Immortal Girl By Choice
by: Barbie Lee

NASA needed a way to keep astronauts in suspended animation for Deep Space exploration. The hush hush program turned up a lot more problems than expected. Most of the test subjects didn't adapt to being frozen in time. When the NASA budget was cut the projects showing the least return were the first to go. Deep Space Research suffered the most cuts.

One of the scientists knew NASA had terminated his project because everyone was jealous of how brilliant he was. Bitter because his research ended on the chopping block, he left NASA. He didn't abandon his research. He built his own lab as far away from NASA as practical. His test subjects didn't get a choice whether they wanted to be a part of his experiments or not. Edward became rich full filling his clients fantasies of what their perfect girlfriend should look like.

Immortal Girl by Choice

"I'm a genius and they didn't appreciate me. You know what it's like to give your life to a company and they toss you out with the trash? Huh? Do you?"

He giggled as he looked around at the women spread throughout the huge lavishly decorated room. "They know. I showed them I'm not trash. All of them. Every single one. They know."

"I had nothing to do with whatever you think they did. I don't even know you. I'm not even from around here. I told you I was from Houston. Let me go and I'll be on the first flight back and I won't say anything to anyone." Why I even stopped into the club where I ran into this kook was beyond me. I was looking to watch the club act, return to my room, and pack my bags for the flight back home in the morning.

It un nerved me even more when he giggled again. "Sorry, you are my next test case. Think of your contribution to mankind and stop being so
selfish thinking about yourself."

The glass cylinder I was strapped into started moving into what looked an awful lot like one of those brain, body scan things. "Wait, I have money. You want money? I'll pay you whatever you want. Stop."

Damn if he didn't giggle again. "Money? I have no need of money. I have more money than I can ever spend in my life. Stop squirming and be still. You won't feel a thing.... I don't think. None of the others have ever complained about it hurting."

"OTHERS?" And then darkness closed in as I was lost in a nightmare that wasn't part of my sleep.

Edward rubbed his hands together as he keyed in the program for his test case now lying still inside the magnometer. A mist swirled around inside the cylinder as the machine spun around it. He watched as the shape shifting started changing. Like all his women standing so still in the room, she wouldn't have the typical mom next door figure. She would be more like an over endowed stripper when the changes were finished.

Six hours later the machine stopped spinning. The glass cylinder slowly slid out. Edward unlatched the lid on the bottom of the cylinder and pulled the woman out onto the stainless steel table. She was breathing but comatose. "You look lovely my child. No need to thank me. It was simple enough to do. In a few hours your mind will engage with your body again. I can't have you running off so the next thing I must do is put you in stasis. "

"I'll explain it to you so you will have an understanding and appreciation for how smart I am."

He held up in front of my eyes what looked like a couple of unbelievably huge didoes.

The one in his right hand he waved in front of my face. "This is like a catheter, goes into your brand new pussy. It takes care of all the fluids."

The other one he held up and smiled. "One of my most magnificent ideas. It goes up your ass and takes care of all the solids. Aren't I smart!"

My mind was finally getting a grasp on reality again and thinking this asshole was smart wasn't one of the words that came to me. The problem was my body wasn't responding yet no matter how hard I tried to scream at him.

Edward had a vest opened up on the table when he pulled me out of the cylinder. Now all he had to do was bring the straps up and tighten the vest up around my upper torso. "I see you eyes are following me. You seem to be coming out of the change sooner than I expected. I'll have to get you set up before you start doing something stupid."

Edward moved a crane over the table and hooked cables into eyes on top of each shoulder strap. There was a whirring sound. I was lifted up off the table. He moved the crane over to a pedestal with a big circular base and slowly lowered me down to where my feet were six inches above the base.

"Here's your new stand. It is already hooked in and ready for you. I do
hope you like it as much as I have enjoyed making it for you."

As I watched, Edward retrieved the inserts off the table. He coated both of them with a heavy gel. It still hadn't registered in my mind I was no longer a guy. But then so far I was just observing what was in front of my vision.

Edward walked back over in front of me and squatted down. I felt something slid up inside me where it shouldn't have been possible. I heard a couple clicks.

He walked out of my vision and I felt something slid up inside me from behind. Now that could have been possible. Again those clicks.

He returned to stand in front of me. "There, now you are set."

Again he squatted down in front of me and I could feel him pulling my right and then left leg into the pedestal and a now familiar click. I was guessing he had locked my ankles to the pedestal.

Edward stood up and the crane slowly let out the cable that was holding me up. I settled in on whatever it was Edward had shoved up inside me. It didn't hurt but it certainly wasn't comfortable. My body wasn't sending a whole lot of signals to my brain so I had no idea exactly what Edward had done to me. If he had done the same thing to me he had done to the women I saw across room from me then he had mounted me on a pedestal like a trophy or a mannequin. I promised myself I would kill him when I got free.

"Let's get you out of that vest so I can admire how well I did with you." Edward unstrapped the vest and removed it. He walked eight or ten feet away and studied me. "I impress myself each time. I am good. You are a beauty without doubt. You have to see so you can appreciate what I have done."

He left and returned in minutes with a wide tall mirror on rollers. He placed it in front of me. "Damn am I good or what!"

I was looking not at myself but a woman. So it wasn't a mirror but a monitor of some kind. I wasn't buying what Edward was selling. Nice try. I wanted to shout at him.

Edward pulled my hands behind my back and locked them together somehow. "I'm going to let you get an understanding of how beautiful you are so you can appreciate what I have done for you before I put you in stasis. I don't want you to hurt yourself by clawing or any of that stuff while you get use to who you are."

Except for the monitor I was looking at, he started rolling all of the equipment out of the room.

Feelings were slowly returning. What seemed like forever I finally could move my head. I looked around the room. It was lavishly decorated with art and over endowed women on pedestals. Looking down I found that kook had put artificial breasts on my chest. Slowly I realized the image in the monitor was mimicking every move I did. I move my head and so did she. I bend over to the side, forward or backward and so did she. That had to be some kind of high end equipment to mimic me instantly like that.

Hours later Edward walked back into the room. "So, do we agree I'm a genius? You like what I've done for you?"

"You bastard. Let me down and I'll show you how much I appreciate what you have done." The voice wasn't mine but delicate and lilting like a woman's voice. I hadn't figured out how he was mimicking that yet?

"You call me a bastard after all I have done for you? Do you not understand what I have made of you? You are no different from all the rest and I thought you would understand." Edward grabbed my left breast and squeezed.

"EEEEEEEEEEE!" Pain unlike I had ever experienced before sent shock waves through my body.

Edward grabbed my right breast. He twisted and squeezed at the same time. "You will appreciate what I have done for you. This is only a sample of the punishment you will be experience unless you love what I have done for you and all these other thankless whores."

"EEEEEEEEEEE!" I almost fainted it hurt so bad. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I cried in pain. I no longer had any doubt those breasts weren't fake. They were mine and they both hurt.

"Do you love me now?" Edward waited for an answer.

I finally managed to get my breath. "Fuck you asshole. Turn me lose."

His face got all scrunched up and he stared at me with furry before he turned and left.

If I had any inkling of what he had in mind I would have told him I loved him with all my heart while giving him a big sloppy kiss on the lips.

He returned with a machine. Two metal cups with black cables coming out of the end of the cups were on top of the machine in brackets. He picked up one cup. The nearest I could describe it was kind of like a football cut in half. He flipped a switch.

I could hear a hissing sound. I didn't like the idea of where this was going. "Get away from me you freaking bastard."

He turned and looked at me with hate in his eyes. "You are going to learn to love me and appreciate all I have done for you. You are going to appreciate how intelligent I am. How much smarter I am than any other person."

He slipped the cup upon my left breast and it pulled in. The other cup went on my right breast as it also pulled in. I relaxed as my worse fears weren't materializing. Obviously the damn thing had suction cups but they weren't hurting me. If he thought this was bad maybe I should help him along. "EEEEEEEEE" I screamed in mock pain.

Edward looked startled for a second and then he laughed. "Right. Now for the real treat." He flipped a switch.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Wasn't faked as the cups pulled so hard I thought they were pulling my breasts off my chest. That was the good part. Then came the shock like someone was rolling a thousand needles in a roller around and around my breasts. I had more than enough pain and thankfully I passed out.

When I came to the cups were still on my breasts. They weren't shocking me. Looking around the room each of the manikins had a tube in their mouth. I have no idea how long it was before Edward came into the room and one by one removed the tubes from each manikin. He put them on a cart and stopped in front of me.

"You won't need to be fed until tomorrow night. Do you love me?" He waited for an answer.

Looking back I can only say the answer I gave was because I still didn't have my brain engaged. "I'm going to kill you."

Again his eyes glowed with hate. "You stupid bitch. I made you. You ungrateful whore. I can unmake you just as easily." He flipped a switch on the machine.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I screamed in pain. It felt like the cups pulled my breasts off again. The needles rolling around on my breasts weren't as bad as before. He didn't want me to pass out and miss my training exercise.

I have no idea how long Edward left that damn machine torturing me but it was a lifetime. I screamed, I cried, I whined, I begged for him to kill me, I pleaded, I told him I loved him with all my heart. I told him he was the smartest man on earth. Edward wasn't there to hear it but I was screaming and shouting anything and everything that I thought would work so he would turn off the machine.

The pain stopped and Edward was in front of me. "Do you love me?"

"Yes, oh yes I love you more than I have ever loved anyone." I cried as tears were rolling down my cheeks.

"I'm a genius." He waited.

"Genius isn't the word for how intelligent and smart you are. You are the smartest person ever to walk this earth. I bet God is jealous you are so smart." I smiled and cried hoping I wasn't going to be in for another training session.

Edwards face lit up. "I love you too. You are one of my best experiments. You are very beautiful. You know I don't like to hurt you. When you are naughty you must be punished. If I unlock your wrists will you behave?"

"Oh yes I promise to behave." Being new at this slave bit I had no idea how to respond. The main thing was not to give Edward a reason to turn on his machine again.

He hesitated as giving it some thought before moving behind me. My hands and arms were free. The first thing I did was try and pull those damn torture devices off my breasts. Mistake. They didn't come lose.

"I didn't tell you to do that." Edward switched on the machine.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I was crying and trying to get the thing off me to no avail as Edward left the room.

Another lifetime later he returned. He clicked the machine off. "Do you love me?"

Through the tears and sniffles I managed to answer. "Yes I love you more than any other person on earth."

"Are you going to try and remove the training cups without my permission?" He put his finger on the switch.

"No, I have learned my lesson and I am ashamed I didn't ask permission." Pain is a real quick teacher. I was learning what to say to mollify this monster.

"That's my girl. You know love you. I don't want to punish you but you try my patience. Naughty girls must be punished. Were you naughty?"

"Yes I was naughty. I'm glad you punished me so I would know it was wrong. I won't do it again." I had no idea where this monster drew the line at right or wrong. I was determined to not cross his boundaries and receive more pain.

"You agree you were naughty and had to be punished?" He frowned.

"Yes I was naughty and had to be punished." I was thinking if I agreed with him enough he might let me down off the pedestal he had me posted on.

"Because you know you were naughty I don't need to punish you as severely as before." He flipped the switch.

"EEEEEEEEEE!" It hurt. Not as bad as before. Didn't make any difference it still hurt like hell. I was finding out a woman's breasts is one of
her most sensitive parts of her body. A lesson I could have done without.

Edward didn't leave it on as long as he had the other times. He returned, turned it off and waited.

"I love you more than any other person I have known." I managed through the tears and the pain. I hoped that was the proper response he was wanting.

He nodded and left.

Whatever he had me perched on was digging into me in places I didn't know I had. I squirmed and wiggled but to no avail. There was no comfort. I couldn't get down because I couldn't lift myself off whatever it was inside me. Not with my ankles locked to the pedestal. I didn't think that made much difference. I wasn't rising up off that thing no matter what. It was probably hours later when it came to me one doesn't feed mannequins. The other girls weren't wiggling but as I studied them they didn't exactly look like mannequins. They were mounted on pedestals the same as me. There were eight of them in the room. I was beginning to believe I wasn't the first to run into this insane madman.

Slowly my attention turned to each individual. The first one on my left had long red hair, big breasts, small waist, and wide hips. Her lips were sweetheart shaped but too big. The next one had big breasts, average waist, average hips but damn big tush. It was way way too much. Like the first she had sweetheart lips that were too big.

I reached up to touch my lip as I looked in the mirror still in front of me. I had long decided that was a mirror and not a monitor. I had sexy sweetheart lips that shouted kiss me but they weren't big.

The girl to the left of the second one had basketballs for breasts. They literally looked like round basketballs and were as big or maybe bigger. Her nipples were a good replica of half a hotdog. They were that big and long. Where her breasts attached to her chest they necked down like the neck of a balloon. If I had to guess it was about as big in diameter as a pop bottle? I stared for the longest trying to figure out how they could hang out like that on so little support? I finally got to the rest of her body. She had the tinniest little waist and wide wide hips and a big big tush.

I felt my wide hips and tush. I was endowed but not that bad. I wanted to feel my breasts. I didn't dare touch the cups which were still hanging on them.

Each of the girls were unique unto themselves. If Edward was the designer then he made my list as the mad sex crazed scientist of the century. How he had changed us was a mystery. That he had changed us wasn't. Nature didn't make those girls the way they were. The one common trait among them all was really big breasts with really big nipples. That is if the girl with the basketballs could be called breasts. I was curious what he had done to me but I didn't dare remove a cup and look.

It felt like days but probably wasn't when Edward returned. He had changed clothes and was dressed like a well to do businessman. He walked up in front of me and waited.

"You look very fetching. I love you with all my heart." I hope I said the right things to please him.. And as soon as he let me down off this thing I would kill him.

"That is sweet of you to say my dear." He reached for the machine and I braced myself for more pain wondering what I had said to offend him? He flipped a switch , and reached up to remove the cups off my breasts.

I let out my breath I had been holding as I looked down. I didn't know if they were big or not? They looked damn big from my perspective but I never had breasts before so how would I know? I had little miniature sausages for nipples about a half inch long. Thanks a lot mister mad scientist.

Susan is coming to redo the makeup on all the girls today. I can't have you talking to her. You are going to be placed in stasis like the others.

I didn't have a chance to ask what the hell he was talking about before he pulled a remote from his pocket and clicked. There was a tingling sensation all through my body. I could no longer move my eyes, my arms, or anything else. I was basically frozen in place. There was no doubt in my mind now the others were alive but unable to move just as I was. I also understood the purpose of the things Dr. Wacko had pushed up inside me. He said one was to drain the fluids and the other the solids since we were not allowed bathroom breaks.

"Hello Mr. Blair." A very well dressed woman wearing a smock entered the room. She was carrying a case in her right hand and a stool in her left.

"Susan." He pointed toward me. "I acquired a new one yesterday. I want her to look her best for the party tonight."

"Certainly." You still aren't going to tell me where you are getting these mannequins are you? They are so damn real and they even feel real when I touch them."

"Susan if I let you know then you would go into business against me. That would raise the price I would have to pay for each one as the manufacturer said it takes time to make each one. The process is a slow one and can't be hurried." He beamed with pride.

"Okay, I brought Judy to do their hair. She will be along in a couple minutes. I'll get started." She walked up in front of me, set down her stool, and opened up her cosmetic case.

"This one is a beauty. I don't see why you want their designer to make their breasts so big. What is she? A thirty eight, twenty eight, thirty eight?

"That's probably right. I haven't measured her but she looks like around those measurements." Standing behind Susan he gave me a wink.

If I could have moved I would have gave him something a lot more than a wink.

Even if I couldn't move my eyes I could see in the mirror all the makeup tricks Susan was doing to my face. She didn't quit with the face. She brushed and blended makeup down my neck and out to the nipples on my breasts before she finished.

"Damn I'm good or she is really good herself." Susan had stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"You are an artist second to none Susan. That is why I hired you even though you are expensive." Edward glowed with pride as he walked up close for a better look.

Another woman walked in carrying several canvas bags bulging with bottles and brushes. "Where do I start?"

Susan pointed at me. "Judy, she's first. Isn't that honey blonde hair the brightest, prettiest hair you have ever seen?"

Judy put her bags on the floor and stepped up to touch my hair. "Nice and it feels real too. If some of these girls didn't look like freaks I'd say they were alive."

Hate flashed in Edwards eyes. I feared for Judy's life. I hoped she made it out of this insanity alive.

Susan put her finger to her lips. "They are all Mr. Blair's beauties. All of them gorgeous in their own way."

"Well, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Of course they are all beautiful." Judy had received the signal from Susan.

Hours later Susan and Judy had done their magic on all the women and were gone. Edward paced the floor. "She called my models freaks. She doesn't appreciate my work as a genius." He pushed the button on the remote.

I felt the tingle leave my body. I could move again. "She was overwhelmed by your creativity Mr. Blair. Even the best art takes some getting use to by those who had no social experience." I didn't have to imagine what this monster would do to Judy if he thought she had insulted his work.

"She was naughty and needs a lesson." He was still pacing the floor.

"I love you master." I had no idea how to derail this monster before he turned his wrath lose on an unsuspecting Judy.

He stopped pacing and turned to look at me with a puzzled look. "And I love you too...,"

"Am I worthy enough of your love master to have a name?" Anything to make him think of something besides revenge on Judy.

"A name...? But of course you need a name. You need a name to match your beauty and our love. I shall name you Venus my goddess of love." He looked pleased with himself.

"A very beautiful name master. I love you. You are a genius beyond all mortals. It is fitting you should have a goddess of love." I wanted to stick my finger down my throat an puke.

"...yes.. My own goddess of love. I am sorry I had to punish you for being naughty. You understand don't you why I must punish you?" He looked at me lovingly.

"Yes, it is why I love you so much. You are the perfect lover. You are my lover, my teacher, my master." I swear if he tried to kiss me I was going to.... Massaging his overblown ego was destroying my own self worth. As if at this point I had any left while mounted on a pole as a trophy.

"We must get ready. A special guest will be in shortly. He wants me to change his wife into his own fantasy."

I guess Edward noticed a shocked look on my face. "Of course you don't know. You are my designs. I have discreet clients who pay me very well for my skills for making their girlfriends, wives, or even their enemies into what they want them to be. This gentleman sells yachts. He wants me to make his girlfriend into the girl of his dreams. He will get some ideas from looking at my designs. When he gets an idea of what he wants her to be then he brings her to dinner. I put her in the magnometer and send her home with him as his very own."

I choked that one down. Edward said he didn't need for money. He had to been doing this to unsuspecting men and women for some time now. How many had he changed? How many lives had he destroyed? Monster was too kind of a name for this psycho case. "You are so talented my master. I love you so much."

"Thank you Venus my goddess of love. I will have to turn you off when company comes so you don't move. I know you wouldn't on purpose but even blinking will give you away. Bring your hand up and fondle your breasts."

I didn't dare tell him to go fuck himself as I cradled my breasts as he asked. "Yes master."

"No not like that. Reach out and hold them." He held his right hand out
palm up like he was holding his own big breast.

I slid my hands out and felt my body tingle as I froze fondling my own breasts. The remote was in his other hand.

It was probably hours later when several men and Edward walked into the room. They circled the room stopping in front of each mannequin, discussing what features some liked or didn't like. I had no shame when they stopped and studied me. This wasn't me so they could look all they wanted.

One of them stepped closer and ran his hands around my breasts before feeling around my vagina. "She has the looks but she is so damn plain otherwise. I'd want the breasts bigger, the waist smaller, the hips wider, and the butt with more butt. I want my girl to have a damn big ass so when she puts on that string bikini there isn't any bikini showing."

Edward nodded. "That's a possibility. It costs extra."

The man nodded as he stepped up and put his hands around me to squeeze my butt. "How much extra?"

Edward took out a pocket calculator. "The really big breasts up to a fifty two triple F run an extra twenty. The extra small waist down to a sixteen inch runs an extra twelve. The hips and butt up to a forty six costs an extra fifteen. Anything beyond that goes into a different cost category."

The man nodded as he looked around the room at the models. "I can stand that. I want to know what she will look like before I bring her in. You have one that looks like that?"

Edward shook his head. "Not now. If you come back tomorrow I'll have one for you to look at."

The man held out his hand for a handshake agreement. "I'll be back."

Edward took the man's hand and shook it before they all turned and walked out of the room.

I prayed Edward didn't find another victim to practice his skills on before the man returned tomorrow night. I should have worried about where Edward was going to find his victim. He gave me a shot from a hypo and brought the crane in.

Minutes later I found I was pliable as Edward put the vest on me and buckled it up again. I was thinking his next victim was going to take my spot. Stupid me.

The shot had to have been a knockout potion because I was down for the count. When I came to Edward was removing the vest. Something had changed. Edward hadn't put me into freeze mode as I looked around. And then down.

"Oh shit!"

"You like them Venus my goddess of love?" Edward moved the crane back before he walked around in front of me to study his new handiwork.

I couldn't stop the tears. I certainly couldn't tell him I liked what he had done to me. There was no doubt I was designed as the model the man had been asking about. My breasts weren't big, they were huge. "Why?"

"I gave you even more than what you had and you dare ask why?" His eyes were showing signs of hate. "Do you not appreciate all I have done for you? Do you not love me even more?"

As hard as I tried I could not bring it up in me to tell him I loved him for turning me into a freak. I cried even harder.

He scowled before he walked away. Moments later he was back with that damn infernal machine and huge monstrous cups.

"No master. I love you. Please don't. You know I love you. Please don't."

He clicked a switch and slid the cups upon my breasts. I tried with all my might to push them off but it was a futile effort and only made him madder. He flipped another switch.

A million needles jabbed into my breasts. I screamed in pain. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"You were naughty. Naughty girls must be punished. You tried to trick me. You don't love me. You don't appreciate my skills as a genius." He turned and left me crying and screaming.

A lifetime later he returned and switched the machine off. He waited without saying anything.

I finally managed through the tears and pain. "Thank you for punishing me when I am naughty. You are a great intelligent man with much wisdom. I love you with all my heart."

He studied me for a long time. "I don't like to punish you Venus my love goddess but you make me do it. Naughty girls must be punished. You did not appreciate what I have done for you."

"Thank you master. I love what you have done for me. I am most grateful. I do love you." I managed without telling him I wouldn't hesitate to kill him the first chance I got.

He removed the cups. "Susan will have to redo you before Jack returns to see if this is what he wants his girlfriend to look like. I'll go call her and set up an appointment in the morning."

He didn't click the remote. I wasn't immobilized. My ankles weren't locked to the pedestal yet. Getting off that pedestal would be impossible the way he planted me on it. I looked around for anything I could use. The vest and crane was still in place inches above my head. I reached up and grabbed the vest. Lifting myself off that pedestal took everything I had in me and then some. My strength was gone and I dropped to the floor rather than lowering myself. I was still on my bare feet.

I didn't think I would win in a knock down fight with Edward. My instinct was to run. The door the men had come and left by earlier that day had to lead outside or into a hallway leading outside. I made the door and closed it behind me. I didn't want to leave an escape path for Edward to follow. There weren't any security cameras in the hall. I passed several doors as I ran to the end of the hall. I was looking at what should be outside double doors. There were sensor alarms at the top of the doors. It couldn't be helped if the alarm had been set. I pushed open one of the doors and was looking at steps and a driveway. An iron gate a hundred yards away was at the other end of that driveway. I ran to the first door back inside the hallway. It was unlocked and I fled inside. It was a formal dining room with a big patio door leading to the outside. I ran to the other door on the other side of the room. It led to a library. There was a stairway to my left. I took it.

I had no idea how long it would take Edward to call and talk to Susan but if he wasn't already looking for me it wouldn't be long now before he was. I hoped he would figure on me escaping out the front door and keep on running instead of staying in the house.

At the top of the stairs was another hallway with several doors off on the side. I was guessing they were bedrooms. If Edward had guests and I ran into one this was going to be a very short escape. I made up my mind I wasn't going back to his little room of horrors. Not alive anyway. I tried the first door. It easily and quietly swung open. I was right it was a bedroom. I checked the closet. There were men's suits. Shuffling through the suits I found a jogging suit at the back. I pulled it out and put it on. The sneakers I found were three or four sizes too big but it didn't make any difference. I needed shoes.

Pulling the drapes back at the far side of the room I was looking at patio doors leading out to a balcony. I checked the upper part of the doors. Sure enough there was a burglar alarm system there too. I had seen men's jewelry on the dresser. I soon found what I wanted. I traced the wires to the alarm down the side of the door molding and pulled them away so I could do what I wanted. I scraped the tie clasp back and forth on the wires until I had a bare spot on both wires. I let the tie clasp clamp onto the bare wires.

If I was wrong Edward would know in a matter of seconds where I was when the alarm went off. I heard a soft click as I opened the door. Hopefully the tie clasp was making the continuity so the alarm system wouldn't know a link had been broken.

I stepped out on the balcony. Edward was in front of the house looking around but mostly concentrating on the gates at the end of the driveway. He disappeared back into the house. If the alarm gave me away he would be up here in seconds. I had no more thought about fleeing when he reappeared in front of the house. He was holding what looked like an assault rifle. I wondered if he would kill me if he caught me?

He started off around the house away from where I was. I went back into the bedroom and pulled the drapes closed before I slipped back outside and closed the door. If he walked into that room it would look undisturbed. Unless he opened the door without shutting off the alarm he would never know it was now disabled.

I didn't want down in the yard with Edward. I looked for a way to go up on the roof. The way the roof was angled beside the balcony it was easy enough to go over the railing and up the valley of the roof. I made it to the top and slowly eased my head up to take an appraisal of the layout. The yard was lost in the woods behind the house. Edward was standing at the gardeners shack looking toward the woods. If he thought I had made it that far he would probably call in some dogs. I had no doubt some of the people he dealt with would be happy enough to supply the dogs while being discreet about the whole sordid mess even if I was shot and killed.

How quick and how soon was the question? I could see a roof top past the tree line to my right. Neighbors of some kind. How far though and could I get them to believe me? Edward was headed back to the house. He was going to call for dogs I was sure. How long did I have before they arrived? To my left was nothing but woods on the other side of a stone wall I would never be able to scale. Out front past the gate was water. It had to be a lake. Unless there was a dock and a boat that would be a short escape run. Getting over that gate would be a big problem. I was betting that stone wall went all the way around this place. Getting out was going to be a problem.

Edward walked out of the front of the house carrying that assault rifle. He stared down the driveway before circling the house and going back in. I couldn't stay on the roof forever. Hearing a car coming down the pavement in front of the gate I eased over to the backside of the roof and watched. A black sedan pulled up and stopped at the gate waiting while the gate slowly opened. The car came up the driveway and stopped out front. Four men in hunting gear got out. They were carrying enough weapons to start their own war and probably win it. Edward met them. I only caught snitches of their conversation. She, kill, were the two words that stood out.

Two men went to the right and two went to the left as they circled the house. They met at the front and again circled the house stopping at the back by the gardeners shack. I was totally exposed if they happened to look up. Edward walked out to meet with them again. All five men spread out and started off into the woods. I had no doubt when they didn't find me in the woods they would take the house apart looking in every nook and cranny. I eased back over to the front side of the house. I didn't want them to look up and see me when they returned. If they found where I jumpered the wiring they would be up here on the roof in a heartbeat. Hopefully they would be looking for a big me rather than a little thing like a jumper on a wire.

It was getting dark by the time the men returned to the house. By now I was positive they would take that house apart knowing I was still in there hiding. Earlier I had spotted what I needed hung on the wall of the gardeners shed. Slipping over the backside of the roof I checked the drop to the ground. It was close to twenty foot to a patio or a sidewalk. Dropping to grass wasn't in the cards. Dropping that far to concrete meant something was going to be broken provided this body I was wearing was still a normal human body. The rain spout at the corner of the house would have to suffice. I prayed it was strong enough to hold me and I was strong enough to hold onto it as I slid down it.

First checking to make sure I wouldn't be sliding down in front of any windows I eased over and grasped the rain gutter with a death grip before I let myself back off the roof. The gutter creaked as it wiggled away from the roof. I couldn't go back up. My situation was either proceed or die if the gutter turned completely lose. I managed to finally wrap my hands onto the downspout and started sliding down holding on for dear life. The gutter creaked some more before I touched concrete. Looking up the downspout and gutter had pulled away from the house a foot or more. I checked to make sure no one was looking out the back patio doors before I sprinted to the backside of the gardeners shed.

It was fortunate the ladder I had seen from the roof was hung on the side of the gardeners shed instead of inside of the shed. I checked the house again and prayed they were all looking through closets or basement or something. Lifting the ladder off the wall hooks I carried it back into the woods before heading to the stone wall. I had no idea if that stone wall circled the whole place or not but I wasn't about to waste time finding out. The ladder gave me an easy up to the top of that eight foot wall. Pulling the ladder up I lowered it down on the outside and climbed down. I carried the ladder with me for several hundred feet into the woods away from the wall before I put it down.

Now if I could find that house I was looking at earlier without getting lost in the woods or worse having Edward find me first.

It was easier making my way in the dark without the ladder but I wasn't sure I was headed the right direction. The woods were dense and looking up to see stars wasn't a big plus. The tree canopy blocked out the stars for the most part. I had picked a star pattern in the direction of the house when I was on the roof. From down inside the trees I wasn't able to find that batch of stars again. I prayed I wasn't making a circle in the woods.

A stone wall rose up in front of me. Damn, I had circled back. I started to turn around when I realized this wall wasn't that tall. At best it was only six feet not eight. Walking up to it I checked. The rock wasn't the same either. Six feet was still a tall wall for a girl to scale without a ladder. I wasn't going to make it unless I found something to stand on. The earlier adrenaline rush was used up. My muscles hurt and my arms and my legs felt like spaghetti. I headed down to my right hoping I would find a gate or a way over the wall. My luck held as minutes later I came upon a dead tree lying up against the wall.

Standing on top of the wall I could see a light through the woods. If I hadn't wandered in circles then that should be a light coming from the house I had seen earlier. It was time to find out.

The house was a mansion. It was huge. When I got close enough to realize how big it was it scared me. Places like this keep dogs. The kind of dogs they keep aren't lap dogs. I found a stick big enough to be called a club and headed toward the house as I left the woods behind. The lawn was expansive. It was a couple hundred yards across the lawn to the house. The light I had seen was at the top of the gable shining on the greenhouse in back. The greenhouse was lit up and someone was moving about inside.

It was time to make a command decision. Either go to the greenhouse or go to the house. What would I do at the house? Find a phone and call the police? If Edward had enough money to own the local law I would be back in his house of horrors in a matter of hours. I was positive Edward would kill me if he got his hands on me again. He would use that machine of his to prove how naughty I was and how much he loved me.

I would take my chances with whoever was in the greenhouse.

He didn't hear me enter. I watched for thirty or forty seconds wondering if I could do enough damage to escape again if he was in league with Edward. "I need your help." It surprised me and scared the absolute shit out of me when he didn't jump and turn around.

He finished with whatever he was doing with a plant before he straightened up and turned to look. He didn't say a thing as he looked.

The guy was six two or there abouts. Probably two twenty or two thirty. He was muscular enough to lift trains for exercise. He was in his late twenties or early thirties. He sighed. "How did you get in here?"

"Please, I need your help. I was drugged and kidnapped. I escaped a little while ago. I'm positive they are looking for me. I'm not going back." I didn't bring my improvised club up. I didn't think it would do a bit of good against this hulk I was looking at.

"I see or more precisely I don't see. Would you care to clarify this tale of yours so I might understand exactly who abducted you and what kind of help you expect me to provide?" He turned his attention back to the plants.

This was either the calmest man in the world, he was on meds, or he didn't have all his oars in the water. I had no idea what to do? Should I run or stick it out and see how this plays? The past day, or days, or whatever hadn't left me with all my ducks in a row. I was positive I would be considered insane if I blurted out what had happened to me. "Please, I need a place to hide."

He nodded even though his back was to me. "Go on."

"I was kidnapped. I don't know how long ago. It could have been days or months. I have no idea what this day is." Was I gaining points with this guy or losing them?

"Today is June nine." He put the plant off to his side and picked up another one and set it down in front of him.

"That was..., I was kidnapped three days ago. I had gone to the hotel club to kill some time. A guy sat down next to me. I don't' know how he did it but the next thing I knew I woke up inside a glass cylinder. He drugged me somehow. I saw several women in the room and he had them all mounted like statues. He did the same thing to me but I managed to escape. Please you got to help me." I was desperate.

He stopped working with the plant, straightened up, and turned around to study me for a minute or more before he spoke. "Where is this place you escaped from?"

I pointed off in the direction I thought was Edwards home. "A house over in that direction."

"Mr. Blair abducted you?" He wiped his hands on a towel laying on the cart beside him.

"Edward Blair was the name that was mentioned. Yes." Do I run or...?

"Hummm, been hearing some interesting stories about Mr. Blair's models. Are you telling me those models are humans he has immobilized somehow? And he tried to do the same thing to you?" He never blinked as he focused on my face.

I nodded. "He was going to do the same to me but forgot before he went to make a phone call or something."

"Okay. Let's go call the police and have them check out your story and Mr. Blair." He started toward me.

"uh...,"

He stopped. "Police are a problem for you? You wanted?"

I wouldn't believe this story if someone was telling it to me. Why should this guy be any different? "uh, no. It's just that..., What if he owns the police? If some of the stuff he told me is true then he's rich. Money buys a lot of things including the law."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Give them your name, let them check out your references, and that should do what money can't buy. Truth." He was still waiting.

"uh..., yeah, that normally shouldn't be a problem."

A smile spread across the guy's face. "Normally?"

"Edward erased my past." I didn't dare explain how. I would be tied up and the loony patrol would be called in.

He nodded. "People's past can be erased but never completely. There are always loose ends provided one knows where and what to look for. What is your name and where are you from or what was your last address before you were abducted?"

Oh shit! I could see any possible hope for any help going out the window. "I..., uh...., I..."

"Listen to me very closely. I'm not going to turn you back over to Mr. Blair no matter what. I don't care if you did or didn't escape from his house. Mr. Blair is not a doctor nor does he have any experience as such that I know of. I'm not going to call the police until I am able to check out who you are, where you came from, and if you are wanted or not."

"Do not lie to me and I will help you all I possibly can. I don't care who you are, what you have or haven't done. As long as you don't try and con me or lie to me I will help you with whatever problems you think you might have." He took a deep breath as he focused in on my eyes. "What is your real name?"

I mulled that over for a few seconds. Here goes nothing. "Audrey James Little and I live at two thousand six Waterford Avenue in Freeport, Texas."

"That's a start. Give me a second." He pulled a cell phone off his hip and punched a button

"Of course it's late. Do I ever call you during normal hours? He listened for a few seconds. "I have a lookup. Check on Audrey James Little Waterford Avenue, Freeport, Texas for me."

He listened for several more seconds. "male, Caucasian, forty six, five eleven, brown hair, blue eyes, product rep for Heygood automotive parts. Got it. Can you get a location on him?"

"Flew into Salem, Oregon four days ago. Was supposed to return home three days ago and is listed as missing...., No, it's nothing. Do me a favor and tell Jerry and the crew I want them up here at Bill Yeary's place ASAP. No..., it is nothing solid. I'm looking at Mr. Little and I don't believe it myself."

"Thanks you're a doll. Of course I expect to make it up to you. Oh..., Linda, tell the chief I think we have located NASA's Deep Space Project. It will need serious house cleaning from what Mr. Little has told me. Lot of casualties involved. I want you to run Mr. Edward Blair through the washer and see what comes out of the wash. Four six seven one Applewood Drive Salem Tell Chris to put a spotter in Bill's yacht down at the dock to keep an eye on what comes and goes from Edward's place. Check on the number of people disappearing in Salem the past six years."

"Thanks hon. Scramble all calls from here on out and keep me posted..., You too. Bye." He clicked the phone off as he studied me.

:"...you believe me? Who the hell are you? Who do you work for?" I was wondering if I had stepped out of the frying pan into the fire although he wasn't making any aggressive moves toward me.

"Some people call me Bob. I can't tell you who I work for. You put a hell of a wrinkle in my life just by showing up. I wasn't supposed to be here this week except my leave got pushed back due to a job that took longer than planned. Only three people knew I was here. This place belongs to a friend. He and his family are in Brazil right now. Edgar is the groundskeeper. He knew of course. Linda at the Office knew."

"I listened to your story because they let you walk up here. Their instinct is a whole lot better than mine. If they hadn't thought you needed help they would have put you back over the wall as soon as you put foot on this property."

"They?" I hadn't seen anyone besides the person I was looking at who called himself Bob.

He pointed behind me. "Sissy and Buddy."

I turned to look and my heart jumped up into my throat. Sitting there watching me were two of the biggest dogs I had ever seen in my life. "...oh shit!:"

"Sadah, Madawe. I told them you were friend and to guard you. I really don't think the command was necessary. I'm betting they would without me telling them. Every time I get around those two I think they are humoring me so I won't figure out they are smarter than I'll ever be."

Looking at the club I was carrying he shook his head. "You can hold onto that twig if it makes you feel any safer but otherwise it is useless against the dogs or me. There are stories of their bred killing lions. Their jaws are strong enough to crush large bone in one bite."

He reached over and picked up a Glock off the table and then walked past me. "Let's go into the house and talk. I want to hear everything you can tell me about how you ended up here looking like you do."

The two dogs moved out of the door as he walked past them, leaving me standing there in the greenhouse. I was looking at two dogs who were watching me. They could have me for lunch anytime they felt like it. Looking down at the club I was holding I dropped it on the floor. Bob was right, it was a twig against these two brutes. The last thing one wants to do is show aggression against trained guard dogs. They would eat you alive just to prove their worth.

"Nice doggy. Good Buddy. Good Sissy." I couldn't out run them, there was no escape if they wanted me. Bob said they had been watching me as soon as I climbed their wall. I swallowed what courage I didn't have and slowly hesitantly started after Bob. I had to pass within a couple feet of the dogs to get by them. I honestly was scared to death even if I had decided dying was better than letting Edward get his hands on me again. Mauled to death by two dogs wasn't in my death wish.

The dogs let me get to the house. When I closed the door behind me and finally caught my breath, I turned to look. They were standing there a few feet from the door. I hadn't heard them following me. I was beginning to believe Bob when he said they let me walk up to the greenhouse.

"Bob?" I called into the house.

"In the kitchen. Come on in. Coffee or something stronger to drink? That body you are wearing still able to eat and drink or did Edward give you a limited life span?" Came from the open door to my left.

I turned to look at the dogs before follow the voice to the kitchen. They weren't there. Sheesh! Bob can call them guard dogs. I'd call them spooks. "I don't know. If I'm lucky I'll die in a few days or so."

"I figured we might as well find out and you probably need some energy intake. You look like you are winding down." Bob handed me a cup of hot chocolate before leading me into a lounge room with cushioned chairs.

He settled into one of the chairs and sipped on his coffee. "I want to hear it all. Tell me everything you can remember. You don't need to tell it in order of a time frame. You can tell it in importance of events as they happened if that's the way your mind kicks them out."

I settled into one of the big cushioned chairs. For the first time since I had been abducted I relaxed and sipped my hot chocolate. "He is insane. Edward. I don't know how it works. He has a machine that can change a person's body into whatever he wants...."

The tears started without warning. "... shit!" I wiped them off with the back of my hand. "Changing me wasn't enough for his sick mind. He wanted me to tell him how smart he was..., He demanded I call him a genius...., He demanded I love him for...,"

I motioned toward myself. Filled with hate, I spit the words out with venom. "For turning me into a woman. The sick bastard."

"When I didn't tell him I loved him, he tortured me until I couldn't take no more. I would have said anything, done anything he wanted after that." I was ashamed I had weakened to Edwards device.

I looked over at Bob for the first time since I had started telling my tale. He was watching, showing no emotion and saying nothing.

My attention turned to the floor. I couldn't face anyone and tell my story. It was too hard, too personal. "The ones he..., Edward had changed. He had them mounted on pedestals like trophies. Somehow he is able to freeze their bodies in any position without killing them. He did the same to me. Some of them are grotesque..., Not as monsters but their features and bodies are not normal. The girl next to me..., her lips were..., too big to be pretty."

Unconsciously I felt my own lips. They were full. I wondered if I looked like her? I looked down at my monstrous breasts. What was it he said he could make them without going into another cost? I was crying again. Edward had turned me into one of his freaks.

I have no idea how long I talked spilling my hatred for what Edward had done to me. At some point my energy and hate had run its course. I fell asleep in the chair. I remembered very little of it when I woke. It took me a few seconds to get my bearings and focus. I was in a bed. A very soft bed. The drapes were closed but I could see the sun was up as light was beaming in around the sides of the curtains. I wiggled and felt all slippery. Pushing the covers down I found out why. I was dressed in a wisp of a nightgown. The satin sheets made it all that much more slippery. The nightmare was still mine. I was still a damn woman with too damn much in all the right places. Those mountains I had on my chest only needed ski lifts to be used as ski slopes. Damn Edward. Damn his sick mind.

I slid out of bed. Standing up I felt the slightest breeze brush across my breasts. I involuntarily shivered and it wasn't from the cold. My nipples pushed pointedly at the soft negligee. They didn't need any help in that department. Edward had made them where they would permanently be a stand out and super sensitive. On my huge breasts it was overkill. Yesterday I was in an adrenaline overdrive trying to survive. Now I realized just how sensitive this body was. I was getting horny and wishing I was back on the pedestal.

"SHIT! I'm losing my mind." I yanked off the negligee as I looked for my stolen sweats.

There was a light knock on the door before it opened and a woman walked in. She didn't look shocked when her eyes focused on me. "Good, you're up. I'll help you get dressed. We have a full day going over everything you remember."

"I already told Bob everything..., I think.” I didn't know if I told him everything or not.

"Let's do it again in case you left something out. Okay. Now get dressed." She pointed to clothes draped on a chair at the end of the bed.

I looked and shook my head. I wasn't into female things. "Where's my sweats."

"Gone. The people who live here and those they associate with are above the upper class. They nor their friends dress down. You need to look like you are part of that class of people if anyone happens to see you come or go. I'll help you." She picked up the pantyhose and held it out to me. "Like pulling on long socks. Roll each leg down one at a time before you put your foot in."

The tears started again. "I'm not a woman."

She walked up and hugged me. "You are now dear. Let it out and cry if you feel like it. We girls do it all the time. It is one of the things that makes us better than guys. We can show our feelings without shame."

It took almost an hour for me to get dressed and Julia do her makeup magic on me to her satisfaction. She called what I had to put on a corset. She said it had a lot of boning in it to hold up the twin peaks. And then there was a full slip and a polyester soft blue sleeveless dress over that. The dress had a more than full skirt and a really low cut neckline. Julia said my measurements were fifty two, sixteen, forty four. Where she came up with a dress to hug my body like this one did was beyond me. Four inch blue matching heels and a matching shoulder purse was Julia's final touch.

She walked across the room with a purpose swinging her hips gracefully with each step on her four inch heels. She stopped and turned. "Walk to me and do it like that."

I walked toward her and bounced stiff legged with each step. I wobbled several times and had to stop to catch my balance.

"Watch." She walked back across the room doing it gracefully and eloquently. She was poetry in motion. I was jealous and in love. Julia was the perfect woman in every respect.

When she turned even that was gracefully done. "Stop fighting with your body. You are trying to think, act, and walk like a man. Let your body show you how to do it. Stop thinking of what you are doing and think of everything you ever liked in a woman. Your favorite dress, your favorite scent, your favorite bikini, your favorite hairstyle. Think of all the things you liked in every woman you dated. Now walk toward me."

Margaret was a lot of fun and always kidding around with me. Doris had the prettiest blonde hair. Junita had the cutest little bod in a string bikini. Eve had a deep sexy voice...,

"That's better. It will come to you naturally if you stop trying so hard to imitate how women walk. There are a lot of other things I will teach you in acting as a woman of the social set before we are finished." She glanced at her watch. "Now let's go find out what they are serving for lunch. Ladies of breeding take small bites, chew their food, and smile at all the men talk."

She opened the door and walked out ahead of me. I followed along bouncing before I stopped thinking and let my hips roll with each step. I was in female hell. Maybe I should have stayed with Edward!

Julia led me into a dinning room. There were two men there. Another man followed us into the room. I was in panic mode and wanted to flee. Julia reached over and took my arm. Gentlemen, I want to introduce you to Audrey. You already know her story. I expect you to be on your best and not upset her by asking her personal questions while we are eating."

Julia turned her attention to me. "Audrey, there are no secrets in this house between you and everyone here."

She got a funny look on her face and then laughed. "Well not true. There are a lot of secrets we can't tell you about us. Anyway, everyone here will protect you from any further harm or embarrassment to the best of their ability. You will learn their names before this is over so I'm not going to introduce you at this time."

She motioned to the table. "Gentlemen, shall we? Audrey, wait for one of the men to pull a chair out for you and seat you."

One of the men stepped up and pulled a chair back. "Ma’am, if I may."

I sit down in the chair and scooted up to the table. "Thank you."

He sat down beside me while Julia walked around the table opposite of me.

One of the men seated her. "Please allow me."

She held her skirt before gracefully sitting down in the offered chair. "Thank you Juan."

Bob and another man, both in cooks white uniforms came in rolling trays loaded with dishes.

I guess my eyes showed the shock I felt. He grinned as he rolled his eyes. "I'm your chief today. If you're lucky my cooking won't kill you just yet. Tomorrow is Larry's turn. His cooking will."

The man second to my right looked up. "HEY!"

He looked over at me and winked. "Bob is jealous. I'm the better cook."

Everyone around the table started bragging about who was the best cook. Each one of them wanted my attention as they bragged on themselves. Julia looked pleased as she watched. I relaxed as I listened to the men bragging about who was best at a lot of things. And I smiled which wasn't an effort nor faked.

The meal took a long time. Little portions on my fork and a long time to chew as I imitated Julia. The salesman in me wanted to shovel it in so I could get on with other things. I didn't.

It was an hour or more later I was relaxing in a big easy chair, Julia and Bob were sitting in chairs facing me. I was telling my story again. "I hate him. I've never killed anyone in my life. I wouldn't have a bit of trouble killing him."

Bob glanced over at Julia before turning his attention toward me. "First things first Audrey. We need to make sure what you are telling us is real or if it is a mind implant by someone. There is an Edward Blair living in the house to the north of us. He is not married and has no children. We can't go busting in and find out we made a mistake if there are no others there. You believe what you are saying is true and you experienced everything as you explain it. We don't doubt you believe it. We sent samples of your fingerprints, DNA, skin, and hair back for analysis. I don't want to hurt you or make you think we aren't here to help. Right now you are a big fat zero to us. You don't exist in anyone's book. The only thing we have is a man named Audrey James Smith is missing. A woman who claims to be Audrey James Smith shows up on our doorstep with a tale out of fantasy land."

The tears started. "...., you don't believe me?"

Bob sighed as he shook his head. "I didn't say that and don't you go thinking along those lines. We must have more than a woman telling us she was a man who was abducted and turned into a woman by a mad man. You said he does it to make models for clients who want to change their wives or girlfriends into their fantasy dreams. We need to run down some of these clients of his and find those who were changed."

"Believe it or not, it isn't as easy as it might sound. Women go under the knife of a plastic surgeon all the time. Where do we start looking for those who suddenly grow big boobs that didn't get them from a doctor?"

He held up his hand when I started to speak. "We check flights in and out of airports in Salem. We check the private jets along with the commercial flights. From what you told us his clients have no problem with finances. That means they are probably flying in and out in their own company plane. We will go over hundreds of airport logs looking for the needle in the haystack. Then we will have to chase down each promising lead and be very discreet so as to not alarm anyone. Word gets back to Edward he will destroy the equipment and dispose of the women."

I wiped my tears. Julia shook her head as she pointed to a Kleenex box on the table next to my chair. "Dab don't wipe. You smear your makeup. Dab hon."

"Thanks." I pulled Kleenex, dabbed and then blew my nose.

Julia closed her eyes as she shook her head and giggled. "Hon, we girls do not honk when we blow our noses. We blow softly, gently, and wipe"

"I'm sorry. I'm not only sorry but I'm damn sorry. I'm NOT A DAMN GIRL! I DON'T WANT TO BE A GIRL! I HATE THIS FUCKING SHIT!" I pulled my feet up into the chair as I curled up into a ball and cried"

I felt her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay to cry. Let it out."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I want to be dead. I don't want to be a girl. I'm so sorry." I cried even harder as I turned to look at her.

She never said a word as she took my hand and held it while I cried.

Neal, one of the men we had dinned with walked in holding up a newspaper. "It's official, she's dead."

"Good. Congratulations Audrey." Julia gave me a smile.

I stopped sniffling.. "What?"

Julia pointed at the paper Neal was holding. "Front page so Edward wouldn't miss it. You died last night. Somehow you made it down to the lake, slipped, fell in, and drown."

The water works were turned off. "I DID WHAT?"

"Edward needs to believe you died last night so he won't pack up shop and wipe everything clean. If he thought you were out there spilling your guts to who knows whom he might decide to destroy everything and run. Since you died last night after you escaped from his house his secrets are still safe. Especially since you obviously fell into the lake and drown after climbing over his gate. Your escape was short and sweet. No one saw you and you didn't get a chance to blab to anyone."

Julia smiled. "Now dry those eyes and dab not wipe. We will redo your makeup and the gentlemen will pretend they never noticed."

Neal held the paper out so I could see it. On the front page was a very terrible picture of my face. It was gray and ashen in color. I looked like what most people would think a floating corpse would look like. Who the hell were these people? "Woman found by fishermen floating in the lake this morning. Her body was taken to the Orvile Morgue. Autopsy was undertaken by Dr. Martin. He said she had drowned and had been dead for twelve to fourteen hours before she was pulled from the water. She is listed as Jane Doe as there are no missing persons reports matching her description. Follow up story on tomorrow's paper.

I was officially dead. Would my benefactors kill me to make sure no information leaked out about Edwards lab after this was all over?

Days rolled into weeks as Julia constantly reminded me to act like a woman instead of a guy. She didn't allow me to wear pants or shoes. It was always dresses designed to show off my figure. The heels had gone from four inch to five inch so I was up on my toes for the most part. The bracelets and necklaces I didn't mind. She pierced each ear with five holes. She put a gold lace filigree in the top four holes in each ear. She usually put long dangle crystal chandelier earrings swinging from the bottom holes.

Sometimes I'd get so frustrated with her constant female directions I'd do the guy thing just for spite. We had walked out to the greenhouse.

Julia told me the wind had messed up my hair. "Pat your hair back in
place."

I leaned over to my left, harked up a big spitball and spit. "Patooie" Reaching down with my right hand I scratched where my nuts would have been if I still had any left. "Let's go pop a few lids, tip up a few beers, and discuss which chick we dated was the best fuck."

It shocked me when Julia did the same thing. Her eyes were dancing with mischief as she looked at me. "Hell yeah! I'll go fer that. Think we can get any of them ol fat broads to come over for a foursome? I'm as horny as hell and sure could use a good fuck."

I backed up from her not sure what to think. Was she pulling my leg or what?

She nodded. "Scared you didn't I. Hon unless you are making the rounds of the Red Dog Saloon you aren't going to find any girls who want to compete with men in the filthy mouth disease. We girls are as tough as men. We don't have to get down in the gutter and roll around in the filth with them to prove it. The girls who do are a class act all their own. You will find those girls in the homeless shelters, or back alleys pushing carts loaded with their worldly possessions after their looks are gone. They find out they played with the boys on the boys terms and when their youth and looks were gone it wasn't funny to anyone any longer. No one wants an old beat up bitch using a potty mouth. It's not funny nor cute any longer like it was when the young chick was doing it."

"I'm not...,"

"Yes you are. And a very beautiful one to boot. You might be as angry as hell for whet he did to you but he had very good taste in the looks department. Your eyes have a hint of Asian mystery to them. Your eyelashes any woman, including me, would kill for. Your eyebrows, your high cheekbones, your pert little nose and sweetheart lips are pure
feminine sweetheart, wholesome girl next door. The only reason the guys haven't been hitting on you is Bob promised they would die a long painful slow death if they did."

Shaking my head I cupped my breasts. "And this?"

Julia nodded. "For some a little overkill in the wow figure and for others a start in the right direction. Every one of the guys who has seen you would kill to bed you just to see what it was like. Let's go clubbing tomorrow night. You can get a real strong dose of what guys think when you don't have Bob guarding your body."

"Clubbing? You are going to let me go out?" I was surprised at her suggestion.

"Not in Salem. We'll steal the jet and go up to Seattle. I don't know what kind of clubs Edward's clients choose. They probably pick the upper well known ones to show off their remakes to all the elite. I know of a couple lesser known clubs we can visit. You will be fairly safe. It's a safe bet anyone who saw you at Edwards won't be there." She was motioning me back toward the house. "You need to learn how to dance like a girl."

"Dance?" Surely she didn't expect me to dance with any men. It wasn't happening in this lifetime.

The next morning Julia started early making sure I was ready. The corset laced up the back. When I was no longer able to breathe she laced it even tighter. "Julia, I can't breathe."

"Take small breaths Audrey. The dress you are going to wear isn't that big." She tightened even more.

"Julia, I'm going to pass out." Little breaths weren't helping.

She pulled it tighter which I didn't think was possible. "You're in panic mode Audrey. You are trying to swell up instead of relaxing. Relax and you will find there is a lot of room in there with you."

"julia..." I gasped.

She tightened it again. "There, this would have been a piece of cake if you hadn't been fighting me. Lay down on the bed until you settle down and stop the panic attack."

I flopped back on the bed as my vision grew gray. I didn't pass out but it was a long time before I stopped struggling to breathe. Finally it got easier and I was able to catch enough air I wasn't in panic mode.

When I tried to sit up I found I could no longer bend at the waist. I finally managed to roll to my right and push with my right hand and sit up. I was no longer able to slouch. I could only sit or stand in a proud position with my breasts pushed up and out. I was beginning to understand what a corset does to a woman’s figure as everything above the hips is constricted. My waist was made even smaller and my breasts more pronounced. It was then I realized Julia had a purpose in mind when she laced me into that corset. She was going to make me sit or stand like a lady even if I didn’t want to.

"Is this necessary?" I stood up as Julia held up bright yellow dress with a bustier top. No straps, no shoulders just me, that damn corset, and my boobs were all that was going to hold the top of the dress in place.

She pointed to a petticoat on the bed beside me. "Necessary. Slip the petticoat on. This dress needs a little help holding the skirt out."

She handed me the dress after I slipped on the petticoat that had acres
of netting.

The dress was next over my head and settled into place. I held the top as Julia zipped me up. She backed up to study her handiwork. "Nice."

I felt like I needed a Vegas stage to walk out on. Most of my breasts were exposed. The top of the dress barely covered the most basics. The short skirt flared out over the top of the petticoat so much I wasn't sure how much it covered. My tiny little waist exaggerated my hips and breasts which didn't need any help to begin with. "Are you sure women
dress like this?"

"We do if we are showing off." Julia had me sit in front of the dresser and guided me as I put on my makeup. I wasn't an expert but I was getting better by the day with her guidance. My hair was next as she fluffed it out across my shoulders.

"Let's go get a second opinion." She was headed for the door.

I slipped on the necklace and crystal chandelier earrings. The yellow heels Julia had laid on top the bed were last as I followed her out and down to the den. That was where three of the guys were working with computers, faxes, and communications.

"Gentlemen, us girls are going out tonight. What do you think of Audrey?"

Mark nodded in agreement. "Very nice. You will need a chaperone and bodyguard. I volunteer for the job."

"Not so fast. I have seniority and I should be the one who goes along." Dale gave me a wink.

"Our girl needs someone who can dance as an escort. Lord knows you two send all your dates home with sore feet after you walk all over them. That makes me the only choice." Neal wasn't going to be left out.

"Put a lid on it you losers." Came from a voice behind me I recognized.

Turning around to look, Bob had on a suit and tie. He was dressed to the nines in a soft gray colored suit. I felt the blood rush to my face. "..., uh..., mmmm..., going....too, also..., I mean..."

"We are." He glanced at his watch. "Julia, you have forty minutes to get ready.

It was thirty minutes later Julia walked back into the room. She was wearing a cobolt blue bustier style dress and matching bolero jacket. Her earrings, bracelet, and necklace were blue stones. Her four inch pumps and clutch matched perfectly to the dress. Her brown hair had the perfect amount of tease to make it her crowning glory.

She was a doll. I couldn't help myself. I let out a low wolf whistle.

Julia's eyes were dancing. "Someone approves. If everyone is ready let's go."

For the first time I was no longer felt like a prisoner of that house. Larry and Julia were in the back along with Bob and me. Dale was acting as the chauffeur. An hour later we were pulling up to a hanger with a big business jet parked in front. There were a couple men standing off to the side.

Larry and Bob got out and looked over the plane before motioning for us girls to get onboard. Bob shut the door behind us and walked up to the cockpit. We were airborne in short order.

Larry came into the back after the plane had leveled out at altitude. "Bob wanted to know if you would sit up front in the co-pilot's seat?"

"Sure." I made my way up front and finally got me and that petticoat into the right seat.

Bob glanced over in my direction. "How you holding up?"

I managed a smile. "If you mean air wise. I've done my fair share of flying..., I mean commercial not private jets." I was looking at a million gages and instruments. I didn't know these things were this complicated. I had never thought about what pilots needed to fly an airplane.

"It must take years to learn how to fly."

"Uh roger Portland Tower, we are southbound at 31 thousand. I am painting Alaska Air on my radar and have visual." Bob pointed out to my right.

I turned to look and saw a row of lights on another airplane a couple miles away. It looked like he was headed the same direction we were going. "What is it?"

"They are Alaska Airlines headed to Vegas."

"Vegas? Julia told me we were going to Seattle."

"Change of plans. Alaska Air is headed to Vegas, we will follow it down."

"Roger Portland Tower, thank you and appreciate the service."

It didn't take long before Bob to pointed at the lights in the distance he called Vegas. He told me to put on the earphones and listen to the air traffic. I slipped them on and heard him talking to the tower.

"Nellis Air Force Base, this is Golf Charlie Lima Alpha Charlie requesting advisory service."

"Golf Charlie Lima Alpha Charlie, state your position, aircraft type and souls on board."

"Golf Charlie Lima Alpha Charlie is a Gulfstream G450 out of Salem, Oregon in route to Nellis, currently five oh miles north of Hayford Peak at flight level three one. Four persons on board."

"Roger Golf Charlie, squawk 4512 for ident"

Bob reached down in front of the console, turned a couple dials and pushed a button. "Squawking 4512 Golf Charlie."

"Golf Charlie, you are identified. Be advised of two C Five Heavy in landing pattern ahead of you. You may experience extreme turbulence. We also have unidentified traffic just to the west of you, possibly a company jet. Please advise if you have him in sight."

"That's a roger Nellis tower. I am painting the UA on my radar and have visual confirmation."

It was fascinating to experience what went on in the cockpit as Bob brought the jet into Nellis Air Force Base. I'm not dumb. These people that rescued me had connections in the higher up if they flew in and out of an air force base. The airplane we were in wasn't any little boy's toy. It took big bucks to buy and operate one of these birds. And these people acted like it was their second car in their garage.

I turned and gave Bob my full attention. I wanted an answer. "Bob, who do you work for?"

He shook his head. "Audrey, I can't tell you that. I'm not worried about myself. It would endanger not only the others but you would be in danger also. All I can tell you is we are in business. It is a business dealing with some of the most dangerous, evil people in the world. Those people would slit your throat for fun before sitting down to dinner."

He turned to focus on my eyes. "Don't ask me again hon. Every time you ask you get one step closer to the hell I work with even if you don't know what it is."

Looking down at my breasts I took almost started to cry again. "Can't be any worse than the hell I'm already living."

It was interesting to see nothing but uniforms after we landed. We were directed to a parking area by an AirForce blue vehicle with flashing lights. The men waiting after Larry opened the hatch were MPs. Their response to everything was "Yes Sir" "No Sir," or "Yes Ma’am" "No Ma’am".

A fuel truck pulled up. The men were refueling the jet before we were all loaded into a non descript dark blue sedan with tinted windows. Our driver wasn't dressed in a uniform. However he was carrying enough weapons there was no doubt he wasn't your typical civilian. When I got a chance to look he had an assault rifle nestled down between his right leg and the console.

Who the hell were these people?

The driver dropped us off at a club named Pirate Cove. It wasn't one of the big name clubs but still a big club.

Julia pulled me aside after we walked into the cub. "Listen, anyone asks you to dance that is your choice. Don't look like you suspect something if Bob and me or Larry and me dance right along with you. The bosses didn't want you leaving the house just yet. It took a whole lot of persuasion to get an approval on this outing. If anything happens to you my ass is grass. Don't make me regret it."

Who were these people? "I promise to behave. Besides, I need you to get me out of this rig I'm wearing when the reveille is over. Right?"

Julia nodded and smiled. "That was the idea. Okay, come on. Let's go see what the livestock looks like in this place. If any of them catches your eye and offers a drink give them a great big smile and pass. All our drinks tonight come from one waitress. Her name is Monica. Absolutely no one gets close to a drink after it is in the glass. If it happens push it to the side and Monica will give you a fresh one."

Who were these people? Their ability to control a situation in a
nightclub meant they weren't any second class act. I was running all the government acronyms through my mind as Bob led us to a table off to the front side of the stage. It seemed the whole damn club was staring at me but that was probably my imagination and the fact I wasn't a real woman. It didn't escape me after the guys seated Julia and me they sat down with their backs to the wall. The rest of the club was now in front of them.

Drinks were placed in front of us seconds after we were seated. I looked at the waitress as she reached to place the drinks on the table. Uh huh, cute little thing wearing what some horny bastard might consider a female pirate's costume. Nylons, black cuff boots with a five inch stiletto heel, black micro mini skirt, a red sash, a dagger on her left hip, and a black bustier which covered the barest of necessities. She had the brightest polished red lipstick I had ever seen and beautiful brown eyes with unbelievably long lashes.

She dropped a card on the table. I'm Monica, your waitress.

Larry placed several bills in her tray. "Thank you."

I looked over at Julia. "What am I drinking?"

Julia held up her glass. "Same thing all of us are. Cherry coke to start with. You can have whatever you want as long as it doesn't go to your brain. You start talking to anyone about what you think happened to you and the evening is over."

I looked down at my breasts before looking over at Bob. "And who would believe me? I'm living this nightmare and I don't believe me."

He rose from the table as he held out his right hand in my direction. "Let's see if Cinderella knows how to dance before midnight and we have to return to the pumpkin patch."

I stood up and took his hand as he walked around the table. "Don't need to get out there and make a fool of myself to answer that question unless I get to lead and you follow."

Bob laughed as he shook his head and put his arm around my waist. "That so ain't happening. I lead, you follow."

"Okay, your funeral. You do remember this girl stuff is brand new to me. I'm also wearing heels. I hope you were smart enough to wear your steel toed boots."

Bob moved me around in front of himself put his left arm around my waist and waited for me to put my left hand in his right. "You're a beautiful woman Audrey. I don't have the slightest clue what is going through your mind. Do me a favor. Please. Try and enjoy the evening and put everything else out of your mind. This time is here and now. The past is behind us, the future is in front of us. The only part of time we have any control over is the moment as we live it. Julia knew you needed to mingle with people other than the crew at the house if you were ever going to start living again. She pulled a lot of favors to get you this night. She thinks the world of you."

"And you?" I waited as I studied his eyes.

Bob's eyes were gleaming with mischief. "Well..., yeah, I guess you pulled me in too. I thought I knew what human strength was. You have taught me I had no idea what real courage was. If I ever face an enemy firing on me again, I'll remember you and know my job is a cake walk."

I laughed as he stated moving me backwards to the beat of the music. "You might want to pull that thought up and hold onto it because dancing with me is going to be brutal. So how strong are you cowboy?"

Bob was laughing as he pulled me in close body contact.

I didn't tromp his feet by the time the number was over but I did scuff up his shoes, a lot.

Bob returned me to my chair. I hadn't no more than popped my butt into the chair when Larry stood up. "My turn."

Julia stood up and held out her hand. "Bob?"

"But of course. Would one of the prettiest ladies at the ball please dance with this cowboy?" He took Julia's hand.

"cowboy?" Julia looked puzzled.

"That's what Audrey called me. I think it is another name for clod hopper. I haven't spent that much time in south Texas to know the colloquialisms." He was wrapping Julia up and moving into the beat of the music.

"You understand and speak eight different languages fluently and you don't understand Texacan? I'm shocked, disappointed. This is going in on your report. You will be a filing clerk by this time next week provided you aren't demoted to window washer or janitor." She and Bob were dancing away from us to the center of the room.

"Don't you start with me woman. Remember who it was that pulled your butt up out of the sling in...," He reached up and pulled her head to his shoulder.

Larry wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in.

I didn't resist like I initially did with Bob. This damn girl stuff takes getting use to. My learning curve was on steroids. "Bob and Julia make a cute couple. I didn't see wedding rings. Are either one of them married?"

"No one is married in this group. Marriage is a game changer. We can get married or stay married to our job but not both. There is a whispered name for our group. They call us the Priests. Not because we are celibate but because none of us are married."

Larry gave me an extra hug. "You sure are different Audrey. I think all the guys would give up the company to marry you. Even Julia is in love with you. Trust me, that girl doesn't have a lesbian bone in her whole body. She's nobody's butch. You bring out the mother instinct in her."

I laughed as I squeezed him back. "It just a fascination phase with everyone. I'm something new and different they haven't ever run into before. Once the mystery of what it is wears off they will all run away as hard and fast as they can hoping they didn't get contaminated while they were close to me."

Larry stopped, eased me back, leaned down and gave me a light kiss on the lips.

That shocked the hell out of me. I wasn't prepared and had no idea what to do?

"We are trained to never do anything on impulse. I just had to. I'm...,"

I was looking him in the eye. "You say you are sorry and I'll bring back the guy I once was and slug you. You aren't sorry and neither am I. You shocked the shit out of me but it was nice. I didn't think I would ever kiss a guy in this lifetime. Did I like it? It was said and done before I could get a rope around it and haul it in to see."

I put my hands on his shoulders as I studied his face waiting for a response one way or another. "Let's try that again if you're still game and see what happens?"

He nodded in agreement. "Bob said you had more courage than any ten m..."

I pulled Larry in and planted a big one on him. It wasn't what I thought it might be. I wasn't kissing my girlfriend. Kissing a man is different from kissing a girl. The lips are different shaped, not as soft, not as slippery because the man isn't wearing the lipstick. But the basics of it were still the same. Only this time I was the girl. And it turned out it was still just a kiss. It wasn't a prelude to take me to bed or fondle me, or have any sexual attraction added to it. It was just a kiss. I had that same experience one time when I kissed my mother. Nothing there except the idea I wasn't ever going to do it again.

Bob and Julia danced by. Both of them smiling like cats in the cream. There was no doubt they had watched the show.

"My turn." Bob had a lopsided grin on his face.

"Take a number." I laid my hand upon Larry's shoulder and was pushing him backwards in time with the beat to the music.

"Hey, just because you kissed me doesn't mean you get to lead." He reversed course and I was dancing backwards.

When the number was over the four of us returned to the table. The glasses were gone. Monica was there with fresh drinks as soon as the guys seated us girls.

I looked over at Julia. "Same thing?"

"Same. You can change if you want. Tell the guys what you want and they will get Monica's attention or go to the bar and get it themselves. Girls like for the guys to do it for them and guys like to..."

"Do it for the girls." I finished up for her. "I've been on both sides of the equation. I remember how guys think and act."

Julia reached over and held my hand. "But not girls. You are doing good hon. I never had to unlearn how to be what I'm not. I have no idea how difficult it is for you. None of us do. We are here to help as much as possible. If we get to acting too much like the nanny then tell us to back off. We are on a learning curve which is even more difficult for us than it is for you because we aren't you."

An hour later Julia and I had made a bathroom run. Twenty minutes later I felt the need again. It had to be that corset Julia cinched me into not giving a whole lot of storage room. "I'm going to powder my nose." At least that much of Julia's training had soaked in. Girls don't jump up and tell everyone at the table, 'I gotta go piss'

Julia started to get up. I put my hand on her shoulder. "Please, let me see if I can manage without a chaperone holding my hand. You people have jobs and lives. Sooner or later I'm going to be alone again."

Julia looked over at Bob who nodded in agreement. "We're close and there isn't a back door or window in that direction."

I was thinking of what Bob had said and not paying attention when I stepped into the hall leading to the bathrooms. I turned and walked to my left, found the door and walked in.

"Oh shit!" I had absentmindedly walked into the men's bathroom. There were a couple men in there. One was at the urinals, the other was washing his hands.

"Come on in doll." The guy at the urinal was shaking his peter.

"Drop dead." I was turning to leave when a third man who had been on the other side of the door grabbed me.

I started to yell when he clamped his hand around my mouth. His other arm went around my neck. He started squeezing. I bit his hand and blacked out. He had cut off the blood flow and oxygen to my brain.

"How lucky can a person be?" The man by the lavatory dried his hands on his pants.

"Easy money." The other one responded holding up the woman in his arms.

"Back door." The third man opened up the bathroom door.

"Bring the car around back. The first man had his cell phone out.

A man in the club slid his phone back into his pocket and walked out.

The man picked the woman up and carried her in his arms turning right down the hall as he left the bathroom.

"Hey, this is a restricted area." The security guard watched as a man approached.

The man pulled a Glock from under his coat. "We just unrestricted it."

The guard was backing up to stay out of their way as a second man came through carrying a woman in his arms.

A third man with a gun in his hands brought up the rear. He stopped in front of the security guard. "Your gun and radio."

The guard lifted his gun out of the holster and handed it over before lifting the radio off his belt and giving it up.

The man hit the guard in the head with the butt of his gun. The guard went to the floor. Blood was leaking from the gash.

Julia got up from the table. "Something doesn't feel right. I'm going to check on Audrey."

Bob rose up and followed. "I'm with you."

Larry started scanning the club like a bird dog on point. When he caught Monica's attention he made the okay sign and then pointed down. Monica began circling the club checking patrons.

Three seconds after Julia went into the women's bathroom she was back out. She looked concerned. "Not there."

Bob headed the other way to check out the men's when he noticed someone in a uniform holding his head shouting at another man.

"I couldn't stop them. There were three of them. They had guns. One of them was carrying the woman." The guard wiped blood on his pants and then held his hand on the wound again.

"What woman?" Bob stepped up where he was beside the men.

The guard looked to see who was asking. It was one of the men who had been sitting with the woman all evening. "That woman. The one we were told to not let out of the club unless we were told different."

Bob ran to the back door and stepped out into the alley..., “audrey...,"

He reached down and touched a button on his cell phone before he pulled it off his belt. Then he placed the call he dreaded. "Package has been lost. Another carrier is shipping."

Back in Salem the den became a madhouse. "Get a bird up. No, get the damn bird in the air. Don't you worry, I'll get authorization for it."

Moments later a drone was rolled out of a hanger in Portland and sent airborne. At Nellis AFB another drone was launched.

In Salem they were listening as Edward Blair received a phone call.

Edward's phone was ringing. He picked it up. "Hello."

"Mr. Blair, Tony Alphao here. That thing that came up missing a few weeks back. We found it and are returning it. You still offering a hundred thousand dollars for its return in any condition?"

Edward was stunned and didn't know how to respond. Venus had escaped only to drown in the lake before she talked to anyone. Unless. "Are you sure it is the same package?"

"Yes SIR! I'm positive it's the same package."

Edward didn't know what to think. If it was Venus she had escaped and had help. If she managed to talk to any authorities besides his friends in the local law then they were probably watching the place already. "The package may be damaged. I will need to inspect it before paying for delivery. Where are you at now?"

"We are in Vegas. It is where we found the package."

"Send me pictures of the package and proceed with delivery." If it was Venus he would need to destroy everything before the authorities arrived. The pictures would prove whether she was his lover or not.

His phone rang. He turned it on. The picture he was looking at was dark and fuzzy. All he could make out was someone was propped up in the seat of a vehicle. He phoned Tony back. "Send me a better picture when you have more light."

"Got it." Tony tapped the driver on the shoulder. "Need more light. Pull over into one of the quick stops."

"Tony Alpho. Hell no I don't know how to spell it. Run it with every spelling variation you can think of. And do it quick. They may decide to kill her rather than bring her back to Salem."

Neal keyed another call. "I know they are moving. I don't need an exact position. Just get close. You give me a ten mile radius and the drone will pick up their next call and key in on their vehicle. You get a number you ping their cell phone and get me a fix."

"North? Keep me updated." Bob put his cell phone back on his belt and motioned to the others. "Let's go. We have a direction. They are headed north. Are the cars here yet?"

Julia was already headed for the door. "They just arrived.

She walked around to the driver's side of the Corvette. "I'm driving."

The man slid out and waked around to the passenger side. "YES MA’AM!"

Bob did the same to the guy sitting under the wheel of the Lamborghini.
"You are shotgun."

The man protested. "But you aren't authorized."

"Don't start that shit with me or I'll shoot you and leave you here. Now get your ass over on the other side if you're going with me." Bob had his hand on the man's shoulder

Forty one seconds later three cars were pulling away from the front of the club. The men in the Lincoln leaving Vegas behind had no idea death was stalking them. At the moment they were thinking of the hundred thousand they were going to get for finding Mr. Blair's runaway. The same girl they didn't find that first night. They spent a lot of wasted hours searching the grounds and the house. Now they were going to receive their reward.

Edward turned on the phone and looked at the picture. The face was similar. But it wasn't her. His Venus had died in the lake that night. He could use this one to make a new Venus. This one would love him also, the same as the old one did.

He dialed back. "Deliver the package undamaged."

Tony looked at the other guys. "We are good to go. The Doc wants the girl."

He held the phone up. "Package coming in COD. Confirmed?"

Edward frowned at the phone. The greedy bastards wanted their money when they delivered his new Venus. No one kept a hundred thousand dollars lying around to hand out at a moments notice. They could wait on their money after they delivered his Venus. "Agreed."

Julia's phone was buzzing and so was Bob's. She turned it on. "Yes."

Bob was online as he heard her answer the incoming call. "Yes."

"Let them deliver Audrey. We will follow up. It will give us a legal right to go in without a warrant. Do not stop the delivery. If we find everything Audrey told us about Edward Blair, we will send in the cleaners. Confirm you received."

"Understood." Julia turned off the connection and slowed down to the speed limit. She hated what Audrey was probably going through right now. There was no way of telling her help was close at hand.

"I got it." Bob slowed down as the Corvette in front of him slowed. He wasn't happy. No telling what they would do to her on the trip back to Salem. It was going to be a long trip. "Hang on Audrey. You can do this."

Larry slowed down as Julia and Bob slowed down in front of him. Something was up. He was praying they hadn't already killer her. His phone was beeping. He turned it on. "What is going on?"

I was looking at a guy on my right as my eyes focused again.

He grinned at me. "Edward said you were naked. Why don't you take your clothes off and make yourself at home?"

My heart jumped up in my throat. If these men were working for that insane maniac I was in deep shit. I reached for the door handle to my left intending to throw myself from the car. A problem arose. There was another man sitting on my left between me and the door.

He grabbed my wrists. "Settle down bitch. You ain't going no where. You keep squirming around like that I'll toss you in the trunk. Doc said you had to be delivered in decent condition. That doesn't mean you have to be comfortable on the trip."

"Please let me go. Edward will kill me if he gets his hands on me again." I was to the point of tears. I had no doubt if I didn't escape I was going to be tortured to death by a sadistic man who enjoyed passing out pain.

He smiled. "Well ain't you lucky then. That first night when Doc called us in to search for you he said we was to kill you when we found you. You got a few weeks reprieve bitch."

No wonder I thought these guys looked familiar. I felt it when I saw them in the bathroom. They were the ones looking for me the night I escaped from Edward. "Please let me go."

"Bitch you keep up that whining and it is gonna get you tossed in the trunk the same as squirming."

"Please..."

He backhanded me across the mouth knocking me into the man behind me. "I liked it better when you were out.

I felt blood leaking out of the corner of my mouth. I could taste it on my tongue. Salty sweet, nothing else in the world tastes like fresh blood. If I was going to die I might as well die now as to wait for Edward to do it. I came at the guy who smacked me. My claws were out. I had my hands up on both sides of his face with those long sharp nails
Julia had glued on me. I dug into his face as deep as I could drive them before he reacted.

He punched me in the face instead of trying to shove my hands out. It drove me back as I was still dug in. I ripped down both sides of his face.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in pain. His face was bloody hamburger.

I wasn't much better. My nose was busted and I was leaking blood from my lip and my nose. My head was in the lap of the guy who was on the other side of the car. I reached up and found his neck with my right hand as my left arm was blocked by his body. He was slow to react and I raked.

"SHIT BITCH1" His left arm knocked my hand away as he came down and clubbed me in the head with the butt of his gun.

My lights went out again.

He raised his gun up to bash me again as the guy in the front turned around with his gun in his right hand. "Merle, you hit her again and I'll kill you. Doc said to deliver her undamaged. You two idiots might have screwed up the whole deal."

The other man in the back seat was reaching for his gun. He fully intended to shoot the bitch for clawing up his face. He was bleeding over everything. "I'm gonna kill that bitch. No money is worth this."

The man in front pointed his gun at him. " Niccolo, you pull that gun and I'll kill you where you sit. You got a couple scratches and you want to toss a hundred thousand dollars. Give it some thought. You still in or do I toss your body out of the car?"

"The bitch deserves to die." He felt his face. He was dripping blood.

"I tell you what. After the Doc pays us for delivery you can offer your share back to him to see if he will sell her back to you. If he does then you can do whatever you want. You can cut her up just for fun if you want. Until we deliver and get paid you don't touch. You two clowns done messed her up pretty bad. She isn't what I would call undamaged
condition. If the Doc doesn't pay full price for her that is coming out of your share." He waited to make sure they weren't going to beat on her any more.

"Stop the car. She goes in the trunk. I don't want these two idiots doing any more damage to her before we deliver her to the Doc."

The driver pulled over to the side of the road. The other man was retrieving her limp body out of the seat as the driver opened the trunk. He was carrying her around to the trunk when a red Corvette went by.

Julia keyed her phone. "BACK OFF, BACK OFF! They stopped! They are putting her in the trunk of the car."

The driver watched as the tail lights dimmed in the distance. "They didn't see nothing or don't care. They are gone."

Minutes later they were back on the highway. The two men in front counting their money they would soon have. The two in back thinking about revenge for what the bitch had done to them.

Julia knew the Corvette was toast as a scout car. She had got too close to the kidnappers. When they stopped unexpectedly she had to drive past them. If she had stopped before she passed them it would have been worse. She was praying Audrey was still alive and it wasn't her dead body they were placing in the trunk of their car. What in the world were these men doing in Las Vegas in the first place? Audrey couldn't have been their target. The odds of them working for Edward Blair and being in the Pirate Cove club at the same time as Audrey was beyond astronomical. And yet it happened.

Julia shook her head as she thought about it. Expecting the unexpected in her line of work was a given. But this was way past that. She sighed, her career was put on the line when she finagled a night out for Audrey. This would be the end of it. Maybe the people in Dallas who wanted her to take over their security company might still be looking?

She was looking at a truck stop a couple miles up the highway. She keyed her phone. "Larry, I'm dropping the Corvette and sending Charles on ahead with it. Stop at the Atlas Truck Stop when you get here. I'll ride with you."

"Negatory on ditching the Corvette." Came back from Bob. "You are going to ride point until we can get another car for you. You take it on in and make the switch at Reno. There is a Hertz there. We don't have anyone there to do the paperwork. You will have to do that. Get there and get it done in case they don't stop for a break in Reno."

I hurt. Was I in Hell? Everything was dark. I tried to sit up and banged into something inches from my face which made it hurt even more than it already did. I felt in front of me. It was cold steel of some kind. My back hurt. I felt under me. I was lying on boxes..., No I was lying on suitcases. I could tell we were rolling down the highway. How long was I out? How long before they open the trunk and hand me over to Edward? I felt my face. It was covered with sticky semi dried blood. Feeling my hair it was matted with the same goop. I had seen the gun butt coming at my face, I couldn't dodge it. Must have split my scalp open.

Searching for some sort of tire tool proved futile. There were too many suitcases in there with me. I didn't have a whole lot of wiggle room. I tried the latches on one of the suitcases. They weren't locked. I could only raise the lid a couple inches in the cramped quarters. Pulling clothes out I was hoping to find a gun, pocket knife or anything to use
for a weapon. All I found were clothes. Without discarding the suitcase, I now had what was in it occupying more room while the suitcase gave up none. Even if I could reach the other suitcases it would get really bad if I didn't find a way to open the trunk and discard the extra baggage.

I spread the clothes out under me the best I could. It wasn't comfortable but it was a whole lot better than ridding on top of the sharp edges of those suitcases. My life had come to this kind of end. Can one hang themselves lying down inside the trunk of a car? I started running all the possibilities through my mind to end this before Edward got his hands on me again.

I must have dozed off. I no longer heard tires on the pavement and the car had stopped moving. "HELP. SOMEONE HELP ME. HELP." I was banging on the lid with my hands as I screamed.

The lid was raised, a fist came at my face. I was down for the count although I wasn't out.

A couple blocks away Bob pulled his Glock. The man beside him reached over and laid his hand on Bob's arm. "Wait. We were told to let them deliver her."

Bob yanked his arm away. "Wait my ass. I'm going to kill that fucker."

"NO! We were told to wait. There are others like her. Do you want to kill their chances? We follow these back to the house. That is our ticket to walk in without a warrant."

Bob settled back into the seat as he slid his gun back into his holster. "They are mine. All four of them are mine."

"The bitch made a mess of my clothes."

"Gag her and bind her hands."

"With what you asshole? The suitcase with the binders is on the bottom. We pull her out right here in the middle of the parking lot, dig up the binders, lock her up, and toss her back in and you think no one is going to notice?

"Finish filling the car. While you get us some sandwiches and drinks I will pull over to the edge of the lot where no one can hear her scream. When we get back on the road we are going to stop at the next road stop or whatever that doesn't have anybody there. I'm tired of screwing with the bitch. When I get through she will wish she was dead."

Hah! I didn't need to wait on my inquisition to want that. I already wished I was dead. I would have said as much if I had managed to get things working again before they slammed down the lid.

It wasn't long before we were rolling again. I pulled the liner back from the side of the trunk. It was hard to get a hold on the bulb sockets now my hands were sticky with blood. I worked the bulb holders out of the tail lights. I was hoping a cop would pull them over for missing a tail light. I had a light and could now see what my situation was. Wasn't good. I was wishing I could inspect the other side of my prison but turning around in there wasn't an option. I didn't want them to notice what I had done to the tail light so I tried to remove the bulb from their sockets. When I tried to remove the bulbs they burned my fingers. I smashed them with one of the belt buckles I had pulled out with the clothes. If they didn't notice the tail light was out, I didn't want those bulbs to light up the interior of the trunk next time they opened it.

It wasn't long before I felt them slowing down and heard gravel crunching under the wheels. I got ready. When the trunk opened I sprang at the man standing there with as much effort as I could from a laying flat position.

He easily moved to the side of my lunge and hit me on the back of the head as I tried to grab him. I went down plowing gravel with my face and arms.

"Enough of this shit." He put his foot in the middle of my shoulders and held me pressed down to the ground. I was beat up and had used too much of my strength. I wasn't any match for him as I tried to rise before I collapsed back down into the gravel.

"Find it? Open it up. I've had all I'm gonna take from this bitch. Give me."

Someone pulled my arms behind my back. My wrists were locked together. My ankles were next and then my legs were pulled up where my ankles were locked to my wrists.

"Raise her up."

One of them grabbed my shoulders and raised me up on my knees. I could feel the gravel digging into my knees.

"This is my favorite part. Open up." One of them stepped up in front of
me with a ball gag in his hand.

I spit blood and saliva at his face. I scored but it was my final act of defiance.

He grabbed my broken nose and held it. If he only knew I wasn't able to breathe through my nose since they broke it, he wouldn't have bothered. Or maybe he just liked adding the pain.

He shoved the ball gag into my mouth. I was no longer able to breathe. Finally death was going to be my escape. Seconds later my world went black.

"I copy that. No they can't see us. Neal says they have eyes on them with the drone. He told us to stop when they did and we were far enough back our headlights didn't give us away." Bob wished he had a connection to the drone himself.

Julia nodded even though Bob would never see it. "We pulled off and stopped ourselves. I don't like running this ten mile lead on them. If things go wrong we could never get to her in time."

Larry looked at his watch. This promised to be a long trip. At best it would take sixteen hours. They had left Vegas...? Eight hours ago. He was sure Andrea was feeling it a lot more than himself. He had heard they put her in the trunk four hours back. Alone in the dark not knowing help was pacing her captors. It had to be extra rough on her.

"They are moving again." Came over his phone from Neal. "Copy that. Julia?"

"I'm back on the move too." Was her response. "Neal keep me about this distance ahead of them. Check me out from time to time with your eyes in the sky."

"Eyes are for you and Andrea." Came back over her phone.

"Copy that." She put her phone down as she checked her rear view mirror. "Hang on Andrea."

They pulled up to the gate and made the call. "We have arrived with the package."

"Good. Make the delivery." Edward pushed the button to open the front gates.

"What do we tell him?" The driver looked over at Tony

"Tell him she was un co-operative and it got out of hand."

"He ain't gonna like it."

"Like it or not he promised a hundred grand on delivery. We deliver and he pays." Tony looked over his shoulder at the men in the back.

"Damn straight." One of them replied as he nodded in agreement.

The driver pulled up the front door and stopped.

Edward was waiting. He looked inside the car. "Where is she?"

"In the trunk. She got out of hand." Tony stood up beside the car. "You got our money?"

"I want to see her." Edward was looking toward the trunk waiting for them to open it and deliver his newest lover.

"Let's see the money first." Tony was positive they wanted their money in hand before the Doc got a look at what they had in the trunk.

“I don't keep that kind of cash on hand. I'll pay you forty thousand now and the rest tomorrow." Edward wanted to see his goddess.

Tony looked at the others. Forty thousand was better than nothing. He was sure it would be nothing when the Doc got a look. He held out his hand. "Money and then we deliver."

"Oh all right." Edward reached inside his coat and pulled out a wad of bills. He handed them to Tony. "Open the trunk."

Tony fanned the bills. They were all hundred dollar bills. He nodded toward the driver. "Open the trunk."

Alfred pushed the trunk release on his key chain and the trunk lid popped up.

Edward bent over to look. There was blood every where. Her face was a black and purple swollen bloody mess, what there was of it. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! YOU TOLD ME SHE WAS UNDAMAGED! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL! I'M NOT PAYING FOR THIS!"

"Doc, this is her. Things got a little out of hand. It wasn't our fault. Look at what she did to Niccolo." Tony pointed to the man on the other side of the car. Niccolo turned his head from side to side so Doc could see the scratches on both sides of his face.

The man standing by Edward pulled his collar down showing deep scratches down his neck. "And this."

Edward shook his head. "Four men and one woman. I use the term men in the most liberal sense."

"I don't need this mess." He pointed to the body in the trunk. "Take her somewhere and dump her."

"Doc she is no longer our problem. She's your problem. You bought and paid for her. Where do you want her? You want to bury her in the back yard, push her off into the lake or whatever that's your call. "

Niccolo lifted the body out of the trunk and headed for the house. "Where do you want me to leave her?"

"Imbeciles. I hire professionals and get... Take her to the lab. I'll see if anything can be salvaged." He followed the man back into the house.

"Start the car. When Niccolo returns we are leaving. I have a feeling Doc isn't happy with our services this time." Tony was looking at the money in his hand. At least they had something.

"They carried her into the house. Engage." Neal had been watching through the camera in the drone.

The lights in Edward's house went off. Niccolo stopped with the woman still on his shoulder. "What's that?"

"Wind blows the tree limbs into the power lines at times. It will come back on.. If it doesn't in thirty seconds the power generator will kick in."

The lights came back on. Edward nodded. "See."

Niccolo took a few steps and the lights went out again. "What is going
on."

Bob took aim at the security camera on the back south corner of the house. There was a muffled bark from his sniper rifle. The camera smoked as it winked out.

Julia kneeled down by the front security gate. She had already taken out the cameras at the gate. She took aim at the camera on the left front side of the house. One hundred and ten yards. Easy as pie. There was a light bark.

Tony heard glass breaking. He looked around. "Did you hear that?"

Alfred shook his head. "Hear what?"

More glass broke. "Tell me you heard that? Tony looked up to see if someone was breaking glass in the upstairs windows. All of them looked okay.

Both cameras were out at the front of the house. Bob had taken care of the ones at the back.

The lights came back on again. Niccolo headed down the hall to the lab. "This is driving me nuts."

He dropped the body on the stainless steel table. "She's all yours Doc." He left.

"Wait." Edward stared at the woman and shook his head. "Can't get decent help."

Edward took his scalpel and ran down the front of her dress. He pushed the material back off her body. "This is interesting." He cut the corset off and stared. Was she his design? She had the waist and breasts like his own creations. This looked like his Venus. If they hadn't messed up the face...? The magnatron would tell him. He had to get all the metal off her. Things went terribly wrong if any metal went into the Forming Tube along with the body. It was one of the reasons he made sure none of his subjects had any metal pins or screws in them from prior surgery.

Julia held her position. It looked like the men were getting ready to leave. She would make sure they stopped at the gate. "Come to mamma boys." She handed the sniper rifle to the man beside her. He handed her a modified AK-47.

"Four pigeons are leaving the nest." She spoke as the men got into the car and it started moving.

"Mamma bird needs to teach them they can't fly." Came back into her ear.

Bob and nine others had closed in on the back of the house. Four men broke off and split up, two going around to each side of the house. Bob tossed a grappling hook up on the balcony. Audrey explained how she had escaped. Going back in the same way she escaped was the only way without blowing doors and letting Edward know they were coming. It might only take seconds to reach the lab. In those seconds Edward could kill Audrey and maybe all the others?

Edward finished removing the earrings, bracelets, necklace, and rings. He slid the body up into the glass tube. The tube slid up into the magnatron. Edward was studying the computer screen. Impossible. It was his Venus. He was lucky she was still alive. He couldn't bring them back to life once they were dead. He flipped the switch. Her bruises and swelling faded away. Her broken nose was no longer broken. The lacerations on her scalp closed up and disappeared. She was his Venus again, his goddess of love.

The repair was completed, the tube was slowly moving out of the magnatron when it came to him. Only the people he used to work for could fake the death and send her to Vegas to hide her. The ones who didn't appreciate his genius ability. That meant she had talked. It meant all his work would need to be destroyed. Including his goddess of love.

He stopped the tube from leaving the magnatron. No one would think of her as ever being human even if they managed to stop the house from burning to the ground after he left.

"You touch anything and I'll kill you."

The voice came from behind him. Edward turned to see if it was one of the men had come back for more money. It was a tall muscular man he didn't recognize. The gun he was holding looked lethal. Edward had seen such weapons. The company he had worked for armed their security men with them.

"I'm not going to share my knowledge with them. They shut down my program. They said it wasn't needed. I'm not going to let them have it now that I have finished developing it." Edward smiled knowing he was the only one in the world smart enough to build the equipment he had designed.

"They shut you down because there wasn't a need for it yet. We aren't sending men out to deep space. When that time comes you would have been contacted. They didn't fire you. You quit. You could of had a job there as long as you wanted." Bob had the laser sight focused on Edward's forehead. Any indication Edward was going to touch any controls would be his last act.

Edward pointed at the models mounted on pedestals around the room. "Look at my creations. No one appreciated how brilliant I was. They only wanted suspended animation. I have created more than that. I can do anything a plastic surgeon can and more. I am better than God. I create works of art from the human body."

"You destroy people's lives. Did you ask Audrey if she wanted to be a woman? How many of these were men? How many of the women gave you permission to mount them like statues? You're a sick perverted bastard. That's why they didn't let you continue in the direction you were going. How many sick perverted bastards in the world like you would be destroying peoples lives for their own pleasure if they got their hands on your equipment?"

Edwards eyes glowed with hate. "Sick? Only little minds don't understand how much of a genius I am. The company is filled with little minds who are jealous of me because I'm smarter than all of them put together."

He reached for the console.

Bob's shot was true to its course. Edward was dead before his body was thrown back and down to the floor.

Julia came into the lab with her gun ready for action. She looked around the lab. "...oh my god. Are they alive?"

Bob walked up to look down at Audrey still inside the glass tube. "I don't think he started killing them yet."

"Audrey?" She was unresponsive. "I don't know what he did to her?"

Julia walked up to see. "She's breathing. Let's get her out of that thing. It might have gas in it or something keeping her unconscious."

Julia helped Bob pull Audrey out of the glass tube. "Find something to cover her. I don't want everyone seeing her like this."

Bob stooped down and picked up what was left of the dress off the floor. "Use this. I'll go get a blanket from one of the bedrooms. Tell medical to put a rush on it. Get the brain trusts in here to see what they can figure out about getting those women off those things without hurting them."

He left the room as Julia looked around the room and talked into her throat mike.

I opened my eyes expecting to see angels or devils. I knew I was dead. I did see an angel. It was Julia. She was watching me. I looked around. I was in a hospital room or a darn good imitation of one. I had white sheets covering me. I raised my hand up to feel my face knowing I was going to be feeling a lot of tender spots and scabs. There weren't any.

"How did I get here? How did you find me? How long have I been out? What happened to the guys that kidnapped me? How did you stop them from leaving me with Edward? How..."

"Slow down. All your questions..., most of your questions will be answered in time." She was laughing at me. "What do you remember?"

"I remember they were going to drop me off to Edward." I felt my face again. Nothing hurt. "I also remember they beat me to a bloody pulp. How long have I been out? Months since all the cuts and bruising is gone."

"You have been out for a little over a day. How do you feel?"

"A day? I got well in a day? Didn't happen." I felt my nose. I could breathe through it and it wasn't broken.

"We can only guess after quizzing the men who kidnapped you. They worked you over pretty good. Edward ran you through that machine of his and repaired you. As much as that sounds like a great thing for humanity, the idea something like that is out there scares most of us to death. Edward isn't the only one who has a warped mind. Machines that can change people like it did you and the others in the hands of diabolical maniacs scares us all. Think what a dictator could do to all his enemies with such a weapon. It wouldn't be a boon to mankind but a bain of mankind." She stared off into the distance in deep thought.

"Edward..."

"Is dead. He won't hurt anyone ever again."

"Who did he work for before he went off on a tangent and started kidnapping people?"

Julia took a long time before she answered. "NASA, the same company we work for. It was a very hush hush project. Deep space research. It started out as a program to put people in suspended animation or hibernation for long space voyages. Some of the experiments went terribly wrong. We can do everything with animals except ask them what they experienced when we use them as test subjects. It seems suspended
animation doesn't shut down the brain even though the body is stabilized. It would be kin to putting someone in a barrel and then burying it. In suspended animation the body can't panic but the mind can. Some of those poor volunteers ended up in the rubber romper room."

"Those poor girls." I was thinking of the ones Edward has suspended.

"That is why the brass is wishing Edward hadn't been killed. None of the girls in his lab seem to experience that problem. Somehow Edward figured out how to sedate the mind so panic couldn't set in."

"Now what?"

She looked puzzled. "What what?"

"What about me and the others? I don't reckon you will let us go. Be bad publicity if any of this got out."

Julia laughed. "Yes it would. That's why the company isn't letting you go."

"I figured as much. How big a cell do I get? Or is it going to be lights out?"

"Cell? Several billion square miles. You are going to work for the company. Pay is good, hours suck, benefits are great. You will have to sign a non disclosure agreement. Talk to anyone outside the company about who you work for and the brass gets upset."

"Really?" I couldn't believe it.

"Yes, they really do get upset."

"No, I mean they really offered me a job?"

"Yes they really have."

"Do I get to carry a gun and shoot people?"

Julia closed her eyes, shook her head, and laughed. "One step at a time. We'll see."

"When do I start?" I was ready to get out of that hospital bed since I wasn't beat up nor sore.

"When you feel like it. Bob said for you to come down to his office when you are ready. I think he has the hots for you."

I looked down at where my breasts were tenting the sheets. "He has the hots for this body. This isn't me. I hate to bust his bubble but I'm a guy."

Julia reached down and took my hand. "Audrey, you're a lot of things. Being a guy isn't one of them. You are all woman. You might not have had years of training from your mom like most of us girls but you are one of us. I saw it shine through those two weeks we worked together. You amazed us all proving how tough and resourceful you are. Bob said he would take you over ten of his best trained men any day of the week. You might not have the training but you would figure it out somehow. He said what you have was invaluable to survival and couldn't be taught. It had to be in the person as a natural instinct and common sense."

I shook my head. "I'm none of that. I was scared is all."

"You forget who Bob and I work for. We see scared almost every day. Scared usually shuts down in indecision or flight fright which always ends up ugly without a plan."

"Now! The company will get you almost anything you want in the way of lodging. You want a house with a pool and garden they will find it. I suggest you move in with me until you get your bearings. I live in a big three bedroom house with all them things. And I strongly suspect Bob will ask you to move in with him before you leave this room. You can tell him you already have a roomie."

Looking out the window I saw Palm trees everywhere. "San Diego, Palm Springs?"

Julia turned to see what I was looking at. Palm trees were scattered across the landscape. "Florida. We brought you back to the same facilities where all the astronauts end up when they come back from space. You had everyone worried when you weren't responding to anything we did. Had no idea what Edward might have done to you again. They ran you though every test they had and came up dry. The only explanation was you were in stasis. It turned into a waiting game to see if you would come out of it or if you were lost."

"Julia, I know nothing about anything that you people do. I couldn't defend myself against a couple guys. I doubt I would be a good agent or whatever it is you and Bob do. I know nothing about space stuff. What am I supposed to be doing to earn my keep? Sell auto parts to wholesalers? It's about all I know."

She squeezed my hand as she studied my face. "Well for starters you aregoing to teach the girls we rescued how to reintegrate back into society. You will hold class everyday where you listen to their doubts and their concerns. Part of your job will be to draw out of them everything they remember about their abduction. You will find out from them what it was like to be changed into their present state. What we want most are their feelings and thoughts while they were in stasis."

Shaking my head I knew she was expecting too much from me. "I'm not a psychologist nor a doctor. That's what those girls need."

"Yes but they and NASA also need you. Someone who can relate on their terms. Someone who has been there, done that and made it back again. Remember who you are working for. All our astronauts have to share their experience and knowledge with the next batch headed out. It is one of the programs that has worked miracles in eliminating redundant mistakes and problems."

"When you feel like getting out of bed and going to work you will officially become Dr. Audrey James Little. Ph.D. in psychology, with emphasis on mental health, suicide, and depression. You will also have a PhD. in Theology.

"You're kidding!" I knew she was making fun of my high school education.

She held up her hand. "Nope, serious as a heart attack. You can pull out your degrees when some of the girls get a little out of hand. Some of them will test you to see what makes you qualified to give them advice. It's second nature to some. They always have a need to question authority."

"But I'm not..."

"Yes you are. The diplomas are real. They come from two of the most prestigious universities in the nation. These girls need your guidance. Don't let them and us down. Don't make us send them off to a mental ward. They need a guiding angel to lead them back to reality. You're the only one who is qualified to do that particular job."

"That's not fair."

"I know. Life sucks big time doesn't it." She knew she had me.

"After I'm through with the others, then do I get to carry a gun and shoot people?"

"You can do that now if you want. Why wait?" Bob must have overheard as he walked into the room. He held up a ticket with the number one on it. "I have a number. Now about that kiss?"

I was shaking my head as I laughed at him. "Sorry, that's an old expired ticket. They are no longer valid. The new ones have a green stripe on them."

He pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his billfold. "Hey, I found one of the new green ones."

Before I had a chance to respond he leaned over and laid a big one on me.

It didn't shock me and to tell the truth, I kind of liked the way he stole a kiss from me. When he backed up I couldn't help grinning from ear to ear. "Got another ticket?"

Julia started laughing. "She's already hustling the easy Marks around this place. This girl is going far I can tell."

Now I knew who the hell these people were. Would I still need to hand in a resume? On second thought. Nah. They probably already knew more about me than I knew about myself.

It was two weeks later when Bob had me in "his class" teaching me everything about almost every weapon in use around the world. He told me I was to learn all this because I might need to pick up my opponent's weapon and use it. We had stopped for a breather. I didn't look at him when I asked. "The girls want to know if and when you get Edward's machine working can you change them back?"

Bob put his hand under my chin and raised my head so he could look me in the eyes. "And you?"

I shrugged. "It would be nice to be what I was. You and all the others have treated me with respect and decency. I suspect it made it a lot easier to cope with the change. Especially since I have a purpose for living and an unbelievably interesting job. I find it fascinating as I learn the difference in how women and men look and react to social
aspects and relationships. Being a man came naturally to me. It was what I always was. I had no learning curve. It was a natural thing."

The corner of Bob's mouth curled up. "If I told you the company was working on getting that machine working would you stop being who and what you are as you waited to be a man again? How many of the girls would give up and wait?"

He shook his head. "Audrey, the best minds in the business along with the best technicians are working to blueprint and dismantle Edward's machine. Every nut, bolt, wire, connector, solder joint, memory stick, magnets, acoustical vibrators, resonators..., They will even blueprint the dust on everything. Saying they will try and blueprint that damn thing down to each and every molecule isn't stretching the truth."

"O'Marrah, one of the techs, told me it would take two years at best to blueprint that machine as they dismantled it."

"What I am about to say next isn't to be repeated to anyone. I know you and Julia have become best friends and you believe she has the highest clearance in this screwed up organization. She does but you still don't repeat this. That machine is never going to be put back together. What Edward built wasn't meant to be for us mortals until we became civilized. You think we are civilized but we aren't. Not as long as there are people like Edward out there. The down side of that machine is a whole lot worse than the upside. It could cure a lot of people of a lot of things. It could fix a lot of people of a lot of defects. I can't begin to describe all the bad things that machine could do to humanity if every mad dictator or insane doctor had one."

He winked at me. "Edward did a lot of bad things. I'm looking at one of the good things he did."

I blushed from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet as I started putting the M1 back together. Bob was bringing up emotions I had been trying to ignore every time he got close. At first I thought Bob might be gay because he knew I used to be a man. Julia and I had a lot of long talks about men and one in particular. She assured me Bob wasn't gay by any stretch of the imagination. And I certainly wasn't a man. The medical team had confided in her everything they had learned about me. If I started playing around I was a ripe candidate to get pregnant. If I wanted to keep working for the agency I would make sure that didn't happen.

Can't get married and can't get pregnant while working for the agency. Julia was right. This job sucks.

Bob pointed to a spring I had forgot to put back into the gun. "How did you ever get named Audrey?"

Laughing, I disassembled the rifle again to replace the spring. "Long story. Ever hear the song "'A Boy Named Sue'?"