Justice (standard:Flash, 993 words)
Author: Victor D. Lopez	Added: Jun 15 2013	Views/Reads: 3009/1997	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This is a very short science fiction story that takes place in the not too distant future. The setting is a courtroom in which judgment is about to be rendered for a man accused of committing the only remaining capital offense of a unified earth.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

the first time in his life the possibility of hope as tears welled in 
his eyes. He found he could not speak, could not express even the 
simple words “thank you” to the Court. It was as though he were 
emerging from a life-long nightmare, as if . . . 

“The prisoner's IP address, 999.999.999.999, shall be erased from the
Nets,” the Judge continued as the prisoner's tears flowed freely. His 
existence shall be forever stricken from the Collective Consciousness 
lest it germinate there and once again grow sedition in our midst.” The 
prisoner wept openly now while smiling broadly. “The death sentence for 
this most heinous of crimes is hereby commuted so that the prisoner may 
be allowed the individuality he craved for the rest of his natural 
life, devoid of the comfort of humanity or the distracting influences 
of life.” 

The Chief Judge then paused and took a deep breath. “It is further
ordered by this Court that the prisoner shall have his eyes, eardrums, 
tongue and olfactory organs surgically removed that he may not see, 
hear, taste, or speak with any other human being for the rest of his 
natural life. Thereafter, he is to be remanded to a hospital where he 
shall be restrained to a bed and tended to by robotic life support 
aids. The sentence of this Court shall be carried out immediately and 
shall be witnessed by all Citizens of Earth as partial reparation for 
this most heinous of crimes against humanity.” 

The prisoner's screams lasted only a few moments as an anesthetic was
administered and the cameras were re-arranged in preparation for 
justice to be carried out. 

_______________________________ (C) 2012 Victor D. Lopez 

This is the shortest short story from my Book of Dreams 2nd Edition:
Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction Short Stories (C) Victor D. 
Lopez. All Rights Reserved. (Kindle Direct Publishing and CreateSpace, 
2012)


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