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Sentence Negotiation

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'Taint: There is an odd reference in Chapter 9 to Ellie's 'taint. Not many Americans would even know what that is, so it's kind of spelled out in the text as "the part of her cleft between her vagina and anus" and John the executioner also laughs and gives the derivation of the name: " 'tain't pussy and 'tain't asshole." 'Tain't is a slang contraction of "it ain't," with "ain't" also being a slang word. The proper name for this area is the peritoneum.
perineum
 
Everyone - I have found myself suddenly inspired to continue this story. :) I'm sure @jedakk will look as favorably upon my continuation as I do upon his. They are two very separate stories, I think, and while I have no hope of writing anything as expansive as "The Throw-Away Girl," I do hope you all (Jedakk included) will enjoy my much shorter story as well.

(Try, if you can, to think of the following as completely independent of "Throw-Away," as my characters are substantially different.)

The rap of the gavel hushed the chatter and sent everyone scurrying back to their seats. "Negotiation will now commence," said the judge, official, bored, and lofty. "Defense, you may begin."

"Ok," Alice slide back over to the part of her desk with her papers and shifted them around. Ellie watched her, but felt she hardly cared about anything that would happen now. "Defense requests morphine delivered by injection every 2 hours, first dose in her cell before being removed for execution. Also GD by gunshot at 48 hours from the raising of the cross. In return my client will expose her nipples before nailing. She is also willing to be executed as early as Saturday, May 29."

"Prosecution?"

"Morphine is out of the question," began the prosecutor. "GD at 120 hours, and by vaginal impalement. In return, she strips naked at the whipping post, stays naked for the death march, and we schedule for Saturday, May 8."

"Defense?"

"She'll strip only to the waist for whipping, but will remain topless for the march and strip naked at the cross before nailing. We schedule for May 15, and morphine can be delivered rectally, every 4 hours instead of 2. GD at 72 hours."

"Prosecution?"

"Why do you keep talking about morphine!? No morphine! When I crucify my defendants, they feel it, ok? They suffer! They scream! I'm not crucifying your girl on a bed of roses, ok? She did this to herself. She's going to be crucified, and it's going to hurt. You bring up morphine again we're done. No GD clause, nothing." Alice tightened her jaw and took a swallow in the pause that followed this rant. Ellie was leaning forward on the desk, tears flowing silently. "If you want something up her ass we can talk about a cornu."

"Do you have a counter-offer, Prosecutor?" asked the judge.

"No. I reject the offer."

"Defense?"

Alice shifted in her seat and looked at her papers, then spoke: "Understood." Ellie wished it would all end. She wanted to be back in her cell to cry by herself, away from the cameras. (At least away from the news cameras.)

Alice began again: "Defense accepts full nudity from the whipping post onward, and execution scheduled as early as May 15, with GD at 72 hours by vaginal impalement."

"GD 96 hours," said the prosecutor.

Alice leaned over to whisper in Ellie's ear: "Do you have public hair?" Ellie blushed, then nodded, dark eyes puzzled, suspecting something horrible. "GD 72 hours, and my client has her public hair shaved before execution." Ellie looked shocked and disgusted.

"Your honor, prosecution requests confirmation that the defendant has not already shaved her pubic hair."

"Objection, Your Honor," said Alice, "We are talking about an execution that is two weeks away. If she had shaved this morning if would make no difference in two weeks."

"Overruled," said the judge, "Two weeks may or may not be enough time for the defendant's pubic hair to grow back, especially if she has recently waxed it. The date is also still in question, so the state of the defendant's pubic hair is of material interest to the negotiations. Ms. Ruck, have you recently shaved or waxed your pubic hair?"

Ellie's face was deep red, and her eyes very teary. "Not..." she began. The whole courtroom looked at her, waiting for her answer. "Not... completely..."

"Prosecution requests a description of the state of defendant's pubic hair," the prosecutor nearly cut her off. Ellie looked in disgusted despair to Alice.

"Request accepted. Defense?"

"Don't say anything," Alice laid her hand on Ellie's arm, as if she might be too eager to begin describing her private parts to the court unless warned and stopped. "If you say anything, they'll use it against you," she said in a low, confidential voice. "When they strip you on your execution day, they'll inspect you, and if they find anything even slightly different from what you said -- and remember, they're lawyers, they'll find something -- they'll ask the judge to rule a bad faith negotiation, and he'll probably let them dictate whatever terms they want. No GD, for sure, and they'll add other tortures. Nothing we could do about it."

"Ok...? So what do we...?"

"Defense, please respond to the prosecution's request," ordered the judge.

"Your honor," said Alice, "my client will make her pubic hair available for the prosecution's inspection."

"ALICE!" Ellie's hoarse whisper might as well have been spoken aloud - everyone in the court heard it. Alice held up her index finger to Ellie without looking at her, still facing the judge.

"We request permission to withdraw to a private room while the prosecution conducts their inspection."

"Request denied - there isn't time. However I do hereby order all cameras to cease recording or transmission while the defendant exposes herself." There was a rustling sound and clicks and pops as the media obeyed the judge's order. "Ms. Ruck, please step forward."

(To be continued...)
 
Everyone - I have found myself suddenly inspired to continue this story. :) I'm sure @jedakk will look as favorably upon my continuation as I do upon his. They are two very separate stories, I think, and while I have no hope of writing anything as expansive as "The Throw-Away Girl," I do hope you all (Jedakk included) will enjoy my much shorter story as well.

(Try, if you can, to think of the following as completely independent of "Throw-Away," as my characters are substantially different.)

The rap of the gavel hushed the chatter and sent everyone scurrying back to their seats. "Negotiation will now commence," said the judge, official, bored, and lofty. "Defense, you may begin."

"Ok," Alice slide back over to the part of her desk with her papers and shifted them around. Ellie watched her, but felt she hardly cared about anything that would happen now. "Defense requests morphine delivered by injection every 2 hours, first dose in her cell before being removed for execution. Also GD by gunshot at 48 hours from the raising of the cross. In return my client will expose her nipples before nailing. She is also willing to be executed as early as Saturday, May 29."

"Prosecution?"

"Morphine is out of the question," began the prosecutor. "GD at 120 hours, and by vaginal impalement. In return, she strips naked at the whipping post, stays naked for the death march, and we schedule for Saturday, May 8."

"Defense?"

"She'll strip only to the waist for whipping, but will remain topless for the march and strip naked at the cross before nailing. We schedule for May 15, and morphine can be delivered rectally, every 4 hours instead of 2. GD at 72 hours."

"Prosecution?"

"Why do you keep talking about morphine!? No morphine! When I crucify my defendants, they feel it, ok? They suffer! They scream! I'm not crucifying your girl on a bed of roses, ok? She did this to herself. She's going to be crucified, and it's going to hurt. You bring up morphine again we're done. No GD clause, nothing." Alice tightened her jaw and took a swallow in the pause that followed this rant. Ellie was leaning forward on the desk, tears flowing silently. "If you want something up her ass we can talk about a cornu."

"Do you have a counter-offer, Prosecutor?" asked the judge.

"No. I reject the offer."

"Defense?"

Alice shifted in her seat and looked at her papers, then spoke: "Understood." Ellie wished it would all end. She wanted to be back in her cell to cry by herself, away from the cameras. (At least away from the news cameras.)

Alice began again: "Defense accepts full nudity from the whipping post onward, and execution scheduled as early as May 15, with GD at 72 hours by vaginal impalement."

"GD 96 hours," said the prosecutor.

Alice leaned over to whisper in Ellie's ear: "Do you have public hair?" Ellie blushed, then nodded, dark eyes puzzled, suspecting something horrible. "GD 72 hours, and my client has her public hair shaved before execution." Ellie looked shocked and disgusted.

"Your honor, prosecution requests confirmation that the defendant has not already shaved her pubic hair."

"Objection, Your Honor," said Alice, "We are talking about an execution that is two weeks away. If she had shaved this morning if would make no difference in two weeks."

"Overruled," said the judge, "Two weeks may or may not be enough time for the defendant's pubic hair to grow back, especially if she has recently waxed it. The date is also still in question, so the state of the defendant's pubic hair is of material interest to the negotiations. Ms. Ruck, have you recently shaved or waxed your pubic hair?"

Ellie's face was deep red, and her eyes very teary. "Not..." she began. The whole courtroom looked at her, waiting for her answer. "Not... completely..."

"Prosecution requests a description of the state of defendant's pubic hair," the prosecutor nearly cut her off. Ellie looked in disgusted despair to Alice.

"Request accepted. Defense?"

"Don't say anything," Alice laid her hand on Ellie's arm, as if she might be too eager to begin describing her private parts to the court unless warned and stopped. "If you say anything, they'll use it against you," she said in a low, confidential voice. "When they strip you on your execution day, they'll inspect you, and if they find anything even slightly different from what you said -- and remember, they're lawyers, they'll find something -- they'll ask the judge to rule a bad faith negotiation, and he'll probably let them dictate whatever terms they want. No GD, for sure, and they'll add other tortures. Nothing we could do about it."

"Ok...? So what do we...?"

"Defense, please respond to the prosecution's request," ordered the judge.

"Your honor," said Alice, "my client will make her pubic hair available for the prosecution's inspection."

"ALICE!" Ellie's hoarse whisper might as well have been spoken aloud - everyone in the court heard it. Alice held up her index finger to Ellie without looking at her, still facing the judge.

"We request permission to withdraw to a private room while the prosecution conducts their inspection."

"Request denied - there isn't time. However I do hereby order all cameras to cease recording or transmission while the defendant exposes herself." There was a rustling sound and clicks and pops as the media obeyed the judge's order. "Ms. Ruck, please step forward."

(To be continued...)
An alternate version of Ellie's story - it's going to be interesting to see where this goes!
 
Ellie looked to Alice in disbelief. Alice cocked her head toward the prosecutor's desk, apparently not interested in spending time on her client's objections.

"Do we have to do this?" Ellie asked quietly.

"Do you want to hang longer than 72 hours on the cross?"

Ellie studied her hands for a moment before rising and approaching the prosecutor's desk. He smirked at her, leaning back in his chair, arms folded authoritatively across his chest. Once directly in front of him, she bit her lip as she lifted her skirt with one hand, then pulled down the band of her purple panties just enough to show him what he wanted to see. He leaned forward to look more closely, then, still studying this intimate part of her body, he reached across the desk and shoved her hand down, tugging her panties partway down her thigh to give him a better look. A tear fell on his wrist, which he wiped on Ellie's upturned skirt.

He wouldn't stop. His face was close enough now that Ellie could feel his breath on her exposed parts, and she felt like slapping him and running back to her seat. But she just wept and waited. The courtroom was silent, like everyone was holding their breath. Most of them were behind her, and her long coat kept her covered from behind, but they all knew what was happening, and it was small comfort to her.

Finally he leaned back in his chair. "She's shaved her bikini line," he announced as Ellie pulled her underwear back up, smoothed her skirt, and returned to her seat.

"Do you accept the Defense's proposition?" asked the judge.

"Pubic hair waxed in public immediately before nailing, and we break her legs at 72 hours," he responded.

"Broken legs won't help anything if she has a sedile," countered Alice.

"If she wants to die, she can come off the sedile."

Alice rolled her eyes in frustration. It obviously wouldn't be any good to point out what he already knew: people on the cross for 72 hours don't have the strength or will to lift themselves off of a sedile. "Ok," she said, "We schedule for May 8. That's just a week from Saturday. You can paint your logo on her belly. And she gets 200 lashes instead of 50."

"She wouldn't last through the first night after 200 lashes! Come on! We'll give her 75. Logo branded, not painted - lower abdomen as well as an ass cheek."

"One hundred lashes, then. You can brand the logo, but she keeps her panties and goes topless."

"Panties will cover the brand on her ass!"

"Ok, panties that cover her genitals but leave her buttocks substantially uncovered, as the court shall rule."

The prosecutor thought for a moment, his palm on his chin and his finger stretching his cheek up to the side of his eye, obviously enjoying the proceedings. "Ok, we can do 100 lashes, but half of them are on her ass. She's naked for the whipping, she can wear panties as you described for the march, then she's naked when she's crucified."

"Lashes on the buttocks do much less to speed death," Alice protested.

"You want to go back to 50?"

Alice thought for a moment. "Fine. Accepted as new preliminary."

"Very well," said the judge, finishing scribbling a note. Adjusting his glasses, he began to read: "The new preliminary sentence is as follows: Ms. Ellie Ruck, at 10:00a.m. on Saturday, May 8 of this year, I order you to be stripped of all clothing, footwear, and jewelry, then branded on your lower abdomen and your left buttock with the logo of Burns & Black. After being branded, you shall be whipped at a public whipping post. You shall receive fifty lashes upon the bare back and an additional fifty lashes upon the bear buttocks using a standard leather whip. Following this, I order you to be crucified in a highly trafficked area of a city park as shall be designated by the court. As you walk to the aforesaid park, you may wear a garment to cover your genitals and your anus, but which shall leave your buttocks substantially uncovered. Apart from said garment, you shall remain naked. Immediately before being crucified, I order you to be stripped of this garment as well, so that you shall be entirely naked." Here he began to read in a bored, rushed tone. "You shall be nailed to your cross using four standard crucifixion nails driven through your wrists and feet. Your cross shall have a standard sedile fastened at the level of your buttocks. Your cross shall have no footrest. You shall not be provided with other means of death. You shall be considered dead when so declared by a physician. Once you have been declared dead, I order your body to remain displayed on the cross for twelve hours, after which time it shall be disposed of in the Field of Traitors." Then looking up, "Is this the new preliminary sentence agreed upon by both parties?"

"Branding after the whipping," said the prosecutor. "Don't want the brand on her ass to be defaced by the lash."

"Defense? Do you consent to this alteration?" Alice nodded. The judge made a note, then looked up at the clock. "Just over six minutes remain - are further negotiations necessary to determine the final sentence?"

"Yes, Your Honor," said Alice. "I want a GD clause."

(To be continued...)
 
"Very well," said the judge, "If you can come to an agreement in six minutes, we will have a final sentence. If not, the new preliminary will become the final."

The prosecutor was looking at the clock, bemused.

Alice took a breath, turned to look at Ellie's terrified, questioning face, as if regretting what she was about to do and hoping the girl would forgive her. "Ok," she said finally, turning back to the prosecutor. "We schedule for tomorrow, Saturday, May 1. GD 48 hours. Gunshot."

The prosecutor watched the clock tick a few times, then turned to Alice as if only just realizing what she had said. "No," he said.

Alice shifted in her seat and her mouth tightened and twitched subtly. "Do you have a counter?"

He squinted is eyes tight in concentration, sitting upright with his hands folded, tapping his thumbs together. Alice rolled her eyes in frustration and implored the judge with her eyes. The judge only held up a finger, urging patience.

"Mmmmm..." the prosecutor seemed to be thinking very hard, and his face wrinkled with the effort. The judge remained with his finger up, watching him and waiting. "Uh, no." he said finally, opening his eyes and almost concealing his mirth.

"Your Honor, he is wasting time!"

"Actually..." the prosecutor cut her off. He thought for a few more moments. "If she fucks every guard in the jail tonight..." Another lengthy pause, giving more than enough time for Alice to express her exasperation again with her eyes. "And... If my office gets a full video..."

"No," said Alice, "That will not be--"

"I'm not done."

"Yes you are! This is outrageous!"

"ORDER!" the judge's gavel punched his booming voice through the rising noise of the courtroom. "Defense, the prosecution is making a counter proposal. Please be silent while he speaks."

"But he's wasting time on purpose!"

"Ma'am, if you will not be silent, I will hold you in contempt and the prosecution will dictate the sentence without negotiation, subject to the court finding the sentence to be reasonable."

Alice shut her mouth and sat down, visibly furious.

The prosecutor did not begin again. He let the judge stare Alice down. The clock ticked again and again.

"Prosecution?" the judge finally said, "Please continue."

At first the prosecutor seemed to be confused, having forgotten that he had been speaking. "Oh!" he finally began, feigning after the pause to realize what the judge was asking. "Right. Uh... Right, so if she fucks every guard in the jail, and my office gets the video... and..." There were less than two minutes left now. "And... if she has all her fingernails and toenails ripped off before her whipping..." The clock ticked and ticked as the prosecutor thought. "And... If all her teeth are pulled before she's crucified, and... If she gets an IV of stimulants for the duration of her punishment, and... If she takes a double cornu... And we schedule for tomorrow, then we'll do GD 96 hours, with a bonfire around her cross."

It was finally Alice's turn. "Ok, that was offensive."

"My apologies."

"Ok, seriously, Mr. Black. And I ask you to please take this seriously: My client will go to execution tomorrow morning. After marching to the place of execution, when she is stripped naked, she is willing to have her pubic hair publicly waxed." Alice spoke carefully and with gravity. If her offer didn't please the prosecutor, Ellie could lose all chance of a guaranteed death. The clock was ticking. She continued: "When she is crucified, she is willing to take a blunt cornu inside her body instead of resting on a standard sedile. In return, we get GD at 48 hours. By..." she thought for a moment, not wanting to lose her chance as the clock wound down. "By cutting her throat with a knife."

There was a moment of silence in which the tick of the clock seemed to thunder. "Prosecution?" the judge prompted.

"Ok," he began. "Ok, we can do all of that, but tonight, at 5:00, she is brought out to the square, stripped to her bra and panties, and bound with her back to the post. We brand her belly tonight, not tomorrow. She stays there until it is time for her sentence to be executed, and she asks every man and women that passes by if they would like to fuck her. If they accept, she loses her panties and they have 15 minutes to fuck her while she remains tied to the post. At the cross, after her pussy is waxed, and just before she is crucified, she will kneel and beg me to show her mercy. If I agree, she will receive 100 more lashes with the whip, and she'll be crucified without cornu or sedile. If I refuse, she'll be nailed her her cross immediately and will take a cornu as you described. GD 72 hours, throat cut with a knife."

"Defense? There are about 40 seconds remaining."

(To be continued...)
 
"Ok," said Alice, looking down at her papers with eyes wide with intense focus, obviously feeling the time pressure. "Once my client has been raped three times, she can stop offering sex to passersby. Each passerby will have 10 minutes to violate her, not 15. In return, she hangs 24 hours after death instead of 12."

"Limit penetrations to five, not three. After that she still offers herself but they can't penetrate her vagina."

"Nor her anus."

"Fine."

"Does that conclude--" the judge began, but Alice spoke hurriedly before he could finish:

"GD at 60 hours. In return, method is strangling."

"If you want 60 hours, method is vaginal impalement."

"She'll have a cornu in her vagina! She can't be impaled!"

"Make it an anal cornu."

"A cornu is a cornu!"

"You want GD at 60, she takes it up her ass."

There were less than 10 seconds left. "Fine!"

"Impalement with a blunt stake," the prosecutor continued.

"No! Sharp stake!"

"Blunt."

"Time has expired," announced the judge. "Defense, do you accept or reject the proposal?" Alice turned to look in Ellie's big, tearful eyes. Then, with resignation:

"Accept."

"Very well! Ellie Ruck, please rise to hear your final sentence." Ellie stood reluctantly, wiping her eyes. "Ms. Ruck, you have been found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. After negotiation, you have agreed to be executed in the following manner. (Because you have agreed to begin suffering your punishment this very night, I also forbid any appeal, as it would indicate a bad faith negotiation. This sentence cannot be altered, postponed, or appealed.)" Ellie swallowed, ready to hear her entire, irreversible sentence.

"Young Lady, at 5:00 p.m. today, Friday, April 30, I order you to be brought to a public whipping post and stripped of your clothing down to your underwear. That is, you may retain one garment to cover your nipples and as much of your breasts as the court shall deem reasonable, and one garment to cover your genitals, anus, and as much of your buttocks as the court shall deem reasonable. I then order you to be bound with your back to the whipping post and your hands behind you.
"Once bound I order you to be branded on the lower abdomen with the logo of Burns & Black. From 5:00 p.m. today until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, you shall not fail to offer yourself to any adult who passes near you. Specifically, I order you to use the words, 'would you like to fuck me?' When a person accepts your offer, I order your to be stripped of the garment covering your genitals. From the time your genitals are exposed, the person will have 10 minutes to violate you sexually in the manner of their choosing, providing no violence is done that will shorten your subsequent suffering. At the end of ten minutes, the undergarment covering your genitals will be given back to you. Once five persons have penetrated your body, either vaginally or anally, further persons wishing to violate you may do so only if they do not penetrate your vagina or your anus.
"At 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, May 1, I order you to be stripped of all clothing, footwear, and jewelry, and whipped at the public whipping post where you have spent the night. You shall receive fifty lashes upon the bare back and an additional fifty lashes upon the bare buttocks using a standard leather whip. Next you shall be branded on the left buttock with the logo of Burns & Black. Following this, I order you to be crucified in a highly trafficked area of a city park as shall be designated by the court. As you walk to the aforesaid park, you may wear a garment to cover your genitals and your anus, but which shall leave your buttocks substantially uncovered. Apart from said garment, you shall remain naked. Immediately before being crucified, I order you to be stripped of this garment as well, so that you shall be entirely naked. Once you are naked, I order you to have all of your pubic hair removed by waxing.
"When all of your pubic hair has been completely removed, I order you to kneel and beg the prosecutor, Mr. Arnold Black, for mercy. If Mr. Black agrees to extend mercy, you shall be held down and beaten on the bare back with 100 additional lashes of the standard leather whip before being crucified. Additionally, if Mr. Black has extended mercy, you shall be given no support for your body on the cross. That is, no sedile or cornu.
"You shall be nailed to your cross using four standard crucifixion nails driven through your wrists and feet. If Mr. Black has not extended mercy, your cross shall have a blunt cornu fastened at the level of your buttocks. I order you to take the cornu into yourself through your anus. Your cross shall have no footrest. You shall be considered dead when so declared by a physician. When you have hung on the cross for sixty hours, measured from the moment you are raised for display, if you have not yet been declared dead, I order you to be impaled on a blunt stake driven upwards into your body through your vagina, to a depth of 24 inches. Once you have been declared dead, I order your body to remain displayed on the cross for 24 hours, after which time it shall be disposed of in the Field of Traitors." The judge looked up. "Has the sentence been misunderstood in any regard?"

"No more penetration after she's been penetrated five times, not after she's been penetrated by five persons," said Alice. "In case of a person returning to violate her more than once." The judge nodded and made a note.

"Impalement at 60 hours whether dead or alive," said the prosecutor.

"Do you agree to both?" the judge asked. "I will allow both or neither." The prosecutor nodded.

"Fine," said Alice.

RAP! the gavel came down. "So ordered! Bailiff, take Ms. Ruck to her cell."

Alice looked like she wanted to apologize for something, but Ellie was gripped by two guards, handcuffed with her hands behind her, and rushed out of the courtroom to the jail with cameras in her face.

Half an hour later, Alice came to Ellie's cell. The girl was sitting on the cot, wearing her orange jumpsuit. She had composed herself somewhat, though her head had still been in her hands when the attorney entered.

"How you doing, Hun?" she asked, again putting her hand on Ellie's knee. Ellie shrugged. "Ok, well there are a couple practical things we need to talk about." Ellie didn't respond, so Alice continued, "There are three things they're requiring of you, and you have to be sure to do them to their satisfaction. First, you have to offer to have sex with everyone who comes by you tonight. I would have liked to have better defined how close they have to come to you to require you to ask them, but there just wasn't time. He did that on purpose, of course. He wants you to miss somebody. If you do, he can dictate pretty much any sentence he wants, as long as the court doesn't consider it excessive. And you know in a case of treason, it would take a lot to be considered excessive. Ok?" Ellie nodded, still staring at her lap. "So stay alert and keep your eye out. if somebody seems far away and you're not sure, ask them. Ok? You don't want to fall to Black's mercy. Got it?"

"Yeah," Ellie was quiet.

"Ok, next thing is the begging. Of course he's not going to give you mercy, but you have to beg."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, I know. I've been watching him crucify my clients for more than ten years now. He doesn't do mercy."

"Then what's the point?"

"There are two points. First, he gets to look like a tough guy deciding your fate on national television. It's good for his brand. Second, if you don't really, really beg, he'll try to argue a bad faith negotiation, and dictate a harsher sentence, just like with the sex thing tonight. Ok?" Ellie nodded. "So beg. Really, really beg hard, like you think he might do it. Ok?" Ellie had already nodded, so she didn't respond. "Ok?"

"Ok."

"Ok, last thing is the cornu. You've got to take it up your butt, not your pussy, ok? If you take it up your pussy, then when 60 hours comes, they won't impale you. They'll just leave you and say you didn't mount the cornu properly. Ok? We're doing this whole sex thing tonight and the begging and all to get the GD clause. If you take the cornu in the wrong hole, it's all for naught. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Now, some advice: get yourself down on the cornu early. It's going to be hard. It's like, really thick, and you're not going to get it in the first time. You don't want to be trying to do that when you're exhausted, because trust me, you'll end up just letting it go in your vagina. So that's probably the first thing you want to do once you're up. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Ok, now what about your panties?" Ellie finally looked up.

"What about them?"

"You're allowed to wear a thong from the post to the cross."

"Right?"

"What do you have on now? Probably standard issue prison panties?"

"Yeah," Ellie blushed as she looked back down at her lap.

"Probably cover most of your butt?" Ellie didn't bother responding. "Ok, so I actually already have plans for tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to come for the crucifixion, but I'm going to have one of my assistants bring you a thong you can wear, ok? Probably not tonight," she looked at her watch, "Yeah, it's getting late, but she'll be here in the morning, and I think they should let her give you the thong after your whipping."

"Ok."

"Ok, and last but not least, they did let me bring you your phone, if you want to call your dad. It's bugged now, of course, but if you wanted to call him...?"

Ellie finally began to weep again.

"Come on, Honey," urged Alice, patting and rubbing Ellie's back. "I know you didn't want him to know, but now that you've been sentenced, it's going to be advertised everywhere tonight and tomorrow. You don't want him to find out that way, do you?" After a moment, Alice put the phone in Ellie's lap. "I'd leave you with it, but I can't. I have to bring it back when I go, and I actually need to be back for a 4:30 meeting, so..."

Ellie heaved three deep, anguished breaths between sobs, then screamed full force at her lap, griping the phone. Alice patted her a few more times as she gathered herself together. In minute or two, she had mastered her tears, dialed, and put the phone to her ear.

"Well hello!" came her father's delighted voice.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, how you doin'? This is a pleasant surprise."

Ellie waited a moment, fighting emotion.

"What's up, Sweetie?"

"Um, Dad, I'm..."

"Are you ok, Ellie?"

"Not really. I'm--"

"What's wrong, Sweetie? Are you in trouble?"

"Yeah. I am."

"Do you need me to pick you up? Where are you?"

"I'm - I'm in jail, Dad."

"Jail? Did you say jail?? Hang on." There was a bang on the phone and background noise quieted. "What - what happened? You know what - I'm coming right now. What jail? You're in New York, right?"

"No, Dad. I probably wouldn't be here by the time you came."

"Ok, well I can be at your campus in an hour. Where do you want to meet?"

"No, Dad. It's... You can't do anything for me."

"Well maybe not, but I'm coming anyway. What happened?"

"I, uh... I was passing out some leaflets on campus, and..." In the silence on the other end, Ellie knew her father had just begun to understand. The silence wouldn't end. Ellie didn't want to explain, but she didn't want silence, either.

Finally: "Oh, Ellie." It was deep and slow, like he was already beginning to grieve. Ellie couldn't respond. Her silent weeping prevented it. Still, she somehow wished she could stay on the phone forever, just knowing her dad was on the other end. There was something sweet and reassuring in the grief. Warmer than the cold world of the courtroom and her cell. After a long time, her father spoke again. "When can I visit?"

Ellie wept harder. She couldn't find it in herself to tell him.

"What, they won't let me visit?! Come on, Ellie..." She could tell he was beginning to fight emotion himself.

"No, Dad. It's going to happen fast."

"What's gonna happen? WHAT'S gonna happen?!! Ellie, you've gotta..." he broke off as his growing anger dissolved into weeping.

"I'm being... executed," her voice trembled, but she somehow found it easier to be strong now that her father was crying.

"NOW??" it was a tortured wail.

"They're starting at 5:00."

"Oh, Ellie, no! No, no, no..."

"I love you, Dad. I've got to go though."

"Wait! Ellie, how can I see you??"

"Don't come, Dad," she started crying again.

"What, is it public??"

"I love you, Dad. Don't come! Goodbye, Dad!"

"Ellie!" she heard him screaming as she handed her phone back to Alice, who whisked away a tear of her own.

THE END
 
"Ok," said Alice, looking down at her papers with eyes wide with intense focus, obviously feeling the time pressure. "Once my client has been raped three times, she can stop offering sex to passersby. Each passerby will have 10 minutes to violate her, not 15. In return, she hangs 24 hours after death instead of 12."

"Limit penetrations to five, not three. After that she still offers herself but they can't penetrate her vagina."

"Nor her anus."

"Fine."

"Does that conclude--" the judge began, but Alice spoke hurriedly before he could finish:

"GD at 60 hours. In return, method is strangling."

"If you want 60 hours, method is vaginal impalement."

"She'll have a cornu in her vagina! She can't be impaled!"

"Make it an anal cornu."

"A cornu is a cornu!"

"You want GD at 60, she takes it up her ass."

There were less than 10 seconds left. "Fine!"

"Impalement with a blunt stake," the prosecutor continued.

"No! Sharp stake!"

"Blunt."

"Time has expired," announced the judge. "Defense, do you accept or reject the proposal?" Alice turned to look in Ellie's big, tearful eyes. Then, with resignation:

"Accept."

"Very well! Ellie Ruck, please rise to hear your final sentence." Ellie stood reluctantly, wiping her eyes. "Ms. Ruck, you have been found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. After negotiation, you have agreed to be executed in the following manner. (Because you have agreed to begin suffering your punishment this very night, I also forbid any appeal, as it would indicate a bad faith negotiation. This sentence cannot be altered, postponed, or appealed.)" Ellie swallowed, ready to hear her entire, irreversible sentence.

"Young Lady, at 5:00 p.m. today, Friday, April 30, I order you to be brought to a public whipping post and stripped of your clothing down to your underwear. That is, you may retain one garment to cover your nipples and as much of your breasts as the court shall deem reasonable, and one garment to cover your genitals, anus, and as much of your buttocks as the court shall deem reasonable. I then order you to be bound with your back to the whipping post and your hands behind you.
"Once bound I order you to be branded on the lower abdomen with the logo of Burns & Black. From 5:00 p.m. today until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, you shall not fail to offer yourself to any adult who passes near you. Specifically, I order you to use the words, 'would you like to fuck me?' When a person accepts your offer, I order your to be stripped of the garment covering your genitals. From the time your genitals are exposed, the person will have 10 minutes to violate you sexually in the manner of their choosing, providing no violence is done that will shorten your subsequent suffering. At the end of ten minutes, the undergarment covering your genitals will be given back to you. Once five persons have penetrated your body, either vaginally or anally, further persons wishing to violate you may do so only if they do not penetrate your vagina or your anus.
"At 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, May 1, I order you to be stripped of all clothing, footwear, and jewelry, and whipped at the public whipping post where you have spent the night. You shall receive fifty lashes upon the bare back and an additional fifty lashes upon the bare buttocks using a standard leather whip. Next you shall be branded on the left buttock with the logo of Burns & Black. Following this, I order you to be crucified in a highly trafficked area of a city park as shall be designated by the court. As you walk to the aforesaid park, you may wear a garment to cover your genitals and your anus, but which shall leave your buttocks substantially uncovered. Apart from said garment, you shall remain naked. Immediately before being crucified, I order you to be stripped of this garment as well, so that you shall be entirely naked. Once you are naked, I order you to have all of your pubic hair removed by waxing.
"When all of your pubic hair has been completely removed, I order you to kneel and beg the prosecutor, Mr. Arnold Black, for mercy. If Mr. Black agrees to extend mercy, you shall be held down and beaten on the bare back with 100 additional lashes of the standard leather whip before being crucified. Additionally, if Mr. Black has extended mercy, you shall be given no support for your body on the cross. That is, no sedile or cornu.
"You shall be nailed to your cross using four standard crucifixion nails driven through your wrists and feet. If Mr. Black has not extended mercy, your cross shall have a blunt cornu fastened at the level of your buttocks. I order you to take the cornu into yourself through your anus. Your cross shall have no footrest. You shall be considered dead when so declared by a physician. When you have hung on the cross for sixty hours, measured from the moment you are raised for display, if you have not yet been declared dead, I order you to be impaled on a blunt stake driven upwards into your body through your vagina, to a depth of 24 inches. Once you have been declared dead, I order your body to remain displayed on the cross for 24 hours, after which time it shall be disposed of in the Field of Traitors." The judge looked up. "Has the sentence been misunderstood in any regard?"

"No more penetration after she's been penetrated five times, not after she's been penetrated by five persons," said Alice. "In case of a person returning to violate her more than once." The judge nodded and made a note.

"Impalement at 60 hours whether dead or alive," said the prosecutor.

"Do you agree to both?" the judge asked. "I will allow both or neither." The prosecutor nodded.

"Fine," said Alice.

RAP! the gavel came down. "So ordered! Bailiff, take Ms. Ruck to her cell."

Alice looked like she wanted to apologize for something, but Ellie was gripped by two guards, handcuffed with her hands behind her, and rushed out of the courtroom to the jail with cameras in her face.

Half an hour later, Alice came to Ellie's cell. The girl was sitting on the cot, wearing her orange jumpsuit. She had composed herself somewhat, though her head had still been in her hands when the attorney entered.

"How you doing, Hun?" she asked, again putting her hand on Ellie's knee. Ellie shrugged. "Ok, well there are a couple practical things we need to talk about." Ellie didn't respond, so Alice continued, "There are three things they're requiring of you, and you have to be sure to do them to their satisfaction. First, you have to offer to have sex with everyone who comes by you tonight. I would have liked to have better defined how close they have to come to you to require you to ask them, but there just wasn't time. He did that on purpose, of course. He wants you to miss somebody. If you do, he can dictate pretty much any sentence he wants, as long as the court doesn't consider it excessive. And you know in a case of treason, it would take a lot to be considered excessive. Ok?" Ellie nodded, still staring at her lap. "So stay alert and keep your eye out. if somebody seems far away and you're not sure, ask them. Ok? You don't want to fall to Black's mercy. Got it?"

"Yeah," Ellie was quiet.

"Ok, next thing is the begging. Of course he's not going to give you mercy, but you have to beg."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, I know. I've been watching him crucify my clients for more than ten years now. He doesn't do mercy."

"Then what's the point?"

"There are two points. First, he gets to look like a tough guy deciding your fate on national television. It's good for his brand. Second, if you don't really, really beg, he'll try to argue a bad faith negotiation, and dictate a harsher sentence, just like with the sex thing tonight. Ok?" Ellie nodded. "So beg. Really, really beg hard, like you think he might do it. Ok?" Ellie had already nodded, so she didn't respond. "Ok?"

"Ok."

"Ok, last thing is the cornu. You've got to take it up your butt, not your pussy, ok? If you take it up your pussy, then when 60 hours comes, they won't impale you. They'll just leave you and say you didn't mount the cornu properly. Ok? We're doing this whole sex thing tonight and the begging and all to get the GD clause. If you take the cornu in the wrong hole, it's all for naught. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Now, some advice: get yourself down on the cornu early. It's going to be hard. It's like, really thick, and you're not going to get it in the first time. You don't want to be trying to do that when you're exhausted, because trust me, you'll end up just letting it go in your vagina. So that's probably the first thing you want to do once you're up. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Ok, now what about your panties?" Ellie finally looked up.

"What about them?"

"You're allowed to wear a thong from the post to the cross."

"Right?"

"What do you have on now? Probably standard issue prison panties?"

"Yeah," Ellie blushed as she looked back down at her lap.

"Probably cover most of your butt?" Ellie didn't bother responding. "Ok, so I actually already have plans for tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to come for the crucifixion, but I'm going to have one of my assistants bring you a thong you can wear, ok? Probably not tonight," she looked at her watch, "Yeah, it's getting late, but she'll be here in the morning, and I think they should let her give you the thong after your whipping."

"Ok."

"Ok, and last but not least, they did let me bring you your phone, if you want to call your dad. It's bugged now, of course, but if you wanted to call him...?"

Ellie finally began to weep again.

"Come on, Honey," urged Alice, patting and rubbing Ellie's back. "I know you didn't want him to know, but now that you've been sentenced, it's going to be advertised everywhere tonight and tomorrow. You don't want him to find out that way, do you?" After a moment, Alice put the phone in Ellie's lap. "I'd leave you with it, but I can't. I have to bring it back when I go, and I actually need to be back for a 4:30 meeting, so..."

Ellie heaved three deep, anguished breaths between sobs, then screamed full force at her lap, griping the phone. Alice patted her a few more times as she gathered herself together. In minute or two, she had mastered her tears, dialed, and put the phone to her ear.

"Well hello!" came her father's delighted voice.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, how you doin'? This is a pleasant surprise."

Ellie waited a moment, fighting emotion.

"What's up, Sweetie?"

"Um, Dad, I'm..."

"Are you ok, Ellie?"

"Not really. I'm--"

"What's wrong, Sweetie? Are you in trouble?"

"Yeah. I am."

"Do you need me to pick you up? Where are you?"

"I'm - I'm in jail, Dad."

"Jail? Did you say jail?? Hang on." There was a bang on the phone and background noise quieted. "What - what happened? You know what - I'm coming right now. What jail? You're in New York, right?"

"No, Dad. I probably wouldn't be here by the time you came."

"Ok, well I can be at your campus in an hour. Where do you want to meet?"

"No, Dad. It's... You can't do anything for me."

"Well maybe not, but I'm coming anyway. What happened?"

"I, uh... I was passing out some leaflets on campus, and..." In the silence on the other end, Ellie knew her father had just begun to understand. The silence wouldn't end. Ellie didn't want to explain, but she didn't want silence, either.

Finally: "Oh, Ellie." It was deep and slow, like he was already beginning to grieve. Ellie couldn't respond. Her silent weeping prevented it. Still, she somehow wished she could stay on the phone forever, just knowing her dad was on the other end. There was something sweet and reassuring in the grief. Warmer than the cold world of the courtroom and her cell. After a long time, her father spoke again. "When can I visit?"

Ellie wept harder. She couldn't find it in herself to tell him.

"What, they won't let me visit?! Come on, Ellie..." She could tell he was beginning to fight emotion himself.

"No, Dad. It's going to happen fast."

"What's gonna happen? WHAT'S gonna happen?!! Ellie, you've gotta..." he broke off as his growing anger dissolved into weeping.

"I'm being... executed," her voice trembled, but she somehow found it easier to be strong now that her father was crying.

"NOW??" it was a tortured wail.

"They're starting at 5:00."

"Oh, Ellie, no! No, no, no..."

"I love you, Dad. I've got to go though."

"Wait! Ellie, how can I see you??"

"Don't come, Dad," she started crying again.

"What, is it public??"

"I love you, Dad. Don't come! Goodbye, Dad!"

"Ellie!" she heard him screaming as she handed her phone back to Alice, who whisked away a tear of her own.

THE END
Will the punishment story be told?
 
"Ok," said Alice, looking down at her papers with eyes wide with intense focus, obviously feeling the time pressure. "Once my client has been raped three times, she can stop offering sex to passersby. Each passerby will have 10 minutes to violate her, not 15. In return, she hangs 24 hours after death instead of 12."

"Limit penetrations to five, not three. After that she still offers herself but they can't penetrate her vagina."

"Nor her anus."

"Fine."

"Does that conclude--" the judge began, but Alice spoke hurriedly before he could finish:

"GD at 60 hours. In return, method is strangling."

"If you want 60 hours, method is vaginal impalement."

"She'll have a cornu in her vagina! She can't be impaled!"

"Make it an anal cornu."

"A cornu is a cornu!"

"You want GD at 60, she takes it up her ass."

There were less than 10 seconds left. "Fine!"

"Impalement with a blunt stake," the prosecutor continued.

"No! Sharp stake!"

"Blunt."

"Time has expired," announced the judge. "Defense, do you accept or reject the proposal?" Alice turned to look in Ellie's big, tearful eyes. Then, with resignation:

"Accept."

"Very well! Ellie Ruck, please rise to hear your final sentence." Ellie stood reluctantly, wiping her eyes. "Ms. Ruck, you have been found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. After negotiation, you have agreed to be executed in the following manner. (Because you have agreed to begin suffering your punishment this very night, I also forbid any appeal, as it would indicate a bad faith negotiation. This sentence cannot be altered, postponed, or appealed.)" Ellie swallowed, ready to hear her entire, irreversible sentence.

"Young Lady, at 5:00 p.m. today, Friday, April 30, I order you to be brought to a public whipping post and stripped of your clothing down to your underwear. That is, you may retain one garment to cover your nipples and as much of your breasts as the court shall deem reasonable, and one garment to cover your genitals, anus, and as much of your buttocks as the court shall deem reasonable. I then order you to be bound with your back to the whipping post and your hands behind you.
"Once bound I order you to be branded on the lower abdomen with the logo of Burns & Black. From 5:00 p.m. today until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, you shall not fail to offer yourself to any adult who passes near you. Specifically, I order you to use the words, 'would you like to fuck me?' When a person accepts your offer, I order your to be stripped of the garment covering your genitals. From the time your genitals are exposed, the person will have 10 minutes to violate you sexually in the manner of their choosing, providing no violence is done that will shorten your subsequent suffering. At the end of ten minutes, the undergarment covering your genitals will be given back to you. Once five persons have penetrated your body, either vaginally or anally, further persons wishing to violate you may do so only if they do not penetrate your vagina or your anus.
"At 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, May 1, I order you to be stripped of all clothing, footwear, and jewelry, and whipped at the public whipping post where you have spent the night. You shall receive fifty lashes upon the bare back and an additional fifty lashes upon the bare buttocks using a standard leather whip. Next you shall be branded on the left buttock with the logo of Burns & Black. Following this, I order you to be crucified in a highly trafficked area of a city park as shall be designated by the court. As you walk to the aforesaid park, you may wear a garment to cover your genitals and your anus, but which shall leave your buttocks substantially uncovered. Apart from said garment, you shall remain naked. Immediately before being crucified, I order you to be stripped of this garment as well, so that you shall be entirely naked. Once you are naked, I order you to have all of your pubic hair removed by waxing.
"When all of your pubic hair has been completely removed, I order you to kneel and beg the prosecutor, Mr. Arnold Black, for mercy. If Mr. Black agrees to extend mercy, you shall be held down and beaten on the bare back with 100 additional lashes of the standard leather whip before being crucified. Additionally, if Mr. Black has extended mercy, you shall be given no support for your body on the cross. That is, no sedile or cornu.
"You shall be nailed to your cross using four standard crucifixion nails driven through your wrists and feet. If Mr. Black has not extended mercy, your cross shall have a blunt cornu fastened at the level of your buttocks. I order you to take the cornu into yourself through your anus. Your cross shall have no footrest. You shall be considered dead when so declared by a physician. When you have hung on the cross for sixty hours, measured from the moment you are raised for display, if you have not yet been declared dead, I order you to be impaled on a blunt stake driven upwards into your body through your vagina, to a depth of 24 inches. Once you have been declared dead, I order your body to remain displayed on the cross for 24 hours, after which time it shall be disposed of in the Field of Traitors." The judge looked up. "Has the sentence been misunderstood in any regard?"

"No more penetration after she's been penetrated five times, not after she's been penetrated by five persons," said Alice. "In case of a person returning to violate her more than once." The judge nodded and made a note.

"Impalement at 60 hours whether dead or alive," said the prosecutor.

"Do you agree to both?" the judge asked. "I will allow both or neither." The prosecutor nodded.

"Fine," said Alice.

RAP! the gavel came down. "So ordered! Bailiff, take Ms. Ruck to her cell."

Alice looked like she wanted to apologize for something, but Ellie was gripped by two guards, handcuffed with her hands behind her, and rushed out of the courtroom to the jail with cameras in her face.

Half an hour later, Alice came to Ellie's cell. The girl was sitting on the cot, wearing her orange jumpsuit. She had composed herself somewhat, though her head had still been in her hands when the attorney entered.

"How you doing, Hun?" she asked, again putting her hand on Ellie's knee. Ellie shrugged. "Ok, well there are a couple practical things we need to talk about." Ellie didn't respond, so Alice continued, "There are three things they're requiring of you, and you have to be sure to do them to their satisfaction. First, you have to offer to have sex with everyone who comes by you tonight. I would have liked to have better defined how close they have to come to you to require you to ask them, but there just wasn't time. He did that on purpose, of course. He wants you to miss somebody. If you do, he can dictate pretty much any sentence he wants, as long as the court doesn't consider it excessive. And you know in a case of treason, it would take a lot to be considered excessive. Ok?" Ellie nodded, still staring at her lap. "So stay alert and keep your eye out. if somebody seems far away and you're not sure, ask them. Ok? You don't want to fall to Black's mercy. Got it?"

"Yeah," Ellie was quiet.

"Ok, next thing is the begging. Of course he's not going to give you mercy, but you have to beg."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, I know. I've been watching him crucify my clients for more than ten years now. He doesn't do mercy."

"Then what's the point?"

"There are two points. First, he gets to look like a tough guy deciding your fate on national television. It's good for his brand. Second, if you don't really, really beg, he'll try to argue a bad faith negotiation, and dictate a harsher sentence, just like with the sex thing tonight. Ok?" Ellie nodded. "So beg. Really, really beg hard, like you think he might do it. Ok?" Ellie had already nodded, so she didn't respond. "Ok?"

"Ok."

"Ok, last thing is the cornu. You've got to take it up your butt, not your pussy, ok? If you take it up your pussy, then when 60 hours comes, they won't impale you. They'll just leave you and say you didn't mount the cornu properly. Ok? We're doing this whole sex thing tonight and the begging and all to get the GD clause. If you take the cornu in the wrong hole, it's all for naught. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Now, some advice: get yourself down on the cornu early. It's going to be hard. It's like, really thick, and you're not going to get it in the first time. You don't want to be trying to do that when you're exhausted, because trust me, you'll end up just letting it go in your vagina. So that's probably the first thing you want to do once you're up. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Ok, now what about your panties?" Ellie finally looked up.

"What about them?"

"You're allowed to wear a thong from the post to the cross."

"Right?"

"What do you have on now? Probably standard issue prison panties?"

"Yeah," Ellie blushed as she looked back down at her lap.

"Probably cover most of your butt?" Ellie didn't bother responding. "Ok, so I actually already have plans for tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to come for the crucifixion, but I'm going to have one of my assistants bring you a thong you can wear, ok? Probably not tonight," she looked at her watch, "Yeah, it's getting late, but she'll be here in the morning, and I think they should let her give you the thong after your whipping."

"Ok."

"Ok, and last but not least, they did let me bring you your phone, if you want to call your dad. It's bugged now, of course, but if you wanted to call him...?"

Ellie finally began to weep again.

"Come on, Honey," urged Alice, patting and rubbing Ellie's back. "I know you didn't want him to know, but now that you've been sentenced, it's going to be advertised everywhere tonight and tomorrow. You don't want him to find out that way, do you?" After a moment, Alice put the phone in Ellie's lap. "I'd leave you with it, but I can't. I have to bring it back when I go, and I actually need to be back for a 4:30 meeting, so..."

Ellie heaved three deep, anguished breaths between sobs, then screamed full force at her lap, griping the phone. Alice patted her a few more times as she gathered herself together. In minute or two, she had mastered her tears, dialed, and put the phone to her ear.

"Well hello!" came her father's delighted voice.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, how you doin'? This is a pleasant surprise."

Ellie waited a moment, fighting emotion.

"What's up, Sweetie?"

"Um, Dad, I'm..."

"Are you ok, Ellie?"

"Not really. I'm--"

"What's wrong, Sweetie? Are you in trouble?"

"Yeah. I am."

"Do you need me to pick you up? Where are you?"

"I'm - I'm in jail, Dad."

"Jail? Did you say jail?? Hang on." There was a bang on the phone and background noise quieted. "What - what happened? You know what - I'm coming right now. What jail? You're in New York, right?"

"No, Dad. I probably wouldn't be here by the time you came."

"Ok, well I can be at your campus in an hour. Where do you want to meet?"

"No, Dad. It's... You can't do anything for me."

"Well maybe not, but I'm coming anyway. What happened?"

"I, uh... I was passing out some leaflets on campus, and..." In the silence on the other end, Ellie knew her father had just begun to understand. The silence wouldn't end. Ellie didn't want to explain, but she didn't want silence, either.

Finally: "Oh, Ellie." It was deep and slow, like he was already beginning to grieve. Ellie couldn't respond. Her silent weeping prevented it. Still, she somehow wished she could stay on the phone forever, just knowing her dad was on the other end. There was something sweet and reassuring in the grief. Warmer than the cold world of the courtroom and her cell. After a long time, her father spoke again. "When can I visit?"

Ellie wept harder. She couldn't find it in herself to tell him.

"What, they won't let me visit?! Come on, Ellie..." She could tell he was beginning to fight emotion himself.

"No, Dad. It's going to happen fast."

"What's gonna happen? WHAT'S gonna happen?!! Ellie, you've gotta..." he broke off as his growing anger dissolved into weeping.

"I'm being... executed," her voice trembled, but she somehow found it easier to be strong now that her father was crying.

"NOW??" it was a tortured wail.

"They're starting at 5:00."

"Oh, Ellie, no! No, no, no..."

"I love you, Dad. I've got to go though."

"Wait! Ellie, how can I see you??"

"Don't come, Dad," she started crying again.

"What, is it public??"

"I love you, Dad. Don't come! Goodbye, Dad!"

"Ellie!" she heard him screaming as she handed her phone back to Alice, who whisked away a tear of her own.

THE END
What a great finish! Well worth the wait imho, (not that I’ve been actually waiting given this was started a year before I joined)

I never imagined such a negotiation before and had the pleasure to read the whole thing as a fresh story just now. I’ll probably read @jeddak ‘s version at some point but 300 pages may take me some time.

I absolutely loved the ending, that phone call to Dad was terrifyingly brutal humiliation… And yes, I love the open ending, my imagination can savour her torturous death for a long time…

Perhaps a criminal whips her cruelly at 3 am and so her sentence is commuted long enough for her to fully recover? Defeating much of the purpose of the negotiations and leading to more suffering?

Thanks again @Juan1234 - I’m going to follow you in hopes of more quality stuff.
 
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