Hadrian's Lover

by Patricia-Marie Budd

  After a month of battling with Mama Rena, Gideon had been beyond frustration at being forestalled by this nurse. Tired of being kept in the dark, Gideon had started to yell, “Let me into my mother’s room now!”

  The young nurse sighed, “All right, but you shouldn’t go in there alone. Let me voc security first.”

  “I do not need security to visit my own mother. Let me in her room NOW!” Gideon had been adamant.

  The nurse’s lips pursed, his head shook, but he had turned and done as Gideon Weller instructed. As soon as Gideon had entered the room, the nurse had locked the door behind him. Under no circumstances was Captain Tanya Weller’s room ever to be left open. Her escape, it was feared, would lead to the mass murder of men. As soon as the door was sealed, the nurse had blinked and put in a call to security. “Get up here fast; there’s going to be trouble—that’s right, the Weller woman—her son—I had no choice—he was adamant! For the love of Hadrian, get up here now!—I can’t—I won’t go in there! She’ll kill us both!” Before he had even had a chance to blink the connection off, four female security guards, accompanied by a female nurse with syringe in hand, had entered Tanya Weller’s room. Tanya Weller was sedated and her son, Gideon Weller, was laid out on a stretcher and raced off to emergency.

  The attack against her son had been brutal. Captain Tanya Weller was career military. Though short and stocky, she had excelled at hand-to-hand combat. The instant her son had entered the room, she had smiled. “Gideon, is that you?” But before he could even say, “Yes,” she had slammed her knuckles into his larynx, shattering his Adam’s apple. The damage to his vocal chords provided him with the deep raspy voice that haunts many a ward.

  Tanya Weller had watched as her son sunk to his knees. Gasping for air, he had looked up at her in confusion and fear. Captain Tanya Weller was on high alert, every muscle taut, ready to attack, but first, she had wanted to taunt her prey. “You dirty strai rat!” And then she had sneered. “You think I don’t know? A mother always knows!” Then she had smashed her fist into his face, breaking his nose. Gideon had collapsed to the floor, bleeding profusely from both nostrils. Tanya Weller had successfully managed a kick into his groin just as the door was opened. She had then been tackled, pinned, and injected with a very strong sedative, knocking her out, but not before she had spewed out damaging insults toward her son.

  Gideon shudders at the memory. As always, he tells himself, I am not one of them! These men, these heterosexual rapists, he repeats over and over, are the very cancer eating at the heart of Hadrian society, and they must be extricated!

  The worst part about having a known rapist in his camp is knowing that boy is currently being sheltered by that love and hug and nurture boys back to homosexual health maniac! Jason Warith is far too easy on the boy, allowing for far too many demerits to slip past without punishment. The boy has already been here for three days, and only once has the paddle been administered. If I only had the time to follow them everywhere! His administrative duties, unfortunately, are endless and demanding. It is very bothersome, though, knowing Tabatha is the only ward not to suffer punishment for obvious misdeeds. Warith’s leniency toward his ward is starting to nurture seeds of discontent among the other wards whose guardians still adhere to camp rules. And word has gotten back to him that Warith refuses to call Tabatha by his new name, again, spreading dissension among the other wards. Mattie Malloy had to be beaten twice yesterday for refusing to answer to his proper name. Poor Stephie was shaken. Gideon Weller had had to step in and finish the first job for him. When Stephie came to him in tears, informing him of Mattie’s tenth demerit of the day, Gideon Weller had ordered his second punishment to be public; a punishment he determined to deliver. Everyone in the camp was ordered to the central meeting room. This public display of humiliation was designed specifically to shut Mattie Molloy down and stem the tide of insurrection Warith had instigated against his rule. And it proved to be very effective. Not a single word of dissent has been heard from Molloy or anyone else since.

  Gideon Weller smiles, remembering just how effective this act was. He had ensured Jason Warith and Tabatha were given front row standing (no one was seated for this ritual). With paddle in hand, Weller had wielded it with all his might against Mattie Molloy’s already raw and swollen buttock. Having completed the task, he had turned, pointing the paddle (blood dripping from it onto the floor) at his appalled audience, and shouted, “There will be no more dissension in my camp!” His voice had boomed and echoed ominously off the walls. Looking to the top right corner of his eye screen, he had ended the session with an order, “Private sessions, NOW!”

  Jason Warith and Todd had been the first to move. Jason had roused his horror-struck ward into action with three simple words, spoken loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, “Let’s go, Tabatha.” Jason had been quelled and was determined to toe the line from now on—in public at any rate.

  * * * * *

  Salve!

  Debate over Corporal Punishment

  HNN—Melissa Eagleton Reporting

  A heated debated has risen over the use of corporal punishment inside reeducation camps. As we all know, corporal punishment within our educational institutions is illegal. No teacher would ever think of raising a hand against his or her students today. And, yet, the use of corporal punishment is legal in reeducation camps. It has recently come to the attention of HNN that Jason Warith has requested an investigation be held at the Northeast Reeducation Camp regarding the excessive use of corporal punishment. This request came in the form of a letter complaint written by Jason Warith against Gideon Weller. Jason Warith claims to have witnessed Gideon Weller beating students’ backsides with a paddle on more than one occasion, and the beatings were so harsh the man actually drew blood. Warith also states in his letter of complaint that the guardians under Gideon’s employ have no qualms following the man’s lead. “Young boys are beaten daily at the Northeast Reeducation Camp,” Warith wrote in his letter to the reeducation board.

  Witnesses are being called forward to speak of these events. Many speak in Gideon Weller’s favor. Darrell Jeffreys supports his employer, stating, “These are no ordinary youth we are asked to care for. You can’t coddle them. They are violent and abusive when they arrive and only a hard hand teaches them how to obey.” Other guardians add support, even Stephie Chatters, the young man I interviewed when I toured that facility. “I hate using the paddle,” Stephie admits, “but there are times when it is the only way to deal with noncompliance. Sometimes these boys can be really naughty.” When asked if it was true that Mr. Weller had instructed his employees to beat their wards at least once a day, Stephie Chatters denied the charge emphatically. “Oh, no, we are only to use the paddle if a boy earns five demits, not before! Usually you only have to use the paddle once or twice and then they stop misbehaving.”

  The question of five demerits earning a boy a paddling such as described at the Northeast Reeducation Camp is also being questioned. What exactly earns a boy a demerit? Does the punishment meet the crime? Is such physical force necessary to help reeducate our youth back into Hadrian’s loving arms? Jason Warith says no. Gideon Weller insists the answer is yes. No one at HNN is prepared, at this moment, to judge the good folk of the Northeast Reeducation Camp. As none of us has ever had to deal with a young man who believes himself to be heterosexual, we cannot possibly know what it is like having to reeducate these recalcitrant and potentially violent youth. So, we turn to you, Hadrian, and ask for your views. Voc us @HNN#CP-RE/MH and tell us what you think about corporal punishment. Is it a necessary component of the reeducation of our male youth or should its practice be abandoned? We look forward to hearing from you.

  Vale!

  Private Session

  Although memories of having squashed Mattie Molloy and seeing the entire camp shaken please Gideon Weller, he still feels disturbed. An edge of uncertainly has entered into his world. Shaking his head, Gideon Weller resolves that there will be no
more niceties, no more leniencies with this Tabatha Middleton! This one, he determines, will suffer. With a harrumph, he determines, Vigilante justice must occur since the system has chosen to coddle this one. Rapists, as far as Gideon Weller is concerned, need the harshest treatment of all. They need to learn what it feels like to be violated by another human being the way they violated his mother!

  Blinking open the day’s schedule, Gideon Weller notes that Jason Warith and Tabitha Middleton have Room 3 booked for their evening private session. Gideon Weller knows Warith hasn’t the balls to do what is necessary, so he determines to step in and take charge. Whispering, “Darrell,” he waits until a connection is made. “Darrell, meet me outside Room 3.” Blinking quickly, he severs the connection and makes his way out of his office and down the hall. Standing outside Room 3, Gideon Weller waits until Darrell Jeffreys arrives before taking any action. Quietly, he opens the door to Room 3 a crack, just enough to hear what is being said inside. Sickened, Gideon Weller realizes that Warith is listening to the youth talk about his attraction to Crystal Albright—the very girl he had raped! With a simple nod of the head, Weller directs Jeffreys to begin the attack. Darrell reacts instantly. He knows his instructions by rote—rip open the door, grab the guardian (in this case Warith), thrust him from the room, slam the door shut, and lock it. His next order of business is to hold the youth in a headlock while Gideon Weller administers medicinal intercourse. Jeffreys always closes his eyes, so he doesn’t have to watch.

  Jason’s first reaction, like many a guardian before him, is to try to re-open the door, but it is locked. Hearing Todd screaming, Jason frantically pulls at the door to no avail. He bangs on it, slams his shoulder against it, shouts down the corridor for help, all to no purpose. He does everything he can think of to get back inside. When the screaming finally stops, Darrell opens his eyes and waits for Gideon Weller to nod before releasing the boy and then unlocking the door. As soon as the door gives, Jason pushes his way into the room, shoving past Darrell, just in time to see Mr. Weller beginning to stuff his penis back inside his pants. Todd, he discovers, is lying senseless on the floor, his pants and shorts a tangled mess around his ankles. He kneels at Todd’s side. The boy’s anus, Jason notices, is bleeding. No doubt, the internal damage is severe. Weller has clearly bludgeoned the boy. Looking up at Weller, Jason notices blood on the man’s hand. His eyes widen in horror. Hadrian’s lover, he marvels, did he use his fist? Raging on the warden, Jason punches Mr. Weller in the head. Stunned, the man flies backwards, with his still hard cock sticking up in the air as he crashes to the floor.

  “You will pay for this,” Mr. Weller growls after regaining his senses. Returning to his feet, he snarls, “You are fired.”

  Jason’s voice is a low rumble. “You were raping this child!”

  “That child,” Mr. Weller yells out, pointing down to the floor, “is the rapist! He raped Crystal Albright! He managed to avoid the death penalty, but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t learn what it feels like to be violated the way he violated that poor girl.” Soft now, Mr. Weller tucks his penis back inside his pants and zips them back up.

  Jason turns, bends down, and begins gently to lift the boy’s briefs and pants up. “Leave him be,” Mr. Weller orders.

  Jason’s voice spits out wrath. “I will not.” He lifts Todd into his arms. Defiantly, he stares at Mr. Weller. “I am taking Todd to the city central hospital.” There is no way Jason is willing to trust anyone at this camp right now! “And then,” he states pointedly, “I am calling Quadrant Officials. I intend to see you arrested.”

  “Really,” Weller slurs sarcastically. “And what are you going to tell them?”

  “I intend to tell them how you raped this boy, the evidence being the severe damage you caused and no doubt your sperm!”

  Mr. Weller laughs, looking to Darrell; reassured by the man’s smirk, he turns back to laugh in Jason’s face. “Be my guest.” He motions for Jason to leave and signals for Darrell to stand aside. As Jason walks out the room, Weller adds, “Good luck making your charge stick.” Then, adding acerbically, “My aide here can attest to the fact that Tabatha begged me to help him. He said you weren’t willing to do what was necessary so I had to take the initiative.” Looking over to his aide, he states, “Isn’t that right, Darrell?”

  “That’s what I heard, sir.” Darrell stands next to his boss like an unmovable brick wall.

  Stunned and sickened, Jason slowly turns, Todd hanging limp in his arms, to stare horror-struck at the man. “Have you no moral conscience?”

  “Do not speak to me about morals.” Weller’s voice turns into a skewer aimed right at Jason’s heart. “You, who shelter and aid a known rapist!” Spitting on the floor at Jason’s feet, he yells, “You sicken me!” And then turning his back, he orders Jason Warith, “Get out of my sight!”

  * * * * *

  When Todd wakes, he is lying on his stomach in a sterile hospital room. Shuddering seizures ravage his body as he relives, during his first conscious moment, the stabbing pain inflicted upon him by Gideon Weller. As the spasms slowly cease, a terrified Todd realizes things can always get worse.

  * * * * *

  Salve!

  Heterosexuals and Suicidal Behavior

  HNN—Melissa Eagleton Reporting

  Parents, it is critical that you speak openly and honestly with your children about any potential heterosexual feelings they might have. As we are aware, many of us have latent heterosexual tendencies. Only a small percentage of Hadrian’s population can claim to be a six on the Kinsey scale. The rest of us exist somewhere between a two and a five. As a result, the period of sexual awakening for our youth can be very confusing. As we grow and mature intellectually, it is much easier for us to reconcile with the first cornerstone of Hadrian’s society: that of homosexuality as our preference. As adults, we can understand the logic behind our chosen lifestyle—see how it, combined with strict procreation laws, is essential for creating and maintaining a stable human population. Hadrian’s four cornerstones of existence were based on reason and logic, motivated by the very real need to preserve the human species and regain balance with planet earth. As each of us comes of age, with all our cognitive skills developed, we can reaffirm our founding families’ oath and swear ourselves, as they did, fealty to the four cornerstones of Hadrian society: Hadrian’s chosen lifestyle is homosexual; Hadrian is a safe haven for homosexuals; Hadrian’s goal is to create and maintain a stable human population; Hadrian will create an ecologically sound balance between humanity and nature. At twenty-one years of age, after three years of service with our military, Hadrian’s citizens are ready to accept the responsibility of fulfilling Hadrian’s promise to themselves, the human race and the earth.

  Because our children are not yet capable of making that oath, it is incumbent upon parents and teachers to educate, gently guide, and nurture their spirits along Hadrian’s chosen path. When we neglect our duty to our youth, we leave them vulnerable to sexual desires that are unwanted here in Hadrian, sexual desires that are in fact dangerous to our society. Allowing heterosexuality to blossom in your youth’s bosom is akin to allowing choke weed to grow and destroy our gardens. When a child’s sexual education is ignored and he (or she) is left to discover feelings on his (or her) own, havoc can occur. What parents and teachers need to realize is that when a child experiments with heterosexual behaviors, he (or she) is risking more than just unwanted pregnancies. He (or she) is also risking his (or her) life!

  Yes, it is true. And, though I do not condone this, the fact remains that individuals pegged as heterosexuals suffer from a great deal of emotional, and sometimes physical, abuse. Children, as we are all aware, are a bundle of paradoxes. Though they may appear to be the most tolerant among us, they also have proven to be the least tolerant, especially with that which they know to be unacceptable by society’s standards. Empathy, an intellectual approach toward emotion, is learned behavior. Such lessons often take time—many years in fact—and s
eldom sink into the cognitive mind until the late teens or early twenties. As a result, youth viewed as straight receive a substantial amount of peer abuse. This abuse, coupled with the growing awareness that their desires are inappropriate, often leads these youth to contemplate suicide. Many, in fact, attempt, and some, unfortunately, succeed. Thus, it is our duty to watch for any signs of heterosexual behavior in our children, to teach them how to counter these feelings, as well as to encourage them to trust our judgment until they are of age and can see the logic and reason behind Hadrian’s chosen lifestyle. Hadrian’s society is based on choices that require higher level thinking skills, and until our children have acquired this ability, we must protect them from themselves and guide them in the right direction.

  Remember, all our children are, at the very least, a two on the Kinsey scale, so given time and the proper education, our youth can be guided gently toward accepting Hadrian’s chosen sexual lifestyle: homosexuality. Help your children make the right choice! This lifestyle, coupled with strict procreation laws, is humanity’s last hope.

  Vale!

  “to die, to sleep no more”

  Having just woken and experienced the spasms of pain caused by the rape, Todd determines death is his only solution—his only viable escape from hell. What was it Matthew said? No one gets out of here, except through marriage, exile, or death—and regarding death, he wished Todd luck, showing upon his wrists numerous failed attempts. He quoted those lines, the only ones Todd can remember: “to die, to sleep no more.” What a pleasure that would be—no more sleep—no more dreams—no more waking up to reality. Simply to cease to be, to disappear into oblivion, is intoxicating. No more thought, no more pain, no more memories, no more betrayal. Eyeing his hospital room, Todd searches for the means necessary to execute his own demise. The IV tubing might work as a noose, but from where would he hang himself? The only hooks in the room are for a potholder in the ceiling and one for coats on the door. Neither hook is likely to hold his weight. Inspecting the ceiling offers no hope, either. It is a solid ceiling, no tiles to push aside to wrap the tubing around corner joints. It’s as if they thought of everything here. No doubt a hospital is full of poisons, but when mixed properly, they become lifesaving medicines. Still, even if Todd knew which mixtures were deadly, where in Hadrian’s name, he wonders, would I find them? Closing his eyes in despair, he pleads with the unknown, How am I to die? Reopening them after letting his head drop dejectedly to the side, Todd finds his answer. Oh, sweet Mischief, he almost utters, but stops himself lest anyone in the halls might hear him. There, sitting on the table next to his hospital bed, is a scalpel. Todd does not question how it got there, who “accidently left it behind,” or even why there would be a scalpel in his room at all, having no purpose whatsoever in his healing process; he simply rejoices in his breast at having found an instrument ready for action. His first impulse after picking up the sharp implement is to slit his wrists, but the memory of Matthew’s scars reminds him that such a death is too slow. No doubt he would be found and revived, which is not part of Todd’s plan. This is no cry for help. This is finality! Dig it into the neck and rip it across the throat: the thought prompting action simultaneously. Blood begins to stream, and Todd, offering up no resistance, begins to ride the waves of ebb and flow between life and death. Closing his eyes during the final throes, he escapes into his mind, reliving the memory of the last moment on earth when he was truly happy.