Cassidy started scrubbing harder, and she did the rest of the job more thoroughly as well. She stopped just working on the same spot over and over and began doing the floor properly. Not that it mattered. The work didn’t need to be done, and a cleaning robot could do it in a tenth of the time and significantly better. But it felt good to have finally asserted herself. She had been right. Beth could go fuck herself, and it was time somebody told her.
Then Beth came back, accompanied by a security robot. It had only been about five minutes since her outburst. “She would prefer to discuss it with you briefly in her office, and after that, she has made an appointment for you downstairs with Mrs. Bailey.” Cassidy got up and, slowly but surely, walked back to the elevator with Beth.
—
Cassidy was sitting at their table, doing her homework. Dinner was about to be delivered, but she wasn’t hungry. Her Mom had come home on time, but went straight to the third bedroom in their condo, which she had converted into an office, to keep working.
Paul hadn’t gone to practice that morning. He was always worse if he hadn’t, but luckily that almost never happened. Yesterday, he lost an especially important match and was being relegated to the fifth division. That was semi-pro. He had already had two cold showers, but they didn’t help: he was furious.
“Sorry about your game, Paul.” Cassidy had to say something. He was building up to a storm, and there was nobody there other than her to take the brunt of it.
“Are you? And it wasn’t a game. It was a fucking match. I am surprised you even knew about it. But I guess I shouldn’t be. Because you always seem to mention it when I lose. You don’t even come to my matches anymore.”
“They happen when I am in school. Now that you are back in the fifth division, I will be able to come again.” She was trying to soothe him, but as soon as she said it, she realized it was the wrong thing to say. He hit her, a big open-palmed slap right across the face. Cassidy ducked and tried to get under the table. Paul had caught her arm, though, and was pulling her back. He spun her around and was about to hit her again.
“PAUL, how many times have I told you? Slap her on the bum, not the face, and not so hard.” Her Mom had just come into the room. “She is old enough now that she needs to take showers after PE. She cannot have bruises any longer. At least if you slap her bum, she is less likely to get them. Now I am going to have to take her—”
Paul let go of Cassidy and turned on her. He took two steps right to her and hit her, too. He did it even harder than he had hit Cassidy. She fell to the ground, stunned. He stormed out, but not before yelling, “I will slap you both, wherever I like.”
Cassidy looked at her mom. She was sitting against the wall. Her legs were crossed awkwardly. She had fallen that way and hadn’t moved since, though she was still completely conscious. For a second, Cassidy thought she was looking straight back at her. But then she realized her eyes were entirely blank. She wasn’t trying to look at her. Under the table was just where her gaze had settled. She was staring into space, completely in shock. Cassidy started to taste blood in her mouth.
—
They went straight to Judge Bragg’s office. “Take a seat by the door. She just started a meeting that was already scheduled,” Beth said coolly. The meeting went on for quite some time, at least forty-five minutes. Cassidy sat resolutely. The delay was probably a pretense. Did Bragg expect that by making her wait, she would slowly grow more and more anxious? Did she hope it would build into dread as she contemplated her impending punishment? If that were the case, it wouldn’t work. Cassidy kept an ember of anger burning deep inside her. She was ready to reignite it when she needed it.
Finally, the door opened. The blonde ward started to leave, but she was looking back, smiling. Judge Bragg called after her, obvious warmth in her voice. “And don’t forget to do every part of those windows, Charlotte. Just because people don’t look out of the bottom corners doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be just as clean as the centers. Maybe it will be ‘bring your dog to work day’ tomorrow, and somebody’s poor little chihuahua isn’t going to be able to properly appreciate the view otherwise.”
“Yes, Ma’am, I will remember. I am not sure why you worry that I don’t like doing all the cleaning chores you assign me. I like washing windows just as much as working at my terminal for Mrs. MacDonald, even though you don’t pay me like she does.”
“Actually, it is us who pay you when you work for her —at least for now— and I can think of something else I can give you when you are doing the other jobs I assign you —if you need motivation, Charlotte.” The blonde tensed, just a little. Even though Judge Bragg continued to be jovial, she still wanted to remind the young woman of her place, apparently. And then, suddenly, Judge Bragg’s voice became extremely firm. “You can come in, Cassidy. Close the door as you do,” Bragg called from inside her office. Charlotte, who had left the door open just a little ajar, jumped. She was surprised by Judge Bragg’s abrupt change in tone to near fury, even though she could no longer see her. For a second, she hadn’t fully registered that Judge Bragg had been addressing somebody else. Then she noticed Cassidy sitting and waiting. She looked at her with equal parts relief and sympathy.
Cassidy went in. Judge Bragg looked as stern as she had in her introduction. “You won’t need to sit down for this meeting, young lady. It will only take a moment, and it will be good practice for the rest of the day.” Cassidy began to speak, but Bragg cut her off. “No, first I am going to say something: you will under no circumstances speak to anyone here like that again. In a few minutes, you are going to be sitting on the Chair, and that point will be made abundantly clear to you. So much so that you likely won’t speak to anyone else anywhere like that ever again. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?” Cassidy just glared and then turned to open the door.
“Oh, don’t you dare think of leaving before you are dismissed.”
“No, I have nothing to say for myself.” Cassidy turned back and crossed her arms.
“That’s most unfortunate for you, because your punishment is going to be worse if you don’t tell me the truth. I am going to give you one more chance to change your mind and tell me what caused your outburst.”
Cassidy stared silently at her for half a minute. She was finally finding her courage. She was looking right at her, not flinching as before. It felt good.
“You were just about to say something, Cassidy. What was it?”
Cassidy couldn’t even remember exactly what she was about to say, but it was just going to be about cleaning robots or some other trivial thing. She certainly wasn’t intending to admit her apprehensions about losing her informal command of Tegan and Amanda.
Judge Bragg waited close to another full minute. She was clearly hoping that Cassidy would break. She had noticed how she had been able to subdue her completely with just a look in their first couple of meetings. She was expecting to do it again. Cassidy held firm. She didn’t look away this time.
“There’s something that we both know is true, but you don’t want to admit to yourself. I am going to make you do it by saying it aloud, right now, or I am going to make you do it in an even harder way, but either way you’re going to do it. Trust me, speaking it is going to be better for you.”
Cassidy had let her arms fall to her sides. She crossed them again and continued glaring, even more defiantly.
“You’re dismissed.”
Cassidy left, her head held high for the first time in over a week.
The security robot that Beth had with her when she brought her was still there. “OK, Cassidy, let’s go get this over with,” Beth said quietly. They went back to the elevator. The security robot came with them.
“That was really uncalled for, Cass. I have been trying to be nothing but kind to you.” Cassidy stood in the elevator, scowling at her feet. “Do you know how many girls I have taken to do this? More than you will ever know, and each of you seems to think that you’re going to be the first young lady in history not to have pain nerves in her backside. Well, you’re going to find out that you do, and the moment you realize it, you’re going to look right at me, pleading, and I am not going to help you.”
The punishment room was right by the elevator. Beth knocked and then opened the door. The room wasn’t big. In the middle was a sturdy metal chair with padded restraint straps built into it. The chair was fixed to the ground. Its seat was a thin cloth. There was a projector underneath it. An older, middle-aged woman in a white uniform stood next to it. Cassidy felt her resolve crumbling. It was so much more intimidating now that it was real. She took a deep breath. She could do this.
The new woman spoke. “Alright, come here.” Cassidy approached. She kept her head up. “Turn around to face me.” Cassidy did as she was told. “Lower your pants and underwear to your knees and sit down.” She hesitated. “Now, young lady. We can have the robot’s help if we need it.” She dropped them and sat. The woman quickly set the straps tightly. “This is going to hurt. That’s the point,” she said quietly. She looked to Beth, who was waiting by the door, holding her tablet to take notes, and nodded.
Beth looked right into her eyes. “Alright, Cassidy, it’s time for you to have a good cry, and Judge Bragg would like you to remember this the next time you are frustrated and need to speak to somebody else.” She nodded back to Mrs. Bailey. Cassidy clenched her fists and steeled herself for the pain. She went as rigid as she could make herself. She was going to endure her punishment, just like Tegan had. The woman pressed a button on a control panel next to the chair.
Cassidy could not believe the searing pain. It immediately shattered any hope of resistance. She cried out. Her whole bottom was burning. She couldn’t get free. She wrenched herself against the restraints, but they didn’t budge. She looked right back to Beth, desperately panicking, “No, No, No, Please Beth, make her stop. I can’t. I can’t. Beth, make her stop. BETH PLEASE. MAKE HER STOP. BETH, HELP ME. I AM SO SORRY. NOOOO.” She lost her words. She was just crying now. Just like Beth told her she would be. She tried to kick her legs, but her ankles were held too. It was nothing like the frantic fear and anger of a fight or the terror and hard blows of Paul’s beatings. Those situations were numbed by adrenaline, brought on by ferocious counterpunches and kicks or the desperate attempt to escape from the much faster and stronger Paul. She could at least take action, even if it was just to put her hands up to try to block, if another girl had got the better of her, or turn away and cower as the blows came, in Paul’s case.
This was torment. She was being held in place, desperately trying to wiggle free, and the burning pain was concentrated right on her ass alone. She was crying uncontrollably now, pleading to be released and for the spanking to stop. Beth didn’t help. Just like she told her she wouldn’t. She had a look of sympathy but also satisfaction on her face. She thought Cassidy was getting exactly what she deserved.
Somehow, the pain got worse. How could Tegan endure this? How could anyone? It wasn’t possible. She squirmed as hard as she could, but nothing helped. The pain was so intense. “BETH, PLEASE, I AM SO SORRY.” Still Beth did nothing. She just watched and nodded slightly, so that Cassidy knew she heard and understood. Then all she could do was cry again. It went on and on, until suddenly it stopped.
Mrs. Bailey began undoing the restraints. Cassidy was sobbing. “OK, you’re done, young lady.” Cassidy jumped up as quickly as she could, almost tripping on her pants around her knees. She pulled them up and leapt away from the chair. “Whoa, whoa, settle down. It’s OK, you’re finished.” Mrs. Bailey soothed her, stepping after her.
Cassidy ran straight to and behind Beth, using her as a shield between her and this other terrible woman. It wasn’t only that, though. Beth was right: she was the only person there who had shown her any kindness. Beth spoke, “It’s fine, Cassidy. You’re fine. Calm down. Good girl.” She was entirely dejected. Her earlier rebellion had been crushed. She kept wailing.
Beth just let her cry at first, before gently beginning to soothe her. “That’s a good girl. Let it all out. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but that will do you a lot of good in the end. You’re going to be a good girl from now on.” Cassidy kept sobbing, but it finally began to subside.
It wasn’t just the pain: it was the betrayal. She couldn’t believe it. They had hurt her. They caused her more agony than she imagined was possible, and they did it on purpose. She looked at Beth again, tears streaming from her eyes. How could you let her do that to me? How can you look at me so sympathetically, yet want it to have happened at the same time? Her tears intensified again. The pain was building again now. So was everything else. Her whole world was unraveling. “That is what happens to girls with bad attitudes and who refuse to do their work properly here, Cassidy. We give them good spankings, just like that. Remember this, OK?” Cassidy nodded.
Mrs. Bailey spoke again. “Your punishment session is complete. Your bottom will hurt for the rest of the day and through tomorrow. Your skin will be quite pink there. That’s normal. There will be no lasting injury or ill effect.” Cassidy was finally starting to calm down.
“Alright, Cassidy. Let’s go. Come on.” Beth gently steered her toward the door. They got back into the elevator and headed up. Cassidy looked at Beth again. She couldn’t help it. Beth had been complicit, even in favor of her being punished that way, but she was still supporting her. She could tell that Beth cared for her. Hot tears started running down her cheeks again. She had only just stopped crying a moment ago.
Beth put her arm around her. “Alright, Cass, it’s OK. You’re going back to work on the fifty-ninth floor with your friends. Take a deep breath. You’re fine now. Just remember this so we won’t need to do it again.”
She wasn’t fine. She couldn’t let the other two see her like this. “No, please, Beth, let me go to my room. I won’t do it again. I promise. I am sorry about what I said before.” Beth looked at her sympathetically. “I know, Cassidy, but it’s not my decision.” Beth stopped hugging her just before the elevator doors opened.
Amanda was down the hallway. She had decided to place herself right where she would see her come back. They made eye contact. Amanda could see. She knew. The punishment had been too much for Cassidy. It broke her. It was just the kind of vulnerability that Amanda could exploit, if and when she wanted to. Tears were still streaming down Cassidy’s cheeks.
She should have just admitted it to Judge Bragg as she insisted. This was worse: Cassidy was losing her position of leadership, and they all knew it. She started crying even harder. Amanda just looked at her, expressionlessly. Cassidy went straight to where her brush was still lying. She knelt down and started scrubbing. Beth came with her to make sure she started. “OK, Cassidy, I am sure you don’t want another spanking, so do a good job, like I told you before.” She said it loudly, so the other two would hear. She did it on purpose. It was a warning for them, but mostly Cassidy had hurt her a little. She wanted her to know it.
Nobody said anything when they stopped for lunch and got back in the elevator. It wasn’t until they were standing by the door to the dining room that Amanda finally did. Cassidy held her breath. “Well, I guess you were right, Tegan. The two of us probably should leave the chair for you.” There was a sly smile on Amanda’s face. She was still holding them together. Cassidy let the breath out in relief.
“What are you looking at? Do you have something to say?” Amanda suddenly snapped at the young girl with the speech impediment who had been eavesdropping from a couple of spots further back in line. “Actually, don’t bother telling me. I probably wouldn’t be able to understand you anyway.”
“Fuck off bitch. Nobody cares what you think.” Charlotte yelled from the line to the other dining room.
“Charlotte, I hope that was worth it, but I doubt it will be.” Beth had just come around the corner of the hall, and she was obviously quite annoyed by Charlotte’s outburst. She was showing a new girl around, who wore a big smirk. “That is not how I recommend you ever speak to anyone in here, Betty. As Charlotte is almost certainly going to be reminded.”
“Beth, it’s not like you think. It’s more compli—”
Beth cut her off. “Well, aren’t you lucky it’s not me that you’re going to need to persuade Charlotte, because if it were up to me, you would already be marching straight to you-know-where.”
“Beth, come on, please. I am sorry, but you didn’t hear what happened. Let me explain.”
Beth put her hand up, dismissively. “That’s enough, Charlotte. I already told you it’s not up to me. You can do all the explaining Judge Bragg will let you —to her. Right after this, I am sure she is going to want to have another meeting with you.” She turned back to the new girl. “OK, Betty, let’s keep going so you have a little time to eat your lunch. We’re already running late, and I am probably going to have an appointment to make for Charlotte in a moment.”
The bell for food chimed. Charlotte walked up, furious. “Oh, you’re going to get it too. Just you wait,” she whispered.
Amanda smiled sweetly. “You really should watch your tone. And your language.”
Charlotte went to her dining room. They went to sit in theirs. Cassidy let out a yelp as she did. She was sore, surprisingly so, just as Mrs. Bailey had warned her. Amanda and Tegan laughed. But it was a sharp reminder. It had only been an hour or so ago that she had been entirely devastated. The situation wasn’t nearly as manageable as the other two believed.
After lunch, Amanda was sent to do chores by herself, but Tegan, Cassidy, and this new smirking girl, Betty, were sent to work in the main lobby again, with the large bathroom that had many stalls. Beth came down with them. “Betty, you will have a cleaning robot to show you if you’re making mistakes. It won’t help you, but pay attention to it. It will teach you to clean properly, and you will only have it for a couple of days. After that, too many mistakes will result in punishment —just ask Cassidy over there.”
Beth left as soon as they started working, and Cassidy moved in a few minutes after that. This girl could be useful, and recruiting a junior member might be the best way to bolster her command.“Don’t worry too much about this dumb little robot, Betty. I haven’t actually seen anyone punished yet for poor work. It was actually for telling her to ‘fuck off’. She didn’t like that. When I told her.” Cassidy did her best to epitomize bravado. Betty hadn’t seen her in the elevator crying her eyes out and being hugged by Beth. No one had, luckily.
Betty was on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor around several benches. She looked up. “I don’t need or want your help. I can take care of myself, but thanks for your concern.” Cassidy turned and went back to work. Screw the little bitch.
A few minutes later, Betty’s water bucket was dumped across the floor. It splashed all over her legs. Tegan was standing over her. “Hey, watch it. Go ahead, just try to trip me with that again.” Cleaning robots swarmed the puddle immediately. It was running right into the middle of the lobby. The little girl looked straight back at Tegan, spitting mad. She didn’t back down, apparently.
“Me? You walked right into it.” She got up to retrieve her bucket. “Tell you what, I am supposed to follow this idiot robot around, so why don’t you watch where you are going instead?” She was pretty feisty. You had to give her that. But Cassidy’s bum had suddenly started burning more than it had been for a while, and it was hard to care about anything else. Tegan gave Betty a shove. The girl was undaunted. She took two steps back, because Tegan was twice her size and had pushed her hard, but she stood her ground, fearlessly.
Beth arrived on the scene a moment later, accompanied by a security robot. Apparently Tegan’s shenanigans of spilling other wards’ buckets hadn’t gone unnoticed. “OK, Tegan, let’s go. Mrs. Bailey is going to get overtime at this rate, not to mention how many punishment reports I need to write. Come with me. Judge Bragg will speak to you first, and then you can have your session.” Tegan followed her. Betty waved enthusiastically. What a little brat, Cassidy muttered to herself. Let’s see how she handles Bragg. Tegan waved back and then blew a kiss.
It was a long afternoon shift. Her ass hurt the whole time. Betty was an insufferable little shit, and she couldn’t help but think that Tegan’s second trip to the Chair wasn’t going to go nearly so well as her first. And although she would never admit it, she hoped it wouldn’t. She wanted her knocked down a peg.
She was right, but far too right. As she got back to the common room, it was immediately clear from Amanda’s face that the situation was grim. Tegan was in her room, lying face down on her bed, absolutely sobbing. All the other wards had noticed, and most of them were not hiding their delight in her comeuppance.
The dinner chime sounded, and Cassidy gestured for Amanda to join her. Charlotte also walked into Dining Room A, in front of them. She glared at Amanda as she went to a table carrying her dull food. She sat down very gingerly beside the girl with the speech impediment. Cassidy knew how she felt. She wasn’t sitting so comfortably either. “At least you can finally have your dinner with me,” the younger girl said, grinning at Charlotte.
Charlotte looked like she was going to hit her for a moment, and then broke out laughing. “You’re right. Beth couldn’t have been more wrong. It was totally worth it.” Cassidy glanced at Amanda. She was not looking good.
They ate quickly and headed for their rooms. Amanda stopped at her doorway and looked right at Cassidy. She went over to see what the matter was. Amanda’s terminal was flashing. Amanda went and checked her messages: she had a meeting with Bragg tomorrow, right before lunch. Cassidy had a sinking feeling in her stomach. The situation was approaching dire.
The next morning, Tegan didn’t join them for breakfast. She left to do her chores without eating for a second time in a row. Cassidy had solo work again. That was lucky. She didn’t want company. And while at least the pain was mostly gone, she was more worried than she ever had been. Tegan and Amanda were working together, though. That was lucky. She could get updates from both of them on the other, that way.
At lunch, though, again, Tegan still didn’t join her. She ate, but she just stood nearby. She was still in severe pain. It was obvious. The Chair clearly had even greater capabilities than Cassidy had been subjected to, if Judge Bragg cared to use them. Amanda wasn’t back from her meeting with Judge Bragg either, which worried her, too. She realized she was probably going to have to do something, something drastic.
Amanda walked in at last, but before getting her food, she went straight to the girl with the speech impediment. “I am sorry I have been making such a big deal out of the way you talk. It’s really not that bad, and I am going to stop now. It won’t happen again.”
The girl looked up, surprised. “Oh, uh, th—th—th… thanks.”
Amanda went to get her food and then sat down next to Cassidy, but she was looking the other way. She didn’t say anything. Tegan snorted. They weren’t just breaking. They were splintering. This was it. The end of their resistance was upon them. All Judge Bragg needed to do was to give any one of them a tiny little push, and probably all three of them would disintegrate. Cassidy took a deep breath and started considering a plan. She had had the idea almost from the start, but it seemed far too risky to even contemplate. Now, it was too risky not to.
—
Three days later, and they still hadn’t said a word to each other. Tegan was finally getting over the lingering pain from her harsher spanking, though even now she was still tender. It must have been extreme, because Cassidy hadn’t had any soreness since the end of the second day. Bragg assigned all three of them to work in the lobby for their morning shift. Amanda started in the bathroom, and Tegan was close by. The moment had arrived. She winked at Tegan and went into the washroom too. It was first thing in the morning. Nobody else was in there. Amanda looked up. She was kneeling by the first stall, scrubbing the tiled floor. Cassidy held her breath.
Tegan walked in behind her. “What?” was all she said.
Cassidy turned and stepped back so they formed a triangle. “We should talk here. They won’t record us here.”
Tegan was angry. “What makes you think they record us?”
Cassidy calmly answered. “The rules are published on the terminal in your room. Bragg records us in every public place. She can’t do it in our rooms, but almost anywhere else is fair game. Even the common room is monitored. That’s why they don’t let us into each other’s rooms, so we cannot make plans together. Think about it. It means we have to talk here, at least when we talk for real.”
Amanda stood up. “OK, I am listening.”
Cassidy took a deep breath. This would be her only chance. “We need to escape.” The other two looked at her in complete shock.
“What, how?” Amanda stammered.
“It’s going to be easier than you think. Some of the other wards —the ones Bragg trusts more— do cleaning chores outside, like scrubbing the steps to the lobby. They keep the brushes for it just thirty meters from here, in the gray bin against the wall. You’ll see it, just to the right, when we walk out.
“Here’s what we are going to do. We wait for the bureaucrats to start going for lunch. There’s always a swarm of them coming in and out right after we start our second shift. If we have a day when all three of us are working down here in the afternoon, and nobody else has taken those brushes, we grab them and just walk out. We don’t run. We walk, and we start cleaning the steps and pavement, just like everyone will think we are supposed to be. Then we work our way farther and farther. Bragg and Beth aren’t expecting us to be outside, so Beth won’t be watching nearly as closely as when the wards that are meant to be outside are. We take a whole half an hour before we just stand up and walk away.
“Then we need to think on our feet. We get proper clothes —somehow— and we lie low. They are not going to have a citywide manhunt for three wards that have skipped out of their Reformation Program a little early. After enough time has passed, we blackmail my Mom. She hasn’t done a fucking thing to help, and this will be a political disaster for her. She’ll have to arrange some sort of reduced sentence for us, or we will finish her career. Trust me. I know a lot of things about her that she cannot afford to be made public.”
Amanda balked. “There is no way. It can’t work. They will notice for sure, and even if it did, your Mom can’t make them reduce our sentence. That isn’t how the system works.”
Cassidy took her hands. “She might be able to. She did it for Paul somehow. We can’t stay here, Amanda. Judge Bragg is too strong. She is going to break us. If my mom can’t reduce our sentence, she will have to do something else instead. She can get us to an allied city or something, because trust me, she only cares about herself and her political career.” Amanda wasn’t buying it. She wouldn’t be able to persuade her. Cassidy could tell.
“We all swore, Amanda,” Tegan said suddenly. “And I meant it when I did.” They both looked at her. “This is our only hope. I can’t go to the Chair again. And the other girls now, they…” She trailed off. She was trembling. It wasn’t in rage, like usual. It was something else. She had never been beaten or afraid before.
Amanda suddenly looked confused and scared. Cassidy jumped on the opening. “Bragg will break us down, and we will never see each other again or be the people we are supposed to be. She will make you into an assistant to some middle manager, like she is doing to Charlotte, by tricking you into thinking that you want it, just because she has made you so miserable otherwise. If you value our family, we have to do this. It’s our only chance. And it will work, I promise. And then when we are in a new city, it will be different. I won’t let this happen again. We can start over, properly, on our terms —together.”
Amanda paused, then nodded and started to walk out. “OK, fine. Let’s do it. You guys finish here.”
As soon as Amanda left, Tegan growled at her. “Don’t fuck this up again. It’s all your fault we’re here at all, and we all know it. If you fuck this up, I will wait for the perfect moment, and then I will kill you with my bare hands.” Then Tegan left the bathroom too. Cassidy took a deep breath. She wasn’t going to fuck this up. She couldn’t.
—
Two days later, their opportunity came. It happened so much more quickly than Cassidy could have ever hoped. The three of them were working the afternoon shift in the lobby, exactly as required. They couldn’t wait long. If they didn’t start right away, it would be obvious they weren’t working. And wards never switched tasks too soon, so it didn’t make sense to start their actual chores and then change. That would be more suspicious. There were also lots of people walking in and out, as usual, and the sooner they went, the less likely they were to lose their nerve. There would never be a more perfect moment. She gave a subtle signal, and she started walking. She adopted a cool, confident swagger. She didn’t look to see if they were coming. She didn’t want to give them the chance to back out.
Amanda and Tegan chose to follow. This is what Cassidy did. She imposed her will on the world. This is who she was. This is who we are. This is what we do. Amanda and Tegan adopted the swagger as well.
They went to the closet with the outdoor cleaning supplies. They grabbed them quickly, but not in a rush. They were calm. They passed through the door, brushes, buckets, and detergent, all in hand. Just like three wards serving their punishment would usually carry.
Cassidy took a few more steps into the fresh air. It was a cold and damp day. It would be uncomfortable in their light uniforms, even if they were working hard. That didn’t matter. They were doing it. They could endure half an hour of scrubbing cold concrete on their knees. They were almost free.
She casually looked back. So did Amanda and Tegan. She mentally kicked herself. Why did they all look back together? That was suspicious. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to them, though, just like she knew they wouldn’t. The plan was working.
Then she saw them. There were two security robots in the lobby. They had been behind a pillar when they first came down. She didn’t see them until she looked back through the glass wall. But they were not normally there. She had cleaned that whole lobby a few times, and they were new. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach: it was pure dread. Then she noticed a third. it was in the far corner of the lobby, by the other door. She looked again at the two closer ones. They started moving, but not like they usually did. Their stubby legs extended, their arms became long tentacles, and they began to run, unbelievably fast. They were going straight for the doors that the three of them had just escaped from.
Amanda screamed and bolted toward the stairs fifty meters from the door. She was going straight towards the street with the land-based auto-cars and delivery trucks zipping along it. One of the robots, which at first had been coming for Cassidy, changed its path and amazingly accelerated even more. It needed to go faster if it was going to catch Amanda before she reached the street. It exploded in a burst of speed, a blur of arms and legs.
Tegan screamed as well, but it was a roar of rage, rather than a cry of terror. She turned to meet the robot coming for her, her anger entirely out of control. Cassidy started running. There were only two of the security robots that were close to them, and they were going for the others.
Amanda’s robot caught up to her, right before she got to the traffic. She heard it approaching, and she started zigzagging, desperately trying to evade it. It went to her right, but reached its long arm around to her left. As it brushed against her shoulder, she jumped away from where she felt the apparent attempt to grab her. Unwittingly, she leapt towards her pursuer instead. The robot caught her, pulling her through the momentum of her attempted dodge, and scooped her up harmlessly. She went from running in one direction to being carried in the other, all in one fluid motion.
Tegan’s robot slowed as it approached her. She crouched low and circled, but started closing towards it, taking a couple of quick stutter steps, and then backed off for a second. It was a feint, trying to get it off balance. She dropped even lower as she did it and sprang towards it legs to take it to the ground. But just as she launched herself at it, one of its arms shot out like a spear and tripped her up. Her attack fell flat, literally. She toppled awkwardly forward. It stepped aside. She went sprawling, straight onto the concrete in front of the doorway to the lobby. But she didn’t land hard. Instead, the robot caught her, cushioning her fall, before lifting her off the ground and holding her suspended. She furiously started kicking and swinging her arms at it, desperately trying to connect with her much larger and stronger foe. It was hopeless. Its extended, flexible arms were too long, and she couldn’t get her fists or feet into range.
Cassidy sprinted down the pathway along the building beside the tower. She didn’t go to the street as planned. There was a small alley on the far side. She needed to be out of sight as quickly as possible. If she could make it there, she might be able to escape down the side street beyond it. She desperately looked back. The third robot was still not behind her. Maybe they won’t venture too far outside the Hall of Justice. She was almost there, so close. Then the robot came around the corner she intended to turn down herself. She halted, skidding to a stop, ten meters from it. Otherwise, she would be running right into its waiting arms. It had gone the long way around the building, but it was so fast that it had covered the three other sides before she had run the length of the fourth.
It walked forward and reached for her, crossing its arms and wrapping them around her shoulders and under her armpits. It picked her up as well, entirely effortlessly, uncrossing and rotating one arm over her head and shoulders so she was turned around smoothly, facing forward. Its cable-like arms continued to wrap around her torso and waist. She knew right away that she had just made the second big mistake of her life.
Cassidy’s robot jogged and quickly joined the others. Then the three girls were indignantly carried back in. The robots had adjusted their grips on the other two and were carrying them from behind just like Cassidy. Tegan had given up trying to find a vulnerable point to strike and had shifted her focus to attempting to pry her robot’s iron grip loose. There was absolutely no chance that that was ever going to happen. Amanda sobbed, and Cassidy just hung silently.
They went straight through the doors into the processing center. A young woman, a soon-to-be ward, stood apprehensively while Judy finished up the paperwork for the girl before her. The robots walked straight past the young lady waiting. Judy looked up, startled. Then she burst out laughing. “Do you mind, honey, if these three go ahead of you?”
Cassidy couldn’t take it. The rage overtook her. “Really, piggy, who cares what you think?”
Judy bristled. “Well, that is some sass. You’re going to have to wait until Judge Bragg returns, but then you’re going to be so sorry.”
“I told you, I don’t care what you think, Judy. I hate this place. I fucking hate it. I—” and then it was all too much. She started crying. She couldn’t help it.
“Oh, you should save those tears, girl. You’re going to need them later. Judge Bragg is going to roast your little derrière, and I bet you’re not going to be sitting down for a week. I am assigning some detention cells for you in the meantime, but as soon as she gets back, just you wait. You’re going to learn some manners. And I am—”
“Judy, that’s quite enough,” Judge Bragg’s firm voice cut her off. “The detention cells will not be necessary. I am still here, and you can leave the reforming of these three to me.”
“I am sorry, Ma’am. This girl really knows how to push my buttons, is all. You should have heard what—”
“I did, and I haven’t forgotten about earlier either. We’ll be looking to address that behavior too. Right now, each of them has other priorities we are focusing on.” She turned to the girls. “Robots, keep these three restrained and bring them.”
They were carried to Bragg’s office. Beth looked up and saved the document she was working on. She messaged the punishment room. She would need to book an extended appointment.
Judge Bragg went in first. The robots followed, holding the girls, their toes not quite touching the floor. Judge Bragg didn’t say anything. Instead, she started reviewing the security recording of their escape attempt.
“That plan could have used a little more thought, ladies. Though it was well executed in some ways, I suppose. I like the idea of getting the brushes for the pavement. That’s a nice touch, but you might have noticed that when we send wards outside, we also give them little bracelets.” Then the Robots activated in the video. “Unfortunately, though, the security robots are quite fast when they need to be. You know, I might have also considered casually inquiring if anyone else had ever made such an attempt before trying it myself. There is a young clerk in the information booth who quite fancies you, Cassidy. You could have asked him, for example. I doubt he would have told on you. And he was just starting the last time a ward tried to run away, if I remember correctly.”
She paused for a moment. “Does anyone have anything to say before you go down to have the most excruciating punishment you will almost assuredly ever have in your lives?… No, nobody? Not even the one whose idea this was? I think I have a pretty good idea which one of you came up with it,” she said, and then she looked squarely at Amanda. Amanda would have jumped in shock if she could have. She had a look of pure terror and surprise on her face.
Cassidy didn’t notice. She was looking at Judge Bragg, and she let out a huge sigh of relief the moment she didn’t look at her. But her relief lasted for only a moment. Tegan shattered it with a scream. “YOU BITCH! I cannot fucking believe you’re going to let her take the blame for this. Everything that has happened. Everything that has gone wrong in my life. It’s all your fault. I am going to kill you, Cassidy.” Tegan was entirely restrained by the robot, but if she hadn’t been, there was no doubt she would have been trying to do exactly that. Her arms and legs were flailing. She clawed at the air, like she was trying to swim her way to Cassidy. Judge Bragg just watched for a moment, expressionlessly. As soon as Tegan showed signs of slowing, she spoke again.
“OK Tegan, you can stop that right now. I am sending you back to your room. Considering what happened, punishment isn’t warranted in your case. You three are dismissed. Beth will take you two downstairs.” Tegan stopped. She was dumbfounded. Judge Bragg gestured to the robots to carry them all out.
“No, Ma’am. Please, I am so sorry. It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t want to. It was their idea. I didn’t want to do it. I promise. They made me do it. And I am being good, just like you said. I apologized to her, and I haven’t said anything mean to anyone. I AM BEING GOOD.” Amanda started crying desperately.
Judge Bragg just looked at her. “Not that good, Amanda. I expect you to be a lot more ‘good’ than this.” Beth walked with them as the robots carried them to the elevator. Tegan’s robot veered off towards the common room. Amanda and Cassidy’s continued down the hall towards the elevator. Amanda cried the whole way there. Beth knocked on the door to the Punishment Room and then opened it. The room was the same. Mrs. Bailey was waiting.
“OK, girls,” Beth said firmly. “Amanda, you’re going first.” Her robot carried her forward, spinning her around so she was facing it. It lowered her down into the chair, but stopped just short of all the way. Mrs. Bailey ducked under its long, cable-like arms and tugged her pants and underwear to around her knees. The robot pressed her the rest of the way down, and Mrs. Bailey secured the padded straps. Amanda was still crying, but now more frantically. The robot and Mrs. Bailey stepped back. “OK, are you ready, Beth?” Mrs. Bailey asked.
Beth said, “Amanda, you will not attempt to leave without permission.” Then she nodded to Mrs. Bailey.
“No, wait, please wait. I need to talk to Judge Bragg again. Just—” Amanda’s sentence was cut off by an ear-piercing scream: her own. A blue light was coming out from below the chair, painting the fine cloth seat.
She went entirely rigid for a second and then started wiggling every part of her body that could move, frantically. Finally, she had to stop screaming to take a breath, but as soon as he had, she screamed again. This time, though, more desperately somehow. As if she knew she couldn’t talk, but maybe they would understand how much it hurt, so please, please, turn the machine off. They didn’t. For a whole forty-five seconds, they all watched as she writhed in agony. Suddenly, there was a flash of white light that came from under the chair, just for a second, and then finally it stopped. Its preprogrammed session was completed.
Mrs. Bailey went to remove the restraints. Amanda just sat motionless. She finally had stopped squirming. Mrs. Bailey pulled her up and gently returned her pants and underwear to their proper position. “That was a long and especially painful session. Judge Bragg wanted to send you a strong message. Now open your mouth, please. OK, good girl.” Mrs. Bailey had given her a tiny drop of clear liquid on the tongue. “Your bottom will turn very red and is going to hurt for several days, especially for the next forty-eight hours or so. You will find it very difficult to sit or find any comfortable position when lying down. But don’t worry, the pain is entirely temporary, and you will suffer no long-term damage from this session. The only thing that you might have needed to worry about was your vocal cords. That’s what that drop of medicine was for. They were just some medical nanites. They will ensure there’s no damage there. In a week’s time, you will be right back to normal, and you won’t even know it had happened at all, except for —I very much hope— the memory. Now please stand by the door.” Amanda was in shock. She didn’t really register anything she was told. “I am going to give you a summary of that and message it to your terminal, just in case you need it, dear.”
Mrs. Bailey quickly wiped the chair and its straps with a sanitizing detergent. She threw the cloth seat out and replaced it with a new one. The chair was ready again in less than a minute.
Beth nodded to Cassidy’s robot. Her time was up. There was absolutely nothing she could do or say to change it. She was suddenly face to face with the big machine as it carried her to the Chair. She felt Mrs. Bailey’s warm hands briefly brush past her hips, catching the waistbands of her pants and underwear. Down they went. Her bared bottom made contact with the seat. The straps were tightly fastened. The robot and Mrs. Bailey stood back. Cassidy looked to Beth, pleading with her eyes. Please Beth. I am so sorry. Can’t you see? I know I made a mistake. You don’t need to do this. I am going to reform. I am going to do everything Judge Bragg wants me to and more. She wins. I give up. Beth looked back. She knew. “OK, Mrs. Bailey, Cassidy has made some decisions that Judge Bragg would like her to regret.”
The pain was beyond comprehension. Cassidy didn’t consciously process her punishment. There were no thoughts in her mind while it was happening, just the raw experience. It was simply pure anguish.
Suddenly, Mrs. Bailey was there again. She was being pulled up to stand. For some reason, Mrs. Bailey was reaching down to her knees. Up came her pants. Now, Mrs. Bailey was saying something to her about the color of her backside. She opened her mouth like she was told. It tasted like cough medicine. Then there was Beth, guiding her out the door. Thank God, she was leaving that room forever. She knew she was never going to be back.
The elevator was going up. Amanda was there too. They were both crying. The pure agony was gone, but the pain in her bottom was still incredible. It was building now. It was such an intense burning. She couldn’t bear it. How could it hurt so much? The chair was over, and yet it wasn’t. She started crying harder. It just hurt too much. “Beth, I am so sorry. Please tell Judge Bragg I will never do it again.” Beth wrapped an arm around her, too. She was already holding Amanda with the other one. “It’s OK, Cassidy. She knows. You’re going to be fine.”
Tegan was waiting for them in the common area. “OK, the three of you are excused from all chores for the rest of the day and tomorrow. You won’t even need to clean your rooms. Take this time to reflect on how you got here. Supper will be at the regular time if you want it.” Then she left them. They all stood there for a minute, looking at each other. Cassidy and Amanda were sobbing. The security robot that had brought Tegan was still in the room, silently standing in the corner. They were broken.
Finally, Amanda spoke, “Judge Bragg was right. I don’t want to see either of you ever again.”
Tegan walked to her room and turned around before going inside. “Likewise, bitch.” Then there were just the two of them. After another minute, Amanda turned and walked to her room, too. She didn’t say anything else. Cassidy was emotionally numb. All she could think of was the burning pain. She knew she would probably have feelings about it later, but not right now. She just didn’t care. She went to her room, lay down on her front, and let the tears soak into her pillow.
Dinner was hours later, but the pain hadn’t subsided an iota. She didn’t care. She went out. To her surprise, Amanda came out too. They looked at each other expressionlessly. Amanda took a plate of whatever the dull food was for them that day and went to the table with the girl Judge Bragg had made her apologize to and Charlotte. “Can I join you? I am sorry again about what I did earlier, and I am also sorry that I only apologized the first time because Judge Bragg made me. I really need to be around someone who is nice right now.” Charlotte was shaking her head no, but the younger girl looked up happily. “Of course, sit down. My name is Carol, and we would love for you to join us —or you can stand too— if you like,” she added sheepishly.
Cassidy changed her mind. She didn’t want any food. She saw Tegan staring at her from her bedroom. They made eye contact. She was mad, and Cassidy could see it in her eyes. She mouthed what they both knew she was thinking. I am coming for you. I am going to kill you. It finally hit her. Everything had collapsed. She had nobody left, and it was all her own fault. She went to bed and started sobbing.
Her alarm didn’t go off, like it was Sunday, but she heard the other wards cleaning their rooms. She ignored the morning chime for breakfast: she didn’t care. A little while later, she heard the second chime and the other wards leaving for their chores, but she still didn’t care. She hadn’t moved since she woke up, and she might not move again, as far as she was concerned. A couple of hours later, she was still in bed, face down in her pillow.
Beth’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Really, Cassidy, you think you can ignore Judge Bragg’s messages, just because you went to the Chair yesterday for a particularly good spanking? I have seen girls go for a second, right after one like that, but trust me, you don’t want to. And nobody yet has gone for a third.” Cassidy looked up. Beth was in her doorway, hands on her hips. She looked over at her terminal. It was blinking.
Twenty minutes later, Cassidy was crying again, giant, heavy sobs. She was finally telling another person everything. She told Judge Bragg how her father would beat her. Her mother didn’t care because it wouldn’t be good for her career. “She used to invent business trips to take me on. That way, she could come up with an excuse for my black eyes and bruises, and nobody would know it was a lie. She would tell people it was from playing sports. Then he hit her, once, and she divorced him the next day. She didn’t give a fuck about me or anyone else. The only reason I called her ‘Mom’ was because she made me, because she thought it looked bad for me to call her by her first name. Paul didn’t even notice what I called him, let alone care.”
Judge Bragg quietly drank her tea. Cassidy got to Tegan and Amanda. She explained that they were the first people ever to love her. “Now I have nobody, and Tegan is going to try to kill me.” She broke down completely. She cried for a whole minute while Judge Bragg sat in silence.
After she calmed down enough to hear her, Judge Bragg finally started to speak. “I don’t think they cared about you, Cassidy. You don’t threaten to kill someone you truly care about, no matter how badly things have gone. They wanted what you enabled. You let them express a part of themselves that they would never be able to otherwise. You’re so much stronger than you realize. But you had a hard childhood. One of the most difficult I have ever seen.
“What you need are people in your life that genuinely care about you, and we need to build you up so that that can happen. We’re going to start doing that right now. I promise you, Cassidy, when you leave here, you’re going to be the kind person who has good and true friends. And, most importantly, you’re going to be the kind of person that those friends deserve, and you’re all going to know it.” Judge Bragg pressed a button on her tablet.
Beth’s voice came on. “Yes, Judge Bragg?”
“Beth, would you please make us a second pot of tea and cancel my lunch appointment? We’re going to need a little more time. Also, would you please arrange for Tegan to be transferred to a temporary detention cell. Unfortunately, I will be recommending that she be assigned to indefinite confinement —anyone who gets angry enough to charge straight at a 215cm tall security robot is too unlikely to benefit from this program to justify continuing. Please ask Judge Michaels to review her case to provide an independent assessment. Also, please arrange for Amanda to be transferred to Judge Williams’ supervision. Cassidy and Amanda will not benefit from being in each other’s company any longer. I spoke to both of them yesterday, so they should be expecting your calls.”
There was no hiding the happiness in Beth’s voice as she answered. “Yes, Ma’am. I will call them right away.”
—
The elevator door on the back wall closed. There was an especially defiant, angry young woman in it. “Well, that Liz is a real brat. Judge Bragg’s going to have her little rear end in the Chair before the end of the week. I will bet you five credits —fold her clothes for her properly, would you please, honey? I don’t know why none of you can’t ever figure out how to do that. You know you’re going to get them back when you leave, right? Wouldn’t you rather they be nice and neat instead of spending the next several weeks to months crushed into a ball?” Cassidy listened attentively, pretending surprisingly persuasively like she hadn’t heard that particular observation a dozen times already.
Judy smiled. She loved it when Cassidy was assigned to assist her. She was such a lovely girl now. Judge Bragg was a miracle worker —she would always tell anyone who would listen— but Cassidy truly was something special. That would not have been a turnaround she would have put money on.
“I just think she was terrified, and didn’t know how to express it properly. I know how she feels. Tell you what, I will bet you five credits that by the end of the week, I am going to quite like her.” Judy looked at her sideways. “Just like I got to quite like you, after I got to know you.”
Judy burst out laughing. “Oh, now don’t you go sassing me, young lady. I have a lot of clout around here, and if you’re not careful, I will be suggesting to Judge Pamela Bragg that your cute little caboose could do with a fresh coat of paint.” Cassidy rolled her eyes. “It really is amazing how many friends you make here. Those other two girls you came in with were a really bad influence on you, honey. You know, Amanda left weeks ago. You must be getting very close to leaving yourself.”
Cassidy thought a long time before she answered. “We were all a very bad influence on each other. And Judge Bragg already said she is satisfied with my progress. She booked a review with another judge as soon as I was allowed to have one. I asked her to wait: I am almost ready, but not quite. I have got another plan I want to try first.” She winked at Judy.
“Oh no, believe me you don’t, honey. Let’s remember what happened the last time you had a plan.”
Cassidy rolled her eyes again. Judy went back to writing up her notes for the latest ward, Elizabeth. “I am going to put that you thought she was frightened, for Judge Bragg, if that is OK. She said she wanted me to include your impressions too. Anything to add?”
—
Cassidy looked into Judge Michaels’ office. She had just knocked on her door and then opened it, as Barbara had told her to. It was on the twenty-second floor. “Good morning. You must be Cassidy Sinclair. Come in.”
“Good morning, Ma’am. Yes, I am.”
Judge Michaels looked at her kindly yet firmly. She had curly brown hair with many gray streaks that stood out against her dark brown skin. “Please, take a seat, young lady, and let’s begin, but before we do, let me just say that I expect you to tell me the truth, not what you think I want to hear. I am pretty good at determining when I am being lied to, and you will do much better with the truth.”
Cassidy nodded. “Yes, Ma’am, and may I ask a question?”
The judge sat back. “Yes, please, go ahead.”
Cassidy looked sheepish. “Is this meeting confidential? I mean, will Judge Bragg get to review it?”
Judge Michaels leaned forward again. “The decision is public, of course, but most of the details are private and will remain between us. If you wish to file a grievance about how your punishment was carried out, that is a little more complicated, but I can assure you that if that is how you feel, you should do so. You will be protected and treated fairly, and it won’t prejudice this review. Is that what you would like to do?”
Cassidy blinked. “No, Ma’am, of course not. There are just details that I expect we will discuss that I would prefer to say to Judge Bragg myself.”
The judge sat back again, quite bemused. “Well, if you’re not filing a grievance, then I don’t think you need to worry.” She continued, “This meeting was supposed to be scheduled six months to the day of your sentence, because Judge Bragg said she couldn’t be happier with your progress. I have never heard of a ward requesting that her review be delayed before. In fact, if it wasn’t for the mandatory nine-month review, we still wouldn’t be having this interview, is that correct?”
Cassidy replied calmly but confidently. “Yes, Ma’am, and I would like to request, respectfully, that it be delayed still a little longer.”
The judge looked incredibly skeptical and cut her off. “And, now, why on Earth would I do that?”
Cassidy took a deep breath. “I have two reasons, Ma’am.” This was her moment. She would get only one chance to convince her. “First, the scuttlebutt is that Beth, she’s Bragg’s—”
Judge Michaels interrupted. “I know who Beth is, Cassidy. She has been working here for almost twenty years.”
Cassidy gulped. This wasn’t going well. “Of course, sorry, Ma’am. What I am trying to say is that I think she is going to be promoted to become a junior judge any day now. At which point Judge Bragg is going to need a new assistant…” She hesitated for a moment but realized this judge wasn’t the kind of woman who waited long for answers, so she spit out. “I am hoping to apply for the position.”
The judge looked stunned. “And what does Judge Bragg think, and why not do both?” Cassidy looked down for a moment before looking at her again. “I haven’t asked her. I haven’t quite found the perfect moment. And I wanted to be close, so I would know when to apply, and also so I could continue to do my best to impress her.” She looked at Judge Michaels, “I know it’s a long shot, but I really want this. As soon as Beth is promoted, I will have to do it, or if the perfect moment arises first, then I would ask her then, of course.”
“And what is the second reason?”
“I have become friends with a new ward called Lisa. I have actually become friends with lots of other wards, but Lisa especially needs support. I want to wait so I can help her.”
There was a long pause. “Request denied. I am ruling that your reformation is complete. You are free to leave. You may collect your belongings from Processing. They will introduce you to a reintegration officer who has begun making arrangements for you. He found you a place to live weeks ago, actually —and it has been sitting empty long enough. He can facilitate alternatives if you are unhappy with it. He will also begin exploring with you possible career paths.”
She looked at Cassidy, who had gone completely pale. “You may return to level eighteen one more time to say your farewells. Also, I would add —off the record— most judges like to select and train their new assistants before the one being replaced departs, and as far as I understand, Pamela has already interviewed several candidates for the position and is very close to making a decision. I think the ‘perfect moment’ would have been a few weeks ago. You would have had a better chance of success, and had you been successful, you might have saved a few people a lot of time and perhaps some disappointment. On the other hand, the second most ‘perfect moment’ is right now, young lady. Good luck, Miss Sinclair.”