Kate Returns Home Ch. 14

"It sounds you and your colleagues here have designed a good process," Nicole observed. "I think we can learn from how you appear to operate."

"Thanks," Nina smiled. "I really don't get a charge any more from humiliating and punishing people. I think I did early on, but now I do all that, but I want to help them, if they can accept that we want them to go back to their office with an improved outlook."

"I suppose everyone signs a waiver at some point?" Nicole inquired.

"That happens when they join the company," Nina said. "They are told that this company does discipline staff members who misbehave. They are briefed on what is unacceptable conduct. There are no surprises but most of them haven't thought about what will happen if they screw up. Accidents are one thing, but most of our referrals are people who should know better."

"I assume that any sexual stuff is out of bounds," Nicole commented.

"Yes," Nina answered, "we know we can't get into that kind of thing because it will wreck our credibility. I admit that some might regard some of our disciplining as humiliation and that might stir up sexual feelings. So, if we fig someone and then cane her, that is humiliating, as are using nettles, or telling them that they will not be excused to use the bathroom. Yes, we do have accidents if you get my drift."

"Oh, I do," Nicole responded. "I've disciplined a lot of inmates, mostly male but in my current unit, we get mostly women. We do have more control in that our retrainees are housed in a dorm in our unit. So, someone who acts up can be put on toilet restriction with locked panties."

"Yes," Nina said, "you have that flexibility that we don't have, although we can tell someone that we have discretion to keep them here for several hours and in some cases, we can have them report here on a daily basis if we find that is necessary."

"Do you and the disciplinarians ever get disciplined?" Nicole asked.

"Yes, if we err, especially in coming down too hard on someone in relation to their misbehavior," Nina said, "we can be put through treatment here. It did happen to me when I was still relatively inexperienced here. I assume your unit has an internal correction capability."

"Oh yes," Nicole said, "if we mess up, they come down hard on us."

"It isn't fun, is it?" Nina grinned.

"Not at all," Nicole responded. "I had a reputation as one of the toughest cadres in the Service--the camp I was at was regarded as the hardest--so when I screwed up, I got it but good."

"I guess I'll never like that," Nina said, "but it probably is necessary for this system to work well. It creates trust."

"Any innovative stuff I should take back with me?" Nicole then asked.

"Well," Nina said, "we've had a few sessions where there were observers, and the subject understood they were being observed. We do find that this can add to the embarrassment. When someone gives us a really hard time, we specify that they have to return to their office wearing punishment outfits--you know, very short skirts that don't really cover their underpants, and little girly socks and shoes, and maybe training bras. It happens just often enough that the people in the company are aware of what could happen if they ended up here."

"We have them wearing stuff like panties with dorks that go you know where," Nicole said, "and since they are housed with others undergoing retraining, that has an effect, even when they all spend a few days in those panties, which may be locked."

"Do you ever recruit from outside?" Nina asked.

Nicole smiled, and said she regarded the question as a compliment. "It hasn't happened much, but for experts like you and your colleagues, we definitely would give you very serious consideration based on your highly relevant experience. It may be that you get paid better that our people are, but I don't know the answer there."

"We get paid pretty well," Nina answered, "but I suspect that in an elite unit like yours, you probably do too. It probably depends on what atmosphere you like in terms of where you want to work."

"You're right, in that we do get paid more than the people in the reeducation centers and retraining camps," Nicole said, "because that's where we usually get people to fill most of our openings. But people here should look us up if you want the kind of career we can provide."

Nina now showed her the implements--the canes, tappets, whips, martinets. And paddles--along with the humiliating clothing the office used to embarrass and humiliate subjects.

"Some people sent here are really tough customers," Nina said. "The techniques we use can sound cruel, but I hope you appreciate what we're trying to do. We have sent them back to their offices in those shameful clothes like the short skirts, training bras, or no bras, and such. And some of them don't believe we won't give them a bathroom break, so we do get accidents."

She added one more point: "Our boss, Roberta, who is backed up by Janet, will back us up. She has never countermanded any punishment we have determined, even when subjects have demanded to see her before we impose it."

"You might be interested in knowing that some of the punishment panties you use are our products," Nina added. "I'd like to give you a few samples if you'd like them. I think this is ok because this is a professional matter."

Nicole agreed that it wasn't violative of ethics rules and that she probably would clear it with her procurement officer so that no one could possibly get into trouble. Nina then handed her a package: "There are some of our panties and the skirt and other stuff. We also have a graphite rod that we find very effective so that's in there, too."

"Thanks," Nicole said. "I'd like to leave this here at your front desk so I can pick it up later."

"Sure," Nina smiled. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Sergeant Nicole."

"It has been the same for me," Nicole said, "and please call me Nickie. That's what my friends call me."

"Thank you, Nickie," Nina said, "I do appreciate that. Alas, my name is already short so there's no nickname or at least, I don't have one."

Nicole gave her a hug, and Nina reciprocated and escorted her to the front desk where she left the package.

Nicole was thinking about how Nina might react if Nicole mentioned how she had put LeeAnn on a twice-a-day toilet use limit. She decided not to get into that.

* * *

The Goose Cookers representative escorted Nicole up to the executive floor and brought here into Janet's outer office. There, her personal assistant welcomed Nicole and then accompanied her into Janet's large office.

Janet stood and welcomed Nicole, asking her to sit. Janet herself came out from behind her desk and sat in a chair across from Nicole. Janet's assistant then stepped out and closed the door behind her.

"We're very pleased, actually honored, that your Service and your unit are interested in what we've done here with our disciplinary office," Janet said.

"It's been very illuminating," Nicole said brightly. "I do think we can gain from some of the techniques and approaches your people are using here."

"That's good," Janet smiled. "We're very proud of the work we've been able to do for the Corrections Service and aim to keep contributing when our involvement is sought."

"I'd be quite interested, Nicole, in hearing about your own experience in the Service," Janet continued. "My colleague Eleanor tells me you've brought a lot of field experience to your unit."

"Thanks for asking," Nicole replied. "I've been quite lucky in that I had very solid experience as a barracks sergeant at what is regarded as the toughest retraining camp in the Service, Hergolia," she began. "I've also consulted for my present unit before I joined it, recommending structural improvements as someone from the field. I also handled the preparation of a very notorious inmate for supervised release, which so far seems to have worked.

"I'm also something of a change agent, I think," Nicola went on. "This has sometimes gotten me into trouble, mostly my own fault for being too impetuous. I won't go into particulars because it's embarrassing for others as well as me, primarily, but my Commandants at Hergolia Camp did send me twice to undergo retraining at our unit. Not too many cadres in our unit have that on their record, but I feel I learned a lot, and some might say I had a lot to learn. But now I feel I've managed to get things under control.

"Sorry for going on about that," Nicole concluded, "but you asked about what I'd done, and I don't like to hide things under the bed."

"Your openness is admirable, and I mean that seriously, Nicole," Janet said. "I've learned to respect colleagues here who raise question others might not want to hear. I need people who will rock the boat. Your unit should be proud of you."

"I think I've accommodated myself to the organization, but I do think they have more regard for me by now," Nicole responded.

"I understand my colleague Eleanor wants to meet you for lunch soon," Janet said. "I think you'll find her someone you can feel good about knowing. She has a lot of imagination."

"I appreciated her making this visit happen on such short notice," Nicole said. "I do plan to contact her when I get back to the capital."

"That's good," Janet said. "Any questions about our office--the disciplinary office--here?"

"Your staff there were very helpful, so I don't have many," Nicole responded, "but how do your top executives feel about the office. Do they feel that it makes sense to refer people who have misbehaved and are they subject to being sent there themselves?"

"Good question," Janet replied. "I think the answer is yes and yes. My example will be myself. Yes, I screwed up. A young woman who worked in our creative section got my goat by seeming to ask provocative questions and was sloppy in her dress here. I told her supervisor to put her on a weekly discipline program."

"That was not something I should have done," Janet reflected. "In a way it was a generational thing: I let myself get aggravated by superficial stuff, like dress, and with some young person asking questions that didn't make much sense to me."

"It turned out," she continued, "that she turned out to be a superb creative type, winning a competition we ran here. I felt unhappy over how I'd treated her. She even had the gumption to come up here to see me on her own--I do have an open-door policy--and complain about how she had been treated."

"I took what she said seriously and decided I would have the disciplinary office give me some correction," Janet said very sincerely. "They really gave it to me, too, and there were observers: this woman and Eleanor, and the head of the disciplinary office. I got whacked but good and believe me, I'm not looking for nor do I deserve any sympathy, but between you and me, and those people who were observing, of course, I had an accident when I was being caned: I messed my panties, my dear, at my age."

"That could happen to anyone being disciplined severely," Nicole responded. "It shows you didn't ask them to cut you any slack. I can say how admirable that gesture on your part was. I hate to mention this, but I'm certain that those there aren't the only ones who know what happened."

"You're right, of course," Janet answered coolly.

"I thought I had undergone some serious discipline, which I did, but it must have been so much harder for someone in your position to volunteer to take that," Nicole continued. "It's not my place to evaluate what you did, but it was very brave and from my viewpoint, wonderful for morale."

"That indeed is what I had in mind," Janet said. "So let me wrap up by saying that I think the disciplinary office has improved our operation without terrorizing people. And your observation before makes me think that our people now can tell themselves and their colleagues that this office that no one really likes is performing a valuable function because I was subjected to some major correction."

"I'm glad you decided to visit us, Nicole," Janet ended, "and you're always welcome to come see us again. That goes for your unit as a whole. I hope you'll pass this on to your leadership, too, as part of your report."

"Thanks so much for having me here," Nicole said, "and I do look forward to continuing staying in touch with your organization."

"Have a good trip back to the capital," Janet said with a smile. "I need to go there quite frequently. It's a burden but one that I cheerfully accept because it helps us do what we do and do it better." She shook Nicole's hand and walked her out of her office. "Fran will take you to our transport to the airport, " she added. "Good-bye, Nicole."

Nicole said good-bye to Janet and left with Fran to pick up her package and be driven to the airport. She was thinking that this visit went amazingly well. She'd file a report to Wendy who would pass it on to Elaine and Kate.

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