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Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2010 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

"What shall I wear? Am I going to be trying things on?"

Belle poked her head around the bathroom door. "Probably. Just put on a top and slacks today, then. We aren't going to be trying to impress anybody."

Marion dutifully pulled out the pair of light trousers she'd bought on her first shopping expedition and looked at them. Tights underneath? Perhaps not. If she was going to be trying running gear, then she wanted to be able to strip off easily. The weather was warm enough at the moment, anyway.

She pulled up the trousers and the feeling on her legs was weird, really weird. It was the first time, apart from trying-on in the shop, that she had worn a pair of trousers since the day she had been picked up at the beginning of this whole saga. They felt odd. Just as odd was trying to do them up, she hadn't realised that women's trousers fastened differently to men's. Eventually she succeeded and stood in front of the mirror to judge the fit and effect.

Shows how much I've changed , she thought. When I was Marlon, I would never have bothered with this. If they fit, they went on and that was that. Now I check myself every time to make sure everything's just so. She chose a casual top from a shelf and held it against the trousers to check the colour match before pulling it over her head. She picked up a brush from the dressing table and fixed her hair before standing in front of the full-length mirror again. Looks good, even though I say it myself. I never realised before just how much time and care went into a woman's appearance before, but I do appreciate what a difference it can make.

She found a pair of low lace-ups and started to pull them on her feet, but stopped immediately. She'd never worn shoes without tights before, and the material of the shoe felt uncomfortable to her bare skin. What to do?

"Belle, I don't want to wear tights today, if I'm wearing trousers. Is there anything I can put on my feet instead?"

Belle emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped round her body under the arms.

"Yes, I've got a pack of 'ankle-highs' somewhere. Try in the second drawer over there. No? Try the next drawer down."

They were like socks, only made of the same material as tights. Marion had never seen anything like them before. She pulled on a pair and slid her feet into the shoes. Perfect.

"So, where are we going, then?" she asked as they ate breakfast. "One of your little boutiques in Old Town?"

"I don't think so. There are a couple of shops which deal in sports gear, true, but they charge the earth for something that's little better than what we can find in an ordinary store. Don't forget two things." Belle pointed her fork for emphasis. "One, you may find that what we buy today doesn't work for various reasons, size, cut, material, you know the drill. Two, most sports clothing is only going to last two or three months anyway, so why spend money unnecessarily for something you're just going to wear to destruction? Mind you, we aren't going for cheap and cheerful, we do actually want it to last the two or three months. Let's see. We could go back to the retail park I took you to that first time, or we could find a different shopping area if you fancy a ride around. Were you thinking of trying it all out this afternoon, if we bought kit this morning?"

"Hm. We'll be busy tomorrow, we don't know how long that will take, so probably yes. Otherwise it'll be a whole week before I get another chance."

"We could always run into work," Belle said with a grin. "I've done that before, if the weather's good. It's about half the distance of a trot round the park."

"Really? I'm impressed. What do you do, then? Get changed and have breakfast when you get there?"

"Yes, that's right. I have to leave a bit earlier, of course, and of course I have to run home again, but it's doable. Not when I have to go grocery shopping as well, of course."

"Of course. We have to do some food shopping this morning as well, don't we?"

"We can do that on the way back after we've bought you some kit. I may buy a few extra pieces myself if I see anything that looks useful."

"Let's just go back to the retail park we visited before, then," Marion decided. "Tomorrow we'll be going somewhere I've never been before, after all. Do we know exactly where and when our appointment is yet?"

"I haven't had a chance to look at my messages yet," Belle replied. "I know Sophia will have forwarded the details to my home address. More tea?"

The two women left the apartment and walked out of the Enclave towards the tram stop.

"Make sure you remind me," Belle said as they boarded. "We need to get off at the right stop. Trouble is, I've done this journey so often it's on autopilot, I may forget. I don't want to end up back at the facility on my day off."

"Yes, I remembered rightly," she said as they walked towards the shops. "I thought there was a separate sportswear shop here as well as what's in the big store. Which do you fancy first?"

"Don't ask me, I'm only the victim here," replied Marion. The thought of advertising herself in brightly coloured skimpy clothing still seemed an alien concept, and one not done by sensible people like herself. Nevertheless, she pointed towards the sports store. "Let's try that one first. I'm sure you'll want to browse round all the goodies in the other store, so let's get all the things you claim I'll need first, so we don't forget."

Since they only wanted running gear, their problems were not so great as Marion imagined. The sports store was crammed with every type of garment and accessory for every sport imaginable, from several manufacturers, in a bewildering array of cuts and sizes. Belle settled on an overall look, which happened to complement her own gear, and led Marion off to the runners corner.

There they purchased running vests, shorts, tees, sweat tops, bottoms, headbands, wristbands and socks in a co-ordinating set. Each item had a basic colour of light grey, paler than the uniforms they wore for work, with bold abstract designs picked out in coral pink, lime green and primrose. Marion shuddered internally but didn't say anything. She used a cubicle to check sizes, but most things they just scooped from rails.

Next, off to the accessories, where they bought sunglasses, a peaked cap and a sweat-proof timepiece. Both women bought a running belt which had small waterproof pouches for essentials and holders for water-bottles, and the bottles to go with them. Then, off to another area to find suitable running shoes - that matched Marion's outfits, of course. Fortunately her feet just fit comfortably in the largest size available. She bought two pairs.

"What about, you know, sports bras? I don't think the facility ones will be any good. Do we buy them here? I think I saw some on the way in."

"Um, we could, but I think we'll do better to go back to Michelle. She's got your sizes already, and you know that the garments she'll have will be top notch."

"True enough. It's almost on the way back anyway, isn't it?"

"Yes. Also, you'll need a little something that a real woman wouldn't, you realise. Otherwise you might get rubbed raw down below."

"Oh? I didn't when I ran before."

"But your garments were cut differently, and they had a mesh liner which kept everything in place. Women's shorts don't need such things."

"Ah. Yes, that would make a difference. So, have we done here?"

"I think so. Let's go and have some coffee in the big store and consider how we'll manage the rest of our day."

They walked across the retail park and went into the big store, ending up in the coffee bar where Belle had brought Marion the first day she had shopped after being discharged. With drinks in front of them, they began to talk about what they might look at in the store afterwards.

"You've got that look on your face, I can recognise it. What do you want me to get now?"

"Am I that obvious? I was thinking, if we're going to be doing some social visits, you're going to need some suitable clothes. Perhaps we can look at some in here, get an idea."

"Social visits? I thought you hated the idea. What social visits, anyhow? Is this because we had dinner with Matteson?"

"Yes. It would be rude to ignore the poor man after all the trouble he's going to on our behalf, and I don't have a problem with his partner and their daughters. Besides, what I did when I was by myself is in the past now. I'm going to have to learn to adapt, to be part of a team, just as you are. There's no reason for me to subject you to my own prejudices. We'll almost certainly get invited back, and we might end up inviting them over to our own apartment. What do you think?"

Marion realised that Belle had finally appreciated that her bachelor days were over, at least for the present. She was trying to make sure that she didn't turn Marion into the same work-focused recluse she had been. The fact that they both worked in the facility would limit opportunities for others to overload them with social invitations, so Marion nodded.

"In principle I think you're right, and thank you for thinking about me. I'm really not happy about being flung into any kind of society just yet, but I think that we can manage the Mattesons okay. I'm quite taken with his daughters," she replied. "However, I don't think I want to go shopping for fancy outfits today, if you don't mind. Buying all this running gear has been bad enough. Besides, we've a lot to do yet today. We've got to visit Michelle, get food, have lunch and then go running. Have we time to try on outfits as well?"

Belle's face fell. "You're right, of course. I hadn't intended any trying on, actually, just getting you to see what's available and seeing if there's anything you like. We might be able to stop by on the way home one evening to try and buy, I think they have late shopping at least one night each week."

"Oh, that's all right, then. Yes, I don't object to just a wander round."

Although Marion was now more comfortable with the kind of clothes she was wearing, Belle still kept up a commentary as they went round the different departments looking at what was on offer. She explained the kind of outfit they might choose for visiting in the Enclave, if people came over, if they went out with citizens of that sort of rank, and so on. Marion was aware that Belle had not covered even half of what might be necessary for the future. She still had 'long evening gowns' in her mind from a previous conversation, not to mention 'State events'.

Eventually they came to the end and made their way back to the tram stop. After a short wait a tram came and they rode back into Old Town, where they alighted and walked through the streets to the shop which had 'Bouvier - Lingerie' over the door. Marion stopped Belle outside and peered through the window. On their first visit, Marion's eyes had just slid over the dummies and mannequins which displayed some of the various undergarments available inside. This time, Marion was more aware of what their function was, and wanted to inspect the garments with more understanding of what they represented for her new gender. Finally she nodded to Belle and they pushed open the door.

"Your apologies, citizen!"

"Why, Annelise! Service! Come on out."

Annelise Matteson and a second woman emerged onto the pavement. Her companion was dressed in ordinary day clothes, but her demeanour shouted bodyguard.

"Ah, Citizen Marchand and Citizen..."

"Hillier."

"Of course, Citizen Hillier, well met. Are you going into this wonderful shop? I've not long discovered it, and I can't imagine how I've managed so long without it. Oh, this is my companion Jane, she looks after the children on the days when I go to work, and she looks after me when I go out. You understand." They did.

"Service, Jane," Belle said to the woman, who nodded, but didn't offer her hand. "Yes, we've been buying running gear for Marion," Belle continued to Annelise. She lifted one of the bags she was carrying, "And we're going to get her some sports bras to go underneath. Michelle will know exactly what she needs. I've been coming here since forever, heck, she used to fit my mother when she was alive."

"I'm so glad our paths crossed," Annelise said. "I was going to ask if you'd care to accompany myself and the two girls into the park tomorrow. Since we talked about it the other night that's all they want to do. It would be helpful if we had someone who knew the area with us, and the girls would be happy to see both of you again, I'm sure."

"Hmm, that's tricky," Belle replied. "We both have to go to a medical interview tomorrow, and I foolishly didn't check my diary before we came out, so I don't know when it is, or for how long. I'll certainly check once we get home, which will be after we've been in here." She indicated the shop they were standing in front of. "You're in the Enclave directory?" Annelise nodded. "I'll send you a message once I'm home, then. You can call me to set up a mutual time once we know when we'll be back. Alternatively, how about this afternoon? We were going to go running, but we can change that round, it's no problem."

"My apologies, the girls have school today," Annelise said. "They're off tomorrow and the following day."

"Oh. It's a shame our cycles don't quite overlap. Still, that gives us one day in eight we can join them in the park. All other considerations apart, of course."

"Of course. So, I'll look forward to your message, then. Service, both."

Annelise and her shadow took their leave and Belle and Marion entered the shop, where Michelle was waiting for them, having watched the whole thing through the window.

"Miss Belle, Miss Marion, so good to see you again." Her brow furrowed. "Is there some problem with the items I found for you?" she asked Marion. "I didn't expect to see you quite so soon."

"No, nothing like that," assured Belle. "We've been kitting her out with running gear and come here for some sports bras. Oh, and something to control what's below, if you understand me."

"I do indeed," Michelle replied. She considered. "We're going to have to do this at the skin level," she told Marion. "You'll have to take everything off for me. Will that be a problem for you?"

"I'm in your hands," said Marion. "You've already measured me up once, you've seen all there is to see. Carry on, by all means."

Michelle turned the sign on the door from 'Open' to 'Closed'. While attending to Marion she wouldn't be able to handle another customer. Most of her regulars knew this, and would merely go away and come back later having had a coffee or done some more shopping. Occasionally she would employ an assistant, but as far as Belle was aware she hadn't had one for a while now.

The three made their way to the back of the shop and Marion stripped off in one of the changing cubicles. While she did that Michelle had gone into her stockroom with her datapad and found three possible garments that Marion could try on.

"So, you run, like Belle here? Try this one on first."

Marion struggled to pull the tight garment over her head and shoulders. It was not like the ones she had worn in the facility, which had been designed to fail under stress so that detainees couldn't injure themselves with them, and in consequence had to be made more roomy. The fact that her shoulders were a little wider than average made a difference as well.

"It's not going to work, is it?" Michelle said. "Try putting it over your head first, and then easing your arms in one by one. That's the way a woman would do it."

Marion remembered that Belle sometimes put things on that way. It was like crossing your arms when you took a top off, just something that men and women did differently. The garment went on, with some difficulty, and she pulled it down and arranged her breasts in it.

"Hmm. The banding is right, but the cup, such as it is, is wrong. You're bulging in the middle, here, and under your arms, here. You've about got your breasts in the right place. How did you know to do that? You can't have worn such things before you became female, surely?"

"No, of course not," Marion said. "But when I first went to the facility they made me wear sports bras because I had no bust, and after a while I started running on a treadmill, so I have worn such things before."

"Of course, I see. That one's not right, I can see that. Take it off and try this next one instead."

The next one proved a much better fit, or at least it appeared so until Michelle made Marion jog on the spot. The severe violence the moving body parts caused to her chest made her realise that although the bra functioned as a bra, it provided no stabilisation of the kind needed while running. The third bra was of a different design and proved quite firm under test.

"You'll always get some movement, so don't expect things to be completely rigid, now, will you? If your body's moving, the flesh will want to move with it so it's inevitable. But this one should prove comfortable enough for you. I would suggest that you take this one out and try it. If there is a problem, bring it back and I'll find something else. If it works for you, come back and I'll give you another one."

"Thank you, Michelle."

"Now, for your other problem, I think I'll need you to try on the clothes you bought, so that I can see how they fit. A sports bra is going to change the shape of your upper chest from the way you normally look, but there's usually enough stretch in your tops to make them fit well enough. The main reason though is that I want to see how far down your legs your shorts will come. It's no good me finding you some kind of support if it's going to be visible, is there?"

"We've done this all wrong, haven't we?" Marion asked. "We should have come here first and got the basics sorted before we went off to the sports shop."

Belle responded, "You're right, it just never occurred to me. We'll have to be more alert in future."

Marion had pulled her new purchases from their bags and now put some of them on. It seemed that the tops would work as intended. The shorts, however, were much shorter than she had expected. Michelle pursed her lips, then nodded.

"I can think of a couple of ideas to look at. You haven't given me much to work with, though."

She wandered off into her stockroom and returned with two garments.

"This one is really a pair of tight shorts, similar to cycling shorts," she explained while holding one of them up, "It's jersey with a fair proportion of Elastane. The legs will poke out of your running shorts, it's true, but that just contributes to the layering effect. You'd wear something like this under your running shorts when the weather is a little cooler, but not so cool that you'd need full length bottoms."

The material was nearly the same colour as the grey in Marion's shorts. She removed them and tried on the new garment, pulling the running shorts back over the top. She tried running on the spot to get a feel for the tightness and flexibility of the support garment, nodding when she stopped.

"Yes, these will work quite well when the weather gets cooler. What about the other thing you have there?"

"This is a pair of control briefs," explained Michelle. "They will hold you in place and shouldn't be visible. I need you to try them on, so that I can see if you'll spill out of the sides."

As Marion pulled off the two pairs of shorts she was currently wearing she asked, "Are these designed for men, then? I know that you have special items for them in your shop."

Michelle noted that Marion had referred to 'men' as 'them' and not 'us', but made no comment. Instead she said, "No, these are for women, but it so happens that the front is cut much wider than is often the case. I do carry items for men, but not the sort of thing you'd want to run in. They're designed to hide testicles and penis so that a man can wear close-fitting women's wear without anything showing."

"Oh," Marion said as she pulled up the control briefs. "I don't think I need to go that far, do I. I'm aiming for demure and respectable, not night-club entertainer." She pulled up the running shorts.

"How does that feel?" asked Michelle. "I can't see anything, and it looks like you are well supported. Jog on the spot for a bit so that we can see if anything escapes."

Marion did, and Michelle pronounced herself satisfied with the result. She gathered together all the things she had brought out and walked off with them while Marion dressed for the street again. The two customers waited by the till until Michelle brought out a bag with their purchases, accepted Marion's card in payment, and finally accompanied them to the door.

"I have no doubt you'll be back if you get any problems, ladies?"

"Michelle," said Belle, turning in the doorway, "you know we will. We trust you completely and we know you'd want to make sure that everything was just right. Thank you for all you've done today for my very special friend. Service, Michelle."

They stood on the pavement and Marion said, "She called us ladies! I thought that kind of thing was frowned upon."

Belle shrugged. "Don't worry, it's not really important. Michelle dates from way back before The Uprising, and she's been using that kind of language for so long I doubt anyone's going to change her. In all the years I've been going there, I've never heard of anyone reporting her, and she sees all the great and the good. Besides, don't you like the idea of being a lady sometimes?"

"I don't know. Wasn't that sort of thing why The Uprising happened in the first place?"

"As always," Belle replied, "the answer's yes and no. Perhaps you and I ought to spend an evening going over recent history. Because of who my father was, I'm a little more sensitive to what actually happened than most people are." She looked at the timepiece on her wrist. "Look, we took a little longer in there than we originally thought, and we've accumulated a few bags, so why don't we go home and have lunch now, and leave the food shopping till afterwards?"

Marion nodded. "That's a good idea, actually. It will give time for our lunch to settle before we go out on our run."

They walked back to the apartment, collecting a loaf of bread along the way for lunch. There was sufficient in the kitchen to feed them before they left once more to raid the local supermarket for more substantial provisions, Belle buying freezer items against unexpected guests.

"We're not planning a siege, are we? Why so much stuff?" Marion queried.

"There's two of us now, and our time might be limited in the future," came the reply. "You've seen how this week-end has disappeared, so I want to make sure we have a stock available in case we get caught again in the future."

Once the fridge, freezer and larder had been filled, they went to the bedroom and began to change. Belle's kit was tried and tested and familiar to put on, while Marion still had only worn some of her garments at Michelle's. Eventually, with Belle's help she stood kitted out and looking at herself in the full-length mirror.

"I'm surprised that shorts this short are actually legal," she remarked. "Not to mention the fact that this colour scheme is bright enough I should be visible from space. I'm glad we bought sunglasses."

Although her tone was light, in truth her running outfit was causing her anxiety. She had never had so much skin on display except at the swimming pool, and that was many years ago. She was afraid that people would see that her arms and legs were those of a male, not those of a female, and wonder about the rest of the body. There was even a slight bulge at the front of the shorts, despite the control panty.

"Do you think people will notice?" she asked. "I don't think I have a particularly feminine figure when it's not being helped by clothes. I'm afraid people might think I'm just a man with boobs."

Belle came behind her and gave her a playful slap on the rump.

"This looks distinctly feminine to me, my love," she said. "It's one of your better attributes, in my opinion. Don't worry, we'll just be a pair of women jogging, and there will be a few of us in the park, so no-one is going to be able to single you out." She looked judicially at Marion's figure. "I think I can see what you mean, but then I know the truth. As always, people are going to see what they expect to see. Come on, let's fill our water bottles and get going."

"No!" Marion said, as she'd just remembered their encounter with Annelise. "You'd better go and check your messages first. Don't forget about Annelise and the girls."

"You're right, come on."

Belle found a forwarded message from the Fertility Clinic, asking them to present themselves at District Medical Facility Three at ten in the morning. There was no clue how long it would all take, but they guessed that they would be finished by lunchtime, so Belle wrote a message to that effect and sent it to Annelise's address. Then they went to the kitchen and filled their water bottles.

"Ready?"

"Of course not, you should know that by now. Let's go before I wrap myself round something non-removable that will require surgery to separate me from."

As they came out of the entrance to Block Four Marion got her sunglasses out from a pouch and put them on.

"You don't need those yet, surely? I don't think it's that bright."

"They're to hide the fear in my eyes," Marion said. "I'm going off this idea by the minute. I'm feeling breezes places I never have before, even when wearing that summer dress."

"Come on," Belle encouraged. "Once we get going, you can focus on that, and then who cares what people see or think."

This time they stopped at the small security post by the gate to discuss what Belle and Marion were going to do. Since they would be going to parts of the park not covered by the detailed surveillance which operated around the Enclave and as far as Old Town gate, Belle thought it worthwhile to give the security post some notice of their movements.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to do a whole circuit of the park the first time, do you?" Belle advised. "Sixteen kilometres is a fair distance if you haven't done anything for a while."

"No, I agree. I think I might be able to manage half that, though. Is there a route which would allow that sort of distance?" Marion asked.

"I suppose so, but we'd be cutting across the park using some of the lesser-used paths," Belle considered. "I used to know the park well, of course, but it's not the same as when I was young. What do you think, citizen?" she asked the security officer in the post.

"You're right, citizen," the man replied. "Some parts of the park have been allowed to go back to natural, and it's allowed one or two undesirables to lurk about. If I might suggest, why not just go down the Avenue to the bottom, and then choose either direction to come back round the perimeter road? That's only going to be two more kilometres or so further than half the distance. Would that be too far?"

"I don't know, as I'm not familiar with the park at all," Marion replied. "I can always walk back the last stretch, which is going to be uphill in any case. Let's try that, then."

"If you're sure," Belle said. "Thank you for your suggestion, citizen," she said to the security officer, and the two women made their way through the turnstile.

In front of them the wide tarmac of the Avenue stretched down from the top of the scarp, splitting the park into two. It ran all the way down to Victory Plaza, where the larger versions of the small statues at the top were situated. Marion and Belle had walked part way down this road in their summer dresses on her previous visit to the park.

They began to jog down the slope, and Marion immediately got into difficulties. Despite all her hours running on the treadmill, running on a road was completely different. Things moved in an alarming way, and her balance was all over the place. She tried adjusting her gait, moving her hips, tucking her elbows firmly against her sides, nothing seemed to work. She watched in vain as Belle moved smoothly down the road ahead of her.

"Wait!"

Belle stopped and turned round. Marion came down to her at little more than a fast walk.

"I can't get it to work," she said. "My balance is shot, and everything feels so uncomfortable. I didn't have this problem on the treadmill, what's going on?"

"Hmm. Well, I'm no running coach, but I bet that any coach would have problems sorting someone like you out anyway. Let's see." Belle considered. "You don't have a typically female pelvis, so your hips don't work the same way mine do. You do have breasts, so your upper body weight distribution has changed. Your arms are longer proportionally than mine, so when you swing your centre of gravity will move differently. Of course, you're also running down a quite steep hill at this point, and that certainly doesn't help."

"It all seemed to work on the treadmill, though. What do you suggest I do, then?"

"On the treadmill, even though your legs are moving, your upper body isn't, you're essentially staying in the same place. When you run on a normal surface, you're trying to move from A to B, that means that you have to be leaning forward, so that your weight shifts as your legs move. That's the difference, it's the way you hold your upper body. Let me see you run for a bit, so I can get some idea of what you're doing."

Marion jogged a few metres and Belle kept up with her.

"That's enough, I think I see what's happening. You must stick your bottom out a little more. You've got more padding there, but it's needed to offset the weight of your breasts. Also, you need to keep your head and your torso a bit more upright even though you're leaning forward. The main thing, though, is that you need to rotate your chest as you stride. Like this," and she demonstrated. "Do that, and keep your elbows tucked in, and I think that will make the difference. Try it."

Marion found the co-ordination difficult at first, having to concentrate on every part of every step. It did seem to be less uncomfortable, and her movement became smoother. Once she understood what was happening, she slightly adjusted her movements and suddenly it all clicked, her rhythm came and she was able to devote less attention to it. Belle moved beside her.

"That looks good to me," she said. "Now, which way do you want to go?"

They had reached the back of Victory Plaza while she had been concentrating on her movements. In front of them, in the middle of the Avenue which broadened and swept to either side, was a huge stone monument, familiar from many video broadcasts, the Memorial for the Fallen. In the square proper, an immense statue stood at each corner, the final versions of the life-sized bronze studies at the top of the hill. The figure on each pedestal was ten metres tall, and the sculptor had stylised the features of all four of the Founders. It was still possible to recognise each, but only from the clothing each wore.

The Plaza was not as full as it would be for ceremonies, but nevertheless there were a great many people there, enjoying the sun and the fresh air. Since the eight-day work cycle had been decreed, a significant number of people were not at work each day so some had come to the Plaza to walk, to sit, to eat, just to laze in the sun, to play games and, like Belle and Marion, to run. Of course, there were also the occasional tourists, but as a rule they tended to stick to the shops in New Town and along the river. At various points around the edge of the open area there were stalls selling mostly drinks, ice-creams and fast food, with the occasional souvenir stand, and there were clusters of people round each in the warm sun.

"Go right," Marion puffed. "I definitely think we're going to need to stop at Luigi's on the way back."

They carefully jogged their way through the people wandering about across the Plaza and headed for the perimeter track at it's outside edge, clearly outlined by the double row of trees. Once away from the throng they were able to pick up speed, and for a while just quietly ran side by side. It was cooler under the part shade of the trees but Marion realised that she was glad of the skimpy clothing now, as her whole body had become slick with sweat. She recognised the state of mind which Marlon had previously achieved while running, and she was glad to find that part of her past was still relevant to her present circumstances, still something she could achieve and enjoy.

They passed another gate, similar in size to the Old Town Gate, with refreshment and trinket booths built against the wall either side of a wide opening in the encircling wall. Very soon a gap appeared in the trees ahead, a further gate, this time much smaller and with only a Proctor post one side and public conveniences the other. However, the way was blocked by a large number of school-children who were entering the small gate and crowding across the path. They were only nine or ten years old, both genders, accompanied by several teachers and helpers, obviously out on some kind of field trip.

The two runners had to slow to a walk, as did three runners coming in the other direction. There must have been fifty to sixty children, all making a considerable amount of noise, and not too interested in listening to their teachers' instructions at the moment. Marion took advantage of the change in pace to grab her water bottle and take a long pull.

"How are you feeling, love?" asked Belle over the hubbub. "I guess we're almost halfway round the route, although the toughest part is yet to come."

"Parts of my legs are beginning to feel the burn," Marion replied, "But so far, it's been better than I expected. I was afraid I was more out of condition than this."

"You worked out in the gym all last week," Belle pointed out as the last few stragglers came through the gate. "That must have made some difference."

"I wouldn't call getting unceremoniously flung about 'working out'," Marion said. "It must have made some difference, though."

The teachers finally managed to get some order through to their charges and herded them off to the side of the path, and the runners were able to get past on the gate side of the path. Slowly it curved round to the right, and soon they were running up a gradual incline. Very soon their speed had dropped and both were breathing hard. Fortunately by this time both had their second wind and solidly put in the effort to climb the steepening hill. It rose less sharply than the Avenue had, but nevertheless posed a challenge to any runner. The path continued curving, and then flattened out as they reached the top of the slope. All too soon they were staggering to a stop outside the cafe, both breathing hard. They found seats at an empty table and a young man came over to them, cloth over his arm.

"Service, citizens. May I get you some refreshments?"

"Service. Yes, can you get for us a jug of iced orange juice and water, two glasses?"

"Uh, that's not -"

"I know, citizen. But I've been coming here for a long time, and that's what Luigi always made for me when I've been running. Where is Luigi, by the way?"

"He's not well, citizen. Can I know who is asking?"

"Signorina Isabella e Signorina Marion, tell him. Can you manage the drink? Are you related to Luigi's family?"

"Yes, I am Roberto, son of Luigi's daughter Mariella. I'll see if we can manage your drink, citizen."

The boy disappeared into the darkness of the cafe. Marion relaxed, her muscles still humming from the effort of the incline.

"Does your bathtub still function?" she asked. "I think I could do with a long soak when we get back."

"Of course," Belle replied, "although these days it doesn't get a lot of use." A speculative gleam came in her eye. "You do realise that it's big enough for two people?"

"I might have guessed." Marion rolled her eyes. "I just hope that bathroom has been waterproofed enough."

"And afterwards," Belle continued, "I can give you that massage I promised you all those weeks ago."

"You're incorrigible, you know that?"

"What? No, I mean a proper massage, after the running we've just done. You'll need to have your muscles attended to, or they'll all cramp up."

"I thought that was the idea of the bath. Anyway, you'll have to hold up on the massaging if we're going to this clinic tomorrow. They might want me to give another sample."

Belle pouted. "You're no fun at all."

"That's not what you said the other night."

The young man returned with a huge jug full of orange, water and crushed ice, together with two glasses. Immediately he put them down on the table the two women grabbed the glasses, filled them and drained them practically in one go before filling the glasses again for a more leisurely drink.

"Mama says, Luigi is just feeling old, thank you for your concern. She told me who you are, I understand now. Enjoy your drink."

"Service, Roberto," Belle said to the young man, who returned to the cafe.

"I meant what I said," she continued. "I just want to get the kinks out of your muscles. It's been a hard day for you. If you want to go easy on the fun stuff, I'll just have to bravely bear it."

"I'm just being cautious, Belle. We don't know what we'll be asked to do tomorrow."

"Cautious? You? Talking about cautious, how do you feel now about the way you're dressed?"

"I must admit that I was concentrating so much on actually running that I didn't give it much thought, even when we went through Victory Plaza. I suppose I've got used to it now, and it certainly seems practical to run in. Although, this is one activity I would happily not have breasts for, the damn things are just so mobile."

Belle nodded, sipping her drink. "I know what you mean, but it's just the price we pay for being women. If it means we can fill out dresses and we can use them to drive men crazy, then we can put up with the downsides."

Having drained the jug Belle went into the cafe and paid for the drink before the two set off jogging along the perimeter path again. As they went through the turnstile past the security post the State Security man called to them.

"How was your run, citizens? Any problems?"

"Thank you no, citizen," Belle replied, "we were fine. Quite a few people down in the Plaza at the moment."

"Yes," the man replied. "In this sort of weather, more and more people seem to be coming into the park. It'll get real crowded in two weeks time, though, when Citizen's Day comes."

"Yes, thank you for the warning. Service, citizen." She turned to Marion as they jogged towards the entrance to Building Four. "I think we're working that day, so it won't be an issue. Fortunately."

"Is that one of those things you get roped into, then?" Marion asked as they pushed their way into the building.

"I used to. I think they've got the message now."

In the apartment both immediately went into the bathroom and stripped completely off, throwing their running clothes into the washbasin for the time being. Belle ran the bath while Marion collected shoes, hats, belts and other accessories and put them tidily in the other bathroom, then both waited for the water to fill the large container. Belle found some bath salts and some perfumed bubbly softener, and they both climbed in.

"I haven't done this for ages and ages," Belle said. "I'm so glad you thought of it."

"It's what we need," Marion said. "After a hard day shopping, then running. And, don't forget, I've had a tough week. I'm glad that course has finished, but I'm also glad I did it. Things are so much clearer now. Of course, I'm one of the very few who has seen the whole process from both sides."

"That's true. I think it's one of the things that makes you uniquely suited for the job you're now doing. Mmm, this is nice. I think we'll do this once a week, if we can."

"After we run?"

"Of course. If we manage that once a week, then the bath will fit in just right."

In the event they were too weary from the run to bother much with horseplay. They had a good soak, cleaned themselves up and emerged wrapped in their matching robes. Not bothering to dress, they headed for the kitchen and decided on a pile of spaghetti to fuel their enlarged appetites. Again, not being sure what tomorrow would bring, they left the wine in the cooler and settled for fruit juices instead. Afterwards, they sat on the settee and dozed, only waking when the room darkened, just the last gleam of sunset showing through the window. They tidied away their running gear, putting the clothes to soak and the other items to air, then made ready for bed.

"Are you sure I can't interest you in a little something?"

"I never said you couldn't. I just thought we'd better leave the male bits alone till we knew where we stood. What's wrong with Citizen Silver?"

"Nothing at all, love. Nothing at all."

* 16 Kilometres is about 10 miles.