Eudemonia has a novel punishment for non-violent criminals - Banishment. Those who choose this way of shortening their sentences are shunned from society, encased in a second skin of flexible black rubber, sealed for the duration behind a steel helmet, all of it controlled by their Custodian - a neural AI connected directly into their very brains that monitors their every thought and punishes for the slightest infraction. The citizens call these outcasts Banes, their banesuit becomes their prison, their Custodian the Warden. Unable to communicate with the outside world, all senses muted, incapable of even feeling their surroundings, banes are a common sight on the streets as they watch a world go by that they can no longer participate in - ignored by most, cruelly persecuted by a sadistic few "bane-bashers". Katrina Nichols is a young reporter determined to expose the cruelty of the Banishment Project, and embarks on a journey into banishment to discover the truth about the Banes - but they have a secret of their own they want to keep hidden from the society that cast them out. Katrina's path takes her closer to discovering the truth the banes are hiding, a mystery that could lead to her liberation - or her destruction. Eudemonia and Banes are copyright © 2007/2008 Evil Dolly, the original story can be read here (Warning: Story contains adult situations).