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Stephen swallowed as he stood. He knew that he’d made the right choice. Facing the moment of no return was still extremely hard. The magistrate glowered down at him from above, “Stephen James Hart, you have pled guilty to destruction of property, affray and abetting assault and battery. You were accepted by the Adult Disciplinary Contract Administration as a suitable candidate for Disciplinary Guardianship. Is it still your intention to enter into a disciplinary contract including the provisions agreed between yourself and the Prosecution and subject to any and all amendments, stipulations and additional terms dictated by this court and ADCA?”
“It is, My Lady.”
“Do you understand and accept that the contract shall require that you be spanked on your bare bottom for any and all infractions of the terms of the contract or any actions and attitudes prohibited thereby, or by the rules and norms decided upon by your Disciplinary Guardian?”
“I do, My Lady.”
“Do you understand and accept that you shall have no ability to withdraw your consent to the contract at a later date, except in the case of proven violation of its terms or applicable laws, and that you shall have no control over who ADCA assigns as your Disciplinary Guardian, and cannot appeal the match for the first ninety days of the contract?”
“I do, My Lady.”
“Do you, Stephen James Hart, fully and freely consent to be sentenced by this court to a Taken in Hand contract with the understanding that you shall serve no jail time and that at the end of the contract you shall incur no further penalties, legal or civil, for your actions?”
“I do, My Lady.”
“Let the record show that Mr. Hart has agreed to the terms of the Taken in Hand statute. I hereby sentence Mr. Hart to become a disciplinary ward of an individual selected by ADCA for a term of ten years, the first three years to be served under strict standards.”
Stephen flinched as the gavel came down.
The magistrate leaned forward, “You are a very lucky young man, Stephen. I expect you to make the most of the opportunity you have been given. I will be following your case, and if I hear of any trouble-making of any sort, you will find yourself in this courtroom having time and strictures added your contract only after you have spent a good long time over my knee. Is that clear?”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“Once you have signed the requisite paperwork and been processed, you will be presented to your Disciplinary Guardian and released into his or her custody.
“The next weeks, and the coming years will not be easy, Stephen. I wish you the best of luck and sincerely hope that the next time I see you it will be to release you from your contract.”
“Thank you, My Lady.”
“Be good, Mr. Hart.”
The ADCA officers were waved forward and flanked Stephen on either side. As they escorted him from the courtroom to his new life, Stephen wasn’t feeling so lucky any more. He felt his knees go weak as the full weight of what had happened sunk in. The officers pulled him along by his arms with practiced ease. They descended the stairs and exited the courthouse to where a van with the ADCA logo was waiting to take him to the Matching Center. Stephen’s throat went dry as the next ten years of his life began.
At the Matching Center. . .
Stephen stood with his nose in the corner and did his best to fight down his instinct to turn around and storm off. He was a handheld now. He was waiting to meet the person who was going to take him on, to guide, care for, and spank, for the next ten years. The door opened and the Matcher stuck his head around the jam and informed the room that they were ready for Mr. Hart. Butterflies erupted in Stephen’s stomach with a vengeance.
He followed the Matcher through to the office and watched as the man picked up a file, “Well, Mr. Hart, you are a unique case. We often get applications from people who want to serve as watchover for a friend or relative, but its rare for someone to make it through the screening process, let alone training. It’s incredibly rare that a handheld actually gets matched with someone they know.” He met Stephen’s eyes with a grin, “Congratulations, you’ve beaten all the odds. Your friend made it all the way to selection and his assessment matched yours at 90%. Less than 5% of matches are that high and it’s completely unprecedented for two people with a prior relationship to get that sort of score. You are a very lucky man.”
Stephen stared. He’d never dreamed he’d be paired with someone he knew. Now the Matcher was telling him he and this ‘friend’ were an almost-perfect match for each other? Stephen felt woozy. He didn’t know a single man he could see volunteering to make that sort of sacrifice. He and Cutter had only just begun the tentative process of trying to salvage their working relationship when Stephen had made the choices that had gotten him arrested. There was no way that his boss would put his neck out like that for Stephen. Not any more. Not after Stephen had damaged their relationship irrevocably. He cleared his throat, “Are you going to tell me his name? Or should I guess?”
The man shook his head, “Sorry. I got a bit caught up in the moment. You’ve been matched with a Nicholas Cutter. Apparently you two work together?” Stephen fainted. He would swear to his dying day that it was a wholly justifiable reaction.