Chapter 1
7.25: Angelica’s Personalized Wake-up Time. Her alarm consists of sounds of nature and birdsong, slowly rising in volume and intensity, while the light gently brightens. After five minutes, a soft voice on the audio systems tells her to get up.
Angelica uses the bathroom, dresses, and heads downstairs to prepare a nutritious breakfast for herself and her housemate, Loki. Loki’s PWT is fifteen minutes later than Angelica’s, making them compatible housemates.
Soon afterwards, both girls are having breakfast and chatting amicably.
“Do you know what people used to have for breakfast?” Loki asks.
Angelica rolls her eyes. Ever since Loki started reading that history book about the habits of people in the past, she can’t stop talking about it. Only last night, she kept going on about people putting drugs and toxins like alcohol and tobacco in their bodies.
“I don’t know of course. It’s not dead animals again, is it?” Angelica shudders, recalling another of those horror stories.
“Cornflakes. They were a bit like our cereals, except they were chock full of sugar!”
“Ieuw!” Angelica wrinkles her nose. “Well I’m glad the government put an end to all that! Those must have been terrible times to live in!”
“Oh, definitely. Still, just imagine, being able to eat or drink whatever you want… it’s kind of intriguing too, right?”
“So you can have dead animals or poison yourself? What’s the point? We eat exactly what’s best for us, what more can you want?”
“I know, I know. Just something I like to think about.”
At this point, the soft voice on the audio system speaks: “Angelica, time to get ready for work.”
Angelica rises. “Well, time to go. Not all of us are so lucky to have Sundays off.”
Loki laughs: “Sucks to be you, I guess.”
“Remind me to mock you Tuesday and Wednesday,” Angelica fires back.
Angelica quickly glances at the screen at the back of the kitchen, which always displays the Outdoor Dresscode Forecast. It shows Winter Level 2 both now and this evening when she will return from work. She goes to the wardrobe and puts on her shoes and her black down jacket, as always making sure to fully zip it up and do up all the buttons. With the thick, fur-trimmed hood up and fastened around her face, she is now wearing her first layer in accordance with the Dresscode. Next, she takes her bottle green, knee length down coat and does it up similarly. Once she is done, only the fur trim of the first hood emerges from the long coat, allowing for easy visual checks that she is wearing both layers.
Angelica grabs her mittens and steps back inside the kitchen. “You’ll have dinner ready tonight, right?” she asks Loki, who is standing near the back wall.
“Sure,” Loki smiles, turning towards her.
“Great, see you!”
Putting her mittens on, Angelica leaves the house and heads for her stop at the end of the street, where she will take the Axial Line J. The street is dark and deserted, which is no surprise on a winter Sunday.
Then she sees a police car, blue lights flashing, turn into the street. The flashing lights signalize that they’re heading for a Criminal Activity. It’s a rare sight. After all, Angelica thinks, why would anyone want to go against the government regulations? They are simply there to ensure everyone’s optimal health and well-being. And besides, there’s the Criminal Activity Report Program: anyone who notices a Criminal Activity can report it, and if it turns out correct and the offender is caught, they receive a hefty bonus to their credit account. Since the CARP is in effect, even those who would for some reason go against regulations have given up.
Angelica wonders if any of her neighbors did something wrong. She hopes not, she would not want a Criminal next door! But like all streets in residential areas, it’s a dead end, so there aren’t that many options. But who would be so -
The police car stops next to her.
Two officers get out.
“Angelica Purissima?” the male officer asks, pro forma, because he already scanned the ID tag on her sleeve.
“Y-yes,” Angelica stutters.
“You are caught in the act of violating the Outdoor Dresscode, as you are not in appropriate clothing for Winter Level 3. This is a Criminal-“
“Three?” Angelica exclaims. “But the ODF said-“
“This is a Criminal Activity which means you will be tried before a Judge. You are to remain silent-“
“No listen,” Angelica quickly interjects, while she feels the female cop putting a handcuff around her right wrist and pulling her arms behind her. “The ODF said two, I swear it!”
“The ODF said three, miss. And now you are to remain silent until you will appear before-“
“No, no, it’s a misunderstanding! I’m not a Criminal! Look, just let me go and I’ll quickly go home and put my Moonboots and scarf on, then it’s all good right? It’s right there, it won’t take - mmmph!”
The female cop harshly pulls the strap of the ball gag she has placed in Angelica’s mouth and buckles it. “Why don’t they ever shut up when you tell them to?” she asks her companion.
He shakes his head. “I don’t know either. I guess lack of obedience comes with being a Criminal? Let’s load her in.”
They force Angelica towards the back door of the car. Once there, the man continues holding her while the female cop grabs a bunch of ropes and quickly gets to work. One around her ankles, tying them together. Above and below the knees, than above the elbows, pulling Angelica’s arms closer together. Finally one around her wrists, after recovering her handcuffs. Then Angelica is pushed down onto the back seats, lying down on her belly, and the ankle rope is tied to the elbow rope. A few more ropes to secure her to anchor points, and they are done. Satisfied to have caught a Criminal, they slam the door shut and get into the car.
---
By the time Loki has dressed in her Winter Level 3 outfit and come outside, the cops are already securing the arrestee in the back of the car. Soon after, Loki watches as they make a U-turn and head away. Angelica will be fine, she thinks. Sure, she won't be having a good time, but honestly, the girl could use a healthy kick of reality. She's always such a loyal citizen, always defending every government policy. Might do her good to experience some of the downsides of an authoritarian system.
A simple piece of paper taped over the ODF screen, Loki muses. A quick phone call, and a tiny bit of betrayal. Honestly, that's the easiest credits she has earned in her life.
Chapter 2
Throughout the ride, Angelica remains in a state of shock. Her mind simply refuses to accept that this is real, that any of this is happening. Just moments ago, she was on her way to work, like any other day. And now she has been taken in like a Criminal! Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is made apparent by the extraordinary position she finds herself in. She is held absolutely immobile, with her arms on her back and her mittened hands held palm to palm. The bottom of her down coat is pulled together by the rope just above her knees, while the lower part of her legs are bent double in a strict hogtie. Any attempt to lift her ankles only forces her arms closer together.
The most pressing concern is her face though. First of all, a large ball gag is keeping her mouth wide open and unusable. The straps of the gag have pulled the fur ruff at mouth height back, in turn pulling the part at the top downwards over her eyes. Lying face down on top of the fur ruff, she is now blinded by it. Her nose is still free, but lying on the seat and with the fur ruff of her hood on all sides, she struggles and shifts as much as she can to gain access to air. What air she gets quickly heats up, and soon the seat area beneath her double hooded head is slick with sweat.
Slowly, she is getting over the initial shock and starting to think about how to get out of this. Surely this is all a mistake. She just needs to explain to someone that the ODF screen at home said 2. And then they’ll let her go. She will make up an excuse for being late at work and never mention this embarrassing episode to anyone.
The car stops. The door is opened, the ropes securing her in place and the one connecting her arms and legs are undone, then Angelica is dragged out of the car and placed on her feet. One of the cops holds her steady while the other unties the ropes around her legs. Then they lead her through the underground garage towards an elevator. They go up, through a corridor and finally into a small empty room. With the fur ruff still hanging partly over her eyes, Angelica doesn’t experience much of her surroundings.
Without stopping, the cops lead her to a wall. One of them pulls something down a slider she sees in the wall until it’s at the height of her neck. It’s a metal pole that extends about 20 cm from the wall. At the end of it is an open ring, and before Angelica realizes what is going on, her neck is in that ring and the collar is closed and locked at the back of her neck. Meanwhile her feet have been placed about a meter apart, and similar cuffs are locked around her ankles.
She now faces the wall, held rigidly in place by the three cuffs and with her arms still tied firmly together on her back. She is close enough to the wall that her hoods completely obscure any sideways view she might have had, but at least this time her air access is free.
Without another word, the cops leave her alone. Angelica hears the door close and the sound of a lock. Then, nothing.
That’s just the pickup team, Angelica thinks. Someone at the office will soon be here to hear my side. I have to explain them it was a fault in the ODF display. Probably there have been other mistaken arrests if it was a system error. Or those cops were somehow wrong about it being Level 3 and I’ve been arrested for nothing.
But the cops being wrong didn’t seem likely. Is she sure she has seen Level 2? Again and again she recalls the image. A row of 2’s, for each hour, broken up by some 1’s (four, right? Surely there were four 1’s in the early afternoon)… but no 3, certainly. Could she have missed it? A single 3 perhaps, at the start of the row?
Before her eyes, she starts seeing the numbers, a 2 blurring into a 3, the circular thoughts driving her crazy. Can’t they just come and get her already, get this over with? Uncomfortable, Angelica tries to shift her position, but is firmly reminded that is impossible. The three iron cuffs and bars effectively immobilize her entire body.
Angelica’s legs are hurting. And her jaw is even worse. She wants to trash and fight her bonds, but all she can do is move her tied arms a bit away from her body and back. In frustration, she starts screaming, but the “Mmph! Mmph!” sounds she is producing are pathetic and she quickly runs out of breath.
For a while Angelica’s mind is drifting without much thought, and she loses track of time completely. She groggily watches drops run down her little stretch of wall, her mind blank. After a while, a thought forms: those are from the condensation of my breath. This triggers new thoughts. How long has she been standing here? Surely it’s more than half an hour? An hour? More?
And where is everyone? No sound at all enters her little room. It must be soundproof. Then why couldn’t they take at least that gag out, Angelica thinks in frustration. Her jaw aches, her legs ache, her shoulders ache, and she is a sweaty mess, standing there in her winter attire at room temperature. Not to mention she has nothing to do, she has been staring at the same small patch of wall for who knows how long. She should be at work, damn it!
Again Angelica starts shouting in her gag, longer this time, but of course the sounds she produces are as quiet as before. And eventually she has to stop again, and her exhausted mind blanks out again, starting another cycle. Throughout it all, her appearance to an observer barely changes at all. From the outside, one just sees a figure in a knee length, dark green down coat with the hood up, standing there with her legs spread and her arms tied on her back, facing the wall. Any misgivings this figure might have about its position are not apparent to the observer, as it stands perfectly still and quiet.
Suddenly the door opens. Angelica is so startled she would have jumped if she could. Someone unlocks the cuffs. They take her by the elbow and turn her towards the door. Angelica’s legs are trembling, she feels like falling to the floor but manages to stay on her feet. She is guided through a corridor and ends up in another room. Here there is a table, with a chair on one side and on the other side… it’s also a chair, but completely metal, bolted to the floor and with various clasps clearly intended to hold the arms and legs.
The metal chair is obviously for her, and the cop guides her towards it. Then he speaks: “I will now untie your arms. You will immediately sit down and place your arms on the armrests. Have you understood?”
Angelica quickly nods. At this point she would do anything to have her arms out of their strained position, and sitting down sounds wonderful to her trembling legs, even if it means sitting on this contraption that will no doubt immobilize her again.
Indeed, minutes later, she finds herself sitting perfectly straight in the metal chair, her arms attached to the armrests, legs slightly spread and similarly held in place, and again there is a collar, attached to the back of the chair, holding her head in position. Compared to her previous situation however, it’s quite comfortable. Now if only he could also…
“Mmph! Mmph!” she desperately tries as he turns towards the door.
But he ignores her and leaves the room, locking the door.
This time it’s only about ten minutes later when the door is opened. Another cop enters. She places a bottle of water and a plastic cup on the table. Angelica’s eyes lit up in hope.
“I will remove your gag now and give you something to drink. You will remain completely silent. Is that clear?”
Angelica wants to nod, but with the collar around her neck and the gag holding her mouth wide open, her head is held still. Apparently it was a rhetoric question though, because the cop starts undoing the gag.
Finally the ball is removed from her mouth. The first movement of her jaw is even more painful though and it takes all of Angelica’s willpower not to cry out. Slowly she manages to close her mouth most of the way, then she concentrates on the task of drinking the water that is offered. After this the cop takes a paper towel from somewhere outside Angelica’s vision and wipes off Angelica’s face. Angelica wants to thank her, but remains silent.
“All right,” the cop says, throwing away the paper towel. “Judge Thorne will be here shortly for your trial. I will now explain the proceedings to you. The Judge has received the reports from the pickup team and the investigation team. The Judge will first clarify the charges and the circumstances. Then you will be asked to explain yourself, and the Judge can ask you further questions. Based on the outcome of this interview, the Judge will decide your punishment.”
Punishment, Angelica thinks, but doesn’t that imply that I’m guilty already? Surely I can still convince the judge I did nothing wrong? But clearly this is not the time to bring this up.
“Two things for you,” the cop continues. “First, you will stay perfectly quiet until the time the judge asks you anything. Otherwise the ball goes right back in your mouth. And second, always address the Judge as Your Honor. Now, I will give you a bit more water, then we wait for the Judge.”
So it happens, and now Angelica is nervously awaiting the Judge’s arrival. It’s what she has been yearning for all that time, standing there at the wall, but now that the moment is near, she dreads it. What if she can’t convince the Judge? But surely she will, after all the Justice System is fair, and Angelica didn’t do anything wrong! Except, what if she did see the wrong number? Her memory seems clear, but what if it’s wrong?
The door opens and the Judge enters, placing a laptop on the table and sitting opposite Angelica. The Judge is unlike Angelica imagined: an older woman, shorter than Angelica herself, with a friendly face and laugh wrinkles around her eyes.
“Hello Angelica. I am Judge Diana Thorne and I will judge your case today. According to the pickup team, you were found in violation of the Outdoor Dresscode, which required Winter Level 3 this morning. The investigation team checked that the ODF system has been giving the correct forecast at all times, which is the case. As a result, you are accused of willingly ignoring the Dresscode. Now Angelica, could you please explain your actions to me?”
“It - it was a 2, on the ODF, I mean, I thought it - Your Honor!” Angelica blurts out. “I really thought I saw Level 2 on the ODF, Your Honor.” Tears start filling Angelica’s eyes.
“Calm down, Angelica,” the Judge says softly. Angelica swallows a few times, managing to keep her tears in check. After a pause, the Judge continues. “So you are saying it was an honest mistake?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Calm down, Angelica,” the Judge says softly. Angelica swallows a few times, managing to keep her tears in check. After a pause, the Judge continues. “So you are saying it was an honest mistake?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Judge Thorne looks Angelica straight in the eyes, her expression pensive. Angelica’s head is still held in place by the collar, and still covered by her two thick down hoods, her face framed by the fur ruff as the Judge holds her gaze. Angelica is acutely aware of a few fresh sweat drops rolling down her face.
“I believe you, Angelica,” the Judge says eventually. “I think you made an honest mistake.” Angelica is so relieved she can feel tears welling up in her eyes again. She quickly blinks a few times to clear them, but her sight is still blurry.
“Therefore I am willing to give you the minimum punishment-“
“Punishment!” Angelica blurts out, “but-“
Immediately a frown appears on the Judge’s face, and at the same time Angelica hears a sound of the cop behind her shifting her position. She instantly clamps her mouth shut.
“I’m sorry, Your Honor,” she murmurs.
The Judge’s face relaxes, but she lets the silence hang for a few more moments before resuming.
“As I was saying… I am willing to give you the minimum punishment, assuming you give me a clear admission of guilt and the promise it won’t ever happen again. And yes, that means there will still be a punishment. I do believe you made a honest mistake, but that doesn’t mean you get off for free. That would corrupt our Justice System. Now, Angelica, do you realize the gravity of your mistake?”
“Yes, Your Honor, I swear!”
“I need to hear you say it, Angelica. In your own words.”
Angelica swallows. “I admit I am guilty, Your Honor,” she says softly. “I should have checked the ODF better before going out. I realize I endangered my health by this negligence. I will make absolutely certain it never happens again!”
Judge Thorne gives her a friendly smile. “Very good, Angelica. Now, the punishment for an infraction against appropriate Winter Levels of the Outdoor Dresscode is wearing a Convict’s Winter Outfit during a period of two to five weeks, as well as a fine of 100 to 250 credits. As I told you, I am giving you the minimum sentence, which means 100 credits will be automatically deducted from your account, and you will wear the Convict’s Winter Outfit for two weeks. You will find it a difficult outfit to wear - it is significantly warmer than the Dresscode for Winter Level 5 - but I hope the discomfort will help you further internalize the error of your ways and put you back on track to become a model citizen!”
“Yes, Your Honor. Thank you, Your Honor,” Angelica murmurs.
And with that, Judge Thorne leaves the room. The red ball gag appears in front of Angelica’s mouth again. Angelica sighs dejectedly, then meekly opens her mouth wide.
---
Judge Diana Thorne sighs inwardly. People really should be more careful. Of course the girl just made a stupid mistake, and Diana could have let her off for once. But would she have learned that way? In Diana's experience, you'd see them back for a similar offence within a few years. No, it was better to make the message clear once and for all. "Kindly deal out harshness," is Diana's personal motto. Better to give them a severe punishment once than seeing them relapse again and again.
She knows not all Judges see it that way. The younger generation is generally more in favor of skipping punishments on a first, minor offence. They may be right. But Diana feels she is too old to change her ways.
Speaking of the younger generation - she should give Marilyn a call and ask if she's feeling better yet. Diana has taken over her shift as Marilyn was feeling ill this morning, but by now the nanobots should start taking effect. Perhaps Marilyn can still come in today, so Diana can go home earlier.
Chapter 3
Again Angelica is led through the corridors of the police office, still wearing her down coats, gagged, and with her arms once again tied together on her back. What do they think I’m going to do, Angelica wonders. But then: I’m a Criminal now. They’re right not to take chances. I deserve what I get.
She is taken to another floor, where they enter a room with several side doors.
“I will untie you now,” the cop says. “You will take off all your own clothes and put them in this basket. You will get them back clean in two weeks, so you can wear them home then. There is a toilet over there, a shower there” - she points at each door - “and you will find food and water for lunch over there. These are your new underclothes which you will put on. When you are done, knock on the outer door and I’ll bring you to the Outfitter Office.”
Forty-five minutes later, Angelica knocks on the door. She is dressed in orange from head to toe. Her pants and long-sleeved shirt are both made from a soft, slightly stretchy material that hugs her forms. The shirt has an attached hood which leaves only her face visible.
Feeling clean and having eaten something, things don’t look as bleak as before. Angelica has accepted her fate. She has made a mistake and she will pay for it. It is only for two weeks, and she will take the Judge’s words to heart and make sure she becomes a better person. When the cop opens the door, Angelica immediately places her arms on her back to be tied. A ball gag goes in her mouth, but this time it’s an orange one.
Then Angelica is brought to the Outfitter’s Office. She has no idea what her outfit will look like, having never actually seen a Convicted Criminal. Of course, she know it will be orange. Everyone knows that’s the color for Convicted Criminals, and nobody else ever wears that color. The Judge has said her outfit will be warmer than the Winter Level 5 Dresscode, but given the nature of her offense, that makes sense to Angelica. And regardless, getting hot certainly won’t be the worst part of it. The fact that she will be in orange, marking her as a Criminal to everyone, will be her biggest punishment in itself. But, she reminds herself again, she deserves it.
They enter another room, where a young cop with a long blonde ponytail jumps up and enthusiastically greets her colleague: “Hey Betty!”
“Hello Miranda,” the cop leading Angelica replies in a more neutral tone, “where is Sven?”
“He took the afternoon off, said I could dress this one on my own. Exciting, isn’t it?” Miranda beams.
“Yeah, um, good for you. Well, see you then.”
“See you, Betty!”
The door closes behind Betty and the young cop turns towards Angelica: “Hi, I’m Miranda! I will be providing your Convict’s Winter Outfit!”
She expectantly looks at Angelica, as if waiting for her to introduce herself. Angelica, not sure how to react, nods.
“Great!” Miranda exclaims, as if Angelica’s nod was precisely the response she had hoped for. “Let’s get started! Here is your snowsuit!”
She hands Angelica an orange mass of nylon, or at least attempts to. With Angelica’s arms still firmly tied together, there’s not much she can do.
“Woops! Silly me! I always forget these things!” Miranda laughs, putting away the snowsuit and untying Angelica’s arms. “There! That’s better, right? Now, in you go! Chop, chop!”
Luckily Angelica’s arms haven’t been tied for long this time, so she has no trouble taking the snowsuit and putting it on. It is warm of course, filled with down, much like the one she has at home for Winter Level 5. But it’s not worse than that, except being orange of course. It does have attached mittens, making the use of her hands less practical. She puts up the hood and does the zip up, which goes right up to her nose, covering the orange ball gag underneath. Then she close the velcro flap over the zip and, with some difficulty, manages to pull the hood drawstrings a bit tighter, in accordance with the usual prescriptions.
“Looks great!” Miranda grins, as if they’re trying on clothes while shopping. “Here are your Moonboots!”
With some trouble, Angelica manages to put on the Moonboots - orange, obviously. It really isn’t so bad, she thinks, except for the color, but she knew about that.
“A perfect fit! Well, we have your biometric data of course, so no surprise there. Do you like it?”
How should she respond to that? Does she like being a Criminal? Obviously not! But Angelica guesses the girl just wants to see approval and nods.
“Good! Because you’ll have to wear this any time you’re not at home for the next… two weeks it was, I think?” She looks at Angelica inquisitively.
Angelica nods to confirm the duration, but her eyes widen in surprise. Anywhere not at home? So at work too?
“Mmph?” She tries making it sound like a question.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Miranda replies, “at home you can take it off. But it stays on everywhere else, you hear me?” she laughs, wriggling her index finger at Angelica. “There’s a GPS tracker in each item, and we’ll be matching data with your implanted personal tracker. So no cheaty cheats! There are some more security measures, but I’m not supposed to tell you about those. Now!” Miranda starts walking away, “Let me grab your coat for outside.”
She returns carrying… something gigantic. She is supporting the middle of the coat with two arms, the top and bottom dangling on either side.
“Oof!” Miranda says as she drops the coat to the ground, “they never told me it was such hard work!” She gives Angelica a shy grin: “It’s my first time doing this, you see. But I’m glad to do it with such an enthusiastic Convict as you!” She pats Angelica on her hooded head.
This girl is crazy, Angelica thinks. But maybe not in a bad way.
“Now, this will be easiest if you sit on that chair. Then I’ll position the coat like… this. And now you should slide your legs in. Best both of them together, and keep them close.”
Angelica does her best to follow Miranda’s instructions. Apparently the coat only has a zip along half of its length. From the hips downward there is no way to open it, and through this part she now pushes her legs.
That’s easier said than done, as she is already wearing Moonboots and there doesn’t seem to be much space for her legs. While pulling the coat towards her, she notices how heavy and stiff it is. Only after a few minutes of struggling, her Moonboots appear at the bottom of the coat.
“All right! Let me help you pull it up a little more. There! That was the hardest part. Now put your arms in the sleeves.”
Angelica complies, pushing her arms in as far as she can. But the sleeves are narrow and heavy and she doesn’t get very far.
“Okay, now it’s best to stand up, and wave your arms back and forth.” Miranda starts wildly throwing her arms around as an example.
Feeling like an idiot, Angelica starts moving her arms, and indeed she feels her arms slide deeper into the sleeves.
“Okay, I’ll help with the last part, because the mittens are rather narrow,” Miranda says, moving behind Angelica. There, she grabs the coat at the right shoulder and pulls. Angelica feels her hand, already in the snowsuit’s mitten, getting pushed into something tight. Then the process is repeated on the left.
In disbelief, Angelica looks at her hand. She sees an orange ball of stretched nylon, pulled as taut as if it were a balloon. Except, there’s no air, it’s a solid mass. Her hand is held slightly bent, and it feels as if she is holding a ball in each hand. There are no separate thumbs. With her hands like this, they are utterly useless.
But she doesn’t have long to consider this. Suddenly Miranda pulls the coat’s hood, which was lying in front of her face, up. The hood’s opening is small, just leaving the area around her nose and eyes free. But in addition, it extends another 15 centimeters forward, forming a snorkel hood. Angelica finds herself peering through a narrow tunnel.
In the meantime, Miranda is closing the zipper at her back, which runs from the top of the hood downwards to the small of her back. Then she buttons a flap over the zipper.
“There! All done!” Miranda is even more excited than before, practically jumping up and down as she appears in Angelica’s small field of vision. “Isn’t this great? Come here, in the back, we have a mirror, have a look at yourself!”
Angelica tries to take a step in the direction Miranda went. And just barely manages to stop herself falling flat on her face. She screams in fear and surprise, but with the thick hood now also covering her gag, no sound at all escapes.
“Come on, what’s taking so long? Come here, come here!”
Angelica tries again, taking small steps towards Miranda. The coat is so narrow around her legs she can just place one Moonboot in front of the other. From her knees upwards, there is almost no space to move.
Slowly, she shuffles over to Miranda, who turns her towards a large mirror.
“There you are! A real Convict now!”
The words hurt Angelica, but she knows they are true. And what she sees through her narrow tunnel confirms it. A huge orange coat, the wearer’s face hidden inside that same tunnel she is looking through. Two fat arms hanging down its sides, ending in puffy balls. And at the bottom, only the tips of her Moonboots peeking out beneath the hem of the coat. Next to her, the young cop Miranda is beaming with pride.
Angelica turns her body away from the shameful image in the mirror, towards Miranda. What now, she wants to ask, but even her “mmph?”-question is no longer audible.
After a while, Miranda realizes Angelica is waiting for her. “Well, that was it then! I had a great time, I’m really happy to have had such a nice first Criminal!” To Angelica’s surprise, the girl even tries to give her a hug, but the coat is too big to do it properly.
“So um, what else do I need to say? Your ID tag has been transferred to the sleeve of your new coat, so it will work like normal to enter your home, workplace and so on. Your sentence ends in two weeks, so that day you just come back here. I guess that's it? Well, have a nice time and see you in two weeks then!” Miranda says, waving in front of her snorkel hood.
Hesitantly, Angelica turns herself towards the door and starts tiptoeing forward. Once she reaches it, she pushes on the handle and is surprised she can actually open it. Pulling the door towards her, she has to awkwardly shuffle aside.
Once the door is open, Angelica turns herself toward Miranda again, wanting on the one hand confirmation that she can just walk out, and on the other hand directions on how to leave the building. But Miranda is juggling a couple of pens. She looks up and waves again. “Bye! Thank you!”
Angelica turns again, walks out the door. Turns herself left, than around again, trying to figure out which way to go. She has no idea. She turns to Miranda’s side again, who waves once more. Angelica points in one direction, than the other.
“Oh! You don’t know where to go! Right, silly me! I’ll get you outside, come along.”
The young cop squeezes past Angelica and moves towards the left end of the corridor, where she turns left again and disappears. Angelica shuffles forward as fast as she can, trying not to lose track of her. Luckily Miranda reappears at the corner. “Right, forgot you’re kinda slow in that. Don’t worry, we’ll get you there!”
It takes a while, and a lot of Miranda’s inane chatter, but eventually they reach the exit doors. “Bye!” Miranda calls one last time, leaving Angelica in front of the building.
---
Miranda is sitting with her feet on the desk, cleaning her nails, when Betty pops her head inside the door. “Miranda, did you return the ropes and gag of that Convict to storage?”
“Hi Betty, yeah no worries, I took care of that, returned them straight away!”
“Great, thanks!”
As Betty walks on, Miranda feels pleased she remembered to return the ropes immediately after the Convict left. The ropes, and the… gag? Miranda frowns. There hadn’t been a gag, right? Then where… “Oh!” she exclaims, “that Criminal was still wearing it! Silly me!”
She smiles, what a stupid mistake again. But, she thinks, perhaps it’s better not to tell anyone about this. Being just a junior trainee, she already has a bit of a reputation as a scatterbrain. Not really justified of course, everybody forgets things sometimes… but well, no need to add to that reputation. Yeah, better like this. She shouldn’t tarnish today’s great experience with a minor mistake. She knows she still did great overall.
Chapter 4
Angelica is standing right outside the police office, peering through the tunnel formed by her hood, swivelling her body left and right in an attempt to orientate herself. She is not familiar with this location. Luckily she soon spots the familiar red markings of the Transit System across the square. She starts making her way across.
Only now that she is walking outside does she fully realize how much the coat restricts her steps, and how slow she is going as a result. Because the coat is so thick and stiff, everything from her knees upwards remains still, giving the impression that she is gliding forward. Only the lower part of the coat is moving as she takes her small steps forward, the vinyl-coated Moonboots squeaking as they rub against each other with every step.
All around her, she sees people turn toward her, comment about her, and take wide berths to avoid her. Angelica wants to hurry, instinctively trying to take faster steps, almost running. But the massive coat is trapping all heat, and she can feel the temperature underneath it rise with every step. And with her gagged mouth covered by the layers above, all air has to be sucked in through her nose, soon causing her to be out of breath and forcing her to slow down. The air too is well-heated, passing through the thick tunnel of the snorkel hood first.
Crossing the square seems to take an eternity. By the time Angelica reaches the other side, she is panting for breath and drenched in sweat. More than anything, she wishes to be free of this heavy, stifling coat and the ball gag in her mouth. But she realizes this is only the very start, that she has two weeks of getting around like this to come.
She forces her thoughts away from this, focusing on the information board of the Transit System. Apparently she is at the intersection of Radial 2 and Axial C. She should go to work, right? It's early afternoon by now, so she could still work for a few hours. Angelica works at a shopping mall on Radial 6 / Axial T and decides to head that way. She will take the Radial 2 line first, then head outwards on Axial T.
Angelica makes her way over to the platform. She has to go up a step, which turns out to be difficult in the coat. She has to stand right next to the step, then carefully lift one boot and place it on the step. It reminds her of another thing from Loki's book. Loki told her that in the past, people in cities would travel underground, while cars would be above ground. Complete madness, of course. But given the difficulty of going up a single step, she is glad that's not the case anymore.
As she lines up for the Radial 2 line, people near her throw her filthy looks and move away from her. Angelica blushes with shame. She wants to say sorry, but no sound escapes her gagged and heavily covered mouth. She understands that these people don't want to be near a Criminal, and feels bad for forcing her presence on them.
The train journey itself is relatively uneventful, although Angelica feels ashamed and hot throughout. When switching from the Radial 2 to Axial T line, the train has just arrived in the station when Angelica gets there. But she is so slow walking towards it, the doors close before she can reach them, and she has to wait three minutes for the next one. The short walk from one platform to another has caused fresh outbreaks of sweat. Angelica has noticed that even standing still, she is only getting warmer inside the coat, but walking heats her up immensely.
This does not bode well for the rest of her journey. From the station to the mall entrance is a five minute walk under normal circumstances. Then she has to take an elevator to the first floor, and walk halfway around the mall to the boutique where she works. It turns out to be more excruciating than she feared.
The distance inside the mall seems endless, and there are hordes of people, staring, commenting, avoiding, laughing, jeering,... It is one long walk of shame. Angelica wants to turn around and run, but where can she go? Whichever direction she turns, she will be just as slow and stand out just as much.
Angelica does what she can to go faster. She is getting even hotter and running out of breath, but she doesn't care. All that matters now is reaching the boutique, where Amanda, her employer, can help her out of this coat. Finally, she gets there, and shuffles inside.
Angelica does what she can to go faster. She is getting even hotter and running out of breath, but she doesn't care. All that matters now is reaching the boutique, where Amanda, her employer, can help her out of this coat. Finally, she gets there, and shuffles inside.
Amanda, who is behind the counter, notices her immediately. She immediately rushes out toward her. "What are you doing here! Get out!" she exclaims.
"It's me, Angelica," Angelica wants to say, but all she can do is stand there mutely, still panting with exhaustion and peering through the tunnel of her hood at her irate boss.
Amanda grabs Angelica's arm and forcefully turns her around. "Get out," she hisses, "what must the customers think! The police informed me of your arrest. What were you thinking! And to come here in the middle of the day!"
She drags Angelica forward, forcing her to shuffle along as quick as she can. "Go home now," Amanda continues, "and come back tomorrow. Before opening time! I'll find some job for you to do in the backroom. Don't ever show that orange in my store again!"
And with that, Angelica is out on the mall's floor again, crushed, exhausted and overheated. Slowly, she begins her long journey home.
Chapter 5
It's Tuesday afternoon, two days since Angelica's arrest. Angelica is walking rounds around the lake in the park near her home. Everyone is required to walk a certain distance outside each week - for Angelica's age group, it's 60 kilometers per week. As she hasn't done her usual evening walk the past two days, she has some catching up to do during her days off work. And so she has been walking around the lake all day. She could have gone somewhere else of course, make a larger tour, but with her limited vision and awkward movement, she finds it easiest to just stick to the familiar surroundings nearby.
Having walked for hours, she is hotter than ever beneath the coat. She feels like a walking furnace. The constant heat and the exertion have made her lethargic, she shuffles along in a daze. Nearly every time she passes an empty bench, she stops to rest. Jumbled images of the past few days pass through her mind. Loki finding her on the bed that first day, screaming in panic to see a Criminal. In the end, though, Loki has been really kind and understanding towards her. Once she got over her initial fright, and realized who it was, she helped Angelica out of her Convict's Winter Outfit. After Angelica told the whole story, Loki comforted and supported her. Angelica never realized what a kind and caring person Loki is. One who was so kind even to a Criminal... she's really too good for this world, Angelica thinks.
With her boss, Amanda, the situation was rather different. Yesterday, Angelica went to the mall again. She recalls the horrified faces on the train during rush hour. It's nothing compared to Amanda's reaction though. Once Angelica arrived at the boutique, Amanda guided her to a backroom without speaking a word. Once there, she helped Angelica out of the coat, leaving her in the orange snowsuit, with the gag still underneath. "You can do a complete check of our books of the past year," was all she said, before leaving the room and locking the door. Angelica spent the rest of the day alone, operating the system with eye control only, as her hands were still mittened. She performed her task as well as she could and tried to ignore the ever increasing pain in her jaw. At the end of the day, after the shop closed, Amanda came back and helped Angelica in her coat again, all without another word to her.
And today, she is walking. She knows she has no way to get out of her coat until this evening, when Loki gets back from work. All she can do is get as much of her physical exercise done as possible. And so she struggles, despite being hot and tired. Her muscles are protesting as well. The short steps are unusual for her body, and every step costs extra effort because it has to push against the heavy coat. She spots another bench, about 100 meters away. There she can rest again.
Three minutes later, she reaches the bench and drops down onto it. She closes her eyes for a bit, seeming to float. She is not sure whether she is conscious all the time or not.
When she opens her eyes, two children are playing with a ball on the grass near the water. Their hoods are bobbing up and down as they run, and their excited voices fill the air. For a brief moment, Angelica feels at peace as she watches them, forgetting the heat and the pain in her jaw. Her physical experience and the events of the past days are gone. All she sees are the two playing children, and she hears their laughter.
Then, a sharp voice. The two children are called away by their mother. She gestures at another stretch of grass, away from the orange-clad figure. Throws Angelica a filthy look. The children are gone.
At this moment, the full weight of it hits Angelica. I am a Criminal. She realizes this in a way that none of the previous events made her realize it before. The stares, the comments, the avoidance, Amanda's reaction - as horrible as it all was, it is only now, seeing this mother call away her children, that Angelica completely accepts it. I am a Criminal. Here she sits, nearly immobilized in her impossibly warm clothing, the large ball strapped in her mouth all day. And she deserves it, deserves every bit of it, because she is a Criminal.
Angelica stands up and starts walking again. She feels the hot air stirring under her coat, her calves protesting, her jaw aching. And she welcomes all of it. She places one Moonboot in front of the other, again and again, walking on, walking on. People do not treat her as a human, do not see her as a human, and they are right: she is a Criminal. No longer a human, but an object. Pain and discomfort should not matter to her. The ball in her mouth, the weight and heat of the coat: everything is exactly as it should be. They are part of her, part of the thing she has become.
As Angelica walks her rounds around the lake, she becomes increasingly more accepting of her situation. And there are eleven more days after this: eleven more days for her mind to instill in her the conviction that she has become merely an orange down puppet, and that things are exactly right the way they are.
Epilogue
Judge Diana Thorne sits down, looking dismayed.
"You again."
She sighs, than accesses the file. "So, Angelica. You were arrested for violation of the Outdoor Winter Dresscode - again - which required Winter Level 2 this morning. Your previous sentence ended... yesterday. In addition, the pickup team reported that when you saw the police, you started running away. Angelica, can you please explain your actions to me?"
Angelica's eyes are cast down. Even with her head strapped in the collar attached to the metal chair, she tries to avoid the Judge's gaze. "I'm a Criminal, Your Honor" she says softly.
"Yes, evidently," Judge Thorne grumbles. "But how can you be breaking the Dresscode again so soon? It's as if you wanted to be arrested. But then why run?"
"I figured it's what a Criminal does," Angelica whispers.
"Is that all? Do you have nothing to say to your defense?"
"No, Your Honor."
"All right then. For recidivists, the punishment is a fine of 200 to 500 credits, and wearing a Convict's Winter Outfit for a period of four to ten weeks. As I have clearly been too lenient with you last time, I give you the maximum sentence of a 500 credits deduction and ten weeks in the Convict's Winter Outfit. There will be additional restraints because you attempted to evade the police. I would again want to implore you to use the time to become a better Citizen, but I must admit I'm starting to doubt you will change your Criminal behavior."
As Judge Thorne starts to rise, Angelica speaks again, still in that soft voice with downcast eyes. "I am what I am, Your Honor."
And she opens her mouth wide to accept her gag.
