Posted by Sawney Beane on April 21, 2006 at 23:38:21:
The Collected Works of Sawney Beane: Volume #9
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
by Sawney Beane
5 May & 12 August 1993
2,925 words
DISTRIBUTION NOTICE and DISCLAIMER: Sawney Beane requests that any distribution of this work of fiction remain within the realm of social responsibility. This story is suitable neither for minors nor for the seeming majority of adults who have difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality. It is pure fantasy, which means that, for whatever reason, someone has found it interesting to think about the events depicted herein. It does not in any way mean that the author would like to see this fantasy become reality, so if you are the type of person who might be swayed into doing something irrational by reading a work of fiction, the author respectfully requests that you decline to read further.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sawney Beane, originally a native of Edinburgh, lived for twenty-five years in a cave on the coast of County Galloway, subsisting on the flesh of unfortunate travellers, roughly a thousand of them all told. He and his wife raised a large family of eight sons, six daughters, eighteen grandsons, and fourteen granddaughters. Eventually, the family was captured, and the whole lot was brutally and unjustifiably tortured and executed without trial. Since his death in the early 17th century, Beane has reformed his ways and now confines his atrocities to his literary endeavours.
WARNING: This story contains scenes of male and female non-consensual torture and snuff. If you find such things offensive, please steer clear; you have been warned.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story is a very sad little tale of misdirected justice. It was inspired by the combination of the idea of the method of torture applied to poor Mink and the idea of a TV show depicting gory punishments in a game-showish fashion. I rather like the story, but it does make me sad.
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Mink cried openly when she heard the verdict. She wasn't all that surprised by it, but it was still a shocking assault on her outlook. Her appearance on the infamous game show And Justice For All was scheduled two weeks hence. She did not look forward to it in the least.
Hers was to be the featured appearance on the show. The seriousness of her crimes against society had little to do with this decision. Rather, programmers had deemed her appearance and demographics suited to draw the highest possible ratings. She was first and foremost young and potentially attractive. This always boosted the public's interest. She was also a member of a minority race. Politics could not be kept out of the show's master plan. At the time, most minority action groups were in the peculiar position of complaining that too many of their peers appeared on And Justice For All while also complaining that minorities were too seldom granted the featured status on the show. Mink was just the one to stifle objections.
The nineteen-year-old Asian American street urchin spent the two weeks between her trial and her television appearance at the maximum-security penitentiary and broadcast preparation facility in Hollywood, California. This institution was also known as the "Green Room" by its inmates.
Mink's time was not wasted. She was besieged by hairdressers, make-up artists, wardrobe managers, manicurists, and colourists. The goal was to make her beautiful before her big public appearance. This was not overly difficult. Mink was at least marginally pretty even through the dirt. In the end, her tangled mass of long dark hair was transformed into a shoulder-length shower of black silk. Her dirty skin became a smooth sea of soft beauty. She looked good. It was the only good thing that happened to her in those weeks.
Sunday came too quickly. Most of America was waiting eagerly in front of its millions of television sets. Mink and two other criminals waited backstage. Then the live telecast began.
The theme music was serious and magnanimous but persistently urgent. The title screen displayed a dramatic representation of the show's trademark symbol: a pair of old-fashioned scales. The title, And Justice For All, screamed out of the background in a flourish of computer animation and landed firmly in the centre of the screen with the sound of a cell door being slammed shut.
An announcer with an unusually deep voice solemnly read the name of the show and introduced the show's host, Ted O'Brien. Ted strode onto the screen with a broad game-show host's smile, which seemed out of place in the sombre opening sequence. He introduced himself and made a silly speech. "Today we're going to teach three criminals a lesson in justice." An almost inaudible chuckle demonstrated that he knew it would do them no good. "We, the people who bring you And Justice For All, hope that we can show everyone that crime doesn't pay. We believe we're doing our part to clean up the streets." He hoped that this was not the case, as the elimination of crime would put him out of a job. "Let's begin right now."
Ted introduced the first subject, "We're going to begin with a serial rapist from Atlanta, Georgia. He's been convicted of numerous counts of sexual crime. Please welcome, Howard Paxton!" A muscular man in designer jeans and a red striped shirt was led onto the stage by the show's attractive hostess. His manner was much too arrogant and self-assured for a man in his position. He leered at the hostess, who kept a polite distance. Armed security guards watched him carefully. Paxton was led to the centre of the stage and chained to an upright square frame mounted in the middle of a round platform. He growled at the audience, which booed him with exceptional persistence.
Ted interviewed the rapist briefly and to no useful end before announcing the name of a lucky audience member. Annabelle Waring cried ecstatically as she mounted the stage. O'Brien handed her a pair of scissors and told her to claim her prize. She attacked the criminal's clothing vengefully, despite Paxton's growled threats and lewd comments. He was securely restrained and helpless. Waring had the man naked in five minutes. Yet another criminal was exposed on national television.
O'Brien pulled Annabelle close to himself and asked her the bonus question, "You know you get to keep the clothes as a souvenir, but if you answer one simple question, you'll get an even better prize. Are you ready?"
"Yes, oh, God, yes," was the enthusiastic reply.
"You've watched the news, I hope. All you have to do is tell me how many rapes Howard Paxton was convicted of." Waring virtually screamed the correct answer: twenty-seven. The crowd went wild. The armed guards brought forward a steel table and placed it in front of the subject. Paxton was almost ready to panic. O'Brien pulled a carving knife out of his breast pocket and handed it to Annabelle Waring. "You know what to do."
Waring hopped off the stage with her prizes, including Paxton's genitals in a jar. The audience watched the close-up slow-motion instant replay of the amputation on the studio's monitors. Howard Paxton wasn't as arrogant as he had once been. The second half of his justice lesson was about to begin.
Ted O'Brien called out the name of a couple in the audience. The pair ran excitedly on stage. The woman, Mrs. Lily Harding, agreed immediately to the stated conditions of her prize. Unlike Annabelle's task, Lily's task involved actual danger to her person. She decided to risk it anyway.
Lily unbuttoned her blouse shyly and showed her breasts to the viewing audience. The display was unremarkable but entertaining enough for most. There were reasons for the show's popularity. Ted led her to a narrow row of cushions arranged near centre stage. She was instructed to lie face-up on the cushions. She complied with visible nervousness. A low steel table was placed over her legs with its end near her navel.
Howard Paxton, who had by now regained some of his former evil, was dragged to the table and chained face-down to it. Lily felt his warm breath on her nipple and closed her eyes as the criminal closed his mouth over the end of her left breast. The evil tongue wandered frantically around her nipple, and the criminal mumbled that he planned to bite it off. Lily tensed with fear. Her loving husband, William, was handed a battle axe and positioned beside the table.
The first blow of the accountant's weapon barely broke the skin on the back of Paxton's neck. William hadn't had much opportunity to practice these things. As the blow fell, the criminal's teeth increased their pressure on the woman's breast. She felt pain, but no harm was done. She persevered. The second blow was better but insufficient. Lily's pain increased. Paxton sneered and cried simultaneously. William put everything he had into the third blow. Paxton's head fell onto Lily's chest. She managed to free her bosom without permanent damage.
The happy couple went home with a famous criminal's head for their mantelpiece. A conversation piece that good was worth the risk. Ted O'Brien called for a commercial break.
After the commercials, O'Brien cheerfully introduced prostitute Leslie Cardiss. She walked onstage in the stereotypical whore outfit supplied to her by the wardrobe department. Leslie neither cried nor sneered. She stared blankly into space. This was partly the result of shock and partly the result of pain-killing drugs. She answered Ted's inane questions with toneless monosyllables. Her fate was a popular one on And Justice For All.
Cardiss stood silently and unrestrained as fortunate audience member, Roger Horner, cut away her scant clothing and touched her soft skin ecstatically. She seemed not to notice. Ted laughingly led her to yet another steel table and laid her down gently. He kissed her lips lightly, as was his custom with female subjects, and introduced Dr. Craig Botham.
Botham entered in a white lab coat and carried several scalpels. O'Brien explained the procedure to the happy crowd and named the famous tailor, who would be making an elegant suit for Mr. Horner from Leslie's skin. She did not react to these unpleasant words, but the crowd went wild.
Dr. Botham stepped into action. Cardiss seemed oblivious to the damage being done to her body and responded with only a faint moan. Botham worked quickly and efficiently, and his scalpel was followed by the close-up camera. Each incision was broadcast nationwide. The doctor began by making a slit all the way from the small toe on Leslie's left foot, along the outside of her leg, up her left side, across, her armpit, up her left arm, to the tip of her left pinkie finger. He repeated the procedure on her right side. Then a slit along her shoulders and around her neck appeared. Horner watched eagerly as the physician peeled the skin off of Leslie's legs and arms, then her chest and back, until it was attached only between her thighs and waist. Small internal incisions in the woman's vagina and anus were needed before the hide could be entirely removed.
Botham took a bow as the product of his labours was spread out and displayed briefly before being carted away for tanning and tailoring. Horner was excited. Cardiss made no remark. She was entirely skinless from the neck down. Her pretty face remained intact for a few more minutes.
Then the doctor returned to finish the job. He used a tiny scalpel to cut the skin on the back of the woman's neck. He dragged the knife through the centre of her scalp and through her long blonde hair. When he had reached her forehead, he dropped the knife and peeled off the mask. The crowd cheered.
The flayed criminal was dragged to her feet to provide a better view to the nationwide audience. Dr. Botham proudly disconnected some of Leslie's important arm and leg muscles and tossed the slabs of meat onto the steel table. The guards supported the weight of her feeble body. Blood flowed everywhere, and exposed muscle trembled until the semi-conscious prostitute finally expired. Her remains were carried backstage, and a second commercial break was taken.
When the show returned, Ted O'Brien was ready to introduce the week's featured criminal. Mink trembled in terror backstage. The two guards, now wearing fresh clean uniforms, took her hands gently and led her onstage as Ted O'Brien announced her name. No one knew her surname; Mink was sufficient.
Mink walked unsteadily to the spot next to the host. She was radiant in a black silk kimono and delicate slippers. It was the first time she'd ever worn such an outfit. Her first nineteen years hadn't included much cultural awareness. Her hair gleamed in the hot studio lights. A few tears sparkled on her cheeks. She was beautiful and pathetic. The crowd applauded her vociferously. This was unusual treatment for a common criminal, but the public's bloodlust was in no way diminished.
Ted drew her close and kissed her cheek. "Welcome to the show, Mink. We're glad to have you."
"Thank you," Mink replied feebly through her tears. Penitence was popular on the show. Mink was inadvertently assuring that the audience would enjoy her demise all the more.
"Tell us, Mink, what were your thoughts as you committed your heinous crime?"
"I just stole a loaf of bread when I was starving, and I didn't have any money. It was the only way."
"Yes, dear, but extenuating circumstances were abolished six years ago. What did you think when you were apprehended?"
"I was scared."
"How do you feel now?" This was accompanied by a knowing chuckle.
"Scared. I want to leave."
"OK, we'll let you go after your performance." A patronizing smile filled O'Brien's face as he slipped the kimono off young Mink's trembling shoulders. The robe slid to the floor without a sound. Ted led her out of the circle of silk and carefully removed the slippers from Mink's tiny feet.
Mink stood naked before America, her narrow back hunched shyly. One arm was held tightly around her small breasts, while the other hand tried vainly to conceal her genitals. Beauty and pathos filled the air. America was loving it.
"Mink's punishment is entirely new for And Justice For All," explained O'Brien, "She's going to treat America to quite an interesting spectacle. Let's give our featured criminal a big hand." Mink's attentive audience gave her a thunderous round of applause, which failed to put her at ease.
The guards each took a hand and held it at her side. She trembled as Ted kissed her lips gently. The world stared at her uncovered beauty. A large plastic contraption was pushed to centre stage by an invisible mechanism, and the crowd gasped in eager anticipation.
The large machine consisted primarily of a transparent high-impact plastic box. The bottom, front, and right side were held firmly in place by strong supports, but the remaining three sides were each attached to a powerful hydraulic press. The left side opened, and Mink was inserted into the beastly chasm. She found herself in a meter square transparent box. She lay parallel to the audience with her head on their right. Mink was lying on her back and had to pull her legs up to her chest as the guards closed the door near her feet. A small microphone broadcast her sobs to the waiting throng.
Ted made a dramatic announcement, and the wall to Mink's right began to move closer. She cried in terror, much to the crowd's delight. The motion stopped when the right side was thirty-six centimetres from the left side. Mink's narrow shoulders were safe from the pressure of the wall.
O'Brien made a bad joke and worked the crowd into a frenzy as the contraption's top began to bear down on poor Mink. Her folded legs soon touched the top lightly, but it kept moving. It stopped when it was thirty-six centimetres from the bottom. Mink's tiny feet pressed against the plastic, and her knees pressed into her small breasts. She was uncomfortable but so far unharmed. Mink could have been released at this point and walked away with nothing more severe than a stiff back. She wasn't so fortunate.
Mink's terror grew, and her sobs excited most of America as Ted remarked about her tight position. She failed to see the humour. Another loud cheer from the crowd erupted, and Mink could hear the rumbling of the wall several centimetres below her feet. She screamed as she felt the pressure on her toes. Mink was becoming very popular across the country, and dozens of executives sat transfixed by their television sets as they jotted down merchandizing ideas.
The wall did not stop. Mink's screams grew fainter as her breathing was restricted. Her knees were pushed into the edge above her head. The pressure on her buttocks moved her entire body until her neck was bent painfully with her face pressed into her thighs and chest. Mink visualized her approaching death and had almost surrendered to it when the walls stopped.
The rear wall was held forty-five centimetres from the front wall. Mink's thighs rested diagonally in the space with no room to spare. Her knees and buttocks were squeezed into opposite corners while the rest of her body filled in most of the remaining space. A low moan was all she could manage.
Ted O'Brien talked to the crowd. "Well, America, should we stop now and let her go? Has she paid her penalty?" The crowd responded with jeers and boos. "Do you think we should keep going and show little Mink the true meaning of justice?" The audience cheered and applauded loudly. "OK, press on!" punned the game show host badly.
Mink squeezed her eyes shut as the walls began to move again. She prayed frantically that justice in the next world was more just than that in the world she knew. The audience screamed as two horrible cracking sounds reached their ears in quick succession. Mink's thighs were shattered, and the bloody wreck of her legs was slowly compressed.
The moans stopped entirely as Mink lost consciousness. Soon thereafter, the calves were crushed and Mink's delicate neck broken. She didn't feel a thing. The crowd was ecstatic and cheered until the rear wall finally stopped moving a mere thirty-six centimetres from the front wall.
Mink's body was unrecognisable. All of the space in her plastic coffin was filled by a cubic mass of crushed flesh. Ted signed off as the credits were superimposed on a shot of Mink's gruesome new shape. And Justice For All had completed one of its most popular episodes. The crushing machine would be used many more times on future shows.
To this very day, on a shelf near the ceiling of a New York City convenience store, there is a sign, which reads "Shoplifters Will Be Prosecuted" in bold red letters. Above and behind the sign is a thirty-six inch plastic cube filled with a heterogeneous red, pink, and white something. On one of the lower edges, one can make out a mass of black strands, which might be human hair. Along the opposite edge are some things, which almost resemble human toes. The edge below that one might contain a smaller mass of black hair and a pair of highly compressed buttocks. Nothing else is distinguishable.