Maragana Girl
Copyright 2004 by EC
EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/
EC's deviantART collection - http://caligula20171.deviantart.com/ 

(warnings: judicial corporal punishment, forced public nudity, sex between adults, 
references to drug use, references to violence)

Chapter 14 – Kim's third punishment

Kim finally forced herself to turn on her cell phone, which was blinking with four 
messages from Victor Dukov. Instead of listening to the messages, Kim decided 
simply to return to Victor's office and tell him what happened in the park.

The moment Victor saw his wayward employee, he knew something was very 
wrong. He had the decency to hold off on berating her for the unauthorized break 
until he found out what was bothering her. In a frightened, broken voice, Kim told 
her story. It was obvious his employee could no longer work that day, so Victor 
told her that she was released.

"Kimberly, you understand that what you did was very foolish, first ignoring your 
duties to me and second, going into that policewoman's patrolling area. What did 
you expect would happen?"

"I…I wasn't thinking about her, sir. I just wanted to sit down a bit, maybe think 
things over. I didn't think I'd see her."

"Well, you did and here are my thoughts. You can't avoid what's going to happen 
to you next week. You're going to get hurt. There is nothing any of us can do 
about it. At least you know what to expect, but I would imagine that's no 
consolation."

"No sir. I sort of wish I didn't know."

"Well, you do, and I think that's for the better. Now here's some advice. I think 
what you should do is try to find out as much as you can about that police officer. 
Ask my nephew. I'm sure he knows her and perhaps can give you some insight 
about her."

"Sir, what good would that do?"

"Knowledge will always help you. Find out what you can."

"I guess so, sir. I'll try."

"Now, take the afternoon off and try to calm your nerves. I'll expect to see you the 
day after tomorrow, ready to make some deliveries."

"Yes sir."

Criminal # 98945 quickly went back to her Spokesman's house. She expected to 
find the residence empty, or at most with just Anyia lying in the back yard. 
However, she was surprised to see two police bicycles on the front porch. When 
she went inside, Kim heard Vladik and his partner talking in the kitchen. They 
were having lunch together, drinking wine and eating some leftovers from the 
previous night's dinner. 

Vladik looked none too pleased that the young criminal had shown up precisely at 
that moment, and his partner seemed a bit embarrassed. Suddenly Kim wondered 
if she might have interrupted something between them. She quickly knelt on the 
kitchen floor and touched her forehead to the ground. Kim never knelt for Vladik 
when he was alone, but in the presence of other people, especially other public 
officials, she was expected to show the formal gesture of respect. Vladik quickly 
told her to get up and join him at the table.

For the first time Kim was able to get a close up view of Vladik's partner. She was 
not particularly attractive, not nearly as attractive as his fiancée. She had a tough 
tomboyish appearance about her, but at the same time she seemed to radiate an 
intense sexuality. 

The fact that Vladik had a female partner was normal for his profession. Kim 
knew that in Upper Danubia, the National Police officers were roughly balanced 
between the sexes. Almost every police officer was assigned a permanent partner, 
and whenever possible that partner was of the opposite sex. The prevailing theory 
behind the custom was the Danubian belief that men and women see the world 
differently and have different forms of insight. The administrators of the National 
Police believed the differences between male and female officers complimented 
each other in the field, especially during investigations and interrogating 
criminals. Like almost everything else in Upper Danubia, the custom of 
employing female police officers went back many years, clear back to the judicial 
reforms of 1780.

As she sat at the table and poured herself some fruit punch, Kim was more 
convinced than ever she had interrupted something between Vladik and his 
partner, but she had to play dumb and pretend to be oblivious. Kim could tell that 
Vladik was making a real effort to hide his displeasure at her sudden intrusion. 
Well, it's not my fault you want to cheat on your fiancée and screw your partner, 
she thought to herself. 

Vladik's partner finally excused herself from the table when it became obvious 
Kim had returned home for the afternoon. Vladik stood as well, and the two 
officers saluted each other before the police woman mounted her bicycle to go 
home.

Kim was quite happy to have Vladik to herself for a few minutes, in spite of the 
uncomfortable situation she had just walked into. She told the young police 
officer about her scary encounter behind The Temple of the Ancients. As she 
talked, her old fear came back. Her hands were shaking. Finally she got to the 
point, following Victor's advice about getting more information about her 
nemesis.

"Vladik, I need to ask you something. Do you know that woman…have any idea 
why she hates me so much?"

"Oh yes, I know her. Her full name is Malka Chorno. She hasn't spoken to me 
since Father introduced his legislation in the Parliament. What really set her off 
was when she found out I was behind the petition that most of the older officers 
signed. She's called me 'the traitor' ever since. But I do know her fairly well from 
our service together before all that."

"Well, what's her problem?"

"I think that's the best way to put it, a problem. She's a powerful and charismatic 
officer, but she does have a serious problem. If she doesn't watch herself that 
problem will ruin her." Vladik paused for moment. "She's one of those officers 
who will end up either a complete hero or a complete villain, depending on which 
path the Spirits of the Ancients choose to lead her. In a fire-fight or in combat you 
couldn't have a better partner. She's vicious with her weapon, and when she 
shoots, you can count on that shot hitting its target. I'll give you an example. We 
had a couple of bank robberies near the border last year, just before you were 
arrested. Malka and her partner were dispatched to a third robbery, one in which 
there were hostages and four criminals with automatic weapons. Within 30 
seconds of sneaking into the building Malka shot all four bank robbers with her 
service revolver. Clean shot to the head for each one, no thought or 
hesitation…she just fired. Bang…bang…bang…bang. It happened so quickly that 
none of the hostages were hurt. That's her good side."

"Now for her bad side, and she does have it, as you are well-aware. She loves to 
dominate other people. She's a bully; there's no doubt about that. She bosses her 
partner around mercilessly, and she's humiliated him in public a bunch of times. 
With criminals she's a lot worse. She'll do whatever she thinks she can get away 
with. She especially loves to humiliate other women. There's nothing that she 
loves more than to bring a young woman to orgasm against her will before 
switching her, but she does it with the male criminals as well. She loves to hear 
criminals cry and scream. I know that she'd go way beyond the 50 strokes if she 
could. She'd gladly punish with a whip if she could. Now as for you…you're 
special because you're a foreigner and you're a drug user."

"Well, what does she have against foreigners? I never did anything to her."

Vladik got up from the table and went into his father's library. He came back 
downstairs with a folder of newspaper articles. Kim opened them up and read 
about a white slavery ring that had operated in central Europe and had been 
responsible for the disappearance of eight Danubian teenagers. The case ended 
when three members of the ring were captured in Danube City. The Danubian 
police had no hesitation torturing the ring members to find out what had happened 
to their victims. The interrogation team, which included Malka, tortured the 
traffickers to death, saying that such criminals were not worthy of a formal 
execution. As a result of the interrogations four of the missing teenagers were 
traced to Middle Eastern countries, liberated, and eventually returned to Upper 
Danubia. The other four, including Malka's younger sister, remained missing.

"The people who got her sister were foreigners, and they used drugs to get their 
victims to do what they wanted. So there's your answer, drugs and foreigners."

"But I didn't do it!"

"That doesn't matter. Officer Malka Chorno's inner peace is damaged. She can't 
differentiate between you and any other foreigner. And on top of everything else 
was the marijuana smoking…that really drove her nuts. You're damn lucky she 
didn't shoot you behind the Temple of the Ancients instead of arresting you. I 
think she almost did."

"Shoot me?"

"Yes, shoot you. My partner overheard her a few months back. From the way she 
was talking, it seems she was just about to pull the trigger when she saw what you 
were doing. The only reason she didn't was because at the last second she realized 
there were witnesses, a couple of civilians who happened to be watching."

Kim was left speechless. Vladik continued.

"It's for officers like her that we need to codify a standard of decent behavior for 
the National Police Force. Malka Chorno is a gifted and charismatic officer, but 
her soul is damaged. Her attitude towards criminals has been a bad influence on 
many of my classmates from the Academy and on the most recent class that just 
graduated. The result...well, your friends suffered for it in April, and you'll get it 
next week."

"Vladik...do you think you could help me...like you did Eloisa? Maybe get 
someone else to punish me?"

"There's no way, Kimberly. Father tried, and pushed so hard that he was officially 
reprimanded for attempting to subvert the authority of a police officer. It is 
officially Malka's duty to punish you, since she is the arresting officer. The only 
thing I can tell you is that Father will be watching to make sure you're not 
seriously injured and that there's no blood. Malka cannot make you bleed, if she 
does she'll lose her switch. That will help you some, because it puts a maximum 
severity on what can happen to you. But she will punish you up to the maximum 
standard. And you will cry, and you will scream."

"No, Vladik, not this time. I know better. I'm not going to scream. I won't give her 
the satisfaction."

"Those are brave words, Kimberly, but you have to be realistic. Malka will do 
everything she can to break you, and perhaps it is best that you not resist her."

----------

Criminal # 98945 spent the next week feeling as though she was facing a death 
sentence. She now had enough information to suspect the upcoming switching 
would in some way change her. At the very least it would be a horribly traumatic 
experience and would leave her devastated. Deep down she wondered if 
Spokesman Dukov really would be able to prevent her from being injured.

Kim continued living her normal life, working at the music store and delivering 
packages for Victor Dukov. She rehearsed with her band, preparing for a televised 
concert that would take place the evening following her switching. Her voice was 
off, but everyone understood why. Kim was facing the switch, and of course she 
was scared. The others kept trying to reassure her that the switching would have 
to end eventually, that by this time next week Kim would have it behind her. Kim 
said nothing. The others did not realize that Kim was to be switched by a 
tormented woman who had wanted to shoot her.

On July 1, Kim followed the Danubian tradition of shaving her pubic hair to 
announce to the world that she was facing punishment the following day. As she 
sadly made her way to the music store, Criminal # 98945 felt all that much more 
naked, her soul all that much more exposed, as the cool morning air blew against 
her clean-shaven skin. She spent the day talking to customers and confirming that 
yes, tomorrow she would be switched.

Kim spent the early part of the evening at the Socrates Club, but alone with 
Sergekt. She had no desire whatsoever to socialize with her friends or hear any of 
the music or poetry readings. She retreated with him to an intimacy room, and 
from there planned to go directly home to Dukov's house.  She was in a very 
strange mood. Her dread had subsided into a numb sadness, but what mystified 
her was that she wanted to begin her suffering now. She didn't want Sergekt to 
treat her tenderly; she wanted to be treated cruelly. She knew that her boyfriend 
would never go along with hurting her, but she was not in the mood for normal 
sex. She wanted something different, something that would not be pleasant and 
yet erotic.

Sergekt spent a long time kissing and licking the clean-shaven area around her 
pubis. Eventually Kim rolled on her stomach and spread her legs to expose herself 
from behind to her boyfriend. He began kissing her bottom and the tender skin 
surrounding her bottom-hole. It was at that moment Kim realized what she 
wanted.

"Sergekt, if I ask you to do something...unusual, would you do it for me? Even if 
you think it hurts me or degrades my honor?"

"Yes Kim, I'll do what you want. You know that."

"Then I want you to get a towel and two of those thin cleaning cloths out of the 
bathroom."

Sergekt complied, while Kim took all the pillows and stacked them in the middle 
of the bed. Sergekt handed her the towel and Kim laid it over the pillows. Then 
Kim settled over the pillows, her bottom high in the air. She spread her legs 
slightly, completely exposing herself to her boyfriend. Kim's position was 
extremely erotic. Sergekt took a quick look at Kim's exposed body and had a 
furious erection within a few seconds. It didn't seem that Kim wanted anything 
out of the ordinary, just plain sex.

However, Kim shocked Sergekt with her next words.

"OK, now tie my hands with the cleaning cloth."

"What?!"

"You heard me. Tie my hands in front of me. Make sure you wrap them tightly, I 
don't want to be able to slip out."

The cleaning cloth was long, narrow, and made out of thin material, so it was 
suitable for tying Kim's hands in the way she was requesting. Sergekt wrapped 
her wrists in a tight figure 8 and made a firm double knot. She tested the knot by 
pulling on it. It was tight enough to keep her hands immobilized.

"Now, take the other cloth and blindfold me."

Sergekt complied, tying the second cloth behind Kim's head.

"When you enter me…I don't want you to enter me in the normal way. I…I want 
you to enter my bottom…and no matter how much it hurts or how much I cry, I 
want you to stay in. Can you do that for me?"

"No. I'm not going to do that. You're going to get hurt tomorrow, why do you 
want me to hurt you tonight? That doesn't make any sense."

"I need you to do this for me. I can't explain why, but I need it. You told me you'd 
do anything for me, and right now this is what I want."

Sergekt looked at Kim's bottom and her waiting bottom-hole. Finally he decided 
to give her what she wanted, partly because he was curious himself to see how it 
would feel. He reached in the dresser drawer and pulled out some medical jelly, 
which was kept among the condoms and other sex supplies. He dabbed some on 
his fingertips and gently massaged it around his partner's bottom-hole. He slipped 
a fingertip inside to lubricate her more thoroughly. Then he put on a condom and 
dabbed yet more jelly on the end. 

In spite of his reluctance to hurt his girlfriend, the sight of her spread bottom, with 
its shiny target in the middle, excited Sergekt. It would be the only time in his life 
he ever would do this to anyone, a chance to try something different. He placed 
the tip of his penis against her bottom, repositioned himself slightly, and pressed 
down, using his bodyweight to force his way in.

Kim's voice broke as Sergekt pushed in and the intense pressure in her anus 
mounted. The feeling was far different from what she expected and not pleasant at 
all. She pulled hard on her tied wrists as she tried to break free. The muscles in 
her bottom tightened instinctually to fight this unnatural intrusion into her body. 
The pressure was awful, especially when he started moving back and forth inside 
her.

Kim did indeed feel degraded by the experience. She began to cry, which was 
what she was seeking. As Sergekt finished and pulled out of her, Kim's intestines 
ached and her bottom-hole burned and felt raw. She continued to cry for a long 
time as Sergekt gently wiped her off and tried to comfort her. However, when he 
reached for her wrists to untie them, she jerked her hands away. She wanted to 
remain tied and blindfolded. For the next few minutes she did not want to see him 
or anyone else.

Sergekt looked at Kim as her body jerked with sobs. Why had she wanted him to 
do this to her? Sergekt thought the matter over, trying to understand his 
girlfriend’s emotions through his own experiences. He and his friends already had 
been switched six times, so he knew what it was to face a switching. However, 
there was a huge difference between Kim's situation and that of the others. Unlike 
the other members of the group, Criminal # 98945 had to face her switching by 
herself. When the moment came for her to be punished, she and that crazy female 
cop would be alone. No wonder she was so scared.

Sergekt knew Kim well enough to finally figure out what she was trying to 
accomplish. She intended to resist her punishment tomorrow and not cry. She 
believed that if she could suffer and have a good cry tonight, she would be better 
prepared to face her switching in the morning. Sergekt was not sure if it would 
work, but he understood Kim's line of reasoning. It was a question of her 
criminal's honor.

Finally Kim's crying died down. Sergekt untied her wrists and took off her 
blindfold. She winced from her still-sore bottom as she made her way to the 
shower to get cleaned up. While she showered, he cleaned the room and tried to 
rinse off the towel they had placed over the pillows.

There was very little either of them could say on their way back to Dukov's house. 
Kim was enormously depressed, to the point Sergekt was worried about her. 
Finally, at Dukov's doorstep they hugged each other for a long time. Sergekt 
asked about seeing her after the switching.

"I'm not sure. I have no idea what condition I'll be in. When you get off work 
tomorrow you can call Spokesman Dukov. He'll let you know if you can see me."

----------

The following morning Criminal # 98945 went with Dukov to his office. For the 
third time in her life she followed the routine of going to the bathroom one last 
time and having a drink of water to calm her nerves. Then she knelt in the 
reception area, waiting for the police to handcuff her and take her downstairs. 
Spokesman Dukov stood next to her, his hands full of the usual folders and 
punishment certificates. He issued the usual orders to his secretaries to have a 
recovery table ready. Kim looked up to see her Spokesman's expression. He was 
enormously depressed, knowing full well that she was in for a very rough 
morning.

Officer Malka's partner showed up to handcuff Criminal # 98945 and escort her 
downstairs. He treated her roughly, jerking her up and grabbing her arms hard. 
Every time they turned a corner he jerked her to force her to change direction. 
Kim had the feeling that if Dukov had not been present he would have pushed her 
down the stairs. She descended the same two flights of stairs she had descended 
six months before, and was led into the same punishment chamber where she had 
received her second switching back in January. Once inside, the male cop 
unhooked her handcuffs and Kim assumed the kneeling position on the floor.

There was the usual formality of Spokesman Dukov presenting Criminal # 98945 
to the judge.

Officer Malka Chorno and her partner faced Vladim Dukov and saluted him. He 
saluted back, releasing custody of his client. Once again she asked:

"Spokesman, are there any restrictions concerning the punishment of this criminal 
that I need to be advised about?"

Very reluctantly Dukov answered: "No Officer…no special restrictions."

Malka gave the Spokesman a slight, but very wicked smile. She was well-aware 
of Dukov's failed efforts to get Criminal # 98945 punished by a different officer 
and the resulting reprimand.

"Very well."

Malka touched Kim with her switch and Kim kissed her shoes.

"Criminal 98945, stand up and face me."

Kim complied and quietly looked straight ahead. Malka moved in front of her, 
staring hard into her eyes. Kim did not avert her gaze from Malka's face. Instead, 
her dark eyes met Malka's, indicating that she had gotten over some of her fear of 
what was about to happen. Malka was somewhat disconcerted by the criminal's 
calm, fatalistic demeanor. The cop slapped her hard across the face.

"Don't you look at me with such arrogance!" She slapped Kim again, but the 
American did not stop looking into the officer's face. She had not been instructed 
to do anything else, other than stand and look straight ahead. The cop twisted 
back to slap Kim a third time. Dukov raised his hand and glanced at the court 
officials.

The judge interrupted. "Officer! You will stop striking that criminal across the 
face immediately! All she's doing is what you told her to do!" The judge paused, 
glanced at Dukov, and continued. “Officer Chorno and Spokesman Dukov, I am 
subtracting two strokes of the switch from this punishment, given that Criminal 
98945 has been struck twice across the face. This punishment will end at the 48th, 
not the 50th, stroke.”

Malka clenched her teeth in anger at the rebuke. She signaled her partner to help 
her with the criminal. The two officers grabbed Kim's wrists and jerked her over 
the punishment table. Quickly the two officers secured her wrists and ankles with 
the leather restraints. Kim's heart raced with fear and her face still hurt from the 
slaps, but she was more determined than ever to not cry or scream during this 
punishment. She closed her eyes and put her forehead to the table. She then found 
herself doing something very unexpected, silently praying to Upper Danubia's 
Guardian Spirits to get her through the ordeal.

Malka was in a bad mood. She despised Dukov and was offended by his presence 
in the room. The rebuke from the judge angered her even more, as did her 
resentment that she had to exercise at least some restraint while punishing 
Criminal # 98945. This time she was somewhat impatient, desperate to break the 
American as quickly as possible. There would be no slow or calculated trickery 
like last time, just a series of hard strokes, delivered at maximum force.

Dukov watched the officer with disgust. She had lost her temper and her self-
control. None of this was about Kim's discipline; it was about Officer Chorno's 
personal vendetta. This was precisely the type of behavior the Spokesman hoped 
to outlaw with his proposed reforms. Dukov had seen police officers lose their 
tempers before, and that was always when things went wrong and the criminal's 
punishment had to be stopped. Dukov was convinced that if Malka did not regain 
her composure, he would have justification to end his client's switching early.

Officer Malka Chorno looked at the silent criminal and her waiting bottom; her 
legs parted and body stretched in anticipation of her punishment. Kim's forehead 
was pressed to the table and her fists were clenched. She was breathing hard, 
trying to control her fear. Her knees were quivering slightly.

Malka's partner handed her the switch. Malka slashed it through the air and then 
lined herself up beside her victim. She touched the switch to Kim's bottom, 
readjusted her position slightly, and then struck full-force at the base of the 
culprit's buttocks. The blow was so hard that the girl's entire body jerked. A vivid 
reddish line quickly darkened across Kim's brown skin. She gasped and bit her lip 
hard, but managed to stay quiet.

Officer Malka was infuriated. Once again the American drug addict thought she 
was better than an officer of the law. This arrogant little bitch is going to pay. 
Malka clenched her teeth, and with every bit of her strength, savagely slashed at 
Kim's bottom eight times; four blows from the left, and the other four from the 
right. 

Criminal # 98945 tensed up, her knees shaking violently and her fists clenched so 
tightly her knuckles went white, but still, the only sound coming out of her were 
her gasps of pain. She pressed her forehead hard on the table, as she suppressed 
her instinct to scream. At just nine strokes, her bottom looked like it had been 
struck nine times with a whip. She had been struck so hard that the welts already 
had risen and quickly were turning dark. 

Malka then struck Kim's upper back four times, trying to knock the wind out of 
her and break her resistance. Criminal # 98945 held her breath each time the 
switch landed. She would resist. If it killed her she would resist. Somewhere, 
from deep inside her soul, came the force she needed to stay quiet, in spite of the 
severity of what was happening to her.

Malka should have waited and allowed the strokes to take their toll on the 
criminal's endurance before continuing. However, she was shocked and infuriated 
that Kim had resisted 13 of the hardest strokes she had ever administered during 
an official punishment. She backed away and slashed savagely at Kim, quickly 
laying additional strokes on the welts already marking her bottom. She stuck at 
Kim's thighs, and then returned to her bottom. Blood blisters were quickly 
forming where the strokes had crossed each other.

Just 15 minutes into her punishment, Criminal # 98945 already had taken 32 
strokes. She gasped desperately as she suppressed her screams. Her whole body 
was shaking violently. Malka still was furious, but now she was horrified at the 
thought Kim might actually make it through her punishment without crying at all. 
No, that could not be. 

Dukov looked at the growing mass of blood blisters on his client's bottom and 
thighs. Some of them looked like they were just about to break. He raised his 
hand.

When she saw the Spokesman's hand in the air, Malka snapped. Disregarding her 
training and the standards of court punishment protocol, she ignored Dukov and, 
with every bit of her strength, quickly struck Kim's bottom hard two more times. 
As Dukov had feared, several of the blisters broke. He jumped between Kim and 
the officer.

"STOP! STOP! You will stop NOW!"

Malka's foot flew into Dukov's stomach. He doubled over from the force of the 
kick, all of the wind knocked out of him. Chaos broke out in the courtroom. 
Malka managed to strike Kim one more time before Dukov recovered enough to 
grab her arm. She hit him viciously across the chin with her free hand, but he did 
not let go. The tussle between Spokesman Dukov and Officer Chorno ended as 
court officials piled onto both of them and pulled them away from the punishment 
table. Malka struggled savagely as a court guard grabbed the switch out of her 
hand.

"I'M NOT FINISHED! I'M NOT FINISHED!"

Dukov remained doubled over and gasped as he tried to regain his breath

"Your Honor! My…client is bleeding! I…insist, under…Item 18 of…the Judicial 
Code…of 1780, that this punishment…be terminated immediately!"

"That request is granted, Spokesman! Under Item 18 of the Judicial Code of 1780, 
I am ordering this punishment terminated and Criminal 98945 released back into 
your custody! That is effective immediately! You may remove her from this 
courtroom!"

Dukov, holding his stomach and still gasping for breath, snapped his fingers at a 
cop standing nearby to undo the straps holding Kim in place. Kim was in so much 
pain she was almost passed out. In several spots where her skin had broken the 
welts oozed blood, and a drop of blood was making its way down her left thigh. 
As Kim was released from the table, Dukov grabbed her wrists and helped her up. 
He put his arm around her waist and lifted her hands to his shoulder. Thus 
supported by her Spokesman, Criminal # 98945 left the courtroom, the third 
switching of her sentence completed.

Dukov paged his two secretaries, who came clattering down the stairs to help both 
the Spokesman and his client. As they took Kim upstairs, Dukov doubled over 
and threw up.

"Call the doctor. I…want him in the…office immediately. I need to see…how 
badly she's hurt."

"What about yourself, Spokesman? What about you?"

"It's just a kick. I'll be fine. Take care of Kimberly."

A minute later Kim was lying face down on the recovery table, as one of the 
secretaries gently wiped away the blood and put disinfectant on her welts. An 
assistant police doctor arrived a few minutes later with a medical kit. He cleaned 
her more thoroughly, applied some special ointment to prevent Kim's skin from 
scarring, and placed three bandages over the most serious cuts.

"She should fully recover with no marks if she doesn't move about too much and 
keeps the cuts clean. She'll have a small scar on her left thigh, but I think that'll be 
it. This ointment's pretty effective."

"Well, what happened is still a violation of Item 18, scars or no scars."

"Oh, most definitely it's a violation. I'll write a medical report this afternoon and 
send it up to you. When you present that in court, Criminal # 98945 will leave the 
courtroom with Officer Chorno's badge in her hand."

"You think it will be her badge? Not just her switch?"

"Her badge, Spokesman. She struck your client three times after you tried to 
pause her, and at least one time when blood was clearly visible. There's no 
denying that, it's on videotape. And then on top of all that, she kicked you while 
you were performing the responsibilities of your office. That's her badge, and a 
criminal prosecution for assaulting a public official. There will be a hearing as 
soon as your client can attend court, and we'll release her for court attendance on 
Friday, after head doctor examines her to make sure she's healed properly. On 
Friday Officer Chorno loses her badge. I would guess she'll lose considerably 
more than her badge. She'll leave the courtroom with a collar around her neck."

"It's about time. She's been a problem ever since that occurrence last year with her 
sister. I feel sorry for her, but she's become a threat to the whole judicial system. 
I'll be glad to see the last of her. Maybe it will be a lesson to the others. I don't 
know. Maybe this will help with the reform we have pending in Parliament."

"Don't be so arrogant, Spokesman. The only result of this incident is that one 
policewoman is going to lose her job, and another criminal will be added to your 
case-load. Nothing more will come of this. Malka Chorno will wear a collar for 
several years and maybe will consider correcting the path in life she has chosen to 
follow. That's the most you can hope for."

----------

Kim was in a painful daze when her Spokesman was talking with the assistant 
doctor, so she only was partially aware of what was going on in the office. She 
tried to sleep, but couldn't. Dukov warned her not to move unless it was 
absolutely necessary. Dukov didn't need to tell Kim not to move; the slightest 
movement sent sharp pains shooting through her body. She spent the afternoon 
lying facedown on the table, her body horribly marked up and the three white 
bandages standing out on her brown skin. Finally, after about four hours lying 
motionless on the table, Kim fell asleep.

Sergekt called Spokesman Dukov as soon as his shift at the restaurant ended. 
Dukov decided to meet with Kim's boyfriend in Danube City's Central Plaza, and 
waited for him at the steps of the Central Police Station. As dictated by protocol, 
Sergekt knelt and touched his forehead to the ground as he greeted Dukov. The 
Spokesman quickly ordered him to stand up, and the two men looked for a place 
to sit down, finally settling on an empty bench near the National Parliament.

Sergekt knew right away that Kim's punishment had not gone well. That much 
was obvious when her Spokesman told him to meet outside instead of allowing 
him to go directly to his office. Dukov quickly summarized what happened and 
explained that the punishing officer was facing the loss of her badge over the 
abuse of his client. Sergekt sat quietly for a long time, wondering what to ask 
next. Finally he asked the one question that seemed to matter much more to 
criminals than to outsiders.

"Spokesman Dukov, if may I ask…how long was Kim able to stay quiet? During 
the switching, I mean?"

"She didn't cry at all, Sergekt. That's what truly amazed me. Kimberly took the 
worst beating I have seen in my career, and she didn't cry. She didn't make any 
noise whatsoever, except her breathing. I don't know how she did it."

"Spokesman…I ask because…when I was with her last night, I…it…that was the 
most important thing for her. She was completely obsessed with not crying today. 
So…she succeeded."

Dukov and Sergekt sat for a long time in the late afternoon heat, each trying to 
think of something significant to say to the other. The passersby glanced at the 
strange pair, a naked young criminal and a middle-aged professional in a business 
suit. Finally Dukov spoke.

"If you had seen her today…she faced her fears and her worst enemy with 
complete calm. Kimberly was terribly afraid, but she conquered her fear. She 
looked that officer straight in the eye. When the officer slapped her, slapped her 
twice, in fact, Kimberly straightened up and continued to look right at her. I 
believe that is why that officer became so unbalanced. That officer's soul is 
damaged, and a damaged soul cannot face the truth. I want you to understand 
Kimberly is an extremely courageous young woman, and I hope you are able to 
truly appreciate how lucky you are to be with her."

"Yes, Spokesman. I know that the Spirits of the Ancients have truly blessed me 
by placing Kim in my life. In my prayers I thank them every night for that 
blessing."

"There's something else you should know, that should put your heart at ease. The 
worst of her sentence has passed. Officer Chorno faces the loss of her badge over 
her treatment of Kimberly. Another officer will administer her final switching in 
January. Under the law, I have the right to choose who the replacement officer 
will be. Probably I'll ask my son's partner to administer Kimberly's final 
switching."

There wasn't much else to say. Dukov planned to spend the night at his office, 
catching up on his case-load and watching over his client as she slept on the 
recovery table. Sergekt knew better than to ask Dukov if he could see her, because 
he knew the Spokesman considered that improper. He would have to wait until 
she had recovered.

Sergekt knelt in front of Dukov to say goodbye. He then went to the Socrates 
Club to tell Eloisa about Kim's horrific experience and amazing courage.

----------

The next day Criminal # 98945 was up and moving about fairly normally. 
Following the doctor's advice she avoided bending or sitting to allow her cuts to 
heal. She carefully showered, replaced her bandages, and had breakfast in the 
office with Dukov, his secretaries, and Eloisa. Kim had to eat standing up. After 
breakfast the two criminals went to their jobs at the music store. 

Once at the store, Kim followed the post-switching custom of placing her hands 
on the counter and allowing her co-workers to look at her punished bottom and 
back. The entire staff was horrified at how severely she had been beaten. Only 
once had any of them ever seen a fellow criminal who had bled as a result of his 
punishment. Kim's boss asked her if she wanted to have the day off or work a 
reduced schedule.

"No sir, I'll work a normal day. The whipping is over, and from what Spokesman 
Dukov told me, that officer won't be punishing me in January. Now I want to 
return to my duties. I want to live my life with honor and not feel sorry for 
myself."

That night Kimberly Lee, with her horribly marked backside and three bandages, 
sang with her friends on stage. Her voice had returned, but Eloisa noticed a slight 
difference. There was more power in Kim's singing and a touch of anger. The lead 
singer knew what was going on in her friend’s mind. She was hoping that cop was 
watching her sing. She wanted to prove herself, to the band's audience, and to that 
cop, that no, she was not defeated. Not even that savage beating 36 hours before 
could stop Criminal # 98945.