The Hunt (26 page)

Mara thought for a moment, then said,
“There's something you should know.”

She spent the next few minutes telling Madeleine about Mary Green's letter, and what it implied. When Mara had finished, Madeleine looked around carefully to make sure nobody was listening.
“Have you mentioned this to anyone else?” she asked quietly.

“
Only Yuke.”

“
I think it would be better if you kept this to yourself. At least for now. If what you've said is true, and I don't doubt that it is, you could end up making some very powerful enemies.” Looking at her watch, Madeleine said, “We'd better go in.”

They walked through the punishment centre's door, and Madeleine handed an official document to the receptionist, who gave her the most incongruous smile imaginable and said,
“Somebody will be down to collect you shortly.”

They sat in the waiting area, which was already occupied by five other women, one of whom appeared to be in her fifties. Mara couldn't help thinking how humiliating it must be for someone of that age to receive corporal punishment. The woman seemed vaguely familiar, and after searching her memory, Mara realised she was the spitting image of Mary
Green. Could it actually be her? Mara was wondering if she should say something when a man in a dark suit strode through the front door and proceeded to a nearby elevator.

Madeleine leaned over and whispered,
“That's Judge Birney. He'll be hearing your appeal. I don't know him, but he has a reputation for being fair.”

The door opened again almost immediately, and Mara was disgusted to see Tyner walk in and approach the receptionist, who indicated that he should take a seat. He sat as far away from Mara as possible, but when he inadvertently caught her eye, he smiled and waved, as if they were old friends. Mara did not return the wave.
“That's Tyner,” she whispered to Madeleine.

“
I thought he'd be here,” Madeleine whispered back. “I read his email, and I gather we're not exactly dealing with the next Oscar Wilde. It's just possible that...well, let's see how fair this judge is.”

Mara noticed Tyner trying to start a conversation with a young woman sitting near him; the woman stood up and moved to a different chair. As she did this, a man with a clipboard appeared from a room behind the receptionist's desk. After reading out the names Madeleine Danes, Mara Gorki and Stephen Tyner, he said,
“Please follow me,” in a voice that was barely audible. He led his charges to the elevator, and once they were inside, Madeleine deliberately positioned herself between Mara and Tyner. Mara felt grateful for this: she didn't want to stand any closer to her tormentor - and now accuser - than necessary.

When they arrived at the top floor, Clipboard Man showed them into a small room and silently vanished, shutting the door behind him. The room was bare except for a conference table that might have accommodated eight people. Judge Birney was already seated, poring over some documents.
“Sit down,” he said brusquely. Madeleine waited until Tyner had taken a seat on the left of the table, leaving several empty spaces between himself and the Judge. Placing her briefcase on the table, she sat on the Judge's immediate right, indicating that Mara should sit next to her.

Consulting one of the papers before him, the Judge said,
“Mara Gorki?”

“
Here, Your Honour,” replied Mara, who had read enough courtroom thrillers to know the correct response.

“
Madeleine Danes?”

“
Here, Your Honour.”

“
Stephen Tyner?”

Tyner answered with a grunt.

The Judge narrowed his eyes, then looked up and said, “I am here to consider Miss Gorki's appeal against a sentence imposed upon her for appearing out of uniform in a public place. Miss Danes, you may begin.”

Mara expected Madeleine to stand up, but she merely leaned back in her chair and addressed her remarks to the Judge.
“My client stands accused of appearing out of uniform in a public place on March 26th. Your Honour will note that on this date, my client was participating in a Hunt. She had hidden in an abandoned apartment, and changed into the clothes she found there, as she believed they would permit her greater freedom of movement should she need to run from a Hunter. Hunt rules explicitly state that female participants may take whatever evasive action they feel is necessary to avoid capture.”

The Judge interrupted her.
“Hunt rules also explicitly state that female participants are to wear full uniform.”

The Judge's remark hit Mara like a hammer blow, but Madeleine didn't miss a beat.
“I believe Your Honour is referring to the induction letter which does indeed instruct participants to wear full uniform. But it is our contention that this applies only to the journey to and from the stadium. The Female Uniform Act of 2045 states that women participating in sporting events in places dedicated to such activities may wear clothing appropriate for the particular sport. Hunt rules specifically refer to the place in which the Hunt occurs as a stadium, which implies a place dedicated to a sporting event. In any case, the stadium cannot be regarded as a public place, as it consists of a walled off area hosting a private function to which members of the general public are not admitted. Furthermore, Miss Gorki was only wearing non-uniform clothes while occupying an abandoned apartment. She did not step outside this apartment until forced to do so by Mr. Tyner, who did not give her the opportunity to change back into her uniform.” As she said this, Madeleine removed from her briefcase a printout of the photo taken by Tyner. “If you look at this photo carefully, Your Honour, you will see that Miss Gorki is wearing the collar which had been locked on her by Mr. Tyner, and at this point was clearly acting under Mr. Tyner's direction. This is the basis on which we are appealing the court's decision.”

The Judge turned towards Tyner and said,
“Mr. Tyner, what is your response?”

Tyner sat up, shuffling uncomfortably in his seat, and said,
“I used a body heat detector to locate Miss Gorki in a building where she was, like, hiding. She tried to escape by climbing onto the roof, and when I pursued her up there, I noticed she was out of uniform. She told me her uniform was in the apartment where she'd been hiding, so I went to get it. I then instructed Miss Gorki to proceed to the Hunters' block, where...”

“
Where was the uniform at this point?” interjected the Judge.

“
In my backpack.”

“
Did you instruct Miss Gorki to put it on?”

“
No. If she'd, like, asked me for permission to change into the uniform, I would given it to her. But she didn't ask.”

“
By the time you had entered the apartment and collected the uniform, was Miss Gorki wearing your collar?”

“
Yes, Your Honour.”

“
So we would assume, would we not, that Miss Gorki was not acting of her own free will, but rather under your orders.”

“
Yes, I suppose that's true. But I never, like, told her to take the uniform off.”

“
As far as you are aware, did Miss Gorki appear outside the apartment without her uniform before you pursued her onto the roof?”

“
I didn't see her before that, so I don't know.”

The Judge grimaced.
“I'll repeat the question. As far as you are aware, did Miss Gorki appear outside the apartment without her uniform before you pursued her onto the roof?”

Tyner seemed to be searching for an answer on the floor.
“Yes or no, Mr. Tyner?” said the Judge in an exasperated voice.

“
No,” admitted Tyner with obvious reluctance.

“
And do you have any specific response to Miss Danes' appeal?”

“
Specific response?” asked Tyner, as if the Judge were speaking Greek.

“
Is there any part of the appeal you disagree with?”

“
Well, yes.”

“
Which part?”

“
All of it.”

“
And exactly why do you disagree with all of it?”

Tyner was looking extremely uncomfortable. This clearly wasn't what he'd been expecting.
“Well, I...I just think it's wrong.”

The expression on the Judge's face left no doubt that he'd finally had enough. Dismissing Tyner with a wave of the hand, he turned towards Mara, and for the first time addressed her directly.
“Miss Gorki. Rules are meant to be obeyed, and I would not want to make a decision which might set a precedent. But given the specific circumstances under which you came to be out of uniform, I have decided to rule in your favour. Your appeal is granted, and the sentence cancelled.”

Mara almost jumped out of her chair with joy. She glanced at Madeleine, expecting her to look equally pleased, but the lawyer's mouth was set in a grim line. Madeleine removed a piece of paper from her briefcase and passed it to the Judge.
“I would like to draw Your Honour's attention to this printout of an email sent by Mr. Tyner to my client on April 2nd, in particular the passage I have highlighted in yellow. It's rather hard to read, as Mr. Tyner's spelling, grammar and punctuation leave a great deal to be desired, but I think the general meaning is clear enough.”

The Judge examined the paper, then passed it to Tyner, asking,
“Mr. Tyner, did you write and send this email?”

Tyner stared, slack-jawed, at the printout, obviously wondering if he could get away with denying it, then nodded his head and said,
“Yes, Your Honour.”

The Judge took the paper back and looked at it again, saying,
“This is extremely difficult to make sense of, but I believe it says 'I know I said I would report you for being out of uniform, but if you were willing to play with me some more, I would forget about the whole thing.' Mr. Tyner, what exactly did you mean by 'play with me some more'?”

Tyner obviously wished a hole would open up and swallow him.
“Well, I meant we could do some of the things we did during the Hunt.”

“
What things exactly?”

“
Things...we did.”

“
Be specific. What things?”

“
Well, we used, like, the cane and the whip...um...needles.”

“
And what did you do with the needles?”

“
I...pierced Miss Gorki's nipples. Which...which is one of the things I was permitted to do.”

“
I see. And you thought Miss Gorki might volunteer to have her nipples pierced again?”

Tyner leaned forward, and tried talking to the Judge in what he seemingly regarded as a man-to-man way.
“You see, Your Honour, women like being dominated by men. I thought Mara...I mean Miss Gorki, secretly enjoyed what we did together, and would welcome the opportunity to do some more.”

“
Then why did you try to blackmail her?”

“
I didn't!”

The Judge held up the sheet of paper.
“It says so right here. You told Miss Gorki that if she were willing to play with you, you would forget about reporting her for being out of uniform.”

And at long last, it occurred to Tyner that a hole had indeed opened up and swallowed him, and he was digging it deeper with every word. Sitting up straight, he looked at the wall opposite and declared,
“I'm not saying anything else until I see a lawyer.”

The Judge could barely conceal his contempt.
“I suggest you see that lawyer very soon, Mr. Tyner, since I intend to have you prosecuted for attempted blackmail, and I will recommend you receive a severe judicial caning. Now if there's nothing further to discuss, you may all leave.”

Mara did not even try to hide the smile that had spread over her face as she listened to this conversation. Madeleine maintained a facade of disinterest until they were back in the corridor, at which point she grinned and said,
“That went even better than expected.”

As they waited for the elevator, Tyner walked up and leaned against a wall. He obviously didn't want to be anywhere near these women, but recent events had so disoriented him that he plainly didn't have the energy to conceal himself until they'd gone. When the elevator door opened, Mara moved aside and made a mock bow to Tyner, repeating the gesture he'd used during the Hunt. Tyner silently entered the elevator, and Mara followed, this time making sure she stood next to him. Madeleine, who was facing both of them, looked amused. As the door closed, Mara turned to Tyner and said,
“Don't be afraid of this judicial caning. Think of it as an opportunity to, like, test your pain threshold. You may be reluctant to admit it, but I'm sure you'll be turned on. You're going to learn a few things about yourself that might, like, surprise you. The fact you've absolutely no choice is precisely what will make this experience such an exciting one. I know you don't, like, like safe words, so it won't bother you that there aren't any. Just think of the man who canes you as your guide.” This last comment was made to Tyner's retreating back as he ran from the elevator, which had just reached the ground floor, and tore out of the building. Mara and Madeleine collapsed in a fit of helpless laughter. All this was observed with bemusement by the receptionist, who wasn't used to seeing running men and laughing women in the punishment centre.