Chapter 10

“Does anyone want to volunteer to be zapped by the ESD? We need to know how long someone will be unconscious when they get hit by this.”

The call went out from one of the props people at lunch time. Both Markus and Amanda wanted to have it tested, but both Gilda and Sharra refused to let either of them be a test subject for it, since the risk to the project was too great. Amanda absolutely couldn’t be harmed before ... no one who knew Amanda’s fate would say it. And Markus was also critical at this point until his scene was done. It was the only one he had, and he didn’t have any spoken lines. He wasn’t going to be acting, either. Just performing what he was doing, and that was the end of it.

Markus had spent all day yesterday working with the special effects people to make sure that the effects they were going to use on him were top notch. Overall, he was pleased with the effect. They were going to make him look like someone else entirely and add several tattoos to his arms and to his neck to further the camouflage. After it was done and everyone approved of the new look, he had come back for dinner and sat beside Amanda having a quiet meal, not saying anything. But both of them were comforted by the presence of the other, and that was all that mattered.

Now, no one stepped forward to be a guinea pig for the props team, and they sighed. Gilda walked over and spoke to Ben, the head of the props department.

“I wouldn’t let you test that on anyone, to be honest. It is too powerful. When we use it on Amanda in the scene, it may kill her or leave her in a coma, which is okay in her case. But we can’t let that happen to anyone else.”

Ben was shocked by this, and Gilda mentally slapped her face with her hand. She forgot that Ben was not privy to what was actually going to happen.

“Shit. Come with me, Ben. We need to talk.”

That conversation ended up being entirely uncomfortable. Ben threatened to walk off the set and not come back. Then he threatened to call the cops, which caused Gilda to bring Sharra and her US Marshal’s badge into the conversation. When the conversation was over, Ben was pissed, Sharra was mad as hell at Gilda for bringing someone else inside without her approval, and Gilda was looking around to find someone, anyone, to use the shocker on herself repeatedly until she was brain dead.

Sharra ended up threatening to arrest Ben and lock him in a cell somewhere in Alaska until a year after the film debuted if he so much as breathed a word about what was going to happen to anyone else. When he was shown the written copy of Sharra’s orders authorizing her to do that, and when he was told she had a business class jet at her disposal, he shut up like he was told. He refused to paste a smile on his face, though. That was a bridge too far.

Markus came to Gilda the next morning with a problem.

“I know how to butcher cows and sheep, but a human is an entirely different thing. If I am going to do this correctly the first time on film, I am thinking I need a lot more information. Is there a doctor I can speak to about this? I have no idea whether or not a doctor will speak to me about butchering a human, though. That would violate probably every aspect of their Hippocratic Oath, I would expect.”

Gilda thought about it for a moment, then called Sharra over. After explaining the situation to the U.S. Marshal, she went and made a call.

“Mr. Yin, I have a problem. We have a need for someone to educate someone here about how to process a selectee. Is it possible for you to send an expert here for some education?”

“Ms. Anderson, that would be a particularly bad idea right now. I think it would be much better for your person to be flown here to London, where he can be taught what he needs to know.”

Sharra nodded to herself. That would be better. The kitchen in the Chinese embassy in London was already setup for this, and the logistics were much better.

“But is it a convenient time for this for you? We are under a tight time frame and need him brought up to speed as soon as possible.”

“We normally process two of our selectees a week. We can increase that to four for educational purposes. If you can have him here tonight, we will begin his education tomorrow. It will only take two days at the most, and you can have him back by the weekend at the latest. From what I am told, the set will not be ready for you to use until early next week.”

Sharra shook her head. Of course, the Chinese intelligence agencies would be watching this closely. They had a vested interest in making sure the U.S. doesn’t go conquistador in another fifteen years as we tear the world apart trying to find resources to feed our population.

“That will be acceptable to us. We will get him on a plane within the hour.”

“Very well, Ms. Anderson. And will you be accompanying Mr. Peterman on his journey here? I think you should personally oversee the educational process so you can report back to President Melville.”

Ugh. Watching Xiulan be killed and butchered after the fact via video recording was bad enough. Watching four more young women be killed and butchered was going to be rough.

“I will check with my superiors and see if that is appropriate.”

“Very well. We shall see you both soon.”

Sharra hung up the phone with a curse. “Arrogant prick,” she mumbled as she turned back to Markus and Gilda.

“Mr. Yin, the Chinese ambassador to the U.K. has offered to have his people train you. They will be terming and butchering four selectees tomorrow and have offered to have you be involved. He also said that he wants me to attend your training in this, so I will have to check with the President to see if it is acceptable for me to go there. If so, I will be going with you.”

Markus’s eyes got very wide at that. “Uhm, okay, I’m going to London?”

“Yes. Let me make a call and see if I am going with.”

“I can’t believe they gave me diplomatic credentials. That’s nuts!” Markus said as he sat back in the business class jet aircraft that was taking Sharra and him to London.

The Gulfstream XI jet was the fastest plane that could be bought for civilian use. With a cruising speed of Mach 2.5 and a range of just over thirteen thousand nautical miles, the jet could reach just about anywhere. The rapid-recharge system that fed the power plant could recharge and turn around the jet in just over four hours if a power source of sufficient capacity and connectivity was available. The silicon iridium-doped polymer power storage system, much too advanced to be called a battery, was light enough that it was upsized for jets brought into governmental use. Because of the high speed of the jet, they were already halfway to the UK, with another hour and ten minutes until touchdown. It was also a very expensive plane to own, costing just over two hundred and five million dollars. But because it was entirely ‘battery-powered’, the maintenance and operating costs were a tiny fraction of what an equivalent conventionally powered jet would cost. The safety record was exponentially better, as well.

“It makes sense if you think about it,” Sharra said very quietly. “You are flying into a foreign country with the intention of being involved in the deliberate killing of four women. Most likely you will personally terminate three of them, if I understand what Mr. Yin said to me when we spoke just before takeoff. You never know with a career diplomat like him. They excel at talking a lot without saying anything at all.”

“Yeah.” Markus sat back in his seat for a while. “Are you going to be alright during this?”

Sharra grimaced at the question. Her call to the President had rapidly turned into a hasty conference call with her former boss from State, Keith Hansen, as the President foresaw a possible problem that Sharra didn’t think about: possible criminal charges if Markus’s purpose and activities were to come to the knowledge and attention of the British authorities.

Therefore, it was decided by agreement between the President and the Secretary of State that Sharra Anderson’s diplomatic status would be reactivated, and Markus would be granted full diplomatic status as well for the duration of time that he was off the ground in the United States. Once he was back on the ground in the US, that status would end, and he would no longer be M. Peterman, International Man of Diplomacy. Oh, and to make sure there were no misunderstandings, Sharra was ordered to be by his side at all times, including following him into any restroom facilities, and sleeping in the same room as him.

That last rider had made Sharra grit her teeth and had made Markus blush from the tips of his ears to almost every place south of there.

A tone sounded, and the voice of the captain came over the speakers. “We are descending into Heathrow and will be on the ground in thirty-five minutes. Buckle in, please.”

Customs was its usual zoo, but with diplomatic credentials, Sharra and Markus were ushered through post haste, out the door, and into a limousine that was waiting for them, courtesy of Mr. Yin. An hour-long trip out to the countryside resulted in their being admitted to the Chinese embassy, where Mr. Yin was waiting for them once again.

“Ms. Anderson, a pleasure to see you again. Mr. Peterman, it is an honor to meet you,” the Chinese ambassador to the UK said to the somewhat bewildered young man.

“Thank you, sir. It is an honor to be here.”

“We have limited time for this endeavor, so please follow me.”

Dressed in working clothing, both Sharra and Markus were ushered to the kitchen, where the same chef that Sharra watched terminate Xiulan those many months ago was waiting. As was four women, all standing naked with their heads bowed and their hands clasped calmly in front of them. Their hair, if it was long, was tied up in a bun that exposed the backs of their necks. Each had their eyes closed, as they seemed to be in some sort of trance.

“I am Chef Xiang. It will be my honor to teach you how to terminate selectees in the most painless and gentle manner we know. It is important that this be done in grace and humility. The selectees will know if you do not respect them or the sacrifice they make for their peoples, and will experience fear and dread, which will affect the quality of what comes from their gift. Mr. Yin tells me that you have watched the termination of Yin Xiulan. Do you have any questions about it before we begin?”

This was the moment that Markus had both been looking forward to, and dreading. He’d had countless questions coursing through his mind on the plane and throughout his getting changed into the clothing provided by the staff at the embassy, but now in the moment, the only thing he could focus on was the four women that were about to die because of the extra resources they would consume, the children that they would contribute to their greatly over-populated, underfed nation, and for the meat they would instead provide for others that would live on in greater health and prosperity because of their sacrifice.

“How are they so calm?” That was the only thing he could think of in the moment.

“Each of them has had time to prepare. They have known that this day was coming for a short while, and have had time to accept the path they have been told to follow. And even though two of them were chosen to be processed next week, and knew about the original timeline, every woman in our country of any age below fifty knows that their time may come, and that it must be so to save as many as we can of the rest.”

“I apologize if my question was inappropriate. I am still working towards my own mental balance in this.” He said with a sheepish look to Xiang.

Surprising Xiang, Markus, and Sharra, another voice spoke up from the group of four.

“It is as Chef Xiang has said, Mr. Markus Peterman.” The three turned to the speaker in surprise. “We accept that some must perish for others to live. Your Mr. Spock, from your ancient Star Trek shows and movies, spoke a truth that we greatly respect in these times of darkness: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. It is easier to accept that my death will have meaning in saving others and helping them to live healthier lives. I have benefitted until now from this, now it is my turn to contribute to the needs of the many.”

Markus stared at the speaker, obviously the youngest of the four who were to be processed soon. He was about to speak up, but she held up her hand with a slight smile.

“I wish to answer no questions, for the asking will change nothing for the good. Just understand that while I would wish to live a longer life, that is not the path before me.”

Markus was struck by how closely this young woman’s statement matched what Amanda had said, and the reason why he was here, to spare the amazing young actor back in America any suffering and to make her final moments of life as painless and as peaceful as possible, flooded through him, filling him with resolve and determination.

He gave a respectful half-bow to all four women in acknowledgement of their situation and their courage, and then turned back to Xiang.

“Very well, let us begin.” Xiang led the way to the corner that was constructed for human terminations, with Markus and Sharra behind her and the four women following after.

Xiang walked over to the four, and selected one, seemingly at random. She gently grasped her by the hand and pulled her over to the corner and down into the recessed floor. There, she motioned for Markus to stand on one side of the woman while she stood on the other.

“I shall talk you through the entire process first, before we begin. I know you watched the recording of Xiulan, so you know what to expect, but I want to know that you do not have any questions.”

She reached onto the shelf beside her and lifted up the stunner and showed it to Markus.

“This stunner is strong enough to render the selectee unconscious for up to two minutes, but only if it is properly placed in the right area before discharge.” She showed him where to place it on the back of the woman’s neck just below the bottom of her skull, and then had him place it there.

“If you place it too far up to the skull itself, the charge will go into bone, and not into the brain. She will be conscious, and you will have to stun her again.

“Once she is properly stunned, she will collapse quickly, so you must be prepared to catch her, so she does not fall. The charge will throw her slightly forward. If you hold your arm here, across her lower stomach, she will fold over your arm. Quickly set the stunner back on the shelf and lower her gently to the floor with both hands.”

The woman pretended to collapse, and Markus caught her, lowering her gently to the floor. Then he looked up at Xiang, ready for the next step.

“You must hang her upside down by her feet.” Xiang showed Markus how to lower the support arm, loop the soft cables around her feet and slide the collars down the cords to the ankle to secure them, and raise her back up. Quickly the woman was upside down, her arms hanging down.

“Now, you must hold her head by her hair and stand behind her so that her blood will be directed towards the wall. Then you will use a doctor’s knife to make incisions here, and here.” She pointed with her finger to the sides of the neck, drawing a line down from the collar area towards the head on each side.

“Then you must open the leg veins here and here,” she said, drawing lines on the inside of the woman’s legs towards her groin.

The touch made her giggle slightly and say, “Tickles!”

“Finally, you open the wrist veins here and here,” She said with a half-smile at the woman’s response. “My apologies, Chu Hua.”

After Markus had also traced the same lines with his finger, they let Chu Hua down, and she stood once more between them.

“You must act quickly and with confidence. If you take too long, she may awaken, and she will fight with you to survive. And the cuts must be deep enough to do what must be done, otherwise she will suffer, and the meat may be tainted. I will do Chu Hua first. You will do the other three. Markus, stand on the other side of the wall there. Good. Are you ready Markus?”

Markus nodded as he looked over the half wall.

“Chu Hua, blessed one, your sacrifice this day shall be remembered with honor for your family, and your ancestors will welcome you with open arms to the afterlife, where you will take your place among the most honored of us all. Tell me when you are ready.” Xiang extended her arm across the woman’s lower abdomen without touching her, and then simply stood waiting calmly.

Chu Hua closed her eyes, took a deep breath, held it for almost ten seconds, then let it out, relaxing herself.

At the end of her exhale, she gave a nod. At that signal, Xiang’s right hand flashed up, and a CRACK was heard as the electrical charge was released into the woman’s brain. Even as her right hand almost threw the stunner onto the shelf, her left hand moved into the woman’s abdomen, and Chu Hua folded over her arm. With both hands, Xiang lowered the woman to the floor, then pushed the button, dropping the crossbar down to the floor level. She quickly looped the soft cords around the ankles, then pushed another button which pulled the crossbar back up until Chu Hua, now unconscious and hanging limply, was at the proper height.

Xiang pulled what looked like a scalpel in a larger handle from the shelf, and with two practiced movements, sliced open either side of the neck and releasing a spray of blood from the now-dying woman. Then she moved to open the legs, then on to the wrists as well.

The blood flow trailed off to a trickle, then to mere drops. Within forty seconds after being stunned, the woman was dead. Markus nodded at Xiang’s speed and skill, and her compassion. Chu Hua never woke up from the stun, and obviously never felt a thing.

Xiang then took the disinfectant spray in the powered sprayer and covered the body before using a gentle scrub brush to wash the entire body from head to toe. The water sprayer was then utilized to cleaned off the body, and the same water sprayer was used to wash the blood down the drain as well.

From there, the process went along as it had in the video Markus had seen. The body was lowered to the cart brought over for that purpose, and the cart was pushed over to the butchering table.

The abdominal cavity was opened, and organs were removed to a stainless steel bucket for disposal. Once that task was complete, an assistant came and carried the bucket out of the room.

Markus was given a lesson in removing human skin, something that was much easier, he was told, with the correct tools and knives. He worked on the left arm and leg while Xiang worked on the right, showing him what to do and how to do it, as well as how to hold the knives for the most effective results with the least amount of effort and stress on his hands and arms. Then he was shown how to remove as much meat from the body as possible.

At the end of it, the woman had been reduced to the useable and unusable portions, and the unusable portions were removed. Then what was kept was then packed in sterile containers and placed into the refrigeration units.

“You are a quick study, Mr. Peterman. You have skills that will come in handy for you in this. It is obvious your time at KRS Meats has taught you much.”

“Thank you.”

“And I must say, you bore up very well. Most who do their first human are not so sound afterwards.” Xiang said it with a positive sound to her voice, but she did not smile, which would be entirely inappropriate to Markus.

“Do you see Ms. Anderson? She is not so well.” She pointed off to the side.

Markus saw that Sharra was standing facing away from everyone and seemed to be hyperventilating. He pulled off his gloves and walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“You okay, Sharra?”

“It is so hard to watch that. I spent nearly fifteen years building devices to help save lives, and to see one so casually taken, it affected me. Give me a moment. I will be alright.”

“Do you want me to wait to continue?” He asked gently.

“No, my orders are very specific. I am to observe everything you are involved in. I’m fine. Let’s...”

He nodded, then turned back to Xiang.

“How do we want to proceed?”

“Select one, then process her. You may ask questions, if you need. I will be here to assist should you need me.”

He nodded and turned to the three women remaining. He paused to look at them for a moment, unsure if he should say something, the indecision of the moment clearly on his face.

The one standing to the right spoke up at that point.

“Please do not apologize to us. We are okay with what is happening. Just ... carry on. From this point forward, you should see us simply as meat animals for you to slaughter and butcher. We do not view ourselves that way, but we understand that it is easier on you, or anyone else, to think of us that way. Just treat us with respect until we are gone, then respect our bodies as you proceed.”

He nodded, and stepped forward, reaching calmly for one of the other two women, a young one who was smaller, slighter, and probably didn’t weigh more than one hundred and ten pounds.

She came willingly, moving forward to stand in the tiled area. Markus gave her a moment to collect herself, which she spent with her eyes closed and her head bowed slightly. After a what felt like maybe ten seconds, she nodded her head three times.

Markus’s right hand flashed up, and he touched the stunner to the back of her neck maybe a half inch below her skull and discharged it while moving his other arm towards her lower abdomen. She fell like a dropped child’s toy, and he tried to set the stunner on the shelf while catching her, but he missed and dropped it on the floor. He did manage to catch her and prevent her from hitting the floor, though.

He lowered her gently to the floor and hit the button on the lift, lowering the cross bar and its soft rope loops to close to the floor. He had her feet in the loops and secured moments later, and then pushed the next button to lift her back up. As the lift was bringing her unconscious body back up from the floor, he took a moment to pick up the stunner from the floor and set it on the shelf in the bin. Then he grabbed the correct arterial knife from the shelf and turned back to the woman who was now in the correct position.

Grasping her by the hair and standing to the side, he angled her head towards the corner of the wall. Then he carefully made the incision to open her jugular vein on the opposite side of her neck, a quick and decisive motion that was rewarded with a spray of blood that correctly went into the corner.

The other veins went as easily, and within moments, the woman’s lifeblood was flowing out of her as she died.

The rest of the motions went as easily. He washed her body down carefully, making sure to ensure that no contaminates or bacteria would get into the meat he was about to separate from her body. He then moved the cleaned body to the cart and wheeled it over to the table where butchering would begin. The transfer to the table went smoothly, with him gently pulling the body from the slightly taller cart onto the table while supporting the head.

Skinning went as well, and he opened up the abdominal cavity, where he began to remove organs and place them in the bucket that was provided for it. Xiang stepped forward when he was ready to remove the colon, helping him tie off the rectal cavity with two cords so that any contents would not spill into the abdomen and taint the meat, most likely causing food poisoning. It was something he would do in larger animals, and he didn’t have as much clearance here to work, given that the girl’s body was much smaller than the animals he normally worked on and in.

He soon was setting sections of meat onto the trays provided by Xiang, who moved the product off as he filled each tray.

When he was finished removing anything that could be consumed from the girl he had just killed, he then moved the girl’s remains to another cart, this one more of a large, wheeled bin which also contained the body of the first girl that Xiang had processed. It would eventually be used to bring the bodies of all four girls to the crematorium on the embassy grounds used to cremate the remains.

He then stopped and turned to Xiang, which began an evaluation of what he had done right and what he could do to improve.

“Overall, you did well,” Xiang summarized at the end. “You were considerate and compassionate to the girl when you killed her, showing her the proper respect and appreciation of her sacrifice. And your work to harvest the meat from the body was quick and efficient. You were able to get nearly everything from her that could be eaten. I have been doing this longer, so I am able to get more, but you will be there soon enough.”

“Thank you.”

“While you still have an erection,” she said to his great embarrassment, “It has not seemed to alter your behavior. That is good. You must never connect the physical arousal that everyone who legally and officially kills women for food experiences with any sort of sexual act, including masturbation later when remembering the most desirable bodies that you have processed. That is the path to darkness of the soul, and inevitably you will eventually become a criminal in thought, if not deed. Let the physical response pass unfulfilled, and later make love to your partner. Stay in the moment, and do not dwell on the subjects of your work.”

She paused to let that sink in. “You will be most tested with this when you kill and process Amanda Mickelson. She is one of the most beautiful women in the western world. But you must think of her sacrifice, all that she is losing by doing this, and all that the world will lose without her in it. Doing so should ground you, and let you get through it without harm to yourself.”

The thoughts of Amanda’s death caused Markus’s erection to immediately shrink away. It was a sobering thought, and he nodded.

“Thank you for your advice. I will definitely follow it.”

“Very well. Choose the next woman and begin.”

Sharra was on the phone as she and Markus were about to leave the embassy when Mr. Yin walked up. Mr. Yin seemed to be on edge about something to Sharra, and she turned away to finish her phone call.

“I understand, sir. Yes, sir. No. Mr. Yin is here and seems to want to talk to me about something. Certainly. Alright. Thank you, sir, and see you on the ground back home. Goodbye.”

She turned back while still holding her phone and paid no attention to it a moment later when it vibrated for a half second, followed by two quick vibrations.

“Thank you again for your hospitality, Mr. Yin. Your help with this project has been most appreciated.”

“I’m afraid that you will be experiencing our hospitality a little longer, Ms. Anderson. You will be staying here while Markus Peterman leaves.” He waved to the guards standing by the entry way door, and the four of them stepped forward.

“I see. And your intentions in this?”

“You will be the main course at a feast we will be having. We expect to mount you on a roasting spit while still alive on Friday evening, gut you, and slow roast you from then until Saturday afternoon, when you will be served in a cordial visit between the Chinese delegation here, and representatives of the British government.”

“I don’t think so, Mr. Yin. I decline the honor. I will be leaving on time with Mr. Peterman.” She tried to keep her voice level and calm, but she was certain that her complexion took on a pale sheen as she felt beads of sweat pop out on her forehead.

“No, that simply will not do. Guards, please escort Ms. Anderson to the containment center.” Before anyone could move, though, Sharra’s screen lit up, and President Melville appeared on the screen that Sharra suddenly held up towards the Chinese ambassador.

“You should reconsider your position, Mr. Yin. Should you carry through on the threat to kill and eat our ambassador to the U.K., we will be forced to take extreme measures.”

“You would go to war over a single woman, Mr. President? Is it worth that to you? Is she worth that to you?”

“I don’t know if this was your idea, or someone else’s, Mr. Yin, but we were expecting something like this from you. Therefore, if both Ms. Sharra Anderson and Mr. Markus Peterman are not allowed to leave the embassy there completely unharmed in the next five minutes after I am done speaking, the following actions will be taken.

“One, the Chinese embassy and the entire mission will be expelled from the U.K., and all diplomatic ties will be severed between your country and the U.K. This cessation of diplomatic ties will be permanent. The entire land upon which the embassy is located will be seized by the U.K. government, and a complete and thorough investigation will be undertaken to find evidence of the murder and cannibalism of anyone of any nationality. Should any evidence be found, evidence will be presented to the Crimes against Humanity council of the World Court with the intention of making all governments sever ties to your country and your allies.