✅ A Dose of Humiliation

87. Repentance

"Than a booster? Couldn't she just pay the damages?"

"No. I will insist on corrective punishment. And when it comes to the equipment issued by the HumiliX corporation, I do have that right. The difference is that an intensity booster at a later date would apply to both doses equally; and a second booster is often more intense than the first. I'm offering this as a... slight compromise. It means that rather than having the existing dose at the second intensified level and the new one at the first, both will rest at a grade slightly above the first level of intensification. Now, this will also delay the initialisation of the second dose, meaning that it could well be this time tomorrow before she starts to feel the effects of her punishment again. But I believe that is reasonable in the circumstances."

"Sounds reasonable," Dad said, but it was clear that he didn't trust Becker this time. "What else could it change?"

"It may also impair the mental effects of the first dose for two to three weeks," he said. "But I'm not sure that is entirely a negative. As hard as it is to believe, it seems like she is developing an even more problematic attitude now. So it may be beneficial to let her mind settle a little, even if this means that the dose modifier is less able to suppress previous tendencies."

Mum glanced across at me, and I shrugged. I had no idea how that would turn out; but extending the period when I was free from the drug's influence had to be useful. And Becker probably meant it about dragging them to court just to cause more stress; I didn't want to delay this if I could avoid it.

"That sounds acceptable," Dad said, and I wondered if he'd actually thought about my response, or just made the decision on his own again. Still, agreeing now was probably the best way to get this over with quickly. "So, it's just one booster?"

"One booster. Within ten minutes of the new dose, if you want it to interrupt and merge with the initialisation of the new dose. Now, as we mentioned previously, there may be some tendency to resist further doses. It's not uncommon for the induced behavioural patterns to fight against the second dose. I've heard from pharmacists who have used this balancing technique before to fine-tune the dose, and found that the subject will often act irrationally, either physically fighting or even pretending that the dose has already taken effect in order to avoid the administration of the drug. This irrational period doesn't last long, but I hope it wouldn't be a problem. If necessary, I can bring in a couple of assistants to help restrain her while I administer the booster, but that will take more time. And, of course, if I am administering the dose it would show on my records, so I would be forced to bill you the full rate for both the booster itself and my assistants."

"I can do it," Dad said. That sounded better to me as well; Becker would give him the booster, and he would just pretend to have administered it. By the time Becker found out any different, he would already be in court for his behaviour with Serena. And my phone was recording in my pocket, so anything else he said today could be added to the mountain of evidence against him.

Becker handed over the injector in its little box, and reminded Dad three times that he would need to do it as soon as we got back to the car; and that I would probably do everything in my power to stop him. Well, that was no surprise. But if I didn't know how manipulative Becker could be, that spiel would actually have been quite persuasive.

Then we reached the elevator, and there were other people getting in. I glanced back at Mum and shrugged. It wasn't like her presence would make much difference. So me, Dad, and Becker stepped into the elevator, whose doors immediately closed as the computer recognised it was full, and Mum took Walt away with a sad wave and another wish of good luck.

One of the other guys in the elevator was Liam; the guy in the coffee kiosk. And he spoke before the doors opened; I guess it wasn't that easy to hide the fact that I was in cuffs.

"You're getting another one of those shots?"

"Yeah. But not for so long this time. I think I can cope with it." I wasn't really that confident; and I wasn't as cheerful as I tried to sound, but I was sure that it would drive Becker up the wall thinking that he wasn't getting to me. All the more chance of him saying something stupid on my recording.

"Well, you got our sympathy. I'll offer you a milkshake to steady your nerves. We've just got a new millionaire special, I'm sure you'll love it, and–"

"Lorna, come on!" Dad snapped, and I turned to see that Becker had already strode away to open up his shop. I quickly apologised to Liam, said I'd see him later, and let Dad drag me away. Maybe that milkshake would be just as good for helping me to calm down after this appointment.

"Right," Becker said with a forced grin as soon as we walked into the shop. "Lorna Peen. I've got you signed in for a refresh of her Punishment Pill. Repeating the original Floodgate dose, and adding a second. And an intensity booster, of course."

"That's right," Dad said, and stepped forward to sign the form in Becker's hands. It was done too quickly for me to pay much attention, but it did look like the consent forms covered exactly what he had said. I noticed that there was no place for me to sign this time; when I agreed to the first dose, I had effectively waived my rights to be treated as an independent adult for as long as it lasted.

"Now, I do have to warn you that there may be some issues with using a booster after a refresher dose," Becker explained. "Depending on her body's absorption profile, the booster may result in a longer delay before the dose takes effect. However, even if the effect isn't visible, you should avoid stacking boosters. Once it has been administered – even if there is an apparent issue due to resistance – you should not consider giving either variety of booster for a minimum of twenty-four hours, or until the dose has fully taken effect if that takes longer. I am required to remind you that it can be especially dangerous to give a second booster within an hour of the first. And in my professional opinion, you should wait for at least forty-eight hours before giving either an intensity, uptake, or duration booster. The legal minimum is twenty-four hours, but I strongly recommend double that for the sake of safety."

"I understand that," Dad barked, but he seemed to understand that this was a warning that the pharmacist was required to give by law. The cameras over the counter were probably keeping a record to make sure that he remembered to say it. "Let's just get this over with."

"As you wish. Would you like to wait here while I deliver the dose? Following recent events, it will be necessary to lock the treatment room door, and unfortunately that means that I cannot legally allow anyone except the patient in there."

Dad grunted in frustration. Did he want to watch me suffer, or was he wanting to make sure that Becker didn't pull a fast one? I couldn't tell. And then Becker handed over three dose cards; the little plastic things that we'd had to look over to choose one for Serena. This time they were orange, blue, and beige. Becker quoted the prices as well; we could have one selected at random, added on to my existing dose. Or we could pay extra to choose one from the top three. The markup for choosing a punishment was about what I expected someone my age might typically pay for their first car when they wanted independence. Dad listened, and shook his head.

"Just let me know the machine's choice," he said. "I'll wait for you at that donut place, right Lorna? Come get me when you're ready."

I whimpered when he glanced at the card and then showed it to me. It said 'Sux2B', and it was going to give me the instinct to suck my thumb when I wasn't paying attention. As if wetting my pants in class didn't already make everyone think I was a baby. Still; it wouldn't be as much hassle as Marcie's speech impediment. And I told myself that it would only be for three weeks at most. I stood up with a little effort, and followed Becker into the back room. This was it; the moment I'd been dreading for the last week. And when he gripped my upper arm politely but firmly, I knew there really was no turning back.