The Forge: Fire and Ice

GREED IS GOOD Stuart Aken

This couldn’t be happening to him. He was a success; the success. Owned his own asteroid. Had even named it. His own private domain. Astronomically dark, it was almost impossible to find without advanced tech. In any case, it was impregnable, impossible to breach the defences he’d arranged. So, how had he arrived here?

But, there she was. A slip of a girl. Foreigner. How had this bit of skirt got through his barriers, breached his defences? And alone, if his captivity on her ship was any clue.

Coal-black eyes, inscrutable, gazed through the small clear aperture of the cell’s opaque force field entrance. Where’d she get such tech? It had been in its infancy when he’d deserted…left Earth. The state of the home planet made such scientific progress unlikely.

‘Let me out, bitch!’

Smiling, as if he amused her? Impossible. Frustrating. Humiliating.

‘Let me out now, bitch, or I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll remember the rest of your short fuckin’ life!’

She laughed. Laughed at him. Larry Puregreed, the most successful businessman ever; that name personally chosen to reflect his absolute faith in greed as a driving force for success. Bitch with a tit hanging out, laughing at him. How dare she?

‘You and your type killed all plants we used for fabric, sheep can’t survive. Plastic products are banned. We wear what we have. Or nothing. This.’ She displayed her ragged outfit. ‘And I’m privileged.’

How did she know? No matter. He’d had hundreds of whores like her. Had them. Tossed them aside like the garbage they were. She’d get hers, and how. Then he’d chuck her into space, keep the ship, return to his safe place.

‘Except it’s not safe, is it?’

Surely, she couldn’t read his mind? No. Must be guessing.

‘We don’t guess, Larry. We make sure we know. How else did I penetrate your fortress on my own?’

No answer. Knowledge is power. Uncertainty creates distress and weakens opposition. Done that all his life. Built his empire on the weakness of others.

‘You’ve been captive nineteen hours. No food. No water. If you collapse from dehydration, I’ll use intravenous fluid, enhanced with enough energy to keep you alive. Your choice, Larry. Cooperate and retain some bodily comfort, or resist and subject yourself to close confinement and force feeding. We won’t let you die before the trial.’

This wasn’t right. He had rights. Enshrined in law. The law must protect him.

‘Those who break the law like you have throughout your life, Larry, place themselves outside the law. They become outlaws, in the most accurate meaning of the term: that is, you are without law, outside the law, lawless. You flouted the law to your advantage all your life. The law is no longer available to you. Your rejection ensures you have none of the normal rights you denied others by your actions.’

‘What about the Human Rights Convention?’

Again, the smile. ‘Been away from Earth too long, Larry. World’s changed. Had to change to survive the catastrophe you and your like caused by your greed and irresponsibility. The HRC’s been amended, so you’re no longer covered by its protective powers. You’re on your own. Undefended. Your trial will be public, seen by all who can still watch on any device they can see. Like they’re watching now, as I broadcast this back to Earth.’

‘You can’t do that!’ He was letting her get to him. Soon as she came to feed him, he’d smack her down. Have her. She’d see he was boss, like he’d always been. Make her pay. Bitch. ‘The UN protects everyone. Even war criminals. I’ve not done nothin’ bad as that. They’ll give me a fair trial.’

She nodded. Turned away. He squinted at her going about duties he didn’t understand. His cell grew cold, freezing.

‘What the fuck you doin’, bitch? Coolin’ me?’

‘Your clothing’s forfeit, to be recycled to the needy. Remove it voluntarily and I’ll warm you. Keep it on and I’ll freeze you till you’re unconscious. Then I’ll strip you. I won’t be gentle. Up to you.’

He wasn’t having that. No woman had ever dominated him for even a second. ‘Screw you!’

When he came round, he was shivering. Eyes opened with effort through frost melting on the lashes. Wrists and ankles bound to a hard surface under his skin. The cell was open. Temperature back to normal.

‘You fuckin bitch! You can’t do this to me! D’you know who I am?’

‘A climate catastrophist. Worst criminal known to humanity. I can do whatever I wish to you, Larry. I can do this.’

He jerked with pain at the sudden squeeze.

She moved to let him see her face again. ‘You’re no longer in charge of anything. You’re helpless. Like all the people you condemned to slow, painful death by your greed, selfishness and total lack of concern for our home. During our flight to Earth, I’ll make you suffer as much as I can without killing you. That’s my job.’ This time she gripped harder and only let go when he passed out.

‘Why you doin’ this to me? I’m not the only one who made the best of chances to make good. What about all the others?’

‘Those still alive will be with you. Mass trial. All documentation’s been gathered. No need for you to speak. We’ll present you with the facts, as recorded in multiple formats. Your DNA’s already identified you as Larry Puregreed, the oh so apt bragging name you adopted.’ She moved the hand of torture to a different place, bent the small joint backward until it broke. ‘Another nine at my mercy down here, Larry. And no one, no armed goons, no servile sycophants, no willing whores, to come to your aid. Maybe you should think again about certain issues.’

‘Bit..’ Pain cut in. ‘Okay. You’ve got the upper hand. For now. But there’ll come a time when I’m free. What you gonna do then, bitch?’

The pain was excruciating, but she released the grip before he fainted. It was what the watchers wanted from her.

‘Keep calling me names, and I’ll continue causing maximum pain. My name’s Yuko. Mother’s Japanese, married to an American climate change denier. She was more open to the dangers and predictions, but had little influence over the idiot. They’re both slaves in the cleanup operations. On board a reprocessing plant dealing with the Pacific plastic gyre now.’

‘Bet you put them there, you heartless bit..’ But he failed to complete his accusation as pain overwhelmed him.

She crashed his support to floor level, stood astride his head, teasing as he looked up between her legs. She dropped swiftly to her knees and poked a finger in each eye. ‘My name is Yuko. Use it.’

The whole flight was pain, embarrassment, humiliation and near starvation as she played with his emotions, desires, hopes, expectations and needs, manipulating him to entertain the folks back home until he lost all fight. He’d never been defeated. Always in charge, the role of helpless victim left him unable to cope.

She’d made him her plaything so successfully he made no effort to escape as she paraded him, hobbling in pain, through the streets of the damaged capital. He was neither bound nor threatened with any weapon.

The people of the unnamed city she’d taken him to were ragged, mostly unclothed, half starved, many damaged physically. Others were plainly mad. One man approached him with a charred branch and swung it at his head. Yuko deflected it.

On the far edge of the crowded open square stood a large imposing building, some upper windows blackened and missing glass where flames had previously licked the frames. The crowd she pushed him through growled, spat, threatened, slapped and kicked, hurled insults. But he wasn’t the only subject of their hate. At the foot of the broad flight of steps leading to the huge open doorways of the entrance, others joined him, also naked and broken.

They moved without protest or rebellion into the dim reception area. Armed guards with stout clubs, lined the way, directing them forward as a mass.

Inside the courtroom harsh lighting blinded. Cameras pointed. Large screens played the images being sent around the world. Larry watched himself, flanked by a bent, skinny woman on one side, a sobbing man on the other, a stream of similar prisoners following and preceding until they were gathered in the central area of the huge courtroom. No seats. They stood as a group. Unprotected. All proven violators of environmental laws.

Yuko had left him at some stage without his realising she’d gone. He saw her on the dais beneath the large windows with seven other well-nourished and fit individuals of both genders. All wore clean rags. The watching public were similarly exposed, many unwashed, most half-starved.

There was a brief pause as watchers found their places. Larry and his co-violators were kept in their crowded space, guards marshalling them.

Silence reigned.

The man beside Yuko, tall, well-built and with dark skin, bent to speak to her. She nodded. He searched the crowd until his gaze settled on Larry. Unequal to that glare, Larry grew cold to his bones.

‘Larry Puregreed, ascend to the dock.’ The man’s voice was deep, commanding, his use of Larry’s name carried disgust, scorn and condemnation.

Larry moved through the crowd, most of whom made little effort to give way, so he was forced to push his way past confined flesh to the foot of the stairs. He crawled without looking back, bare knees sticking on the soiled treads beneath his skin.

‘You are Larry Puregreed?’

He looked across at Yuko and answered.

‘Louder. The whole court, the entire world wants to know you’re the person named.’ She was enjoying her supremacy.

‘I am Larry Puregreed.’

‘The evidence against you in the matter of your pollution, degradation, neglect and destruction of our home with your selfish, greedy, deliberate and fully informed actions is too vast to display here.’ A graphic on the large screens listed the many documents involved, scrolling through a total of over a hundred thousand items. ‘As the evidence is overwhelming, we will reach judgment at once.’

A brief consultation among the eight on the platform followed Yuko’s short speech.

The big man spoke again. ‘We sentence you, Larry Puregreed to suffer the rage of the people. You will therefore pass through this court into the square and feel the wrath of those you have damaged.’

Larry realised this was his last chance. ‘I never meant to…’

The big man cut him off. ‘Really? Never meant what? Never meant to destroy Earth with your greed? Gratifying to know, ultimately, your greed and that of others like you, brought us to the brink of extinction, but just might save the planet. Our existence hangs in the balance, however. Unlike yours. You’ve no defence. No mitigating circumstances. You knew exactly what your actions would cause, and therefore forfeit the right to speak. You will receive the punishment your victims consider appropriate. Descend and leave this court.’

Larry wanted to respond but the guard at the top of the stairs prodded him with his club. He could stay and be beaten or move down the stairs. He descended into the hell his world quickly became.

They let him reach the outside with only slaps, punches, kicks and spittle to accompany him. On the steps down to the city square, the mob approached, deafening in their anger. Fingers poked his eyes. Feet pounded his most vulnerable parts. Fists and fingernails wounded his face and torso. Vicious hands gripped his limbs, wrenched him, tore his skin. Burning brands scorched his flesh. Darkness took him some unnamed time before they reduced him to charred body parts, blood and gore.

In the courthouse, Yuko and her colleagues sentenced others, one by sorry one, to their personal doom.

the end