Hadrian's Rage (24 page)

“Why are we here?” Devon asks, clearly baffled by this sudden turn of events.

The shy smile Frank reserves solely for Devon appears. “This is my sanctuary. This is where I come to read.”

“Read?” Suddenly, the general’s words are beginning to make sense. If an old library filled with dusty book has becomes Frank’s sanctuary, then he doesn’t just read; he must luxuriate in every word.

Suddenly, Frank lights up with excitement. “Yeah, the old fashioned way with a book in my hands, flipping pages instead of blinking to scroll. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, the world around me vanishes, and my mind is drawn into the illusion created by these lines. I don’t see words anymore; I—I see people, I see places, I hear conversations. I become the character, thinking and feeling and speaking.” As he speaks, Frank’s fingers softly caress the spines of books lined up like soldiers at attention on the shelf. He stops at one particularly large book,
War and Peace
by Leo Tolstoy. He pulls the heavy book off the shelf. Showing it to Devon, he exclaims, “It’s absolutely brilliant. Nineteenth century warfare, but also love and complications in relationships and the whole social structure of society. Really, it’s not very different from what we have here in Hadrian except for the obvious sexual orientation of the characters. That aside and, well, we’re all alike; you know what I mean?”

Devon smiles as he places a hand on Frank’s chest, feeling the man’s heartbeat. “Here is your soul.” So touched by Frank’s essence, Devon pulls his face down and kisses him longingly. Frank embraces Devon, devouring his kiss, and then suddenly, he pushes him away. “No,” he mutters. “Not here.”

“Not here?” Devon is miffed at this rejection. “Why? Is this place so sanctimonious—Antinous’s tomb or something?”

“No.” Frank embraces Devon to appease him. Almost embarrassed now by what he has to say, Frank stutters slightly, “It’s just that in here, everywhere, except my quarters, they got vids on me 24-7. My room or yours, but never anywhere public. They’re always watching me.”

Devon pulls back. Looking up, he sees tears in Frank’s eyes. So this is how General Birtwistle knew that he and Frank were intimate. “My place then,” he whispers into Frank’s ear. Then spinning on his heels and looking up at the ceiling, speaking to no one in particular, Devon winks, “Show’s over boys and girls.”

Once in Devon’s quarters, the two men undress. At first, nothing happens. Frank merely spoons Devon, and then very gently, without warning, Frank begins to penetrate his lover. Once immersed, Frank begins to pulse his penis in time with Devon’s heartbeat. The pulsing, coupled now with Frank gently caressing his penis, causes Devon to moan in delight. This slow passionate lovemaking is such that all Devon can do is lie there and allow Frank complete control. Listening to Frank’s gentle whisper, “Relax into it, baby,” Devon allows his whole body to go limp. The intensity of Frank’s motions brings on an orgasm so powerful that Devon cries upon climax. Lying enfolded in Frank’s arms, Devon feels the safest he has ever felt his entire life. Then Frank pierces Devon to the quick. “Devon,” he whispers, “I think I’m falling in love with you.” Devon swallows hard. He tries to control his body’s immediate reaction to clench, but Frank feels the tightness anyway. Frank appears to take it all in stride, as if Devon’s reaction is natural and expected. “You don’t have to respond, Devon. I don’t expect anything—just—maybe, from time to time, come sleep with me?”

“I—” no thought goes into the response, “—of course I will.” And he does, every night. Often not even to make love, just to lie there next to
Frank, feeling his body breathe, feeling his heart pulse and wondering whether he could ever learn to love this man.

Earlier today, Danny Duggin shared with you the contents of the survival kit being granted to the exiled women, Angel Higgins and Grace Godoy. This is the first time in Hadrian's history that an individual being exiled has been given any sort of provisions to aid in her journey away from Hadrian. This is due to the high sentiment of sympathy being expressed for these two young women, regardless of the fact that they committed a heinous act of murder.

Many of Hadrian's citizens have answered my query as to whether or not this exile is warranted. And though many do see justice in the verdict handed down summarily by the defense, prosecution, and Judge Julia Reznikoff, some have responded with great vehemence against the court's decision. Zamira Lazami, for example, commented that the lack of a trial indicates a serious fault in Hadrian's justice system. Deidre Smith even went so far as to claim, “Angel and Grace did for Hadrian what should have been the justice system's job!” On the other hand, Walid Samra feels the justice systems works fine and that these girls, “having both confessed to the murder of Tara Fowler with both a witness statement and DNA evidence renders their verdict fair and impartial.” He goes on to say that their situation in no way resembles that of Frank Hunter. “Frank Hunter was helping end his friend and lover's misery, whereas these women were the cause of Tara Fowler's pain and suffering.” Âruna Gulovna also agrees with the verdict. According to Âruna, Angel Higgins and Grace Godoy's crime should be viewed as a wanton act of hate since they murdered the victim because of her sexual orientation. Finally, Jannack Mauritius stated, “Although I do not agree with Tara Fowler's choice to be heterosexual, her sexual preference in no way condones acts of violence that include rape and murder.”

To Danny Duggin and his followers, Âruna's recognition of this crime as one motivated by hate is the deciding factor. Even if Hadrian had Hate Crime Laws, Angel and Grace would not have been tried under them. Sadly, Hadrian's Laws do not identify attacks against heterosexuals as acts of hate. And, yet, that their action was motivated by hate is evident. Also, Mr. Duggin, on the one occasion you mentioned the victim, you did not identify her as the victim, nor did you refer to her by her name. You simply called her “that strai.” Well, Mr. Duggin,
that strai
had a name. Her name was Tara May Fowler. She was twenty-three years old, studying education, history, and philosophy at Augustus University. She leaves behind a younger brother and two loving mothers. Her family grieves her loss. So, rather than feel sorry for the ones who murdered this girl, believe that justice has been done. Two murderers have been exiled, and tomorrow we shall watch them walk through the Midwest Gate of Hadrian's Wall, carrying with them what no other exiled individual has ever received before, a survival kit complete with six weeks' rations.

TRUTH!

At the Midwest Gate, Private Frank Hunter is the sniper on duty in the main tower. Before climbing the three flights of stairs, he is informed by General Birtwistle that he is to shoot to kill if one or both girls should try to run back to the gate. “They know they are not allowed back in and know their fate if they try.” Then pointing to his forehead, he adds, “Right between the eyes, Frank; make it quick and painless.”

“Yes, sir,” is Frank’s response. He was anticipating this order since Devon warned him of his impending duty the first night they made—what, love or war?

At the ready, Frank waits for all the formality of the exile to end. First, they must read out the charges laid against the women, present them with their survival kits—this is the first Frank heard of the exiles getting survival kits—allow for the press to do their thing, and then watch as the gate is opened and the two women are ushered outside the Wall and left to their own defenses. Even three stories above in Watch Tower 1, Frank imagines he can hear wailing and moaning from below.
It won’t be long now,
he muses. The sound of the gate reaches his ears, and Frank peers through his scope to wait for the two girls to walk into his sight. It takes a few minutes, long enough for Frank’s mind to flood with memories.

Although this is his first exile, the reason for the banishment is too close to home for Frank. These girls had raped and killed a heterosexual. “Todd, forgive me,” Frank whispers. But Frank knows it is not Todd’s forgiveness he needs; it is his own, and that is something Frank ardently refuses himself. Suddenly, Frank’s mind goes cold. All the tension his memories created in his body is gone. In the stillness of the moment, he watches the two women slowly make their way towards the tree line. As they draw near, one of the girls stops.
This is it,
Frank thinks.
She’s going to turn back
. And
she does. He watches her mouth; she is shouting out something, probably “Mama” or “Papa.” Frank has no idea who this girl is or what gender her parents might be, nor does he care. He simply has a job to do. He gives her one second to turn back, but she bursts into a run instead. Frank fires. A direct hit; right between the eyes, as ordered. The girl drops to the ground. Frank lifts his gun to bring the other woman into sight. He watches her drop to her knees. She appears to scream. Her face is torn by grief and horror.
Maybe now you know how the murdered girl’s family feels.
This thought brings back the unwanted memories, and Frank wonders whether or not Todd’s Papa Mike felt bereaved when he learned of his son’s death. Not sure what this other woman might do, Frank decides to give her a warning. He shoots at the dirt in front of her, shaking her out of her current state of misery. She stares up at the tower. Still not moving, Frank fires another shot just a little closer this time. Dirt from the ground shoots up at her face. She winces. She stands quickly, turns her back on Hadrian, and begins running with all her might towards the safety of the tree line.

As the title of today's news report states, we are in desperate need for a new beginning, Hadrian. What our country has gone through in the past few years is akin to a seismic quake breaking the Richter magnitude scale. We have witnessed violence and murder resulting from hate. How have we managed to acquire so much bile while simultaneously convincing ourselves that we are a peaceful, loving nation that is working together to build a brave new world? Stop kidding yourself, Hadrian. You are no different than the fanatical Christians, Muslims, and Jews who berated, belittled, abused, mutilated, and yes, even murdered, and are still murdering, our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and intersex siblings across the globe. No brave new world, no loving, peaceful people beats up a couple or berates and threatens them for walking arm-in-arm down the street. No peaceful, loving people beats a child to death for walking and talking “strai.” No peaceful, loving people abandons their children and leaves them to fend for themselves in our cities' sewers. No peaceful, loving people turns a blind eye as these children are forced to work the sex trade for bits of food and pieces of clothing. No peaceful, loving people demands a transgendered woman prove she is male before providing her and her date service because they look straight. No peaceful, loving people gets a woman drunk in order to rape and murder her. No peaceful, loving people then touts those murderers as heroes of the people. In every possible sense, what we are doing to the straight, bisexual, and transgendered people in our community is wrong. I join Mother Stuttgart, one of our founding mothers, in reaching out to each of you, asking you to be a part of the movement that desires enlightenment, acceptance, and understanding. Hadrian, we need to embrace all of humanity as our founding families originally wanted us to.

Regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, we all agree on the most critical of Hadrian's principles: maintaining a stable human population and reclaiming the natural resources of our planet earth. To this end, we can, if all are willing to set aside disparaging differences, work together.

TRUTH!

“Honored Madame President Stiles, quadrant officials, peace officers, key city council members, and fellow citizens, I stand before you today to express my fears and concerns for the majority of Hadrian's citizens. As many of you are aware, I am bisexual. This, in and of itself, is not deemed alarming or unacceptable in our culture as the vast majority of Hadrian accepts the idea that at least 80 percent of our population is somewhere between a 2 and a 5 on the Kinsey scale. What is deemed unacceptable, however, is for any of this vast majority ever to act upon their opposite sex attractions. That places any bisexual who falls in love with someone of the opposite sex in a very awkward and unfortunate position. This also includes our transgendered brothers and sisters. There are some, like my friend's girlfriend, who are afraid to transition into the bodies they would feel more comfortable in. My friend's girlfriend, for example, fears that the medical procedure required to provide her with her desired female body will exclude her from being able to be with the man she loves. People say that is foolish; we know she will be sterile and that transgendered women are free to date, make love to, and even register with a man—but are they really? Once the transition is complete, only those who know her from before her transition will treat her and her lover with acceptance. The vast majority of Hadrian's citizens, on the other hand, ignorant of her past, only see the lovers as heterosexual, and as a result, will attack them with verbal and/or physical abuse. One such case was that of Nadia Tornovoi and her registered mate Ichik Wongsuwon. As many of us know, Nadia was brutally beaten by a mob when the couple was seen walking arm-in-arm along Lesbos Boulevard in the city of Sappho.
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This event occurred
only a few years ago during the debates leading up to the legalization of heterosexuality. Even though we claim to accept our transgender citizens, clearly any transgendered woman who falls in love with a man is at risk. No doubt the same can be said for a transgendered man who falls in love with a woman.

“What does this all add up to? Quite simply, that Hadrian citizens harbor a deep-seated hatred for heterosexuals. Hate may seem like a hard word to you, and I can tell by your facial expressions that many of you adamantly wish to deny the accusation. As much as you may want me to, I will not rescind my statement. Let me be perfectly clear; Hadrian citizens have been raised not only to disapprove of heterosexuals; we have been educated to hate them. We are actively and aggressively taught to hate heterosexuals. We are told to feel sorry for them, develop ways to reeducate them, and diminish their education and chances for advancement in life, leaving them to resort to menial, and often dangerous, labor. Nor do we deem them fit to serve in our military because they are perceived as aiding and abetting the enemy. Next come all the common hateful misrepresentations of the heterosexual. The women are selfish sluts, breeding humanity into extinction and having no regard for controlling pregnancy, willingly producing dozens of children each. It has even been cited that as recently as the twentieth century, it was common for families to have as many as ten or twenty children. While this may have been true at one time, it ceased to be the case for the First World countries by the end of the twentieth century.

“What is not spoken of and kept from the educational files used to instruct our youth, however, is that by the late twentieth century, Planned Parenthood had been successfully implemented in what used to be the European Union, old Canada, and the United States of America. By the end of the twentieth century, the average family consisted of one to three children, no larger than those we produce in Hadrian. The only difference is that we ensure that each adult is responsible for one child, and only one child, to be born into Hadrian. In this way, we maintain a stable population, whereas these lost civilizations had no structure in place to avoid a diminishing rate of citizens. As a result, they had begun depending on immigration to increase their populations in a desperate attempt to create a workforce capable of funding the pensions of their aging citizens. Do not misunderstand me; I am not purporting the notion that human population
was actually decreasing in the days of population expansion—an expansion that we know reached detrimental proportions. I cite this fact merely to show that heterosexuals can control the growth of population through Planned Parenthood, just like the one we have here in Hadrian.

“Next I would like to address the issue of our attitudes towards male heterosexuals. These men, whom our society, along with female heterosexuals, says do not exist, do, in fact, exist and, like many of our bisexual and transgendered citizens, live a life of fear, resulting in anxiety, depression, and self-loathing. The first unfounded accusation against heterosexuals, men and women both, is that they choose to be straight. This is a misnomer, one the homosexual community, of all people, should understand. No one chooses to be gay, bisexual, or straight. We are born with our sexual orientation as was proved time and time again by the medical profession. One noted twentieth century medical practitioner, Dr. Kate O'Hanlan, provided what was then the American Medical Association with that very evidence. Allow me to quote her: ‘Sexual orientation and gender are congenital.'
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Now, many of Hadrian's genetic scientists claim to have eradicated the heterosexual gene from human DNA, but, as was proven in the trial of my son, Frank Hunter, there are no guarantees when it comes to manipulating genes. Just as pure homosexuals are born into this country, so are pure heterosexuals. We must learn to accept our sons and daughters regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

“One element of my research that I found both terrifying and fascinating is that the suicide rates amongst our heterosexual, bisexual, and transgender youth parallel those of the suicide rates of homosexuals living in those outside world countries that oppose homosexuality. Hadrian's bisexual, transgendered, and straight youth are fourteen times more likely to attempt suicide as their gay and lesbian peers. These suicides are linked to the bullying incurred by their peers as a result of being heterosexual, or perceived as being heterosexual. These figures parallel ones I found on the wave citing suicidal tendencies about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths in what used to be our old Canada. Listen to what this historical document states: ‘LGBT youth face approximately 14 times the risk of suicide and substance abuse than heterosexual peers.'
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“I call upon you, the leaders of our great society, to initiate educational
programs that will help raise future Hadrian citizens to be more loving and compassionate towards all who are born and raised here.

“I would like to end my speech by quoting my mimi, my grandmother, founding mother Destiny Stuttgart. ‘When the five families came together to acquire and create the country of Hadrian, we agreed on a series of basic principles to act as the foundation of our governance. First and foremost, we needed an environment where LGBTI citizens from across the globe could live without fear of recrimination, persecution, or abuse. This cornerstone, we assure ourselves and those who choose to join us, including straight individuals as well, was founded on the principle of love, acceptance, and equality for all.' What has happened to that founding ideal? Why do we no longer accept our bisexual, transgendered citizens, and why have we purposefully excluded and begun treating our heterosexual brothers and sisters in the very same manner our fellow LGBTI citizens were treated in the past and as many are still being treated in many outside world countries to this very day? As citizens of Hadrian, we need to rise above all forms of sexual bigotry and readopt our first principle: that we are all human beings regardless of race, religion, height, weight, and yes, gender and sexual orientation! I beseech you, listen to our founding mother.”