Chapter 48: Bread and Circuses

Monday afternoon, August 16

Outside quite a crowd had gathered for the speech and the punishment the Patron demanded. I estimated around 900 people were gathered, over 90% of the Colony and the Tribe were all on the hill. The Chinese women were in a group with Chin in the center, she had spread the news about living arrangements and the fact that she was not leaving tomorrow. They were all smiles, and a few were smiling at members of the Colony.

I had emailed that news of her mother to Li.

The Patron had set out a great deal of food, but the donuts were the biggest draw, they really were amazing.

After a time, when the people had visited and were getting eager for the show, the people who were the main attraction were brought out.

Starting with the Five plus their sister, all the prisoners were brought out one at a time, naked, bagged, gagged with leather-wrapped sticks and wearing headphones under their bags. The chain around the neck, steel cuffs and foot locks made sure they were secure. They could feel they were outside. The headphones were playing their garage band version of “Pizarro” over and over again, at a volume that was far too loud. It really was a terrible song. When the Patron wished to address them, he could cut into the circuit.

I made one adjustment, I cut the lawyer out of most of the speech. I wanted him to believe this was just about smuggling Chinese girls, nothing else, and that he might live.

In fact, if I had time I would torture the hell out of him for what he suggested.

After the Five plus their sister, the spy and the guards and the lawyer. Finally, Grisha and her Council collaborators were brought out. They were allowed clothing that left their backs bare, and were not bagged. Instead of stocks they were tied to poles in the ground. They had confessed their crimes and would be punished with the long step, they lived simply to bear witness to the the punishments for today.

When all were gathered, the Patron addressed the people and the prisoners. This was the first time the Five heard that what they thought was an tribe of Amazon indians were, in fact, descended from Conquistadors, speaking their language, with a deed to the land signed by the King of Spain. “You knew this, your own man found the evidence. But you tried to recruit an army and drew up battle plans.”

My men found the documents in the house, including the names and emails for about 50 people who signed up. The plan would not have been successful, but the attempt could have killed many of my people or drawn attention to us.

Next the Patron played the words of Grisha and the council members, who named Drs. Juan and Gonzalo Alono, plus Francisco Alono of the drug company. The Five were gagged so they could not respond. A whip was used to point these out to the crowd. At those first hits the cheers were deafening.

Finally, the Five had brought more than 40 women from China, who came out of hope for a better life. There presence on these shores was a serious crime, compounded by the way they were enslaved as sex workers.

With that the lashing began for all. Porto went from one to another, lashing once or twice, then moving on in a random pattern. The idea was that they never knew who was there, or when the next dose of pain would come. Most lashes were on the backs, but everyone got one or two on the front. Porto had excellent control, but after a blow to the front of the thighs part of the stress was not knowing where he would strike next. It took some time. Solange and the spy felt the punishment whips on their torsos, but not directly on the breasts.

The bullwhip was used last, only on the Five and the spy. Only on the back. It was pure agony for each. Solange and the lawyer were spared because for her I was not sure about what she had participated in, and for him I wanted some more information. Plus, there was time for a private whipping later.

I thought the enthusiasm of the crowd would diminish with time, as the blood flowed. Clearly all the prisoners were suffering in incredible agony before Porto was done. But that just shows how disconnected I am from normal people. The crowd hated these people for what they planned to do to them and theirs, and if public punishment had not been used the people might have taken matters into their own hands. The Patron made the right choice. At the end I was tempted to have somebody waterboarded in public on the spot, just to show the crowd that this was just the start of their ordeal, not the end. But my reputation made that unnecessary, the people knew the plan even if the the prisoners didn’t.