid again. She passed the bag to a Cathedral attendant and asked him to burn it. The director's next concern was herself. Because she had gone to trial, she was wearing one of her best dresses. She vaguely wondered if she might be called upon to perform Public Penance along with the others. If that happened she would have to toss a dress worth nearly $ 700 into a fire pit, something she had no desire whatsoever to do. Better to take off the dress and put on a prayer robe, just in case. She paid the attendant a copper coin to rent a black robe, changed into it, and put her dress with the items belonging to her students. If the Church decided to collar her for any reason, they would not burn the prayer robe. Cecilia reflected that it was a bit hypocritical that the Clergy had no problem burning clothing that belonged to other people, but if someone went in wearing a Church-issued prayer robe; that was one item that would never go into the fire-pit. Once she was properly attired in her rented outfit, the exchange program director was ready to go to the Temple of the Ancients and deal with her students. She walked several blocks from the Central Plaza to the nearby Plaza of the Ancients. She took a deep breath as she approached the Temple, still concerned about the possibility that she might be collared along with her students. She really could not think of any reason she would have to be collared, but she wanted to be ready just in case. She had been collared once before, during the summer of the first year she spent in Danubia, along with her fiance and her friend Cynthia Lee. After four months the Church released the three Americans from their Penance, but within a year both Jason and Cynthia returned to the Temple, burned their clothing for a second time, and resumed performing Public Penance. To some extent she could understand why Jason would want to return to wearing a collar, but Cynthia's motives were a total mystery. Cecilia did not ask, because if a person was performing Public Penance it was not considered appropriate for an outsider to ask why. Cecilia climbed the stairs and entered the main Temple chamber. She expected her students to be on the back balcony, which was the spot where people usually began Penance service to the Church. As she exited the rear of the building, sure enough, there they were, along with the Priest from the Cathedral. The students were kneeling, each one with a Priest or Priestess standing behind them praying with hands placed upon their shoulders. Cecilia approached the group and knelt in front of the others. She stayed upright, however. She was not wearing a collar and therefore was not expected to place her head on the ground. The director could tell that everyone in Carmen's group was scared out of their wits. Their eyes were wide with confusion and worry over the sinister ritual in which they were participating. She noted that their temporary collars already had been taken off and that each was holding a more permanent Church collar specifically fitted for his or her neck. Within a few minutes they would be asked to accept the collars they were holding, knowing that their existence would become different from what they had been used to over the summer. Their daily lives would become comparable to the life of Criminal # 101025. For them to truly show support for Maria Elena, merely protesting for a single morning would not be enough. For at least a month they would be required to live like her, to wear formal penance collars and become little more than criminals themselves. Carmen, as the leader of the protestors, was the first to hand her collar to the Priest standing over her. She swallowed as he moved behind her to place the device around her neck and lock it with a special key. After the collar was on her neck, she knelt forward, placing her forehead on the ground and completely exposing her bottom and vulva. She would have to stay in that position until all of her companions were collared. Cecilia continued to kneel as she watched; hugely relieved that so far there had been no mention of her being collared along with her students. A few minutes later 14 US citizens, one in a black prayer robe and the others completely naked, left the Temple of the Ancients. Each was holding a sheet of paper explaining what was expected from a person performing Penance. Cecilia led her group directly to the university. Later she would have to send someone to the Cathedral to pick up the group's clothing and her own dress. Cecilia told her group that instead of taking the trolley they would walk to the campus, which was nearly two kilometers away. She explained that the students needed to get used to being naked in public as quickly as possible and that walking fully exposed along a major street was the best way to do that. More importantly, she needed time to explain the protocol required of anyone performing Penance and make sure the students understood that what they were doing was a serious commitment. She reminded the group that regular university classes would be starting the following week. "Before you get into class, you need to make sure you completely understand the rules of Public Penance. You gotta kneel whenever you talk to anyone who's a public official, which means if you need to talk to any of your professors, you gotta be on your knees with your head on the floor before you open your mouth. In theory that would mean me as well, but I'm not gonna make you kneel in front of me unless you screw up and piss me off." Cecilia gave the students a chance to think about what she had said and continued: "The Danubians are gonna be watching you, especially now. I want you to understand that as long as you follow protocol, you're doing something that they'll consider honorable. You break protocol, and they'll consider you dishonored, so make sure you memorize what's on that paper the Temple gave you. And another thing. Don't you be talking about what you're doin' to no one. People don't talk about Public Penance. You don't have to justify why you're collared, because that's between you and the Church. Public Penance is not something you discuss; it's something you just do. If you start talking about what you're doing or trying to explain why, you'll be dishonored. Get it?" Several members of the group responded: "Yes, Cecilia." "Anyhow in your case there's no mystery, 'cause everyone knows you're doing it for Maria Elena. And that's another thing. I want each of you to be proud of... (well, not exactly proud, because the Danubians make fun of that, being proud, I mean) ... but... I guess... just understand that you made a big difference in her life. Not just with the perjury, but also the switchings. Without you, she probably would've been sentenced to somewhere around 100 switchings, total. Thanks to you it got cut down to 34. And keep in mind it'll probably be less than that, 'cause they won't switch her if she's pregnant and they won't switch her if she's done some outstanding act of public service. So, you accomplished a lot more here than you could have in the US or anywhere else. I mean, in the courtroom they did pay attention to the fact you guys were out there kneeling and holding up your signs. Anywhere else, you would've gotten blown off." Cecilia and the others walked quietly as they approached the university. They had missed language class and would barely be in time for physical fitness training. There were 47 students in the program who had not participated in the protest that the director needed to talk to. She gathered the entire group, with the 13 naked protesters standing off to one side. "OK people. I think you all know that your Colombian classmate went on trial today, and that 13 of you went downtown to protest what was gonna happen to her. Well, we all found out there's a correct way to protest here, and what your classmates are doin' is the way it's done. After the protest they had to go to the Temple and get collared. For those of you who don't have it figured out yet, they're performing Public Penance. Now, I really don't give a shit how curious you might be about it, because the Danubians don't talk about Public Penance. Do NOT ask them anything about what's going on. As for how long they'll stay collared, that's between each one of 'em and the Church. I'm warnin' you again, don't you be askin' a bunch of questions, 'cause they can't answer! So don't ask!" ***** Maria Elena woke up late in the afternoon. Victor, who had been reading a book while she slept, immediately stood up and took her hand. She needed to get off the table to get a drink, go to the bathroom, and leave the office. Carefully he helped her get down as she winced from the welts that covered her backside and shoulders. A few minutes later Merchant Victor Dukov and Criminal # 101025 slowly walked down the stairs leading out of the Central Police Station. He held her arm as she went down the steps on unsteady feet. She noticed that people were watching, but was too tired and in too much pain to really care. They took a trolley to return to the university, and from there slowly walked back to Victor's house. Cecilia gave her a glass of blackberry punch, while Pedro looked at her with a terrified expression. Cecilia later would have to explain to her nephew that Maria Elena had been a naughty grown-up, and what happened to her was how naughty grown-ups had to be punished. A few minutes later Maria Elena was on Victor's bed, completely exhausted and desperate to just lie still. The next morning the criminal woke up and went to the kitchen. Her body still throbbed and ached from her punishment, but Cecilia had told her that she needed to resume her normal life within 24 hours of her trial. She would be expected to help with breakfast and to return to the university to resume her classes. Her cruelly-punished body would be on display while she gardened and when she was with the norteamericanos. She would understand that it was an important part of her sentence for everyone in her life to see her after she had been switched. Maria Elena's employers were understanding of her situation and gave her a light assignment, sweeping sidewalks. The welts still throbbed, but the gentle movement of sweeping and the hot late summer sunshine on her skin began to heal her more quickly than she could have expected. She felt humiliated anytime she noticed someone looking at her, but for people to see her after a switching was part of her Path in Life as a criminal. Class was more difficult. The norteamericanos gathered around her, some of them wanting to express sympathy and some of them just curious to see, up close, a person who had received an infamous Danubian judicial switching. Cecilia explained that there was a tradition that all punished criminals had to perform when surrounded by people who knew them. Maria Elena had to put her hands on the language instructor's desk and bent over slightly, to allow her classmates to examine her more thoroughly. The criminal's face flushed with humiliation and resentment as she stood still and her wide-eyed classmates studied the painful welts that remained from her first judicial switching. Equally unpleasant was having to face Carmen and the 12 other students who now wore Church collars on her behalf. The 13 naked exchange students all looked uneasy with their situations. The most difficult adjustment was attending language class in the nude, especially when they were called upon to answer a question. The rule was that a collared university student had to stand up, kneel with their knees spread and their crotch completely exposed, and place their head on the floor before responding. If the student answered correctly, the language instructor granted permission to "recover" and sit. If the student answered incorrectly, that person had to remain kneeling, with their bottom and genitalia fully exposed to the rest of the class, until called upon again. The instructor tried to go easy on the collared students, but protocol was protocol and he was not in a position to tell them not to comply with what Public Penance required of them. After class, Criminal # 101025 asked Carmen to gather the collared classmates together. She let them know that she was well-aware that it was because of their sacrifice that the perjury charge was dropped and she had been sentenced to a single switching per year. Now that she already had endured the first of those dreadful punishments, she could fully appreciate the huge favor they had done for her. To be switched once a year would be bad enough, but without them she would have faced the switching table at least once every six months. She tried to express her gratitude, but then tears welled up in her eyes. Although she had started to cry, she forced herself to give her classmates the real reason she was so affected by what they had done for her. Carmen translated: "I... in all my life... there's only been two people who ever cared about me... I mean cared enough about me to ever actually do anything for me. One of them was my mother. The other was my boyfriend... my first boyfriend. I'll never see either of them again. My boyfriend is dead, and I am ashamed to face my mother. So I am alone, and there isn't anyone to care about what happened to me. Or that's what I thought. You all cared about me, and you were going to go get yourselves arrested to try to help me... and now you're all... naked... because you cared about me. I... I love you... for what you did for me... I mean... I wasn't worth it... but you did it anyway... and I will always remember... and I would give my life for any of you... " Maria Elena broke down crying. One by one she accepted a hug from each of the classmates who were sacrificing for her. She knew, at that moment, that in spite of the difficult existence she faced as a collared criminal, she had gained so much more by coming to Danubia than she ever could have imagined. Exactly two weeks had passed since that moment in the airport when she was desperately trying to get that drug dog to be quiet and those two cops came running up to her with their pistols drawn. Just two weeks, but already she knew that she had been redeemed... redeemed so that she could learn to care about other people and have a life worth living.