I can't say that they weren't fair, 'cause the law was surely on their side, but I had heard that some of my pals, supposedly caught the same way, had gotten off with hard labor only. Certainly in my case hard labor would have been a blessing.
Instead, there I was, strapped down on this split table with the girl at better than a forty-five degree angle to me, not touching. She was crying, bawling like an unweaned calf separated from its mother, trying to get out of her flat straps. That was absolutely impossible for either of us. The straps crossed over our ankles, tightly above and below our widely spread knees, over our bellies so that our ass cheeks were compressed against the resilient table top, then more over our necks, holding our heads hard against that tabletop. The final two straps immobilized our widespread arms, leaving our hands free to accept the touch that would make us conspicuous among our former pals for the rest of our lives. I could just barely make out the girl's face if I rolled my eyes hard to my left.
Neither of us could make coherent sounds - we couldn't talk, that is, we could just yell or scream...or cry, as she was doing. What could we have said to each other? Condemned by the law in separate but simultaneous trials, our confessions easily wrung from our uncaring lips - that drug they use is powerful but with no lasting effects, we're told - what possible excuse or comfort could we offer to each other?
The man and woman charged with carrying out the court's sentence - the man would execute the sentence on the girl, the woman on me - why? I don't know and don't care, it's just as effective either way. I suppose, when I even try to think about it, that it's to further humiliate the "criminals," if that's what we were. We were, of course, under the law, but they could have sentenced us to hard labor.
The touch on my palm was sharp and hurt like hell for a microsecond, but then I was euphoric and felt nothing particular, although I could hear the woman humming to herself as she carried out the sentence. The man seemed to be talking to the girl while he did what he was supposed to be doing to her. I heard her crying stop as though sbut off by a switch...she didn't even cry out when the whatever it was touched her hand - if indeed the same procedure was used on her. After that I didn't care what was happening.
The only thing I really remember about the whole process was the man saying to the woman before I went sound asleep, "I suppose the hard labor is pretty hard, at that!" and chuckling. The woman said something in reply but I was gone by that time and did not catch it.
*****
Cherry and I had been friends and had palled around with the rest of our gang for several years, ever since we turned fourteen and were permitted to be in a "gang" and hang out. Our teachers told us that we should stay with a gang until we were ready to marry - but they never told us that our marriage partners were already picked out for us by the court..
I guess Cherry and I were eighteen when we decided that we were in love and wanted to get married. The teachers made no objection when we told them of our love, but they cautioned us that it would not be wise to drop out of the gang and go off by ourselves at any time. (Neither of us know that the "vitamins" that we took religiously were also programming us.)
I did my best to keep my hands off my "future wife"and she did her best not to tempt me in any way that she thought I could not resist. Of course, we all in out gang would swim and bathe nude together, but it was easy to resist any temptation when there were twenty-four of us all nude at the same time. All the girls were good looking and well built and we guys were, I guess, handsome. Anyway, that's what the teachers told us the vitamins and the programs of exercise did for us. Naturally there were some exhibitions of sexual desire, but with twenty-two others watching, what would a guy and girl want to do?
One evening Cherry was not feeling well - she had made a point of it and I supposed she was having her period, as I suppose others in the gang thought, too - and a teacher told her to go to her bed and rest. Teacher also told me to escort her there and make certain she was all right before I went to my own bed. (We were not supposed to be "single"in the gang, always a "couple" among other couples. I knew that the teacher expected me to leave Cherry and if I had any thoughts along certain lines to flog my meat in my own bed, That was certainly permitted.)
When I had "helped" Cherry to her door, she turned to me and whispered, "I'm not at all sick, Hal. Come in and talk to me for a while."
Well, there had never been any prohibition about talking with one's "other," so I went into her room.
She grabbed me and whispered again, "Hal, they can't see us or hear us in here. Kiss me!"
I did, and then I put my arms around her waist and drew her to me - the impulse and desire was too strong for me, although I did say - and if the camera had been working it would have exonerated me! -
"Cherry, I've got to go. We cannot do this until we're wed."
Her arms were around my neck and her strong, supple body pressed her breasts against my chest. Her groin was jammed into my rising erection and I could no longer help myself. It was not her fault, it was not mine, it was nature at work!
It took far too short a time to be nude with our arms around each other, side by side on her narrow bed. I was kissing and fondling Cherry in trembling anticipation when she said in a husky voice,
"If...Hal, come into me, I'm so wet!"
I moved my breast-fondling fingers to her crotch and felt her moisture. This exacerbated my frustration and my rigid penis slid all too easily into Cherry.
We had been this close and I was pumping away, close to an ejaculation as she climaxed. At that precise moment we were frozen in horribly painful paralysis by the sudden injection of some other drug the teacher's had never told us about.
Our rigid bodies, firmly coupled in such an obvious manner, were Exhibit One (on video disc) at our trials. I don't know what they do, but they were able to digitize my erection leaking fluid and her moist labia and vulva as further exhibits. There was naturally nothing we could do but confess. I don't know if Cherry asked the court for leniency, but I did not, thinking that it was their normal habit "for a first offense." Of course, it was not.
******
I live as normal a life as people without a group do in this society, purveying luxury goods to the groups of younger citizens and the married couples who are legally separate from their former groups. I am not a citizen, but no one seems to make a big issue of that. Of course, I am never invited to any of the orgies of the older groups, nor do I participate in the first night marriage beds of the new couples - what would be the use, since I have no such desire, nor the capability since my sentence was carried out. Cherry may be more fortunate than I, in a way - she has retained her femaleness and is now - I hope happily, although repetitively - surrogate mother for any couple who wants her services. She is no more a citizen than I, but perhaps more useful?