A Spirited Emergence - Episode 17

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Girl in eye
A Spirited Emergence
Episode 17: Pain in the neck

by D.L.

Copyright  © 2010 D.L.
All Rights Reserved.

I can’t resist repeating the classic movie quote, "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!"

 

I am shocked for a second wondering where the knife embedded in my neck came from, and why there is no blood. After a few moments, I realise that there should be blood, and immediately dark red creeps down my arm, soaking my clothes. As I am currently projecting, the wound is fake, as is the rest of me. I can't be harmed while outside my body, at least not as far as I am aware. The worst-case scenario is that I am simply forced to end my projection.

Not sure what to do next, and slightly shocked by the turn of events, I fall to my knees, then over onto my left side.

I carefully analyse the situation. At any time I can choose to vanish, however that is going to be hard to explain later. Looking at the wound, I conclude it should be fatal. I could make a recovery, however explaining a lucky escape would be as bad as disappearing. I decide it's safest to play dead for the moment.

I survey the scene remotely. Alison is to my right, crouched in the shadows, her arm outstretched as if she has just thrown something. Britney screams and Cherry turns and throws up in a nearby bush. Sirens can be heard in the distance, slowly getting louder. Mike and Terry decide to leg it. Ben jumps on Alison and pins her to the ground.

The sirens stop and I hear people running. Two police officers appear on the scene. One immediately arrests Allison and handcuffs her, while instructing the others to stay put.

The other comes over and examines me. My projection is now hardly breathing, and has blood coming out of its mouth.

With my dying breath, I can’t resist repeating the classic movie quote, "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!"

A paramedic arrives and pronounces me dead at the scene. The police now seal the area off. I maintain the projection of a dead body, and watch the activities remotely from overhead.

Another police car and van arrive. Alison is escorted to one car and driven away. Britney, Ben, and Stephanie are loaded into the van, which then drives off. Cherry is taken away by ambulance, her hand no doubt broken from hitting me.

A photographer comes and records the scene from all angles. The police spend nearly half an hour measuring and recording the area. The coroner comes and places me in a body bag. I am loaded into the back of a van. I realise that this could be a major problem. I don't know how far away I am from the morgue. It might be out of projection range. I also have the problem of the post mortem.

I focus all my energy on maintaining the projection. I notice that the blood on the ground beneath where I have been laying doesn't disappear when the body is removed. This is a new development. Normally, anything that is created as part of a projection disappears after leaving contact with my projected form. Somehow, I’m effectively projecting in two places, a pool of blood and a corpse. My head is starting to pound from the effort of maintaining the scene.

Luckily, it starts to rain, washing the blood on the ground away so that I no longer have to keep it projected in place.

Eventually my body is taken away in the van. I follow the vehicle from above with my remote vision as I continue to project the corpse into the back. Within a few minutes, I am driven into the morgue at the local hospital. I'm not sure how I’m maintaining this projection. I am at least five miles away from where I left my body. This should be out of range.

I try not to reason how, but instead maintain my concentration on keeping the projection going. The knife is removed from my neck, placed in an evidence bag, and taken away. The blood on it doesn't disappear. I am covered by a sheet and wheeled into another room. Unlike the morgue, this is less sterile looking. The morgue is all stainless steel and white tiled walls. This room has soft furnishings and fake flowers on a table nearby. I assume that this must be some sort of chapel of rest.

My father is led into the room, accompanied by a police officer.

“Yes, that is my son David,” he says, almost on the point of tears. “May I have a few minutes alone with him?”

The other people disappear from the room. However, I note that there is a CCTV camera in the room. I therefore can’t communicate with my father. Having also noticed the camera, he is careful when addressing me.

“Jenny, I hope you can hear me,” he whispers softly. “Your body is in a nearby ward. You seem to have gone into a coma with the effort of keeping your projection going. You only need to keep this up for a short while, hang in there.”

He leaves the room after a few minutes and I am wheeled back to the morgue. The coroner then proceeds to start a post mortem on me. I have seen a documentary on TV last year of an actual post mortem being carried out, so I know what the inside of a body looks like. It takes all my energy, but I am able to make it through the ordeal. The coroner seems happy with what he sees.

There’s not much he needs to examine, as it’s obvious that the knife wound is the cause of death. It has nicked one of my arteries and cut several veins. Blood has leaked into my windpipe and down into my lungs. I have effectively drowned in my own blood.

During the procedure, my clothes are removed and placed in evidence bags. The steel plated body armour comes as a surprise. Again, they don't immediately disappear when they leave contact with my body. As I watch them being taken away I feel myself go dizzy, and I start to feel faint.

After closing me up, I am wheeled into a storage locker. I watch the coroner pack up his things and head home. Finally, I can relax and return to my body. I let the exhaustion overcome me and I feel myself falling into a deep sleep.

I am woken up by the sound of a door being opened. I realise I haven’t returned to my body, and I am still in the morgue, looking down from the ceiling.

My dead projected corpse is wheeled out and transported away by an undertaker. I am again placed in storage and I fall back asleep.

The next time I wake, I am in the undertakers. They place me in a yellow summer dress, polish my nails and do my makeup. They place a jewelled choker around my neck to hide the stab wound, and place me in a maple wood coffin.

I recognise the name of the undertakers. It is only a couple of blocks away from the hospital. My father must be trying to keep my projected form within range of my body.

I am wheeled into the chapel of rest. An hour later, my family comes to pay their last respects. Uncle Richard, Aunt Janice, Susan and my father surround the coffin and look at me. The undertakers leave the room.

“Jenny, can you hear me?” My father whispers to me softly.

“CCTV in operation,” I whisper back, “I will take care of the tape later, nobody is watching the monitor, I checked.”

“Thank god you seem to be all right,” my father says in hushed tones. “We were getting seriously worried that something had happened. You are still lying in a coma at the hospital.”

“I guess I am pushing beyond my limits to make sure the projection doesn't disappear. I will need to keep this going until after the funeral,” I reply quietly.

“No you don't,” my uncle replies, pulling a lump of metal out from under his jacket. “We each have lead weights. We figure that if your projection disappears then the coffin becomes lighter. This should solve the problem. We just need to hide them somewhere.”

I think for a moment before smiling, “The clothes aren't part of this projection, so I need to maintain their position, but the rest of my body doesn’t need to remain solid. Stick the weights in my legs, body, and head. When I make the rest of my body solid again, they will be inside of me.”

The plan is quickly executed. Soon I am lying peacefully in the coffin and there is no evidence of the added mass.

“Where exactly is my body?” I ask them, “I seem to have lost track of it. I know I'm in a coma in the hospital, but where?”

“Ward 10, Bay 3, second bed on the left,” Susan replies.

“Thanks, I will meet you there later. I need to make sure this coffin is sealed before I leave,” I state.

My family departs and my father instructs the undertaker to seal the coffin, which they do later that afternoon.

I end the projection and remotely view the hospital. Following the signs, I float through the halls and find my body. Using all my willpower, I push myself back inside.

I suddenly wake and take a deep breath. The monitors attached to me give some loud bleeps and an alarm goes off. I try to get up, but I am too weak. A nurse comes running in and presses a few buttons on the machines.

“Welcome back, you had us worried there,” she says.

“I feel like I’ve run a marathon,” I reply.

I am subjected to a number of tests and examined by the doctor.

I don't like being in hospital. I have been fitted with a drip and a catheter, both of which are uncomfortable. I'm informed it will be several days before I will be released, as they still haven't worked out what is wrong with me.

My father and Susan come to visit that evening. Only two people are allowed to visit at any one time.

“It's Tuesday,” my father tells me, carefully wording his statements in case we are overheard by the hospital staff. “David was stabbed last Friday. He was released to the undertakers yesterday. I was at the office when the police informed me that my son had been killed. I went with them to identify the body while Gloria went home to check on you. She got Susan and Janice to meet her there. They found you on the bed sweating and hardly breathing. Your condition seemed to be getting worse so they called an ambulance. You were brought here to the hospital where you were found to be in a hypoglycaemic coma. Your body was almost devoid of sugar. You have been on a drip since then. The doctors can't work out why your blood sugar levels keep dropping.”

I have been wondering how I managed to keep the projection going. I guess that my body must have been taken to the hospital at a similar time to the projection being moved to the Morgue. With both in the same building it minimised the distance. I was also hooked up to a drip to restore my blood sugar levels. This explains how I was able to carry on projecting way beyond my normal limits.

Trying to sleep in a noisy hospital is virtually impossible. I take advantage of being awake at one in the morning to pay my coffin a visit. I am concerned that the weights might shift about when the coffin is moved. I also have a CCTV tape to erase.

I deal with the recording first. Having found the equipment, I make sure it is all switched off. The footage is being recorded onto video tape. Each tape appears to last 24 hours, by only taking a still image every few seconds. Looking at the labelling it appears that the tapes are changed over each morning. The current tape in the machine is the recording I need. Not only will I be erasing the video of the weights being put in the coffin, I will also be hiding my current activities.

I eject the tape from the machine. I pull the entire length of tape out of the cassette and hold it up to the TV being used with the system. It is an older CRT model rather than a flat LCD model. It has a degauss button on the front, which I press a few times while holding the tape against the screen. I can feel the static electricity across the surface, hopefully erasing the tape in the process.

I wind the tape back into its cassette and return it to the recorder. I rewind the tape to the beginning then press play. I remove the solidness from my finger and push in into the machine. Making the tip of it solid again, I press on the spool that the tape is being wound on, slowing it down. The tape is now being drawn through the play heads faster than it is being collected. The net result is that the recorder is soon filling up with tape. Pressing fast forward causes the tape to stream out into the machine. It soon becomes wrapped round the wheels and the whole knotted mess comes to a sudden stop.

Satisfied with my sabotage, I head into the workshop and find the tools I need for my next task. The lid to the coffin has been screwed shut, so taking a screwdriver I remove the lid. Inside I find the lumps of metal covered by the yellow sundress. I need to keep the weights in place and stop them sliding around.

I find up some PVA wood glue, some strips of material, and some nails. I paint the bottom of the coffin with the glue. I doubt the glue will adhere to the metal very well, but I can tape it down using the material. I soak the dress and some strips of material in the PVA and press them down over the weights, sandwiching them in place. I then take some nails and proceed to nail the material to the bottom of the coffin. Once dry, this should hold everything in place without slipping.

I make sure that the coffin is sealed and that there is no sign of tampering, before returning everything to where I have found it. I'm satisfied that nobody will discover that the coffin is empty and that my death has been faked.

I end the projection, returning to the hospital, but I can't get to sleep. The ward isn't exactly quiet at night and I'm not very comfortable. I have also spent several days effectively asleep, so now I'm not tired. It’s boring in the ward, so I start exploring the hospital with my remote vision.

I soon find something interesting. The hospital has a gym and it isn't being used. I decide to project myself inside. I find the light switch and then proceed to expend my frustrations on a punch bag. That makes me feel much better. After an hour's work out, I am able to return to my body and get a few hours of sleep before being woken up again at six in the morning.

Wednesday morning comes and I’m not in a good mood. I am confined to the bed by the drip, catheter, and various monitoring equipment to which I am hooked up.

I am also feeling bloated and have stomach cramps. I complain to the nurses. Susan has warned them that I am getting close to my time of the month. I hadn't realised that that delight has snuck up on me already. It partially explains why I'm not very comfortable, although the tubes going in and out are making things worse.

The nurse gives me some tablets to help with the menstrual symptoms. I swallow them and proceed to drink the entire five-pint jug of water they have left on the bedside cabinet. If they insist on having this catheter stuck in me then I'm going to make sure they have to change the bag as often as possible. This doesn’t please the nurses, especially when the bag overflows all over the floor.

My father comes to see me at breakfast time. He has been given bereavement leave from his employers.

I am fed up and make it clear that I'm leaving this hospital this morning, whether the hospital staff agree or not. If I haven't been discharged by noon, I am going to walk out, and nobody is going to stop me, even if that means I have to remove the catheter and drip myself.

My father goes to have a word with the senior nurse, explaining my intention.

The doctor comes round at half past nine, giving me a thorough examination, and checks my charts. As I have started to bleed, I am given a full gynaecological exam as well, to check that the blood is menstrual and not from an infection. He instructs that the catheter and drip be removed and that I be given suitable materials. I am relieved to have the catheter disconnected, and although I now have a tampon inserted, it's still more comfortable than before.

The doctor tells me that if there are no more fluctuations in my sugar levels I can be discharged on Friday. They may not know what is causing the symptoms, but I certainly do. I have already looked at the charts and figured that the lows corresponded to when my projection was being worked on, although I’m not going to be explaining this to the doctors.

“I am leaving at noon today,” I tell him. He isn't happy and instructs me to remain here until Friday, as they are concerned I might have a relapse. They still haven't figured out what is causing the problem, and I’ve been given a preliminary diagnosis of diabetes pending further tests.

I’m currently wearing a hospital-provided gown. I have already checked and some of my clothes are in a locker by the bed. I have the shoes, skirt and blouse in which I arrived. I am already wearing clean panties under the hospital gown, although my bra and socks are missing.

I can do without those if necessary. With a puzzle book brought by my father, I am allowed to sit in the chair by my bed and do crosswords. The nurses keep an eye on me to make sure I'm not about to carry out my threats of leaving.

I have a plan for how to get out. I wait until mid-morning and take the opportunity when it arises. I have been keeping an eye on the nurses with my remote vision. They are all now occupied with other patients and there is nobody between the door and me. I have already snuck my clothes into a bag. I put down my puzzle book and creep out of the door. Having scouted the whole hospital with my remote vision, I head to a disabled loo with an out of order sign on it, and sneak inside. The toilet bowl has a large crack in it, leaking water over the floor. I guess that they are waiting for a replacement, and there is a chance it won't be today.

I make myself comfortable on a dry bit of floor, and project back into the ward. I smile at the nurses as I come out of one of the patient toilets and return to my seat. They look relieved, having not seen where I had disappeared to.

At three minutes to noon, I again go into the patient toilet on the ward, being closely watched by the nurses. As soon as I am locked in the room, I end my projection. I quickly get dressed, and after checking the coast is clear, leave my hiding place and proceed to walk out of the hospital. I cross through the front doors and out into the car park at exactly twelve o'clock.

I have been keeping a remote eye on the ward. It takes them several minutes to realise I'm not coming back out of the bathroom, after which they decide to unlock the door and check on me. They are very surprised to find the room empty, considering that the senior nurse has been observing me for the past half an hour. She watched the door since I entered, and can't understand how I cannot be inside.

They call security to look for me. However, I have already left the hospital grounds. My father arrives on the ward a few minutes later and asks them where I am. When told that I'm missing, he bursts out laughing.

“This is a very serious matter, Mr Palmer,” the senior nurse tells him.

“What were you expecting to happen?” my father asks. “Jenny had made it perfectly clear that she would be leaving at noon, and it looks to me that she has done exactly that. It's now nearly ten past twelve. Given her usual walking pace, I expect she is at least a half mile away by now, possibly more if she was jogging. Now, is there any discharge paperwork to be signed?”

Twenty minutes later my father leaves the hospital after signing several forms to indicate that I have discharged myself against medical advice.

It takes me two hours to walk home, and my father is waiting for me when I arrive.

“Do I take it that they saw a projection walking into the toilet and you were already elsewhere?” he asks me.

“I snuck out an hour before, and was projecting from an out of order disabled loo,” I tell him. “I made it perfectly clear I wasn't going to remain there after noon. Besides, we both know the reason for my coma. I was projecting too hard. The only chance of it happening again is if I choose to make it occur.”

After a bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee, I go upstairs and have a good long soak in the bath. That makes me feel a lot better.

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Comments

A Spirited Emergence

Firstly, sorry for the slight delay in publishing. I hadn't intend to keep you all in suspense so long, but my internet connection was playing up last night. Most irritating.

Secondly, congratulations Faraway for correctly guessing that Alison is behind the murder. We will be finding out more about how her in later episodes. In the mean time Jenny has a tricky situation to get out of....

D.L.

Tricky situation?

Only from the point of view of the hospital - a lot depends on whether the wards were covered by CCTV and saw the projection go into the loo. If they weren't, then it's just the word of the nurse versus the evidence.

So, Alison's going to get charged with murder (let's face it, neither she nor anyone else present knew the reality), the problem of David attending another school is dealt with, and Jenny can start school. Assuming the funeral goes without a hitch, the only way anyone not in the know about the reality of David / Jenny will be if either Jenny, Susan or Dad blabs (very unlikely), the "body" is exhumed, or someone starts nosing around in the new ID section of the Department for Homeland Security.

 

Bike Resources

There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...

As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!

Plus and minus

On the positive side of things, this represents a good solution to the problem of permanently getting rid of David and handling the emergence of Jenny.

However, on the negative side, there's going to be some sort of ethical dilemma for our heroine, in that some of her peers from school will be charged with David's attack and murder. If found guilty of murder, they haven't actually killed anyone, and may be sentenced unjustifiably.

This continues to be an interesting series: thanks DL.

Physical Situations


Bike Resources

I disagree about ethics

They may have been accused of murder while this contradicts the actual (not the known) facts, but - not for the lack of trying. The fact, the cold, hard, fact, is - Alison has inflicted a lethal wound with a lethal weapon, from a cover, on a place of premeditated attack. It is for all intents and purposes a Murder One charge.

Nothing, and I do mean nothing, is going to trump that fact. Whether Jenny may have chosen to reveal herself (as if!) or not, will have no bearing on the case itself. Besides, the other attackers are only to be charged of intent of inflicting bodily harm, as they were not the ones to throw the knife, they were the ones to catch the murderess on spot, and let her be taken away. Any lawyer worth his money and credentials will easily use that as basis of disproving the charges.

Sorry if it comes off as a bit rantish, but this is how I see the situation. However, your POV is also one that is worth looking into, and as DL has dropped a hint in one of the comments (from a blog about a Skin Horse wording pearl), Jenny will be at odds for 'being a vigilante' with Susan.

Faraway

P.S. I have decided to visit the Wikipedia, and in State v. Mitchell article, it was said, and I quote:

Mistakes of fact was rarely an adequate defense at common law. In the United States, 37 states have ruled out mistake of fact as a defense to charges of attempt. Mistakes of law have proved a more successful defense.

Mistakes of fact

A "factual" impossibility occurs when, at the time of the attempt, the facts make the intended crime impossible to commit, even though the defendant is unaware of this when the attempt is made.

This case fits perfectly - murder of David is a factual impossibility - there was no David, only a lookalike projection. But the deadly strike was there.


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Faraway


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Very interesting!

It made me curious and this is established law all over the place and even got a spin in popular television. Here is a link to a 'Straight Dope' discussion where a poster refers to a Law and Order episode: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-3547....

There are other places also but it is pretty cut and dry. Alison deserves what she is gonna get!

Very interesting in the fact that Jenny will be able to go to her own funeral and she has to be careful and deep consideration before intentionally using this tactic to get somebody off the street.

Kim

Ethics vs. Law

I disagree with Faraway because the story is discussing a matter of ethics rather than a matter of law.

David/Jenny is acting unethically here regardless of the charges against Alison by failing to come forward. As we say in ethics, two wrongs do not make a right.

The legal fact is that Alison & al. are guilty of aggravated assault & an attempted murder because there was intent to harm David/Daphne. That they failed is irrelevant. These would be the correct charges since the mere attempt to commit a crime is regarded as a distinct crime in itself, as is the planning to commit such a crime (which would be conspiracy).

An eager prosector would likely go after the whole group of hoodlums as well as Alison, since they are arguably accomplices to the attempted homicide as well as guilty of assault. However, it looks like Alison may have arrived on the scene by herself, not in the company of the others, which might constitute a basis for their own defense.

David/Jenny & al. are themselves committing fraud in various forms & will likely continue to do so.

However, what I want to note here is that not only are both sides criminally guilty, both sides are unethical in their aims as well as their means, although for different reasons. Most regard seeking to harm another human being as a severe violation of ethics, with deliberate homicide being the most egregious breach of ethics possible.

Dishonesty is also a serious breach of ethics. As a minister, my own values regard deceit and dishonesty as the most serious ethical issue that the transgendered must address. That's why so many seek to go through some change: to align their own inner truth with their bodies' outer expressions. I'm not so worried about alleged sexual sin by transgendered folk. That's the difference between myself and, say, fundamentalist clergy. I view the transgendered as trying to arrange their lives to avoid dishonesty both to themselves and to the world. In other words, I don't view transgenderism as a sin, but as an attempt to avoid sin!

The ethical conflict in this chapter is the same one that so many transgendered face. Many think that dishonesty or deceit is the only way to avoid the irrational hostility engendered by hatred and bigotry. Thus, David/Jenny & al. commit fraud and deceive others to avoid assault and murder by Alison & al.. Therefore one breach of ethics spawns another.

The most ethical practical result achieved by preventing bigotry and hatred is so that dishonesty and deceit are no longer perceived as necessary by the transgendered. A boy who wants to dress like a girl ought not even need a reason beyond, "I like it." To require any more explanation engenders only lies and deception. When one no longer has to worry over being "made" or "outed," there's no longer any reason for deceit. Then maybe transgendered folk can feel safer and freer as they take their places in the world along with everyone else.

The Rev. Anam Chara+

Anam Chara

I didn't exactly catch

What exact actions by David/Jenny do you regard as deceit? Now, I am not arguing the fact, however I can see a few different angles from which this can be approached. Among them is forging a separate identity for Jenny, omitting the fact that David and Jenny are the same person, and using the projection instead of real person to go to fight. And there are other possible to work in.

The deceit that is the basis of all others I can regard is that Jenny and David are one yet they maintained separate identities. Only this allowed to go and fight while having an unfair advantage to counteract numbers, only this allowed to survive the knife wound. And David, once outed, didn't he actually confess his trans status?

Sigh. This is turning into a debate of ethics vs. pragmatism. Not a sunny topic in the slightest, especially considering that in this case being ethical on Jenny's part would have still heaped breaches of ethics from other parties, even the ones currently uninvolved (the Center for example).

I'd rather drop the subject. I don't feel comfortable with it.

Faraway


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I have to disagree with you

I have to disagree with you here. Although I prefer to be honest whenever possible, there are times when dishonesty is, in fact, the most ethical option. There are times when a lie can avoid violence or other undesirable results. In an ideal society this would never be the case, but we all know such a thing doesn't exist and probably never will.

Saless 


Kittyhawk"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America


"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America

In the real world

Like most "ethical" systems, what seems like a very good idea on paper or in a person's mind just doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell in the real world. The main reason is that there are way too many unethical people, in fact probably most people in the world are unethical to some degree. A person trying to live by the ethical standards you mention would quickly be chewed up and spit out. Personally I feel that by the time we reach this possibly mythical state of being we won't even be Homo Sapiens anymore, we will have evolved to something higher.

But of course, this is not the "real world", it is a fantasy world that is closely patterned on what most of us perceive as the "real world", but with strong, even fundamental differences that Faraway (and the other Center authors) has incorporated into his story. So perhaps instead of wandering off into the philosophical discussions of ethics and morality as applied to honesty and deceit, we should stick to discussing the world presented to us in the story.

. . . .

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until they speak.


I went outside once. The graphics weren' that great.

Just a minor correction

I am not one of the authors... :)

Faraway


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Faraway


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With all due respect

What you are describing would be 'Batman ethics' from the 60s American TV show ( though even batman hid behind a mask didn't he? ). Totally impractical. Given what you say, then the reverse can be true, that is, if it is ethically correct, then it is okay to break the law.

As Faraway implied, this is a story about improvised pragmatism. What was done was the best response to a situation far beyond norm, with the face off with David's tormentors more or less like a fire fight where people do what is needed to survive.

Alison did not kill anybody, at least physically, but in order for David to preserve what freedom and dignity his life may remain to him, he made a snap decision as to that options he had and played the hand he was dealt. He was not the one to throw the knife, and I say to you, the moment Alison made that throw, her life was forfeit as she is now a valid target by a friend of David's to kill her as she is about to or may have committed murder.

The moral equation in this situation is no doubt complicated and the desire to be honest is what SHOULD be possible for transfolks. But consider this, I applied for work that required a Secret clearance and I did not know where I stood so I asked the interviewer whether security services thought I could get one. She lied and washed her hands of me. Let's just say I have never shared my status with a company security officer ever since. So how many of us do you want to throw ourselves on the altar of honesty at the expense of their livelihood and/or freedom?

David acted in his best self-interest WITH NO INTENT to harm until they tried to harm him.

Finally, think of it another way, if you were a parent of a gifted child who has ability seem mutant and you know who is out to kill him but there is no way to prove it and you have no monetary means to move your brood away, what would you do? Would it be ethically valid to kill him before he kills your child? Or do you have to guard him day and night, rendering you unable to make a living or for him to go to school? This can happen in a small town, I think. How far would you go to protect your ethics in this situation and what is the ethical equation that would balance?

Kim

I do not see an ethical problem!

Aine Sabine's picture

Think of spies who get shot pretend they are dead, the bad guys get arrested for murder. Now think of all the movies & TV shows that depict something similar. As a society generally speaking, no one contemplates the ethics about these stories, but I have.
In this particular scenario, Allison murdered the projected David. She knew when she flung the knife she would either escape or be charged with murder. Now lets assume she beat this because the projection disappeared, meaning no evidence. She attempted to KILL someone because they were a "FREAK" in her eyes, meaning Transgender . Now what happens to the next Transgender person to enter her sphere of influence. Quite possibly, another dead FREAK. She doesn't see these individuals as human. So in my mind there is no Ethical Dilemma. She's behind bars where she belongs.
Now this isn't to say Jennifer should run out and do this to everyone she meets, just because she can. This is a one off scenario that affected her. Oh and if the police knew she could pull something like this off, they might have worked with her to do it.

Wil

Aine

UK law

There are two things that would apply here. The first, and primary, is intent. Here's an example close tomy heart. A car driver hits a cyclist by driving straight at them. A second car driver does exactly the same, but merely injures the cyclist. Now, the first was doing it to frighten the cyclist because they thought it was funny. Verdict?Causing death bt dangerous driving, and a sentence of, probably, about two and a half years,out in 15 months with a guilty plea.
The second knew the cyclist and wanted them dead. Attempted murder,potential life sentence.*
Intent is everything.

The other idea is the Crimnal Attempts Act, 1981, which deals with intent. You try and smuglle six tons of cannabis, get caught, and it turns out said cannabis iis compressed dried cabbage, so you have your "factual impossibility", you are still guilty because you attempted to commit the crime.

* Of course, as any non-motorist in the UK knows, you can do what you want with a car, and even when someone dies the jury will not convict, beyond "carelessness", and a small fine is imposed, because, hey, they are drivers too. Recently, a man was conviicted of dangerous driving and jailed. The old lady he hit died of injuries sustained in the 'accident' some weeks later. Apparently, as it could not be shown that she died from the crash (EH?) he was aquitted of death by dangerous driving. As a by product, the family therefore receved no compensation.

Thing is...

Aine Sabine's picture

She did in fact kill David. That may have been a positive from Jenny and families point of view, but if that had in fact been Jenny's real body, she would have been dead. No ifs and or buts. The fact that it was a projection is immaterial.

Wil

Aine

A Spirited Emergence - Episode 17

Now that things have happened as they have, will be fun to see how Jenny does at school. Will she join any clubs ?

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May Your Light Forever Shine

Altho David was a

Altho David was a projection, Alison did throw the knife which did hit David's neck, causing a fatal wound. He was examined by a pathology doctor in the morgue and it was determined there that the wound was what caused the fatality. This equates to actual murder, rather than attempted. Whether the others knew that Alison was going to do what she did or not; they would normally be considered as accomplices to murder and treated as such. Based on their ages, they could in fact be tried as adults because of the seriousness of the crime. As an additional consideration, are/were there other attack episodes around the school or town that the police were or have not able to solve that could possibly now be linked to these young people. I cannot see this being their first and only, as mean and dangerous as they appeared to be, and the choice of weapons used on David.
The key issues are: They chose to viciously attack David (his projection); They did grievious bodily harm to David (his projection); David (his projection) was killed during this attack; David (his projection) was examined both at the scene and at the morgue and at both locations, the knife wound was determined to be the reason for death. David's body (his projection) was placed into a casket and sealed per request of his Father, which is not an unheard of request by family members; so ALL involved are assured that the body of David is indeed in the casket for burial.
Next stage is a trial and I would be extremely surprized if an exhumation was ordered by the court, as there are too many official responses and "eyewitnesses" to what happened and the final outcome of the assault.
Jan

A couple of things not yet mentioned

Do not forget, 'David' was wired in expectation of an attack and was being monitored by the police in hopes of flushing out the local n'er-do-wells. You can BET that the police will make sure whoever threw the knife (Alison) and the rest of the party are given the maximum allowable since, while wearing the wire, 'David' could be considered to be a 'police auxilliary officer' and he was killed in the performance of duty.

We haven't seen Jenny try to project David since the coffin was finally sealed. Can she still? After-all she projected him as dead for four continuous days. Combine that with her strong desire to be Jenny and it is entirely possible that she will have a mental block against projecting David in any sort of solid form. If that is the case, then David is truly dead.

On the other hand... It might be kinda fun to see David /haunting/ Dimwit, Thicky, and the rest who weren't involved in the assault. =D

-sb

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Cultural and national differences

We are coming into another area you need to be careful about. When someone from one country and culture writes a story set in another, little differences can become important. For a fairly trivial instance, in the US people do not use the term "loo" - it's "bathroom" or "restroom". As others have pointed out, it is still somewhat uncommon for a teenager to have a passport unless she has explicit foreign travel plans. Few towns have a "CCTV system" - the most they have would be the traffic cameras. And so on.

Contrary to what you see on the American cop shows, it is not all that likely that David would have undergone an autopsy (Post Mortem) - they cost a lot of money and man hours, and quickly cause a backup of weeks (or more). In cases where the cause of death are obvious and the killer (if any) known, little is done beyond recovering legal evidence (in this case, the knife).

In many States, Alison would be facing execution for premeditated murder with aggravating circumstances. In the rest, she would be facing life in prison without the possibility of parole. And contrary to Faraway's assertion, all six of the others face the possibilities of the same penalties (no matter how remotely it may seem, they were involved in a felony connected with the murder). Mike would be facing separate felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie would face charges for her use of the pepper spray, as well. And the three girls who also participated in the earlier attack on David would face those charges including sexual assault on a minor (conviction or a guilty plea would require them to register as violent sex offenders for the rest of their lives). The two boys who ran can face charges for that, as well (failure to render aid and fleeing the scene).

With a very good lawyer, they might be able to reach plea bargains that would avoid death or life in prison.

If the secondary charges came to trial, David's taunts might count as a minor mitigating circumstance under the "fighting words" interpretation.

All of that would be taken as a given by an American audience. And outcomes seriously at odds with it would require a lot of explanation.

FWIW, I faced the same problems when writing a story set in England. It took a lot of research and correspondence to get it right.

Jorey
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Jorey
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Added thought

This would be a B-I-G deal in the media. Given the current public national concern with bullying, I have no doubt this would quickly make the national media. So if Jenny was to step forward to reveal she used to be David, the lid would be blown off the whole mutant story in no time.

There have been three tween/teen suicides due to bullying in my area in the last couple of months, one of which has made national news several times. So there is no way an incident like this is going to be kept under wraps.

. . . .

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