Dressed smartly, their scales shiny from healthy scrubbing and scented by cologne and perfume so as to make the best possible impression, Shon and Liki Dafron entered the spacious, well-lit meeting room in the Northrock administration building. Intermittent rays of morning light danced through the windows, gliding across the table before vanishing back behind the clouds. Waiting for the two reptilian parents were three more Karrians: a young female with scales of similar blue-green hue to Liki's own; an older, balding, grey-brown male; and a middle-aged albino male in old-fashioned formal robes. He was the one who spoke. “Thank you for coming, please be seated.”
“My name is Tulu,” the woman said with a professional smile before gesturing to the two men beside her. “This is Oslo and Nio, whom I think you may be familiar with already. We'd like to ask a few questions about the incident with your charge, Talek.”
“That's why we're here,” Shon replied in a tone that skirted the line between pleasant and sardonic. A brief smirk flashed across Nio's pure-white lips.
Tulu glanced at her notes. “I'd like to begin with a transcript from Talek's diary you provided for us. Quote: 'When I met mom today she asked me to help her. I don't know if I can. I feel sick when I think about letting her down, but I feel sick when I think about what she wants as well. I don't know what to do.' Were you unaware of his feelings?”
“Of course not, but we were keeping quiet to see if he would come clean on his own,” Shon replied.
Tulu frowned, “So you deliberately stood by and allowed your son to participate in an escape attempt?”
“We were fully aware of the entire process,” Shon answered without hesitation. “Jalia's room was seeded with listening devices, which she was unaware of. As this was the only place she had contact with Talek, we heard everything the pair discussed together, and we knew this was the only place she was likely to speak frankly. The Northrock police were informed of everything we learned, ensuring they were on full alert and ready long before the actual attempt took place.”
“That doesn't change the fact that you were practically co-conspirators to the escape attempt.”
“An escape attempt that has landed a senior politician in custody for questioning,” Nio noted. “Not to mention more than a few higher-ups at central have faced questioning over all this,” he added with a hint of amusement.
The eldest Karrian cleared his throat. “Shall we focus on the matter at hand, rather than gossiping about ongoing criminal investigations that, I hasten to add, should not be brought up for some petty political point-scoring?”
Oslo's words wiped the smirk from his colleague's snout. Satisfied, he continued, “What concerns me is the extent to which this affair constitutes entrapment. It can be argued that Jalia would never have made this escape attempt had you not actively facilitated the affair.”
“Talek had a right to see his birth-mother again,” Liki protested.
“But you could have intervened upon learning of her conspiracy,” Oslo countered. “Instead, a decision was made to construct an elaborate deception, one that involved an alarming number of individuals from this community. It does not seem 'just' to me.”
“We all discussed the matter internally,” Shon replied, his cockiness replaced by a stern, authoritative calm. “Everyone involved did so voluntarily, knowing full well they could have raised the matter higher up the chain or acted directly themselves. It was unanimously accepted that letting the girl play out her scheme was to the benefit of all.”
Tulu's jaw dropped at the comment. “How can you possibly justify such a statement!”
“Put simply, the only way to plug gaps in our security is for them to be revealed,” Shon answered. “We've learned that first hand several times over the years.”
“Ah, yes. I did wish to discuss that,” Oslo tapped the pad in front of him. “A Master Danny, your first penitatas charge, successfully hijacked your personal hovercar, bypassed the security systems and escaped with three other hard-timers. How did this happen?”
Shon winced at the memory. “Danny was a skilled mechanic. To our knowledge he never had unsupervised access to the vehicle, but he coordinated the escape with the help of a girl named Rosa, who was something of a savant when it came to electronics. She ran the Northrock Broadcast Club, which gave her access to the materials she needed. I'm sure it's all in the official report.”
“It is,” Nio confirmed, his eyes darting back and forth as he scanned the text on his own device. “Though it seems we never got a clear answer as to how she managed to obtain the parts she needed. Just vague mentions of removing parts from various machines and then reconfiguring them to hide her actions.”
Oslo cleared his throat. “Thank you, Nio.”
“Rosa is why Radio Northrock only has access to the most primitive of communications technology, and shortly after the accident the town all but banned the use of private cars.” Liki said, trading disapproving glares with Tulu.
“We were aware such things were a risk,” Shon added. “All cars in town had tracking devices, remote lockouts, and so forth. These were installed in the hardware and software of the vehicles so that a Penny couldn't simply rip out a little box and be done with it. Even that wasn't enough; it turns out some of the most talented hackers and crackers on the planet live in Penny Towns.”
“But to have had two penitatas escape under your charge-” Tulu began to protest, but Nio cut her off with a sharp word.
“Two attempts at escape. Neither successful.”
“No, neither successful,” Shon agreed. “To my knowledge, no-one has ever successfully escaped Northrock.”
Oslo shrugged. “Depends on your definition of a successful escape, I suppose.”
“Regardless, I hardly think an escape attempt from almost a century ago is valid to be brought up here, especially given the investigation was closed with no reprimands issued. Northrock enhanced its security in the wake of the attempt, and the Dafron household have taken personal measures to improve matters as well,” Nio flashed a supportive smile to the pair, clearly happy to go to bat for them.
“I agree. We should instead be concerned with how readily you abandoned your duty of care to Master Talek,” Oslo continued forcefully, to the quiet approval to Tulu.
The accusation lit a fire under Liki. “How dare you! You have no idea how hard it was for us to stand by and do nothing as Talek blundered into that horrible fate!”
“And yet you could have stopped him at any time,” Tulu shot back with barbs in her tone.
Shon's gaze turned to Nio. “Your colleague here understands,” he said. “A penitatas must be given room to make mistakes. In this case, having set himself on the course he'd chosen, we made a hard call not to step in. If our son had confessed to us, or any other adult, we'd have done all we could to shield him. As it was, all we could do was try to help him recover.”
“I think you wanted him to be hurt,” the female officer rasped. “You and the other 'old guard' have always enjoyed inflicting misery on penitatas for your own amusement.”
Both parents looked at one another, harsh retorts bubbling just beneath the surface. A wordless exchange passed between them, and they seemed to cool as Liki answered the accusation. “Talek's betrayal hurt us both. We... neither of us imagined he would do such a thing. No-one did. Yes, we felt some sense of personal and professional failure over this, but more than anything it hurts that he did not trust us, that he didn't want to come forward and confess. It would have been easier for us all to step in, but that's not how things are done here.”
Nio nodded in agreement. “A penitatas must be 'given a little rope', so that they can demonstrate their character, or lack thereof.”
“Oh yes, that damnable mantra,” Tulu grumbled.
“As far as I'm aware it's still part of the official training,” Nio reminded her.
Seeing an opening, Shon grasped it with both paws. “On that note, perhaps I should direct you to the guidelines issued to us by your own offices? Quote, 'Penitatas is to be treated as Category S3, with the following exemption: prolonged H-grade conditions and disciplinary measures may be applied as necessary for transitional period to normalised penitatas life'. We have since received this amendment, which was delivered long before this escape attempt I remind you, 'Amendment 1: penitatas is to receive H2 classification for the purposes of Special Punishment Days. This amendment will remain in place for one year and shall be revoked unless renewed'.”
“Are you trying to argue that Talek is still in the 'transitional period'?” Tulu asked, and Liki pounced.
“Unfortunately, penitatas don't often work to your timescales. Since you brought up Danny, he had been a penitatas for two entire cycles before coming to us, and he was more trouble in his third cycle than Rilka is in her third year! Some penitatas break quickly, others fight us tooth and nail their entire sentence. Thankfully, the latter is more rare than the former, but they still exist; it's why we as a community have adopted our decentralised approach and choose to tailor our methods based on each penitatas. The 'bad apples' like Jalia are usually kept out of school because we find the isolation and lack of a peer group makes it harder for them to keep up their tough-guy or tough-girl routines.”
Again, Tulu's disapproval was obvious. “Yet Northrock has special classes for 'bad apples', as you put it. Your other charge, Rilka, was put in such a class. If keeping the troublemakers isolated is the norm, why was she not kept at home?”
“She was. For six months.” Shon answered firmly. “After the transitional period we judged that the school environment would be a positive for her, with mixed results. It is on record that many, including her own teacher felt that the corrective educational environment your office demanded she be put in was overly harsh on Rilka and may well have been hindering her reform, not aiding it.”
“What exactly are you implying, Mr Dafron?” Tulu's frustration palpable on every word.
Shon went in for the kill. “I am stating as a matter of fact that your office was wrong in their sentencing of our daughter, and yet we had no recourse to challenge your ruling. As such, I don't see why you have any moral right to claim we are the ones being negligent here.”
“How-” Tulu's protest was forcefully shut down by Liki before it began.
“There has always been an understanding that between theory and practice there is a wide gulf of chaos!” she barked at her increasingly red-faced counterpart. “You want to be able to lay down ironclad rules from on high and have us all 'parent' like robots, but that's not going to happen! Parenting isn't a factory process! Tell me, madam, do you even have a parenting license of your own?”
Nio seemed delighted at the chance to add his own jab. “I for one have always felt this office should make parenting experience a mandatory requirement.”
“And I know the kind of 'parenting' you provided, Nio! If it were up to me your lot would be out of a job!”
Oslo turned to fix the female with cold scowl. “There is an alarming lack of maturity from you in this matter, Tulu. Are you here as an impartial investigator on behalf of the Corrections Council, or are you an activist with an axe to grind?”
The woman faltered. “I... am simply eager to see that this matter is handled correctly, in a fair and proper manner.”
Unconvinced, but clearly not wishing to pursue the matter further, Oslo turned back to the Dafrons. “If I may ask a straightforward question; do either of you believe Jalia was likely to succeed in her escape attempt without your... assistance?”
Shon considered the question. “It would certainly have been more difficult for her. She had been removed from the school environment in part because of previous efforts to steal communications equipment, but it was this previous effort that made us concerned enough to take the actions we did. The fact she was still chasing that specific avenue of escape told us there had to be a long term plan in place, and that meant there had to be someone on the outside prepared and waiting. Someone willing to wait for years to spring an attempt was a potential threat we judged far too great to leave alone, and hence we sprang the trap.”
“My concern is that you appear to be justifying cruel and unusual treatment of a penitatas, or several penitatas, under the guise of it serving a greater good. I worry about the kind of precedent that might set.” Oslo set his pad down on the table. “I believe we have heard enough. I thank you fo your time, and you will be informed of the results of this deliberation in due course.”
“I'll show you out,” Nio said as he rose from his seat. The albino walked them through the building, talking softly as they went. “That Tulu has been a thorn in my tail for a year now! Convinced the whole damn system needs tearing down and rebuilding!”
“I'm glad you were here to fight our corner,” Shon said. “But just one question, before we leave; how does it feel to become the very thing you always despised?”
Nio laughed at the question. “It's a filthy job, but someone has to do it! You know, I honestly miss being a 'paddle swinger' sometimes, but whether we like it or not the world is changing. It's a lot harder for us 'Campers' nowadays, much more pushback against us. Bad enough they let random V's and M's live in Northrock now – if these bloody 'Progressives' had their way they'd abolish the whole idea of a 'Penny Town' and have us all mixed in with regular people.”
“Well keep fighting the good fight... and say hello to your wife from us.”
Nio waved them off. The two stood in the cold morning air as a hovercar pulled in to take them home. “What now?” Liki asked.
“I should get changed and get to work,” Shon replied.
Liki's paw reached over the squeeze his own. “We'll be okay, won't we?”
“Of course we will,” Shon answered, forcing a smile and stealing a kiss. “Remember what a nightmare it was with Danny? Days of fretting, then nothing came of it? Trust me, everything's going to be fine.”
“I sure hope so,” she sighed, and spent the rest of the ride home leaning on his shoulder.
Shon strolled into the workshop less than an hour later and shrugged off his coat, leaving a trail of droplets across the tiles as he placed the garment on a waiting hook. He turned just in time to see a familiar face appear at the doorway; a dark, earthen-green Karrian slightly older than himself. “Morning, Cael,” he said.
“Morning. Glad to see you've finally joined us again!”
“Sorry, family has been demanding lately. You know how it is,” Shon answered with an apologetic tone.
Cael nodded. “Yeah, I get it. Cost of doing business in Northrock; most of your staff run the risk of being called away for parenting duties! Still, no major crises broke out while you were away. Tash has just gotten started on the maintenance checks. Mind lending her a hand?”
“No problem,” Shon said as he collected a pair of gloves and safety goggles from a nearby drawer.
He followed Cael to the workshop. There were six workbenches spaced around the wide room, each sporting a Watchdog docking cradle. Two of the benches were occupied, while seven more of the drones were parked in wall racks nearby; six in a rack marked 'Inbox' and the sole remaining machine in the 'Outbox' rack. Shon used a remote to activate one of the waiting machines and steered it to his chosen work station. As the machine settled into place in he typed his administrator codes into the cradle's interface and spoke aloud, “Watchdog, enter maintenance mode. Password: Spring-Five-Orchestra-Blue-Three.”
The machine chirruped in acknowledgement and powered down. He worked through the diagnostic routine, covering the basics quickly before pausing at the power output test. “Computer, pop the casing,” he said, and a thin seam appeared on the top of the machine, which he pried open with a nearby tool. “Full power disconnect,” he added, and the computer confirmed.
“Anything interesting?” Tash asked as she wafted her own Watchdog towards the outbox shelves.
Shon glanced at the young woman. Her scales were a similar creamy shade to Rilka's, though Tash's hair was long, raven black, and bound in a tight bun to keep it out of the way. She was in her twenties, at least biologically; Shon had never asked how many cycles she'd lived. “Just looking into why the power output is lower than expected,” he said with a casual gesture to the machine.
“May I?” Shon nodded at the request, and Tash picked up the diagnostic pad. “Ninety-eight-point-six percent expected output? That's still within tolerances.”
“Check the service log; we refurbished this one three months ago. A one-point-four percent performance drop in three months is out of the ordinary.”
Tash did so. “I did this one myself.”
Shon glanced over to her, a parental smile forming on his soft-scaled lips. “Then maybe you can have a quick look inside and tell me what you did wrong?”
“I didn't do anything wrong. All the diagnostics were perfect after the refit,” Tash answered defensively as she stepped up beside the larger male and peered inside the machine. Shon had the power pack exposed and was using a probing tool to point out its serial number.
“Here's your clue. Notice anything out of the ordinary?” Shon prompted.
Tash pursed her lips. “It's a Type D, A-16 rated power cell. That's... hang on... this drone's an RS-3070-F isn't it?”
“RS-3070-K,” Shon replied, tapping the diagnostic interface. “Service guidelines recommend the K's use a power pack rated 'A-17' or higher because of their increased energy draw.”
Tash groaned in frustration. “How did I miss that?”
Shon let out a soft chuckle, “Don't fret over it. It's not like you did anything wrong; like you said it's still within tolerances.”
“Then why are you taking the power cell out?”
“Because today I really want to keep my hands busy,” Shon answered.
“Trouble at home?” she saw the frown form and hastily retracted the question, “Sorry, that's a little too personal!”
“No, it's fine. Having to deal with the fallout from Talek's misadventures, that's all. Nothing we've not dealt with before.”
“If you need someone to talk to, my ears are available,” she said with a friendly smile.
“Thanks for the offer, but I'm good. Right now I just need to be busy.”
“Then I'll leave you to it,” Tash said, and went to work on the next Watchdog.
Maintenance work carried the crew through to lunch, and with little else of importance to do in the shop, Shon volunteered to take on some field work. This was partly because of where the call-out was taking him.
The walk to the waterfront was short, but almost unwelcome; it gave Shon time to brood. Try as he might, he couldn't escape the anxiety of the assessment. He wanted to be confident, and knowing that Nio was on his side was certainly a big help, but it wasn't enough. As he walked through the streets of Northrock, a place he'd called home for almost a century, he asked himself the question; what happens if we're found negligent?
He was shaken from his thoughts by the sight of the Watchdog dock. A slowly blinking amber light indicated a fault was present, but his grumbling stomach was a more urgent call to action. He settled on a familiar establishment; as he approached Wu's Family Eaterie he was greeted by a sign that read, “Short staffed due to parenting, we apologise for the inconvenience!”
Laughing, Shon pushed open the door and caught sight of the owner, who gave an exasperated wave. “Be right with you!” Wu called.
Shon took a seat. Once the other customers were served, Wu hurried over. “Sorry for the wait, but all my kitchen staff are out! Palo was called in to see the headmaster last minute, no idea why, and my usual cover can't come because her girl's started biting people!”
“The joys of raising Pennys” Shon chuckled. “I'll grab a sandwich to go and a cup of coffee.”
“That's all?”
“That'll be fine, thanks,” Shon confirmed. Wu fetched his requests swiftly, placing the order on the table and sitting down opposite his customer.
“How are you holding up?” Wu asked, eyes locked on Shon's face.
Shon returned the stare, but lowered his gaze after a few seconds. “Worried. Been through it before as you know, but it's still nerve-wracking. I didn't sleep for two days last time.”
“For what it's worth, I fought your corner. Sent a long letter on your behalf explaining to these bloody bureaucrats how things work in the real world!”
The comment made Shon smirk. “Thanks, now I know who to blame when they revoke our licence.”
“Don't be like that! Not even as a joke!” Wu blurted out in response. “You were bloody hard on that lad, and I sure as hell wouldn't have let him go that far... but in the end, you didn't force him to make the wrong choice.”
“But we're forgetting one key thing; Talek is a child,” Shon replied.
“That's no excuse and you know it! Just because-”
“He's a child,” Shon repeated. “He was sixteen when he rejuvenated. He's never fully grown up, his mind never completed development, and his parents... well, I can't say what his father was like, but his mother's being a penitatas speaks for itself. Maybe we did handle this wrong.”
Wu fell into a thoughtful silence. His fingers traced back and forth over his chin as he considered Shon's words. “Well, who's to blame for him being here? He's a dual-status rejuve, which as far as I know is unheard of, but someone high up rubber-stamped sending him to Northrock and putting him in your house!”
“I know that, but-”
“Ah!” Wu raised a finger to halt the protest. “The ball's in their court on this! The rules say anyone wearing a 'P' gets treated a certain way, and you've done that. If they didn't want Talek to be treated like every other Penny, they should damn well have carved that into a marble column and planted it in the town square!”
The comment made Shon smile. “Here I thought you were meant to be on the side of the Pennys.”
“I am, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten what being a Penny means,” Wu replied with a smirk of his own. “I don't like to see the little tykes suffer, but I understand all too well that those tears are a necessary evil. It takes a lot of them to turn bad men and women into good boys and girls, so I'm not going to stop you or any other parent swinging the paddle. I'll just be here with the ice-cream when they desperately need to smile again. Speaking of which, does someone need an ice-cream?”
“Sure, why not?” Shon laughed, toasting the idea with his coffee.
Returning to work, the Karrian was glad of the unexpected complexities. Busy work, demanding focus and attention, was just what he needed right now; the hours ticked by as he ran diagnostics, considered possible faults, and peeled away layer after layer of maintenance requirements. A relay had burned out just two weeks before its scheduled replacement; dirt and grit had worked into a contact port; the harsh sea-air had caused corrosion build-up on delicate machinery; a hatch, though secure, showed signs of damage consistent with a thrashing, kicking child. It was all so simple – clear delineation between broken and functional, a binary choice to fix or not, with no need of personal interpretations or opinions. Nobody would be coming by later to question whether he had considered the feelings of the charger plate before ripping it out, or whether using a hazard-striped wire was an appropriate choice for an earthing cable.
There was no need to go back to the workhop when finished. Shon called the job in as done, and Cael wished him a pleasant evening; work over, he took to the shore, his feet steering him towards the pier. He followed the sea wall towards the stairs that led to the beach, stopping to lean against the railing and look out towards a group of children in the pier's shadow. They were happy, smiling, laughing. Voluntaras mostly, with a Medicalos in their midst. The boys under the pier. Not all were boys of course, but that was still the collective term for the rejuves who, since the earliest days of Northrock, had socialised on the beach. The thick foundations of the pier provided a wind-break, not to mention a little privacy in an otherwise public place – and they most certainly took advantage of that! The Karrian's tail swished lazily as he recalled his time as a voluntaras playing on the beach, and then 'playing' on the beach when Liki joined him as a rejuve. Despite his mood, a warm grin spread over his snout at the memory of the pair, giggling and snickering, their young bodies pressed together as she pulled aside her bathing suit to give him access...
“Maybe it wouldn't be so bad,” he said to the world. “We could start afresh, take another childhood, come back young and renewed.”
But what would become of Talek and Rilka? Would they be allowed to stay together? There was no guarantee they'd get parents as 'understanding' of their relationship – as much as he hated to admit it, people like Tulu were becoming more common; people who didn't like how things were done, and had radical ideas on how to change it. He'd seen some of the alternatives, and he knew they'd be a bad fit for his charges.
So lost in thought, he almost missed the shimmer of white fur in the corner of his vision. With a smile on her muzzle and a skip in her step, an eight-year old white-furred fox was hurrying along the waterfront as if summoned by his reflective mood. “Well if it isn't Isabelle!” he called pleasantly.
“Afternoon!” Isabelled called back as she slowed.
“Just finish school?”
The girl nodded. “My school-friends aren't available to play, so I figured I'd hang out down there for a while.”
“Must be nice being on the other side for a change,” Shon noted.
The girl chuckled at the comment. “Yeah.” She took up position next to the older man, watching the rejuves below with the same wistful look on her snout as Shon bore just moments before. “Makes me wonder if I wasn't too harsh on them back in the day.”
“You certainly had some choice words for me as I recall!”
Isabelle had the decency to look embarrassed. “I was a lot more defensive in those days. Parole was still decades away and I...”
“No need to explain,” Shon waved away her faltering answer. “You were far from the only penitatas that didn't like to consort with the enemy. If it makes you feel any better, you were right; once Liki and I were grown up again with paddles in hand, some of those former friendships turned awfully sour. They felt betrayed, I suppose.”
Isabelle shuffled on the spot. “Does... is Talek mad at me at all? I tried my best to take care of him after, but I worry all the same.”
“I don't think it's possible for Talek to hold a grudge against you after what you've given him,” Shon chuckled. He studied the girl's muzzle and asked, “is he just a friend to you, or something more?”
The blush was answer enough. “I- well... I might have a little crush on him. But I know he's taken.”
“I'm sure Rilka won't mind sharing,” Shon snickered. He made a subtle gesture down towards the rejuves on the beach, “or you can always get a little thrill down there. Indulge in the time honoured tradition of trying to hump under the pier without getting caught.”
“Did you ever do that?”
“Hump, or get caught?”
Isabelle snickered. “Either or.”
“Yes, and no. Had a close call once. Liki and I barely got our swim-suits back in place on time!”
The girl's tongue made a slow, deliberate swipe over her lips. “I know this is probably way out of line but... you wouldn't happen to be walking along the beach any time soon? Maybe in about ten minutes?”
“Someone giddy over the idea of a close call?”
“It gets the heart pounding,” Isabelle answered.
“Worth the hiding you'd get if you're caught?”
The girl's ears twitched at the comment. “Can I ask about that? The whole... 'no sex' thing? Because we both know the kind of displays that go on around town. Even put a few on for you as I recall,” she added with a smirk.
“You want to know why the 'law' doesn't allow rejuves to get frisky in public, except when it does?”
“Pretty much.”
A chuckle escaped the man's throat. “Because it's just not fun if it's not breaking the rules. Think about it; if you could just grab any boy down there and hump him right in front of everyone, no repercussions, how long would that thrill last? It'd probably go away after the first time. But knowing you'll get a Penny-grade paddling if you're caught?”
The girl chuckled, “Point made. So, public sex is only allowed when it's... what? Part of a punishment? Makes me wonder what a girl has to do to get in that kind of trouble...”
“Assuming all goes well, we'll arrange a little family outing. If you happen to be around I'm sure Talek would be delighted to see you, and who knows? Maybe you'll do something to 'earn' a special punishment.”
“All goes well?” Isabelle echoed.
Shon's face soured. “Doesn't matter. Not something you need be concerned with.” He pushed off the railing and added, “I should head home. Have a nice day, Miss Holdenthorpe. Do try not to get that tush tanned!”
Shon walked home rather than take a car; a choice he regretted upon entering his home and seeing the anxiety writ across Liki's snout. “You're back late,” she said.
“Yeah, sorry. I thought a walk would do me some good. Clear my head.”
She smiled at him and nodded. “I tried that myself. Didn't work as well as I'd hoped; I've kept busy instead.”
“Where are the kids?”
“Upstairs in their room, behaving,” Liki assured him. “Dinner will be ready soon, and we can put them down to bed early. Give us some extra holo time.”
“I like the sound of that,” Shon said. “I'll just go up and have a peek.”
He climbed the stairs to the curved corridor on the floor above. The wall to his left was dominated by glass panes that could be turned to one-way mirrors with the push of a button. Beyond, immediately next to the wall and slightly recessed into the floor, was a toilet, sink and bathtub all framed by a half-height transparent wall. Beyond that lay the rest of the circular room, in the centre of which Talek and Rilka were sat playing with their action figure play set. Neither noticed him, even though he lurked and watched for several minutes before returning downstairs.
Liki had taken a seat on the couch in her preferred spot. On the table next to the vacant seat was Shon's favourite mug, steam rising from the drink within. He took the seat and clutched the beverage in both scaled hands. “They seem happy enough. Did they fuss over being searched?”
“No, they took it well.” Liki sipped her own drink. “Talek seems a little off though. He's not said anything, but I get a sense he's keeping something from us.”
“Well, let's stamp that out,” Shon answered firmly.
“Later, dear. Let's get our own affairs in order first,” there was a subtle tremor in Liki's voice as she spoke.
As planned, their penitatas were fed, bathed and put to bed. It was a routine done without fuss; early bed-time was the norm for Pennys, and those who disagreed had only spankings to look forward to. Their parental duties over, Shon and Liki settled down to catch up on some shows, though neither truly settled.
The knock at the door startled both Karrians. Shon opened the door to find a familiar, pale face waiting. “Nio! Come in, please!”
“Can I get you something to drink?” Liki asked, rising from her seat as the albino Karrian stepped inside.
“No, thank you. I won't stay long.” He took the offered seat while Shon and Liki settled onto the couch, holding each other's claws. “Are the little ones around?”
“Tucked up in bed, safe and sound.”
Nio nodded, “Then I won't keep you in suspense; your positions as Parents are safe.”
“Thank goodness!” Liki gasped, tension radiating off of her. Shon remained cautious.
“However, there are consequences,” Nio continued. “Effective as of midnight tonight you are both on active suspension without pay for one month.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Shon asked quietly. He felt Liki's grip tighten once more.
“Your pay from the Office of Corrections will be revoked, along with half your social stipend. You are expected to remain in Northrock and continue to provide your parental duties. Shon, I am also required to pass word to your employer – he is required to suspend your employment for the duration of the sanction, though it is up to him whether to do so with or without pay. You are also not permitted to act in a support or advisory role for any Correctional activities for the duration, such as school events or community volunteer groups. Your job will be to parent Rilka and Talek, nothing more. That said, you are free to enact any legal disciplinary measures you see fit; you are still Penitatas Parents in every sense that matters.”
“What are the long term consequences of this?” Liki asked at little more than a whisper.
“There are none, providing the lesson sticks,” Nio assured them. “Look, for what it's worth I think you did the right thing. Frankly, there's plenty of judges in the circuit who agree. But – and I really hate to say this – you're being slapped with this punishment because of politics. Our camp needs to look like we're willing to listen to the other side and that we police our own, so you get thrown out the airlock. I'm sorry, but all you need do is tighten your belts for a month and then it's all back to normal.”
“I see. Well, thank you,” Shon rose to escort Nio out. “I'm glad we had you fighting our corner on this. You weren't wrong about us needing more actual parents making the rules.”
The albino Karrian sighed. “It'll get worse before it gets better, I fear; far too many 'academics' involved these days. People who've learned all the theory, with none of the practice. Keep your heads down, yeah? With any luck I'll have some good news next time we speak.”
Shon took his place back on the couch, where he was welcomed by Liki's soft embrace. “So we bide our time and tighten our belts for a month,” she said.
“Nothing we can't handle. We've got plenty of savings, and my gut tells me Cael won't cut us off either.”
They stared at the holo for a while without truly watching, neither truly able to let go of the day's anxieties. In the end, they too retired early; both wishing for an unhappy day to be behind them, and to get their penance over and done.
