"Where do we go from here, then, Sir? Those who sent him here are expecting us to succeed, as we always have in the past. It doesn't seem as though he wants to recover. How can we convince him?"
"He doesn't seem to think he has anything to recover from, that's the main problem in my view. Our usual aversion therapy didn't move him, because he found it too contrived, his suspension of disbelief was absent. And he's right, in a way, of course. Ethically, we could never actually use genuine footage of the activities depicted, and he was acute enough to realise that. He simply said he knew it was staged and false, and that he, personally, would never think of doing any such thing, in any case."
"If he's telling the truth, his truth, it could be impossible, you know. We might never overcome his delusions, we might....fail."
"Nonsense! There's always a way, always an intervention that will have the desired effect. We need to think creatively, that's all. What about the victim? How can we bring him into play?"
"He appears to be no more amenable than our inmate. He has been interviewed several times by our best people, and he absolutely refuses to believe that he is a victim, of the inmate, at least. He says the only bad things that have happened to him have been since his 'best friend' was taken away. His dearest wish, it seems, is for them to be reunited."
"That's the aspect of this case that upsets me the most. A vulnerable young mind, brainwashed, convinced that black is white. And it's why we must not fail. Both must be cured, made to fit the pattern."
"But made something they're not, Sir? Is that ethical in itself?"
The older man looked at his subordinate in disbelief, turning to anger.
"You young fool, what have ethics to do with anything? If we allow this....this....degenerate to succeed in spreading his poison, where will it end? Society is all that matters, if the individual will not conform, he must be....removed."
Now it was the younger man's turn to look disbelievingly at the elder, the man who he'd looked up to as a role model for the past five years, who now seemed as though a mask he had been wearing had slipped away, revealing a totally different person beneath. Something else had changed, too, in the younger man's mind. He hesitated for long moments, but decided that his thoughts needed to be enunciated.
"Conformity? Removal? That sounds rather fascistic to me, I'm afraid. At the end of the day, these two say they love each other. Neither appears in any way to have coerced the other. We have no evidence, ultimately, that any physical activity has taken place, as both deny it and there is no independent witness. This man appears to me to have been incarcerated simply for falling in love. Love is hardly the force that is going to destroy the foundations of civilisation, surely?"
The older man seemed to have regained control of himself, somewhat.
"He has been sent to us to be cured, and that is what will happen. By whatever means. Given that, as I said, every regular technique has failed, it seems to me that only one alternative remains. I will authorise Procedure 199."
"199! That has never been enacted here! I'll have no part of it, if that's your decision. You'll find my letter of resignation on your desk before the end of the day."
"If you feel that strongly, your resignation is hereby accepted. I'm disappointed, I had high hopes for you here, perhaps even saw you as my eventual successor. But, here as elsewhere, the institution is bigger than any individual."
The young man turned on his heel and left without another word. His now former superior sighed, before calling his secretary and requesting the paperwork to set Procedure 199 in motion. Glancing at the clock, he knew he could have the authority, countersigned by the Minister of Justice, in hand before the end of the working day. And then, tomorrow, his institution's 100% record would be maintained. No-one had ever left these walls uncured. And if this mere boylover thought he was going to be the exception, he was much mistaken.
****
In accordance with Procedure 199 of the penal code,
Mr *** ***** was administered a lethal injection at 0800 today.
He was pronounced dead at 0802.
The boy, sitting in his room, stared at the computer screen, uncomprehending for a moment, before the meaning of the words on the official government website sank into his conscious mind. He broke into wretched, inconsolable tears. He was never told that the man's last words were 'I love you so much, darling boy'. Even that comfort was denied him. But conformity, perfection, had been maintained.
****
Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B
No comments:
Post a Comment