THE APPLICATION Part 8
Madelon entered a very large, long room. At the right side of the room stood a row of massive benches, about seventy centimeters high, with grey iron plates at the sides and a brown latex-like cushion on top of them. On the first bench, laid the daughter, face down, naked stretched out, with a pillow under her hips. Her wrists were strapped to the top of the bench in front of the head. There were also straps around her chest, waist and ankles. The girl was wired as if she was in the emergency room of a hospital. She had a ball in her mouth, kept in place by a mask around her cheek and neck. A transparent plastic tube was attached to the mask. On the next bench, lay the foreign woman, in the same way, and on the next one the woman with the big glasses (but now without her glasses). Madelon noticed that the women’s legs were spread. Likely, the leg side of their benches could be split, spreading the legs strapped to it.
Madelon was led along the benches with the naked women strapped on them, their mouths forcedly opened. They watched her pass along. On the fourth bench lay the blonde woman. Two staff women and a man were working on her crotch, adding tubes and wiring. For the first time, Madelon saw annoyance and embarrassment on her face.
The next bench was Madelon’s. Her guards helped her on it, strapped her waist, her ankles and her knees, uncuffed her wrists and strapped them too. Then, they opened the swinging parts under Madelon’s strapped legs. Madelon looked aside, at the woman next to her, who underwent her treatment with resignation, just staring in front of her. Madelon had pity with her. The woman had to endure all this, only because she found her home, her castle, her life threatened by surveillance devices, and because she resisted against it in her own way. Determined to fight for her cause, a lost cause Madelon thought, even if she had to be subjected to these humiliations.
Meanwhile, they had started to wire Madelon. An infuse was attached to the cannula. It contained a nourishing substance. In the doctor’s cabinet, Madelon had already mentioned that she was hungry. But she was told that, up to the application, food was firmly forbidden, as the impact of the strokes on the body could cause a reaction of vomiting, with the risk of food particles getting stuck in the trachea. Food and liquid were administered directly into the veins by means of the infuse. There was also some sedative added in the liquid, in order to make the waiting easier.
Then, they started working on her crotch. It was the purpose, as they explained her, to drain her bladder and bowls completely, before the start of the application. First, a catheter was inserted into her urethra. This would allow to collect the urine from her bladder. Then, a substance was added on her anal sphincter, to make it flexible. Next, a plug was inserted in it. Through the plug, two tubes were brought in. Then the plug was sealed. Her bowls would be emptied by inserting a draining liquid that made the feces disintegrate. Regularly, the liquid with the disintegrated feces would be sucked out through the second tube, and new liquid would be inserted again. Normally, the system would not leak, but as a matter of precaution, another plug had been inserted into her vagina, with a drain added to it that would prevent any liquid of entering it, what could cause strong irritation and some risk of infections.
“We want to make something clear to your mind, not to your body! The mantra of R&H’s corporate mission sounded again.
Meanwhile, the work on the blonde woman was finished. She laid motionless. Madelon saw a tear running down from her eye.
The mother was brought in. Naked, completely dismantled from her make-up and jewels, her hair tousled. It was a huge difference with the proud woman she was in waiting room 2. She stared forward with a sad look, even not paying attention to her daughter on the first bench. She passed in front of Madelon – who found the woman seemed to have aged ten years - and she was strapped to her bench, next to Madelon’s. Meanwhile, apparatus to monitor Madelon’s heart rate and blood pressure was attached to her right arm. Then a small tube was inserted into her nose, attached to the gag mask. An airflow started, apparently oxygen.
Madelon heard the next woman being prepared. Finally, the school director was brought in, passing along the others. Soon she was processed too.
During the following stage of the preparation, their buttocks were rubbed in by some jelly stuff, as it was told them, to strengthen their skin. It happened under the supervision of Theresa.
Then, the ‘officer in charge’ came in, the first time they saw him since the waiting room.
“All right, ladies, you are now in the last stage of preparation. It is now twelve thirty. The application is scheduled at four a.m. Meanwhile you will be monitored continuously. Some checks will be carried out on the skin of the application area. I acknowledge you all have been cooperating very well up to now, what we appreciate very much. Just try to keep up that attitude. It will strengthen your courage. All of you have chosen to speak with the mental coach. Keep in mind the advices he gave you. They will allow you to cope with the application. Now, your bodies are purified and your skin is prepared. We do this to have your bodily functions cleaned up, so that all your mind will be able to focus on the sentence only. We want to avoid undesired bodily reactions during the application. There is some sedative in the infuse, which will help you to relax meanwhile. Remember : a relaxed mind can handle more strain and stress than a stressed one!”
Soon after the preparations had finished, it became was quiet in the room. Seven women laying on a row, waiting for their sentence. Silenced by a ball gag. Restrained, strapped to a bench. Naked.
It was silent in the room. Two guards were surveying them, in the meantime paying attention to the wiring and tubing connected on the women's bodies. From time to time, a ‘hiss’ was heard, when one of the drainage pumps started. It all felt very quietening. They were lying immobile and naked, but Madelon had no cold. There was a nice, quieting smell in the room. Madelon also suddenly realized that some silent appeasing music was played in the background. The oxygen tubes, steadily blowing oxygen in her nose, made it easy to carry the ball gag. The urethral catheter felt as if she was continuously urinating. It relaxed her. Any time liquid was inserted into her bowls, she initially felt some cold in her belly. When teh liquid was drained afterwards, she felt some relieving suction. Both the catheter and the enema created a continuous sense of relief. It was indeed very relaxing. As if the time stood still.
These were the new times. The Twenty-first Century would finally begin. Away with old thinking! The Government wanted things to go more efficiently! Enough with the old style wasting of money by inefficient governance. ‘More with less’ was the new maxim of the modern state. But more with less meant making choices. For instance : the Government was aware that prosperity of the society starts with a high-quality school system. But the Government was also determined to deal with criminality, and particularly with the perception of impunity that lived among the population. So, with less tax payers money available, the Government was forced to make such choices as : building schools or building prisons?
But the Government then made a brilliant decision. Replace prison sentences for minor crimes by a swift sanction. Simply reintroduce corporal punishment. Even more : let accused the choice : plead guilty and make a settlement for a corporal punishment in exchange for a clean slate. Swift justice, no more immunity and less prison cells required. It was a win-win bargain for both the criminals and the tax-paying society. And the Government even went further. Why not leave the execution of corporal punishment to private companies? The state then should only spend money for the qualification and licensing of these companies. The sentenced should pay himself for the application of the corporal punishment, and no longer the tax payer. That would be fair after all, isn’t it? The trouble was, of course, that once the Government had entrusted the execution of corporal punishment to private companies, that these companies would start lobbying to expand the system to minor and minor crimes, and even to smaller infringements. With success. So, gradually, more and more people became forcedly customers of the punishment industry.
Although Madelon was no supporter of the Government, she agreed with these measures. After all, she was not a criminal, just a normal working woman. But she, and ten thousands of others ignored on thing : the equality principle. All citizens are equal to law. Madelon was in the delusion that corporal punishment could only happen to others. That she would be immune to it, as she basically did nothing wrong. But she was wrong, terribly wrong!
Several years ago, Madelon had made up her mind to contribute to a better world. Madelon decided to go the railway station by bike from now on. It would save petrol and she could request an allowance for her ecological behavior. That was double profit. All went well, but when her daughter grew up, she had to take the train too. Madelon was reluctant to let her go by bike, especially during the dark winter mornings. So, from November till February, they drove together to the station a few days per week. Madelon parked the car and unloaded the bike so that her daughter could return home with it. Gradually, the number of days that they did so, increased, while Madelon still received her allowance for five days per week coming by bike. She was aware of it. She had talked to people about it, colleagues and friends, but they all advised her just to keep things like that. ‘Everybody does it’. But one day, unnoticed to Madelon, a surveillance system was placed at the car park of the station. It was meant both for security and for tracking unregistered cars, or cars of which the owner had no assurance or had not paid taxes for. No problem for Madelon, as she was in order with those obligations. But all cars entering or leaving the car park were monitored. Their registration numbers were registered on entering and leaving, and they were send to a database. And so, day after day, the database was fed with car number data, among which Madelon’s. The database grew and grew, and automatically, without human intervention, the system started to analyze the data. The system linked the car licenses to the National Register number of the owners. And this number was a basis for further search. And so, one day, the system concluded that on that particular car park, a car showed up on a nearly daily basis, entering during the morning rush and leaving during the evening rush. The car was owned by a woman, who apparently received a biking allowance. So, out of the computer came a message, pointing of a match of two datasets, that could indicate fraud. An employee of the agency concluded that this computer-based analysis was worthwhile to be investigated further. The case was transmitted to the Bureau of Financial Inspection, who send their local inspector to investigate the case. By entering the license number of Madelon’s car, he could see every camera record coupled to the time of arriving or departing of the car. He could soon see that, every time, Madelon was the driver. He had enough proof. The case was passed to the police.
Madelon was in shock when they confronted her with the proof of her fraud. She had little to say to her defense. The police inspector proposed a settlement with the agency that paid the allowances. She therefore had to plead guilty. Then she could arrange a ‘clean slate’ bargain. The alternative was a trial, in which she would have practically no chance, considering the enormous burden of proof against her.
She settled things with the agency. She had to pay back the allowances of the last three years, with an interest, at an increasing rate for the older years. She was allowed to pay it back within one year, otherwise interests should be increased again. It was a hard year nevertheless, but she made it. But meanwhile another unexpected thing showed up. A ‘clean slate’ bargain also includes a criminal case. One day, Madelon had to show up to the court house, to hear that the judge had decided she would present herself for an application of ‘ten strokes on the posterior pelvic region’, for her fraud. Ten lashes! The standard rate. Madelon was told that these sentences were carried out by private companies. She should have to contact one of them. She had six months to make an appointment.
At last she ended up with R&H, the world leader in the branch. Not a cheap one, but reliable, safe, clean, professional company. Particularly, R&H had the reputation to hold up high hygienic standards! That made her choose for them. Cheaper executioner companies, or self-employed executioners had a bad reputation of hygiene and conduct. As she was a woman, R&H had specified that the application would have to take place at a specific moment in her fertility cycle, in order to avoid that the sentence was applied on a pregnant body. She had to file a code by the internet at the first day if her menstruation. Considering that she had a normal cycle, she would then be invited within two weeks. As she did. As she recalls, the most stressful moment was when she sent the code, ten days ago. That was the point of no return. She had to, her allowed time was running out, as she had postponed the making of the appointment already several times, afraid as she had been to go for it. And all the time, she had kept the sentence secret to her children and relatives. It was something of her own.
(to be continued)
