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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.

Belle was little better in the morning. Although it could not be said that she was actually depressed, it seemed to Marion that she had been quite upset by the revelations of the previous evening. After all, one accepted that the State sometimes did things which seemed as though they were aimed at oneself personally, even though everyone knew that the State showed no favour or disfavour to anyone, rather it just ground away and one hoped to get out of the way in time before you got flattened.

In Belle's case, however, it was not the State that was grinding away blindly but instead a shadowy group of people who seemed to have a grudge against her personally. The fact that someone wanted to do her, personally, harm was extremely unsettling, and it showed. Marion had to struggle to get her to eat enough breakfast before they left for work, and she was quiet the whole journey, most unlike her normal confident personality.

"Look," Marion said as they walked towards the facility, "Really the situation now is no different than it was yesterday before Marcus came to call. In fact it may be better, since we now know that something's going on, whereas before we had no idea that anything specific was happening. We have lines of enquiry being followed, we just have to sit tight for a day or two until our friends can find out more."

Belle replied heavily, "I know, but it doesn't seem to help. I just have this thought going round my brain that someone is targeting me for reasons unknown. Me. What have I ever done to anyone to deserve this treatment?"

"More to the point," Marion asked, "Why are you reacting the way you are? The Belle I first met would have been spitting feathers if someone had tried something like this on."

"You're right," she admitted. "I don't know why I'm worried instead of mad. Perhaps," she said, turning to look at Marion, "I have something else to lose in a fight now. Before it was just me, now it's so much more."

"But... shouldn't that just make you fight harder?"

"You're right," Belle said again, "But somehow the threat makes me feel vulnerable in a way that I never was before. I don't know how to fight something like this."

"Are you your father's daughter? What would he have done?"

"I think that's the problem. That's what they want to do, to turn me into another version of my father." Belle bared her teeth. "I will not let them do that to me!"

"Good!" Marion smiled. "Every time you feel a little down today, just think of that!" She caught hold of Belle's hand. "I'm glad I've finally managed to light a fire under you. You were starting to worry me."

Nevertheless, once they had changed, Marion accompanied Belle up to the watch station on E Deck rather than separating and going to her D Deck office. Donna and Carla, the two Night Shift Shepherds, were still there alongside Elena and Linda. Kristina hadn't appeared yet. Donna and Carla looked curiously at Marion, and she realised that they had probably never seen her in her Counsellor's uniform before.

"Service, friends," Marion greeted them. "Belle here has learned of a personal problem which is causing her some distress. We've found out that someone seems to be deliberately preventing me from moving in with her on a permanent basis."

"Oh, no!" Elena said. "Do you have any details?"

"Not really. Justice Minister Marcus Matteson was the one who discovered it. He dropped by yesterday evening on his way home."

Donna raised an eyebrow. "Justice Minister? Dropped by? What's going on, Marion?"

"Ah," Marion said, looking at Belle, "I'm sorry, I've let go a confidence. She doesn't know, does she?"

Belle shook her head. "No, she doesn't, and neither does Carla. It's not a big issue, fortunately. I suppose I'm going to have to let the cat out of the bag, although these aren't the best circumstances to be doing it in. Let's wait a few seconds, here comes Kristina, and then I'll tell you all everything."

"We'll wait all day if necessary," pronounced Carla. "With a statement like that, you've just nailed our feet to the floor."

The six Shepherds plus Marion clustered around the watch station, with one eye on the trusties who were pushing breakfast trays into the feeding slots, and listened to Belle tell them who she was and where she lived. She then described their current problem, and what was being tried so far to find out the truth behind whatever was going on. None of the others could offer any additional help, but it wasn't that kind of help that Belle needed at the moment, rather the emotional support that her friends could and would offer.

Elena caught Marion's eye during this tale and gave her a brief nod. She had realised that this might have an effect on Belle's performance, and she was pleased by the prompt way that Marion had brought it to her attention. This of course had been Marion's main reason for accompanying Belle to E Deck in the first place.

Donna and Carla left for home, and the remaining five chatted about anything and everything until the doors were released at nine-thirty. Talya emerged from her room, dressed in brown, and made her way to the watch station.

"Marion, service." She nodded to the Shepherds. "Service. Did you come up to collect me, Marion? I was wondering if I could have managed it down to the office on my own this morning."

Marion shook her head. "No, I came up with Belle about another matter, but it's time we left these fine folks and went about our own business. See you all later."

Marion knew that Belle had previously consulted Talya, which meant Talya knew all about the problems they were having in the Enclave. She therefore updated Talya as they walked downstairs to Marion's office. Talya agreed that there was little they could do until their 'lines of enquiry' turned something up. The two settled into the office and began the onslaught on the morning's waiting messages.

After an hour or so Marion left to do a circuit of the Decks she knew already, Sick Bay, drug addicts, lifers, solitary, new admissions. She returned to the office just as the dinner trusty appeared, and the two women settled down to eat their meals.

"Anything new?" Talya asked between mouthfuls.

"Not really. I had a talk with a Detainee Rhoda Azirov who's new in solitary, she was complaining about her treatment. Not much to go on, really, but I'll raise it with Director Khiskov next time we meet. I've updated a couple of lifers about their family status, we talked about that yesterday. Otherwise -"

The incoming call chimed, and Marion tapped the 'accept' button.

"Marion." It was Sophia, lunch in front of her.

"Service, Sophia."

"Can you come by when you've finished lunch? I've just had a message from Professor Malenski."

"Will do, Sophia. End call."

Talya knew all about the Professor as well so remarked, "I hope it's good news. You could do with some round about now."

Marion nodded. "Yes, something that would take Belle's attention off the residency mess wouldn't go amiss just now."

When Marion entered Sophia's office there was a sample pot waiting on her desk.

"Oh, no! They don't need more, surely?"

Sophia pantomimed weighing with her two hands. "They have just barely enough, and the Professor says that if they have to, they can manage with what they already have. But, because of the special circumstances, they may need to do further tests in the future, so if you could possibly..."

Marion's shoulders slumped. "If you insist." She reached for the container.

"It's been suggested that you provide your sample at the facility, here in Sick Bay, to ensure the best conditions as it were. The simplest way would possibly be to shut yourself in your treatment room and do it there. Then, once you're finished, take it immediately to Pathology, who will put it in a chilled container and get a courier to take it to the Fertility Clinic. And you'd have Talya there to take care of business while you were otherwise occupied."

"Okay. Thanks, Sophia." Marion turned towards the door, but Sophia stopped her.

"Wait, Marion, I haven't finished!" Marion came back and took a seat. "Malenski says that they have done an exhaustive analysis of your sperm, and can find no evidence of side-effects either from the regression drugs or from the hormones. It looks like you got away clear on that score. Now, because of that, it's given her a couple of ideas, and she would like to see if they can be developed into something that can be of use to you. That would mean that Belle and yourself may have to go and visit her again some time at a later date. Would you mind doing that?"

"I'll have to ask Belle, but I can't foresee any difficulty. I assume this is not going to be immediate."

"Not from the tone of her message, no. You don't quite seem your usual self," Sophia observed. "Is anything the matter?"

"Yes, there is," Marion replied. She then outlined the residency problem to Sophia, who appeared quite concerned.

"I'm glad you brought this to my attention," she said. "It affects the well-being of two staff members, one of whom I'm directly responsible for. You already know that it's unlikely that I can do anything directly to help you both with your problem, but there may be other ways in which I can help you cope."

"Doing my job again, Sophia?" Marion asked with a smile.

She shrugged. "Why not? It's the old 'physician, heal thyself' business. Sometimes it takes an outside touch to solve a problem. It's only what you do for the detainees, after all."

Marion returned to her office, placing the sample pot on her desk. Talya's eyes fastened on the small jar, but she managed not to say anything. Marion didn't want to risk much physical activity so soon after eating, so the two women carried on with what they had started before lunch. They had been working about an hour and the sample pot had long been forgotten when their concentration was interrupted by a persistent chime from somewhere along the corridor outside.

"What's that? A fire alarm?" Marion asked.

"Don't know," replied Talya. "I've heard it a number of times over the years, when I was stuck in my room. Nobody ever bothered to tell me what it was, though. I don't think it's the fire alarm, there's a standard set of procedures for that, and when they had to evacuate us all the alarm sounded different to that."

"They evacuated you? That sounds interesting. How did they avoid getting you mixed together with the normal detainees, then?"

"As I understand it, pink dresses go into one exercise yard, browns go in the other. Specials like you and me end up out the back, by the loading dock. There's a small yard out there where they keep some of the transport vehicles and so on, it can be gated off. It's not perfect, but it seems to work. Of course, all the staff are running round with stun rifles like headless chickens, so everyone stays still and tries to keep out of trouble."

Any further explanation was cut short by the breathless appearance of Elena.

"Talya! Come quickly! There's been a disturbance, Sick Bay will be full of people any second now. Trish gave me a warning. Come back up to the Deck." She turned her attention to Marion. "It'll be safer for her up there."

"Just let me -" said Talya, leaning over her keyboard.

"No time! Leave that, Marion'll sort it out. There will be casualties appearing any moment. Come on!"

"Go," Marion commanded. Talya looked at her, then rose and quickly followed Elena out of the door. Marion had barely time to move to Talya's seat to shut down the session she had open when Wanda appeared at the door supporting a Deck Shepherd who was covered in blood.

"Counsellor! Can I borrow your treatment room, please? We have a large number of injuries to handle."

"Go through," Marion waved her hand at the connecting door in invitation. She looked at the display, decided that she wasn't going to get much else done if the situation was that serious, and killed both Talya's session and her own before following Wanda into the treatment room. The Shepherd was seated in the chair holding a bloody pad to her forehead while Wanda was searching through the drawers and cupboards looking fruitlessly for medical supplies.

"These cupboards are all empty! Don't you have anything in here at all?" she asked Marion as she came into the room.

"No, sorry, this suite wasn't used at all until I came here," Marion replied. "Is there anything I can do?"

Wanda looked at her. "Yes," she said after a brief thought. "Come here and hold this pad over Cathy's eyebrow to slow down the bleeding while I go and find some kit. I'll be a few minutes."

Marion walked over to the chair, took the bloody gauze pad from the Shepherd and pressed it on to a long gash over her right eyebrow as Wanda ran out of the room. From the corridor, there were sounds as though a crowd was passing by. The Shepherd leaned back with a sigh.

"What happened? What Deck are you from?" Marion asked.

"M Deck," she replied. "Not so much a riot as a mass brawl, I think. It must have been all pre-arranged. One minute I was sitting at the watch station, the next they streamed out of both lounges and met between the gates. First thing they did was to trash the watch station. Got this cut falling against the edge of the table. My knee doesn't feel right, either." She looked at Marion more closely. "Oh, you're the Counsellor we've been hearing about." She studied Marion's name tag. "Marion. Service, Marion, I'm Cathy."

"Service, Cathy. M Deck? Remind me please, where's that? I find the lettering system they use in here most confusing."

"At the front, one floor down. Yes, I know what you mean." Cathy gingerly raised her right leg and felt the knee with a hand, drawing in a sharp intake of breath as she touched it. "That's not good. I think someone trod on the side of it while I was lying on the floor, wedged up against the back wall. I'm not sure, everything happened so fast."

Two Site Shepherds came in the door, one supporting the other who had an arm clamped against her side.

"They told us to come in here," the fit one said. "She's injured the side of her chest. Is there anywhere she can sit down?"

"Yes, of course," Marion turned without reducing the pressure on Cathy's head. "Go into the office, there are a couple of chairs, bring them in here."

The injured Shepherd leant her good side against the counter and said, "Go on, Megan. I'll survive here for a minute or two," through clenched teeth. She was clearly in some pain. Her mate reappeared lugging the two visitors' chairs from Marion's office, and she sank gratefully but carefully onto one of them. "I'm Jo, by the way."

"Service, Jo."

"You're not a doctor, or an orderly. Why are you in... Oh, you're the Counsellor, aren't you? The grey dress."

"That's right," Marion said. "I'm afraid this suite is normally unused, I'm just using the office part to do my job. One of the orderlies has gone to get some medical gear," Marion explained. "At least, I hope so. It looks like you had quite a bad time down there."

Megan explained. "I think that they knew they only had a limited time before we'd turn out. There's a Ready Room practically at the end of the wing, so the moment the alarm went they knew we'd be there in seconds. I guess most of the Deck was involved one way or another."

Half a minute later Wanda reappeared shaking her head, with a green first aid satchel in one hand and a bag full of dressings in the other. She noticed Jo sitting on a chair and raised an eyebrow.

"Chest," Jo replied briefly. "I might have cracked a rib."

Wanda nodded and dumped the bags onto the counter. She came over to the chair and took the pad from Marion, lifting Cathy up and helping her over to one of the sinks embedded in the counter to start washing the blood away.

"Are you qualified to do this?" Megan asked Wanda as the latter started cleaning the gash.

"Heck, yes," Wanda replied. "I was a qualified battlefield medical attendant before I came here, and this just about qualifies as a battlefield, doesn't it? I can certainly sort out scrapes like this one. Your friend's ribs will have to wait for a doctor, though. One should be along in a minute."

Wanda rinsed off all the surface blood, then sprayed a coagulant initiator onto the long cut. Once that had taken, she carefully drew round the wound with a thin line of surgical glue. With Marion holding the edges closed, Wanda applied a mesh strip to the wound and held it there until the glue set and sealed the raw edges together. She observed it for a few seconds to make sure it didn't resume bleeding or that the mesh came away.

"That looks good. Is your other uniform available?"

"Yes, in my locker," Cathy said. "Why?"

"I'd go downstairs and change right now," Wanda said. "Stuff these in the nearest laundry chute, then go and sit in the canteen with tea and some biscuits for an hour. Come back here to let the docs check you over, the place should have calmed down by then."

"Uh, my knee. I think someone trod on it."

"Oh. Which one? It does look as though it's beginning to swell, doesn't it? Okay, take a chair, I'll see if I can find a doctor. Let me spray you with something to make you more comfortable while I'm gone."

Wanda got out a hypo spray and used it on the swollen knee. Cathy gave a sigh of relief as the painkiller took hold. Wanda washed her hands and dried them under the blower before moving towards the door.

"Any problems, I'm sure the Counsellor will be able to help." She went out the door, from where screams and sounds of crying women could be heard.

"Does this sort of thing happen often?" Marion asked in the following vacuum.

"Not if we can help it," Cathy said. "About every couple of months, would you say, girls?"

"If that," Megan replied. "Not usually on C Deck or those on the same level, though, because they all know that Site Security's just at the end of the corridor. Since it did happen, I'm guessing that some specific grudge was involved, for them to take the risk."

"How do you mean, grudge?" Marion asked.

"Oh, not against the Shepherds," Megan said. "Some do have grudges against a particular Shepherd or two, but then you'd usually get an attack by one or two of them focused against those Shepherds. No, this has to be detainee against detainee." Jo and Cathy murmured agreement. "Cathy, right? Have you had anyone transferred in recently? From another Deck, or a new conviction?"

Cathy looked dubious. "Depends what you mean by recently. The last two came up over two weeks ago, from L Deck. Couple of young 'uns, barely out of their teens."

"Gang members, perhaps?"

"Don't think so. Leastways, no obvious tattoos or marks like that. We'll find out, soon enough."

Two new people appeared in the doorway, a Shepherd and a detainee. The detainee had her right hand under her left elbow, and her left arm lay along the top of her right one. Her face was white with obvious pain.

"The chair," Marion said. "Get her into the chair."

"Shepherd," Megan said, "This detainee is not cuffed, contrary to regulations."

"Wouldn't be appropriate," the newcomer said shortly. "She's broken her forearm."

Megan walked over to the newcomer and between them they managed to get the pink-clad woman into the chair.

"You're not going to cause us any trouble, are you?" Megan asked her.

"Are you stupid?" the woman said through gritted teeth. "I can barely stay conscious." She lay back in the chair with a sigh.

"My apologies, citizen," Megan said, suitably contrite. "Just doing my job, you understand? Now, we're going to have to part strap you down. I don't propose to touch your arm."

"If you must, Shepherd."

They began to strap her down, but before they had done more than her legs she fainted, her broken arm sliding off her stomach to dangle at the side of the chair. From the movement of the limb as it slid it was very obvious that it was broken, and all of them turned green at the sight. Marion very carefully lifted it back up and placed it on the arm-rest, looping a strap gently over the wrist to stop it falling off again. She leaned over the body to try and find a pulse, and what she found was very weak.

"I think she's going into shock," she said. "Damn! She might have internal injuries, I wouldn't have thought a broken arm could cause this reaction."

"It's possible," muttered the fresh Shepherd. "What are we going to do?"

"I have a factory first-aid certificate," Marion said, "Leastways I did a year ago, but I don't think I can deal with something like this. The Orderly who was in here has gone off to find a doctor, but it sounds like they've enough on their plate already."

Another Site Shepherd appeared accompanied by a cuffed detainee who was covered in blood, and with a black eye and other bruising beginning to show.

"We were told to come here," the newcomer said. "The doc's not far behind."

The detainee, an older woman with grey hair, stepped towards the treatment chair but was held by her minder.

"What's the matter with her?" she asked. "She doesn't look good."

"None of your business, citizen," her minder said. "Stand clear, wait for the doctor."

"Maybe, maybe not," Marion said. She addressed the woman directly. "Do you have any training that could be useful in this situation? She came in here with a broken arm, but it looks like she's gone into shock."

The woman eyed Marion thoughtfully.

"I was a nurse during The Uprising," she said. "I can't have forgotten it all. Can I borrow a stethoscope from that first-aid pack?"

"Now just a minute!" her minder protested, but was cut off by Marion.

"Let her, she probably knows more than the rest of us put together. Megan, can you root through that bag and find the stethoscope?"

"Certainly, Counsellor." The instrument was easy to find, Megan handed it to Marion, who beckoned to the woman.

"Here. We shouldn't be wasting time."

Her minder grudgingly let her go, and she took the instrument and put it in her ears before leaning over the patient. She listened carefully, her face serious, before standing and shaking her head.

"Shock all right. This is the broken arm? I'm surprised that caused the shock, but it's not unknown."

"I wondered whether she might have some other injuries we don't know about," Marion suggested. "She didn't complain of anything else, but her attention may have been all on her arm."

The woman looked at Marion doubtfully.

"It's possible. I might be able to use a scanner to look for other injuries, but I'm not sure I could do much if I did find anything." She gave a grimace and held up her still-cuffed hands. "Assuming I can figure out how to use these modern scanners, of course," she added.

"Treatment for shock, then?" Marion asked.

"Adrenaline, or one of the more modern substitutes," the woman replied. "You won't get me administering anything like that, though. It's been too long, I'm afraid." She shook her head. "That was forty years ago."

Wanda appeared at that moment, with another bloody detainee in tow. She did a double-take at the crowd now in the room.

"Counsellor, I can't leave you for five minutes, it seems. What's going on?"

"Eyebrow cut and damaged knee," she pointed to Cathy, before indicating Jo. "She's got a damaged rib-cage, possibly cracked ribs. This one," she indicated the chair, "came in with a broken arm, then passed out while we were putting her in the chair. This citizen," pointing to the grey-haired detainee, "is an ex-nurse, says that one's in shock. I'm not sure why she's here herself."

Wanda looked at each in turn, and then at the stethoscope still round the older woman's neck. She nodded.

"Right. The doctor's on her way. Will one of you -" she indicated the three uninjured Shepherds, "- look after this one for a moment? Let's deal with the emergency first. Can I have the stethoscope, please?"

Wanda examined the woman in the chair and then went to her bag, returning with a hypo spray which she used on her patient. She listened to her pulse again before nodding.

"Citizen, would you mind?" She spoke to the older woman. "Keep an eye on her while I deal with the more superficial injuries, please." She handed back the stethoscope.

"An eye is all I've got," the woman replied. Her other eye was now completely shut by the swelling. "But I can manage that much."

When Alison entered the room a minute later she was forced to stop, by what she saw as much as by the numbers within. Wanda was spraying the detainee she had brought in, cleaning a flesh wound. The others were sitting on chairs or leaning against the counters, giving room to Marion and the older detainee, who were attending the woman in the treatment chair.

"Doctor! That one first," Wanda said, pointing behind her with her free hand.

Alison raised an eyebrow at the fact that a cuffed detainee was using a stethoscope on a patient, but she was becoming accustomed to unusual sights in a place like this, particularly as Marion was in the room.

"The orderly gave her two separate shots of adrenaline," the ex-nurse reported as Alison approached. "I was a nurse a long time ago," she explained.

"My thanks, citizen," she said.

Alison made short work of the injured in the room. The woman in the chair was revived, her body scanned for other injuries without anything obvious being found. Her bones were set, her arm was encased in a mouldable foam plastic cast, and she was helped into a wheelchair to be taken to the ward. Alison used a portable scanner to check Jo's chest and she was found to have two broken ribs. Arrangements were made for her to be transferred to an outside Medical Facility to be properly treated there. Cathy's knee was also scanned. Nothing seemed to be seriously damaged, but Alison signed her off for a week and she was sent to the pharmacy to be issued with crutches. Meanwhile Wanda cleaned up and bandaged the assorted cuts and bruises, leaving only the older detainee's swollen eye for Alison to make a decision on.

"So, you used to be a nurse," she commented as the other sat in the chair.

"During The Uprising," was the reply. "For a couple of years afterwards, also, until I married. Oh, your pardon, until I Accepted Commitment." She pulled a face. "That's what it's called these days, isn't it? Stupid rule, if you ask me."

"I'm not concerned with your use of language, citizen," Alison said. "Just with the state of that eye. However, your assistance here today will be noted, my thanks to you."

Alison had to drain blood from behind the eye socket to reduce the swelling, and since that indicated a possible haemorrhage she decided to keep the woman on the ward for observation. A Shepherd helped her off in that direction. Finally, only Alison, Wanda and Marion were left in the room amongst the debris of the afternoon's excitement.

"You did say you wanted a quiet few days," Marion reminded Wanda. "That worked out well, didn't it?"

"I should keep my big mouth shut," she replied ruefully. "I hope it's not all going to be like this."

"No, fortunately, the day-to-day work is much steadier," Alison said. "It's a bit like an Emergency Room, a steady trickle most of the time, then blam! a tram or a bus or a train gets it and we're all rushed off our feet. Or in our case, a riot happens."

"Do we know what happened yet?" Marion asked.

"Not yet," Alison replied. "Why, professional interest?"

"Of course. Perhaps I ought to accompany whoever goes round that Deck the next time."

"That'll be tomorrow," Alison said. "Most of the Deck had minor injuries, so they've just all been locked in their rooms, and they'll probably stay locked down for a week or so till tempers cool." She regarded Marion thoughtfully, then nodded. "That's a good idea. You might be able to find out what's going on. You might also be able to reduce the tension down there, like you've done elsewhere."

"Maybe. I thought Site Security would be able to find out what happened. After all, they'll have everything recorded, won't they?"

"The system works, but it's not that efficient. If you think about it, they just managed to plan and execute a major disturbance despite all the surveillance that goes on. If you can do your not-one-of-them trick and get some of them to open up, you may find out more than Site Security ever could."

"Truth. However, I have to make sure that they don't think I'm trying to pump them, or that anything they tell me gets straight back to Site Security."

"With the number of pickups we have around the building? They must know that'll happen anyway."

A rather dazed-looking trusty appeared pushing the tea trolley, nervous of the unexpected activity within Sick Bay. The three women fell upon it like famine victims, hungrily devouring cakes and taking refills of tea. Once they had refreshed themselves, Alison decided to go and look for more patients whilst Wanda helped Marion clean up the treatment room and return her chairs to the office. Once there, she gratefully sat down in one of the returned chairs, while Marion sat in hers and thumbed on her terminal.

"Anything I can do for you, Wanda? I notice you're not rushing off looking for more bodies to bandage."

"It's mostly over," she said, waving an arm in dismissal. "Uh, I've been meaning to ask you about your job," she said. "I know what you said when we were on the course, but I'm more interested since I've watched you in action today."

"Me? I did virtually nothing today, except stand around looking useless. You were the one doing the action. You seem to have a lot of experience. Is that all from your peacekeeping tour?"

"That would be tours plural. Yes, I suppose it is. Although, see, my second tour, I ended up running an orphanage. By the time we were relieved, there were as many adults there as children, refugees all. So I was wondering how your job compares with what I was doing out there."

"Ah, all I can really tell you is how I came to get this job, which will involve me telling you how I ended up in here in the first place. Have you the time for a long story?"

Wanda looked slightly guilty. "Probably not. I've been quite busy for an hour or two, though, so I can probably take a few minutes rest. Why don't you begin, and if anyone finds me we'll have to continue later? I've no problem telling you what I've been up to by way of exchange."

Marion smiled. "You may want to reconsider that when I've finished, as the exchange will probably be an unequal one. You see, when I was convicted and sent here nearly eight months ago, I was a man."

She recounted yet again to an astonished Wanda just how she had come to be in the facility, and what had happened at the end of her stay, when Elena had suggested that she stayed on as an independent Counsellor both for the detainees and for the staff.

"Wow! Your life really did take an unexpected turn, didn't it? I'd heard rumours, but I don't think I really believed any of them, they sounded so fantastic, and I know what chinese whispers are like in a place like this. I would never have guessed that you were once a man. Tell me, do you feel like a man inside, still? I'm not sure if I can understand what your mental state must be, it's just way outside my experience."

"It's somewhat difficult to say," Marion replied. "After all, I've no experience of what a woman should feel, or think, or any of that. I am now taking hormones again, and I think that they have modified the way I think, but how do I tell? At least, I don't consider myself to be entirely male any more. I'm somewhere in between, and Sophia seems to think that's why I'm so good at my new job. I can empathise with women, but I also still have a little male objectivity I can bring to the table." She smiled. "Ask me again in six months, and I'm sure you'll get an entirely different answer. So, then, what about your own background?"

Wanda then described how she had gone with her platoon to the shell-damaged orphanage to find the staff gone but the children still there, and how she had organised the place, arranged for food, arranged to have some repairs done, looked after the children. How, after a while, when the existence of a safe haven became known, women and children refugees gathered there and how Wanda had looking after them as well, listening to their problems and trying to find solutions.

"Are you saying that you want my job?" Marion asked at a pause in the conversation.

"I'm not sure," Wanda admitted. "Until you appeared in that classroom I never even knew such a job existed. And, given what happened today, I'm sure I'm much more valuable to the facility as a front-line medic."

"Have you any formal medical qualifications?"

"Nope, only what I learned in the Army, although of course I would get credits based on that if I had wanted to go on to Nursing or Medical college. I preferred to get my hands dirty instead, and when someone at the Army Post-Service Career Bureau suggested a containment facility, I thought it sounded interesting, so here I am."

"I would say you picked right, judging by your performance here today," Marion said. "Although, you shouldn't expect much of what we had today. I can't remember a similar event in the eight months or so since I originally came here. On the whole, most of the facility is relatively peaceful."

"I'm glad to hear it. No, I'm not after your job, but depending on how things develop here I might be interested in a move in that kind of direction sometime in the future. It's too early to tell."

Sophia came into the room, dressed in blood-stained theatre greens.

"Ah, there you are! I wondered where you were hiding, I should have realised."

Wanda got up from her chair, ready to do whatever Sophia required, but Sophia merely waved her hand at the chair while she sank onto the other one with a weary sigh.

"Stay put, the troops have got everyone and everything organised." She looked down at her stained top. "I must go and change, and have a shower," she commented. She looked at Marion. "One of the Deck Shepherds hit her head on the watch station, got a depressed skull fracture. It was quite bad and required immediate attention, hence the blood and gore." She indicated her theatre greens. "She's doing steady now, she's been taken to a proper Medical Facility since we don't have the machinery or skills here to look after that kind of injury. Wanda?" She turned to the orderly.

"Yes, Director."

"Your services today have been noted. You did more than was expected of you, but from your military record I knew that you were capable of what you did, so I allowed you to carry on. It was a good test of your ability."

"Thank you, Director."

"You won't thank me for what I'm going to ask you to do next, though. The riot, fracas, whatever you want to call it, has wiped out the whole day shift for M Deck, and they're struggling to find replacements. I have volunteered you, short term."

"Director?"

"It actually makes sense, since most of M Deck has minor injuries of one sort or another. We've had to rearrange quite a few detainees to free up D Deck beds, but most of M Deck is still down there. Someone with medical expertise will be of great benefit for the next week, or possibly two."

"But, Director, I'm not a Shepherd!"

"You did just pass the Shepherds' training course," Sophia observed. "Besides, M Deck is under lockdown, so you shouldn't have much difficulty doing the job for a week or so. Think of it as experience, it will give you a better grasp of what goes on elsewhere in the building."

"As you say, Director. Does this mean I'll have to carry a wand?"

Sophia blinked. "Yes, I suppose it does. Will this be a problem for you?"

"No, Director. It's just... unusual."

"You'll do it? Starting tomorrow?"

"Of course, Director. It's just somewhat sudden, is all."

"Thank you." Sophia gave her a smile that was intended as encouragement before turning her attention to Marion. "And I must thank you for your own efforts today, Marion. I know it was somewhat unexpected, but then the nature of most things that Sick Bay handles is unexpected. What happened to Talya?"

"A little bird whispered in Elena's ear and she came and evacuated her," Marion replied with a smile. "I'm not sure how she would have handled the last hour or so."

Sophia nodded. "Good, I hadn't thought about the implications of her being here, so I'm glad she's out of it. Alison told me about your use of Detainee Brondby earlier, that was a good call. How did you know she had experience?"

"Just by her manner, Sophia. I was taking a risk, I know, but it seemed to me the circumstances warranted it."

"Yes, tricky. I don't suppose you want to do a medical course?" She sighed. "We're so short-staffed these days."

"I had a factory first-aider's certificate, but that wouldn't have covered today's circumstances. Sorry. I don't think I have time for another course, it's going to take Talya and I some time to clear last week's backlog as it is."

"It's all right, I wasn't being serious. However, it looks as like we're going to have to kit out your treatment room, up to specification, in case we get caught again. It shouldn't affect you, should it, as you don't use it at all."

"Be my guest."

"Alison also told me you'd suggested going round M Deck in the morning. I think that's another excellent idea you've had. There will be a scratch shift of Shepherds down there, but you can co-ordinate with Wanda here if you need anything or if you find anything out."

"Yes, Sophia."

Sophia stood and beckoned to Wanda.

"I think it's time we left our Counsellor to her business," she said. "You and I should go and get changed. Or were you planning to leave all that blood on your shirt?"

"Where? Oh! I hadn't realised, Director. Yes, let's get changed. Service, Marion."

*****

"So that's what happened," Marion finished.

"Sounds like you were busy down there," Belle said as they walked up towards the tram stop. "I'm not sure any shift would have been able to cope with being jumped like that." She shuddered at the thought of being caught in a fight like that, taken totally by surprise. "It'll probably mean a change in operating procedures, although I'm not sure how something like that could be avoided. Perhaps by only allowing one of the gates either side of the watch station to be open at any one time." She shook her head. "I don't understand how they could have planned it in the first place."

"No," Marion said, "That's something I'm going to try and find out tomorrow. I'm going to go down there with one of the doctors and see if I can get people to talk."

"Off the record?"

"Oh, yes. But I will of course summarise anything I learn for Donna's benefit. After all, it's in the detainees' interests as well if we can avoid future injuries. That broken arm was just plain gruesome."

"I've probably seen worse. You don't get to jump out of planes without witnessing one or two nasty accidents, but it's never nice whenever it happens."

"Agreed. What happened to Talya, I meant to ask before?"

"Oh, she just went back to her room, changed into green and joined the crew in the lounge. Everyone had heard the alarm, they all wanted to know what was happening, of course. Now the rules state that we're not supposed to tell them anything, in case it triggers sympathetic action, but there's never been any trouble on E Deck, so Elena had a quiet word just to stop them exploding with curiosity." She chuckled. "I'm not sure it improved the situation, though. They were more worried that you'd be in danger than anything else."

Marion smiled. "Danger from detainees was never going to be a problem. In fact, I had more Shepherds crammed into that treatment room than detainees. It's just as well I don't faint at the sight of blood, though."

"Here's a tram," Belle said. "I don't suppose you want to do any shopping after today, do you?"

"Not this evening, I've had enough of a stressful day already. I will, however, gratefully accept an offer of a massage, though." She started as they joined the queue waiting to board the tram. "Damn! I forgot!"

"What now? Left something at work?"

"Yes. Sophia gave me another sample pot. I should have used it at work, though, but of course I got severely sidetracked. It's still sitting on my desk."

"Never mind, love. We'll just have a quiet night in." But her eyes glinted with mischief. "Your pot will still be waiting for you in the morning. I want to try that sampling procedure for myself, tonight."