This story is dedicated to the victims, families, and rescuers of September 11, 2001. You will never be forgotten.

 

Andersonville 11 - The God Slayer
Written by Kelly Davidson
Edited by Geoff
Special thanks to Genni Smith and Koos for help with this story.

Copyright 2001

Fade in...

There we were, two girls having lunch on a cool, April day - only that wasn't the case at all. Neither of us was who we really once were and only one of us was a girl. At least that's what I kept telling myself.

As I began my second year as a citizen of Andersonville, there were times I regretted my decision to be turned back into Linda Anderson. It wasn't that I hated my life; I just didn't feel natural living as a woman. In all fairness, I most likely would have felt as uncomfortable living as Tom McClain if I had taken Judge Herns offer to remain as him. My escape from Andersonville, followed by my return, hadn't been easy on me. Judge Herns was demanding that I act more like a young woman and less like Tom McClain. At least as Linda, I had Mr. and Mrs. Anderson in my life. That made things bearable.

Across the table sat my brother's girlfriend, Sally Rider. Steve wasn't my biological brother even though I was closer to him than most brothers are. A lifetime ago, and I guess it really was a lifetime ago, Steve had been Al Parker, my best friend and business partner. Sally had been his fiancée and a dear friend of mine. Both were considered dead to the outside world, one murdered and the other killed in a car crash. On the other hand, while I was stuck in Andersonville pretending to be Linda Anderson, someone else was running around on the outside pretending to be me. It confused me why Dennis Butz kept up this charade, instead of allowing my old character to die or simply disappear. That seemed to be the usual practice here in Andersonville

I stared over at Sally who was looking as lovely as any 17-year old cheerleader could look. Judge Jasper had blessed her with long blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a killer body. She was a junior in High School, whilst my brother was still a 15-year-old freshman. I almost had to laugh at the thought, since both were actually in their mid-twenty's and had graduated from high school years ago. However, reality faded when you lived in Andersonville.

Unlike me, Sally was allowed to wear pants to the office since she was going there straight from school. I felt it was a little unfair, and even pointed that out to June Herns, but my protest fell on deaf ears. The judge explained Sally had worn more dresses in her lifetime than I could imagine, so I didn't have room to complain. Besides, most teenage girls didn't have lots of different dresses to wear to school each day - and there was a sort- of social status attached to High School girls. I grumbled a little but realized Judge Herns had a valid point.

Over the past two weeks Sally had been showing up after school so I could teach her everything I knew about how to run the office. Today she wasn't in school due to a parent/teacher conference. The irony of teaching her my job was that Sally was a much better officer manager than I could ever hope to be. She was constantly showing me how to do things differently - and better.

"My assignment!" I said to myself. I tried not to think too much about my assignment; the reason why I had to teach Sally my job. Why did I have to be Ashlee Gang's replacement in Peace River? And why did she need 6 months of maternity leave instead of the usual 6 weeks like normal mothers? Apparently Judge Jasper was more generous to those he liked; and more of a prick to those he didn't.

"Damn you, Dennis," I cursed silently. I was still highly pissed that he hadn't even discussed the matter with me first. I was just expected to go on his command. Well, I had given him an earful after he told me; not that it had done any good. If I didn't go Sally would have to be, for lack of a better term, returned to Judge Jasper like an unpaid item. What I couldn't understand was why Judge Jasper had picked me? Why didn't he have someone else fill in for Ashlee? Surely there had to be someone else who took Ashlee's place whenever she was on vacation!

"Something on your mind?" Sally asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Peace River," I sighed while taking a stab at the salad in front of me. Another one of those little curses of being a woman. I had to watch my weight more carefully now. I had gained a few pounds recently, and Judge Herns was on my back to take it off.

"Sally, what's it really like there?"

"You mean the town or Judge Jasper?" she asked. I gave her a strange look and she continued. "I talked to Stephanie Hall before I left. She told me about your little run-in with the Judge."

"More like a major collision," I frowned. "Let's start with the town."

"It's a very nice town, quiet peaceful. I guess you could say it's about 30 or 40 years behind the times. Heck, a number of people still have 8-track players in their cars. The business district is made up of a number of Ma and Pop type stores, so you won't find a McDonalds or K-Mart there. It's a slower type of life-style there, but it's not boring. In fact, there are plenty of things you can do there. You can bowl, fish, see a movie, go for a walk in the park, or go swimming at the lake. And the people take a lot of pride in the community they've created there. It's strange, but the spirit of Peace River is as much a part of their efforts as it is Judge Jasper's and his people's, probably more so."

"What about Judge Jasper?" I asked crisply.

"He's not a bad fellow if that's what you're asking. Oh, he's very secretive about certain things. For instance, he wouldn't tell me how I got to Peace River. One minute I was in my car as it flipped over the guardrail, the next minute I woke up in his courtroom."

"Was Officer Merrick there?"

"Yes, right beside me as a matter of fact. How did you know?"

"A lucky guess," I told the puzzled girl but didn't elaborate. For some reason, I didn't feel totally comfortable telling Sally everything I knew about them.

"Anyway Linda, he's not a bad guy," she continued. "I talked with him twice, and both times he was polite and generally concerned about how I was feeling. In fact, he even let me decide if I wanted to come to Andersonville to be with Al - I mean Steve. Don't get me wrong Linda. I love Steve with all my heart. But Judge Jasper is like a caring father. His town has a certain atmosphere that makes you want to stay. Even now I feel like my soul is being tugged back there. I hope to go back to Peace River one day."

"Maybe you will," I observed while taking a half-hearted stab at my food. I found Sally's answers troubling to me but I wasn't sure why. Was it because I wanted to hear Peace River was a horrible place where Judge Jasper was a cold, heartless beast who ruled the town with an iron fist? Or was it because Sally had been sorry to leave, and that made me suspicious of her being in Andersonville? Was she really an Andersonville citizen, or someone sent by Judge Jasper to spy on us? If the latter was true, then being in my old position was certainly the place to be. But then, what was there to tell Judge Jasper that Judge Herns probably didn't tell him? I popped a small piece of tomato in my mouth and chewed on it as I thought about it some more.

Fade out...

***

Voice of Judge Jasper: We are the Roman gods, who fell to your world long ago when your people were still learning how to crawl. We have guided you through the years, rewarded you for good deeds, and punished you when needed. With our leadership, we helped you defeat the Titans in a terrible but glorious war. Once your path was set, we went to sleep, waiting for the day you would reach for the stars and take us home. But the Titans interfered, and turned you away from your destiny. When we awoke, we found much work to do; so we established a base and called it Peace River.

The Titans, with our help, established their own base later on. It's a town where we can work together, a last ditch effort to avoid another war that may destroy the human race forever. Some would like to see the town and your people destroyed, others would like to see it work - to have peace at last. There is much hatred between our people, and the road ahead won't be easy but the rewards if we do are great. The name of this last chance for peace is called Andersonville.

***

Fade in...

Ashlee Gang had just gotten back from using the bathroom for the tenth time that afternoon. She was tired and fat - her belly bulging from the baby due in just two weeks. That didn't give her much time to get everything ready for her replacement, Linda Anderson, who was supposed to show up next week for training. Ashlee was surprised to see Vickie Marshall waiting in her office so late in the day. Normally Vickie and the others made their visits in the morning.

"Good afternoon, Ashlee," Vickie said happily while peering at her belly. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fat," Ashlee laughed. "I can't wait for this baby to come."

"All in good time," Vickie said cheerfully. "But I know how you feel."

Ashlee figured if anyone did know it had to be Venus, the goddess of love. She knew Vickie/Venus had had at least 7 children since the creation of Peace River, and probably lots more before then. Her latest child, Tammy, was almost 16 years old, and Ashlee wouldn't have been surprised if Vickie were planning on having another baby soon. As beautiful a woman as she was, Venus seemed to value motherhood over anything else.

"So, what brings you here today," Ashlee asked while having a good idea.

"John Stillwell," she answered pleasantly. "I have some information I need to pass on to you, but first, I would like to see his file. Do you feel up to it, Ashlee? I could come back tomorrow if you don't."

"No, I'm feeling okay. Where would you like to do this?"

"Why don't I just close the door and we can do it here," she offered.

Ashlee nodded and sat down in a comfortable chair while Vickie Marshall did the rest. Once the door was locked, Vickie took a seat next to the pregnant woman and extended her feminine hands. Ashlee took them with her own hands and suddenly everything started to change around them.

***

I was hunched over a furry lab rat that was trying to get away from me. I carefully picked him up in my thick gloves and observed him carefully.

"It's okay little fellow," I tried to reassure the rat, "this won't hurt a bit."

I carefully strapped the small, thin harness interwoven with electrical sensors, around its head and body. Once secured, I plugged the cable end into the PC on the table.

"Okay, let's see what you can do," I said to the small, furry rodent.

The computer screen began displaying data from the rat brainwaves. I typed in a few adjustments to help clean them up and looked hopefully at the speakers. There was nothing. A wave of frustration came over me, and I adjusted the program some more. Still there was nothing.

"Come on little fellow, talk to me." I urged. The last thing I wanted to do was start all over again with a new rat. One important fact I had learned over the months was that no two lab rats were the same.

"Earrrrra!" the computer speakers rang out, followed by some unrecognizable garble.

"What?" I responded in slight shock. It had sounded like the word "ear". I made some more adjustments, changing the constants in the real-time analysis program and hoping I wasn't screwing up the signal more. If I could match the interpretation program with the impulses on the rat's brain waves, things would get interesting real fast. I continued playing with the signal and moments later was rewarded for my efforts.

"Fear, fear!" the rat kept repeating in a squeaky tone. I let out a loud hoot of victory that caused the rat to cower even more. Today I had made history. Today I had found a way to transform thoughts of non-speaking animals into words.

"Don't be afraid, little fellow," I spoke while softly stroking its back. "You just helped me become a millionaire. Here, have a treat." I stuck a small cube of cheese down in front of the rat.

"Food - food," the rat responded excitedly. It quickly picked it up in its paws started nibbling on one corner. I sat back in my chair in complete delight. Two years of hard, backbreaking work had finally paid off. Sure, there was still plenty more for me to do, but now that I had cracked the secret of thought processes, the fun could begin. In another year or so I would perhaps be able to sell my research findings to a major corporation and retire in style. After that I could sit around the house and watch my kids grow up.

Speaking of which, I looked at the clock and frowned. My wife should have been home almost an hour ago. Well, maybe she had gotten stuck in traffic or sidetracked at the mall. Being seven months pregnant with our first child didn't help matters either; my wife Nancy tired fast these days. Perhaps she had decided to take her time to save her strength instead of rushing to get what she needed.

I looked down at the rat busy chewing on a piece of cheese. Nancy would be so excited when she heard the news. It was too late for my mother-in-law, who had passed away last month silently after having suffered a stroke the year before. The stroke had left her unable to communicate with anyone. My research had the potential to help thousands of stroke victims who had lost their ability to speak. I knew such a breakthrough would lessen the blow on my wife. In a few short years these poor victims would be able to speak with their loved ones again.

A knock on the door brought me out of my daydream, and I carefully placed the rat back in its cage. When I opened the door there were two police officers looking back at me grimly.

"Are you Mr. Stillwell?" one of the officers asked.

"Yes, I'm John Stillwell," I answered in a shaky voice. Their faces told me it wasn't good news.

***

3 months later...

It was in the middle of the afternoon yet the room I was in was as dark as a cave. I was lying on the couch and staring up at the ceiling. My life, at least the one I had once known, was over. My wife and future child, a son the doctor had told me, were dead -victims of a hit and run driver. I had also died that day, emotionally that is. Since the accident I had been unable to work, sleep, or do any of my normal outdoor activities. I had fallen into a deep depression.

There was a sharp rap on the front door, and it brought me out of the trance of self-pity I was feeling. I looked at the clock and grumbled. It was only two in the afternoon. Since my wife's death, I found I had better luck sleeping during the day than at night. I tried to ignore the person at the front door but they kept knocking louder and harder. I cursed and got off the couch that had been my bed over the past three months. I couldn't force myself to sleep in the same bed that I had once shared with my lovely wife.

Annoyed, I flung open the door angrily to see who the asshole was that had disrupted my nap. The asshole turned out to be my boss, Donny Mabble. He returned my rudeness with a warm smile.

"Good afternoon, mate," he greeted me pleasantly in his Aussie tone.

"What do you want, Donny?" I asked discourteously. It was sunny outside today, and I had to squint my eyes to see him.

"Why don't I come in so we can talk," he suggested. I was about to refuse, but remembered the man had come a long way to see me and was paying my bills. I opened the door and he walked in carrying a covered cage.

"You need to open the curtains and let some light into this room," he observed. "It's so dark and depressing."

"It matches my mood," I told him. "What's in the cage?"

"Something that might interest you." Donny removed the cover and a gray rat looked carefully around the room. "I figured a conversation with a wild rat might be more entertaining than the ones you gave back to me."

"I'm not interested. I - I can't. I think you know why, Donny."

"It's been three months, mate," Donny pointed out. "It's time you moved on with your life now. Nancy would've wanted it that way."

"How would you know?" I snorted back disrespectfully. "You only met my wife twice."

"It was enough to know what kind of woman she was," Donny observed. He focused his eyes right on me. "It's time to get on with your life, Johnny. More important, it's time you go back to work. I can't keep supporting you like this."

"Then fire me," I told him crossly. "I'm telling you, I'm not ready."

"No, you owe me," he pointed out. "I paid for your services in advance, and have been more than patient these past few months. Besides, this isn't about the money; it's about you. You're one of the top experimental biologists in the country, Johnny, on the verge of a breakthrough that will help thousands of people. I know you're in pain mate, but you can't let Nancy's death ruin your life. It's time to get back to the job of living again. If not for you, for her then. She would've wanted it that way."

"It's not that easy."

"Nothing in life is," he explained while glancing around the room. "Look at this place, it's like a tomb in here." He walked over to a window and lifted up a curtain, lighting the room with sunshine. "Look at your skin. From how pale you look, I would say you haven't been out in the sun in over a month." He dropped the curtain and the room went dark again.

"Closer to two months," I admitted gloomily.

"That's what I mean mate, you need to change your routine. That's why I brought you a present."

"An ugly rat, how wonderful."

"I knew you'd be thrilled," Donny smiled while recognizing the sarcasm in my voice.

"Where did you find it?" I asked, more out of making polite conversation than curiosity.

"Interesting you should ask me that. I was setting my trap in an alley when this fellow comes out of his hiding place and scurries up to me. At first I thought he was looking around for food, but when I placed the cage down he climbed right into it. I didn't even have to bait it first."

"Doesn't look like a domesticated rat," I observed.

"No, he doesn't," Donny agreed. "Maybe you'll have an interesting conversation with him. From his scares, it looks like he's been through a lot. Anyway, I'd best be off. I have a long drive ahead of me. I'll drop off some more lab rats next week. G'day mate."

Donny let himself out, not waiting for me to say goodbye, which I didn't intend to do anyway. I thought about it after he left. I really wasn't being very fair to him. As bosses went, Donny was a kind hearted and understanding guy. I also knew he had my best interests at heart. Well, I would make it up to him when I completed the project. I gazed down and the rat stared back with beady, black, steady eyes. If I didn't know better, I would've sworn he was checking me out. I dismissed the idea and lay back down on the couch to sleep.

***

It was after midnight when I finally awoke and fixed myself something to eat. While I had managed to sleep almost ten hours straight I felt neither rested nor awake. I knew it was my depressed state that was causing this. I ran my hands through my hair and logged onto the computer, hoping today would be the day I would get an email message from my two lost friends. Except for a few Spam emails, there was nothing waiting in my account.

My friends, Angie and Anne, had both done a disappearing act around the same time my wife had been killed. Email messages I sent to them were ignored, and after about a month started bouncing back to me, indicating their accounts were now closed. Messages to friends of theirs indicated they had left in the middle of the night without a word as to where they were going. The rumor was that they were behind in their bills and had skipped town. I really didn't want to believe that, they both seemed like responsible people. Even if that was the case, why break contact with me? They didn't owe me any money. In fact I knew Angie had over $20,000 dollars saved up for her operation, so money really wasn't an issue.

Like her roommate, Angie was a MTF transsexual who I had met through at a TG support group. For Angie and Anne to leave their friends without saying goodbye didn't make sense. I knew they would contact me one day, so I waited in hope. Like previous nights, there was nothing from them.

Sighing, I brought up the computer program I had written that hopefully would allow me to communicate with this lab animal. More than three-quarters of my research had been dedicated to the creation of this program, and I felt like I could recite all the lines of code in my sleep.

After putting on my thick gloves, I opened the cage door and stuck my hand inside. To my surprise, the rat didn't try to scurry away. Instead it calmly climbed into my hand. I sat him down on the table and he waited patiently while I hooked up the harness.

"Okay, little guy," I said while plugging the harness connector into the computer port. "Let's see what your waves look like."

The computer did a scan of the brain waves and to my surprise; they were totally different from any of the other lab rats I had scanned earlier. In fact they appeared to be more complex, almost human.

"Impossible," I thought, but there was the proof in front of me. I made some major adjustments, resetting all my default settings of the program to see if it would rectify the situation; however, the readouts remained the same.

"Can you hear me?" the computer speakers blared out. "Can you understand me?"

"My God! You're talking in complete sentences," I said in astonishment. I knew rats were intelligent creatures however; I didn't think they had the ability to speak more than a few words. "Can, can you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I understand you," the speakers blared out. "You don't know how long I've waited to talk to another human being."

"You've wanted to talk to us? Why?"

"Because I used to be a man!"

I looked down at the rat with a great deal of mistrust. This had to be some kind of trick being played on me. Yes, that was it. Donny was playing a joke on me. But then I noticed the rat was looking right at me, no, making eye contact with me as it spoke. I realized this wasn't a joke.

"Used to be!" I stated. "How did you get to be this way?"

"It's a long story, you'd better sit down." I did as the rat suggested and he began at once.

"My name is Klein Walker, and I was once a high-profile businessman living in Seattle, Washington. One night a business-rival named Tom McClain, kidnapped me and took me to a place called Peace River. He was in cahoots with the man running that town who went by the name of Judge Jasper. This Judge, if you want to call him that, brought me up on a bunch of trumped up charges and found me guilty. Then he sentenced me to live the rest of my life as a rat. That's when he modified me!"

"Modified you, how did he do that?"

"How much do you know about the Roman gods?"

"Very little," I admitted.

"Same here until recently. It turns out this Judge Jasper is really the Roman god, Jupiter. To make matters worse, all his friends live there with him."

"You can't be serious," I blurted out. His story had stretched my imagination to the breaking point.

"Look at me, do I look like I'm kidding?" the rat countered rather testy that the computer picked up. "I'm living proof they do exist."

"You're taking about the Roman gods, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and so on."

"And others you may not have heard of," the rat added. "Look, I know this sounds crazy but how else can you explain me standing here talking to you?"

I thought about it. The rat made a good point.

"What state is this town in?" I asked while grabbing for my map.

The rat moved his head from side to side. "You won't find it there, I already looked. According to the rest of the world, this town doesn't exist. I heard they have another town in Montana called Andersonville. My guess is you won't find that town on the map either."

"But why?" I asked, intrigued by his story. "I mean, what's the purpose of these towns?"

"It's an evil purpose," the rat hissed. "They kidnap people and force them to live there against their will. If someone tries to leave, Judge Jasper, that's what Jupiter calls himself there, punishes them so severely that they never try to leave again."

"He doesn't call himself Jupiter in this town?"

"No, he uses a regular name to create some kind of normalcy in a un-normal situation. All of the gods go by common names there. However, you learn very quickly who they are if you know where to look."

"You still didn't answer my question, why does this town exist?"

"I don't know for sure," the rat admitted, "but they need us, or rather, something we have, to survive. That's why they surround themselves with certain people. I ran a pharmaceutical lab and my guess is a new drug we were developing threatened their existence somehow. I was the project manager of the drug, so they had me kidnapped to stop its development."

"But why have a business rival kidnap you, why not one of them?"

"How in the hell do I know," the rat snarled. "Maybe their power only works in their town. All I know is, they're holding others against their will, including your friends."

"My friends?" I blinked hard.

"Yes, your friends Angie and Anne. I was there when one of his cohorts brought them in. Jupiter transformed both of them into teenage girls and told them they would never leave his town. Both of them were crying, begging to be released and get back to their real lives, but Jupiter ignored their pleas."

"My God, Angie and Anne," I whispered softly with compassion. "We have to do something, tell someone."

"Who?" the rat asked directly, "Who do you suggest we tell? The FBI or CIA? How do we know they aren't involved in all this? Maybe they're letting these entities operate in exchanged for something. If you go to them, you may disappear from life just like I did. As for doing something about this, I have a plan."

"What is it?" I asked.

"On the surface the Roman gods look powerful, but in reality they have several weaknesses. Their power for instance, is centered on an orb device they have hidden away somewhere inside their courthouse. They need this orb to control everything and keep the people in line. If we could get our hands on it, we could free everyone from their tyranny, then I could be changed back into what I once was."

"How do you know so much?" I asked with interest. "You seem to be awfully well informed about them."

"That's because I lived in Peace River for almost a month after they changed me, so I took advantage of the situation and started sneaking around, listening in on them. Finally they got wise to me and I was transported to a dirty alley in LA. I had a couple of close calls with some cats, so when your boss showed up, I saw my chance to escape certain death. He didn't seem to be the type of person who would kill me. At least he was setting out live traps. I figured going with him was a better situation than the one I was in. I didn't know I would end up here."

"Lucky for you," I told him. "So how do you suggest we steal this orb of theirs?"

"Very simple. You drive me back to Peace River and I'll search for it. Once I find out where it's located, you can take it from them."

"You mean steal it," I pointed out.

"If you want to call it that," the rat countered. "I prefer to think that we're liberating the people from their oppression."

"Maybe some of them want to be there," I replied.

"Maybe, but I bet most of them don't, and not in the new bodies they were given. Oh, I didn't tell you that part, did I? Most of the people brought to Peace River are changed into the opposite sex."

"What? No way."

"I'm not joking about this."

"Why, are they transsexuals?"

"Some might be, but most aren't. So you see, it's not just a matter of being kidnapped. Most of the people are being forced to live the remainder of their lives as the opposite sex. It appears this has a purpose somehow. I heard one of them say something about increasing the flow from the person."

"So, it has something to do with people feeling unhappy."

"No, the people are happy enough. A man by the name of Mr. Cupler sees to that - and Venus of course. They put some kind of spell over the people that makes them forget their troubles, and forces them to feel more comfortable with their new bodies. However, I noticed it doesn't always work on everyone. There's some kind of movement going on inside the town. I heard one of them taking about it behind closed doors."

"Can you get me in touch with them? Maybe we could use their help in stealing this orb of theirs."

"No, it's too risky," the rat explained. "These gods seem to know the movements of those they transform, except for me. I don't understand why. Maybe it's because I'm no longer a human anymore. However, they won't be watching you."

"If I drive into town they will. How do you propose I sneak into Peace River without them knowing about it?"

"That's not a problem, they have people popping into their town from time to time. As long as you're not someone the Roman gods want, they won't bother with you."

"Great, and what happens if I am someone they want?"

"No problem, I got a way around that too. One of the things we were working on at my office was something along the line of a mini-jammer. Its purpose was to help stop radiation from penetrating into the body, so people working with nuclear waste would be better protected. I found out by accident that it blocks their abilities to read minds, and some of the other magic they may throw at you. If they can't read your emotions, they can't be sure if you're right for them."

"And this won't throw up a red flag?"

"Of course it will," the rat explained. "But this condition, while rare, is real and something they've dealt with before. Normally anyone they're not interested in will have his or her memories of Peace River wiped out before they leave. The person is also given a suggestion to never come back that way again. You on the other hand will be handled differently. One of them will come up and talk to you directly, to find out why you're here and see if it's safe to let you go. Apparently, keeping someone in their town who doesn't fit their needs takes power away from them. So as long as you give them the right answers, they won't bother you. All you have to do is drop me off near the courthouse and come back in a week to pick me up. You can check in at a place called the Pioneer motel, I'll meet you there. After that we'll wing it based on what I find out."

"What about the jammer? Do you still know how to make one?"

"Yes, I'm blessed with a photographic memory. With your hands and my brains, we should be able to make several of them within a few days."

I thought about his plan carefully. The odds were against us, but I didn't really have anything to lose. And what about my friends trapped in a hellish situation. I couldn't leave them there without any hope of rescue.

"Lets get started," I told the rat.

***

"That looks good," Klein the rat commented to me. "No one will suspect it to be anything but a ball-point pen."

"Are you sure it's powerful enough?" I asked. "It seems awful small." The jammer was placed inside an oversize pen that fit into my shirt pocket. I had also created two more jammers to fit underneath the front and rear of my car. Klein the rat said it would prevent them from putting a dimensional spin on the car, what ever that was.

"It'll work fine," the rat said and then explained. "It doesn't take a lot to block their powers, just a small electric disturbance. They can't increase their own mental powers to get past it."

"That's good to know." I yawned and looked at my watch. It was almost two in the afternoon. "We should get some sleep and work out the final details when our minds are fresh."

"Not a bad idea," my new friend agreed while stretching out his body on the table. "Do you think you can go to McDonalds tonight when you get up. I could really go for some French fries."

"I'll set the alarm to get up in time," I offered while removing the harness. "Goodnight."

The rat scampered back to his box and curled up on a pile of tissues. In a matter of minutes he was sound asleep. I frowned slightly; there was something not right about this situation. I couldn't put my finger on it, but for some reason this rat's story just didn't add up.

Placing that thought out of my mind for the moment, I went to the garage and turned on the light. In front of me sat the outline of a car underneath a gray cover. My pride and joy and strangely, the only family member I had left now. Could a car be like a family member? Common sense told me no, but my heart told me something else. With great care I removed the cover and admired it's beauty.

It was a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda, or just 'Cuda' as they were more commonly called. My Cuda was painted bright orange with a black interior and the word 'Hemi' painted on the door. Also painted black was the front scoop, the rear spoiler, and rear quarter panels. I ran my hand over the finely polished metal that felt warm to the touch. Like most car jocks, I had given my car a name - Betty. To me she wasn't just a hunk of metal on wheels; this car had a soul. Of course that was ridiculous, but I couldn't deny a certain bond I had with this car.

I continued rubbing my hand over the car's body, moving from the hood to the trunk and then up the other side. I thought about the first day I had seen her, and what a horrible shape she was in. The previous owner had ragged her out, and she was literally one oil change away from the junkyard. But I had salvaged her, restoring her back to her original showroom glory. She would do 130 mph off the floor, but I had made some major modifications and her top speed was much higher now.

I debated for a moment about taking her to Peace River, since she was sure to stick out like a sore thumb. However, I knew one of the gods, Mercury, was suppose to be some kind of messenger to the other gods and was pretty fast. How fast I didn't know, but I figured he couldn't keep up with Betty on the long straight-aways. Besides, I would need her quickness if anything went wrong. Tomorrow I would change the gear ratios to give me all the top speed she had.

Over in the corner I spotted my old computer that I sometimes used to order parts on-line. I walked over to the power bar and turned it on so I could connect to the Internet. It was time to see if I could find out anything useful about Mr. Klein Walker in the next room.

"How much farther?" I asked as we drove toward the early morning sunrise.

"Another mile," the rat squeaked over the computer speakers. "Better pull over and get me out of this harness. Just remember to drop me off near the courthouse when we get in town."

"Right," I said to him. I pulled over in the middle of nowhere, noticing I hadn't seen a house or another car in the last 30 minutes. When I removed the harness, I pushed Klein back into the cage and closed the door. The rat looked up and squeaked at me in furious protest. I opened up my driver's door and explained.

"I read about you on the Internet, Mr. Walker. It seems you were less than honest with me. First of all, you weren't the honest businessman that you told me you were. From the way the newspapers tell it, you were more like a gangster out of the 'Godfather' movies. Blackmail, extortion, and in-direct involvement in the murder of five people, including an 11-year old boy. It seems Judge Jasper turned you into a fitting form. This is where we part company, Mr. Klein Walker. And if you try to come back and bite me, I'll stomp on you with my boot."

I dumped the gray rat on the side of the road, and he looked up at me with his evil, beady eyes before scampering away. But I didn't feel any sympathies for him; he had ordered the murder of a child. How much bravery did that require? I closed the car door and drove off toward Peace River.

***

What surprised me about the town was how normal everything looked. From its outward appearance, there was nothing sinister looking about Peace River. In fact, there was a peaceful, appealing look to it. Downtown was made up of a number of small, family businesses that had a charming aspect to them. The residential areas contained wide, quiet streets, filled with rather modest homes. Nearby I spotted a family park with a jungle gym and a couple of baseball fields. On the way in, I had spied a small lake with a mother duck gliding gracefully over the water followed by her five ducklings. It looked so normal - so darn normal. Not like the hellhole Klein had described to me. So where were all the prisoners screaming to get out?

I shrugged off the feeling and got the address of where Angie and Anne lived from a phone book. There was also a map of the town that I tore off the page and studied carefully. It seemed that Peace River had three parks and two libraries in it. That's when I took a double take and noticed the first odd thing about the town. There were only two ways into Peace River, both requiring you to cross over a wide river. Oddly enough, there was water on all sides of the town: a huge dam and lake to the north and another lake to the south. Well, I shouldn't have been too surprise, Klein had told me Peace River was surrounded by water and guarded by flesh-eating monsters.

As I was pulling up to the house where my friends were suppose to be staying, I noticed two teenage girls coming out the side door. I got out of my car and stepped in front, waiting for them to pass by. I couldn't be sure if it was them since they didn't look anything like my friends; and I didn't want to risk running up and frightening them if they weren't who I though they were. The last thing I needed was for the Peace River police to show up and start asking me questions. When they got to the sidewalk I noticed one of them stop and gasp as if they were seeing a ghost.

"Oh my God, John, how did you find us?" one of them asked.

"Angie?" I blinked hard at the stranger.

"Yes, it's me," she smiled then hugged me tightly. Anne, who was always a little bit shy, stood there silently and waited. I turned and gave her a tight embrace.

"What are you doing here?" Angie asked.

"Get in the car and I'll tell you." Anne got in back while Angie sat down in the front next to me. I started up the car and drove innocently away.

"I'm here to rescue you," I explained.

"Rescue us?" Angie repeated as if the idea was foreign to her.

"Yes," I replied while looking in the mirrors to see if anyone was following us. "I figured a way to get you out of Peace River and I'm taking you back to LA with me. After that we can..."

Angie's hand touched mine causing me to stop talking. When I looked over she who had tears in her eyes, but I wasn't sure if they were out of gratitude or sadness. To be honest, it seemed to be a little of both. I turned back and saw that Anne had a similar expression etched on her face.

"John, I don't know what you think is going on, but we don't want to leave."

"What!" I expressed in both anger and shook. "How can you say that? Both of you were kidnapped and brought here against your will. Neither of you can leave this place. Why would you want to stay in this jail one more minute?"

"First of all," Angie explained sadly, "we weren't brought here against our will. We came to Peace River by our own choice. The mailman explained what would happen if we came here, and we agreed to come anyway. Both Anne and I understood we wouldn't be able to leave Peace River unless Judge Jasper allows it."

"But why?" I asked while pulling my car over to face them. "Why would you become willing prisoners here?"

"I think you know why, John. Outside I was just as much a 'prisoner' as I am here, perhaps even more so. I was trapped in a male body that only expensive, painful surgery could begin to fix. Even then there were many things I would never experience that other woman do. And even if one day I could afford to have my surgery, my life wouldn't be easy due to my size. Some people would still see me as a man dressed as a woman, and then the taunts would start. You don't know how much those taunts and snide remarks can hurt some days?" Angie paused for a moment to wipe a tear from her eye.

"When the mailman approached us and told us the terms, a life of growing up as young, normal woman without the possibility of leaving or having contact with people we once knew, we both jumped at the chance. I know that may sound selfish, John, leaving without saying goodbye; but when someone offers you your life, it isn't much of a choice. For what it's worth, leaving without telling you goodbye has been the hardest thing both Anne and I have ever done."

"But that's the point," I argued, "you don't have to stay any more. I've found a way to get you out of here without them knowing about it. You can be free to live out your lives as young ladies wherever you want. Heck, I'll even pretend that you're my daughters."

Angie looked at me with tears of gratitude. "You're a good friend, John. You don't know how much it means to me, to us, seeing you here. You risked everything to save us, but we don't want to be saved. We're happy here - it's the life we've always dreamed of having. We have a family, friends, and people who only know us as Angie and Anne. We don't want to leave that behind! We can't leave it behind no matter what you offer us in return."

I looked back at Anne who was sitting there silently. "Anne, does that go for you too?"

She nodded. "It does, John. I can't imagine leaving Peace River with you."

"John," Angie said softly, "you need to leave now before they find out why you're here. Your life is on the outside, with your wife and new baby." A look of hurt and anger flashed on my face when she said that. "John, what's wrong?"

"My wife was killed in a car crash three months ago, Angie. It happened around the same time you disappeared. I wasn't sure if you had read my email until now." Tears welled up in my eyes but I stopped myself from crying.

"Oh, John, I'm so sorry," Angie said hugging me. Anne reached over and put her hands on my shoulder to show her support.

"John, why not stay here, with us?" Anne threw out. "We can drive over to the courthouse and talk..." I held up my hand to stop her.

"I'm not staying here," I told her directly. "This 'place' may be appealing, but it's nothing more than a prison meant to keep people locked away from the rest of the world. Can't you two understand that? Look around you, what do you see? Sure, it's charming and appealing on the outside, but on the inside it's not so appealing. Damn it, you're both prisoners here. The rest of the world doesn't exist.

"The rest of the world is cold and frightening," Angie answered. "For every fault you can name about Peace River, I can name three faults for the outside world and you know it! Here people are friendly, considerate, and nice to each other. Intolerance, anger, and being self-center aren't tolerated. People treat each other the way they want to be treated, the way we should treat each other."

"And if they don't, they get punished for it - isn't that right?" I pointed out.

"Yes, but so what?" Angie shot back. "Isn't that how we try to fix bad behavior in our society? John, I no longer have to worry about being stabbed in the back by some bigot because he sees me as being different from him! Those problems don't exist here. You talk like I'm missing something by staying here! Well maybe I am, but it's not all bad. Everything the mailman promised us has come true."

"Who is this mailman you keep talking about?" I asked. "Is he some kind of recruiter for this town?" Both Anne and Angie giggled.

"In a matter of speaking," reported Angie. "I don't know who he is, and Judge Jasper would love to get his hands on him if he could. The mailman is sort of a rogue individual who brings people here without Judge Jasper's approval. They don't know who he is and we weren't much help to the judge I'm afraid. However, if it weren't for him we wouldn't be here today. Stephanie Hall, the lawyer who represented us, said he's been a real thorn in Judge Jasper's side." Angie looked down at her watch. "John, we really need to get going to school. Go down to the traffic light ahead and make a right."

"Are you sure you want to stay?" I asked sadly as I pulled away from the curb. I debated about taking them out of town against their will but nixed that idea. This was their life, not mine.

"It's what we both want," Anne answered for them. "I only wish you would consider staying, John. We're supposed to have an older brother in our family, maybe Judge Jasper will let you have his place."

"And maybe he'd turn me into your family cat," I shot back. "Guys, challenges are what makes us strong enough to face the unexpected. Jupiter and his people have taken those challenges away from you. In its place he's given you an ideal world that doesn't really exist. Damn it, can't you see this is all a fantasy!"

"You...you said his name," gasped Angie. "But you shouldn't be able to do that, at least not in Peace River. They don't allow that to happen."

"One of the simple tricks I learned to beat their powers," I told her forcefully to make my point. "Does that make me more of a god than they are? Jupiter and his pals are not as powerful as you think they are. You can beat them if you put your mind to it!"

"John, don't talk like that," Anne warned me. "If you think living in Peace River isn't a challenge for us you're wrong. Relearning and getting rid of all your bad habits - it's one of the most challenging things you'll ever have to do. Add to that the challenge of trying to make a major life change as a member of the opposite sex and well, I think you can see what some people are up against. But the rewards from these challenges are all worth it."

"And if you fail?" I asked sternly while pulling up in front of the school. "What happens to you then? What do these 'gods' do if you can't cut the mustard?"

"No one fails, John," Angie replied, but I could tell she was a little uncertain about that. "They pick their people very carefully before bringing them here. In exchange they give you a great life."

"In exchange for what, Angie?"

"I - I don't really know, John, that's never come up."

"Then perhaps you should find out," I told her directly, "because somehow I can't believe the Roman gods are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. Somewhere along the line there's a price to pay for this wonderful life they're giving you -otherwise they wouldn't keep you a prisoner here."

Both girls looked at each other but neither said a word. As they slowly got out of the car I sat there in a sulking mood, feeling miserable that they weren't going with me. I debated about telling them the truth, but for what purpose? To ruin the rest of their lives? Both of my friends were happy here, I couldn't do that to them.

Angie stuck her head back inside the car and said softly, "John."

"Yes, Angie?"

"Thank you for thinking about us. You've always been a good friend to us, to me."

"As you two have been to me," I answered truthfully with heartfelt emotion.

"I know you may not believe this," she continued, "but we're happy living here. John, if you decided to stay, I think you would be too. It's not as evil and sinister as you were led to believe. We have nice parents, good friends, and a great life here. Please, I want you to consider staying with us. You can't be very happy on the outside, not with what has happened to your family."

I closed my eyes to pray. Why in the hell was Angie's offer to stay so tempting? Yes, my life was in shambles, but I knew that would change one day. If I did decide to stay, I would be running away from my problems, not facing up to them.

"I think this life is good for you, Angie. But if I stay, I fear in time I would find myself feeling trapped. Maybe that's why only certain people are picked to come here. I promise, Angie, I won't tell anyone about Peace River. I won't do anything to ruin this new and wonderful life you and Anne now have. I think you're making a mistake by not leaving, but I do wish you the best of luck."

Angie looked at me with loving eyes. Even though her appearance was completely different now, I saw the same old Angie in that loving smile.

"Goodbye old friend," she told me with tears in her eyes.

"Goodbye - old friend," I repeated before pulling away.

"That's that," I thought to myself as I headed out of town in a westerly direction. I couldn't help but feel sad and a little angry over how things had turned out. I was going to miss my friends a lot; and it was those damn, Roman gods who caused this to happen. They had interfered directly with my life just as much as they had with Angie and Anne's life.

At a red traffic light I looked over and saw two women talking on a bench. No, not just talking, laughing. How could someone be so happy in a place so horrible? I wanted to shout to them and remind them they were prisoners here, unlike me. They had to follow the rules set down by their captors while I was free to do whatever I wanted. I noticed more people walking down the street as I drove by - and they seemed content like the two women on the bench. What was wrong with everyone? It wasn't right - it wasn't FAIR! My anger got the best of me, and I pulled into the parking lot facing a small lake.

"It's not FAIR!" I yelled, gripping the steering wheel tightly out of anger and jealousy. I was the one who was free to walk out of here anytime I wanted. I should be the one happy, not them. Damn it - it wasn't fair!

I stepped out of my car and walked over to a bench near the lake. I knew I was tempting fate by not leaving right away. The smart thing would've been to get back into my car and drive out of here as fast as I could. But somehow leaving didn't matter to me anymore. A part of me wanted to stay.

"This is crazy," I argued with myself. "I could never be happy trapped in one place for the rest of my life."

It was true. I was an adventurer by nature and I loved to travel. Being tied down to one place would be a death sentence to me. And what would I do if I stayed? I doubt if the Roman gods needed a top experimental biologist who had the ability to defeat their power. No, they would want to keep me as far away from everyone else as they could, or make sure I couldn't talk to anyone about this. I shuddered to think at what they would do to me if I did stay.

"Nice car," I heard someone say.

"Huh?" I replied while snapping out of the daydream I was in. When I turned I saw two cops standing nearby. The one closest to me was tall and lanky, with big blue eyes and a friendly smile. He acted as if he were the welcoming committee for Peace River and seemed generally happy to see me here. The other cop stood next to his police car and looked at me with suspicion. I couldn't see his eyes because he wore mirror sunglasses. He was the opposite of his partner, he felt cold to me.

"I said, nice car," the friendlier looking officer repeated while pointing to my Cuda.

"Um, thanks. You should have seen her when I first got her. She was a mess. I spent over $11,000 rebuilding her."

"You're not John Stillwell by chance, are you?"

"Yes, I'm him." As I stood up to greet him. I felt my knees knocking. "You have me at a disadvantage Officer," I looked at his nametag, "Merrick." That's when I realized it was he, the god Mercury.

"Call me, Mark," he smiled in a friendly way. "I thought I recognized the car. I saw you race a friend of mine at Riverside 3 years ago."

"Did I beat him?" I asked trying to remember. I hadn't finished in the top 5 that day.

"Creamed him," he laughed. "But don't worry, he needed to be brought down a peg or two. I don't know if you remember him or not, he was driving a blue, GTO Mustang."

"I'm sorry, I can't say I do. It was a long time ago and a lot has happened since then."

"Yes, I'm sorry about your wife," he answered grimly. "I heard she was pregnant at the time. I understand they never found the driver who hit her."

"How do you know so much about me?" I asked in an almost panicked state. Did they know why I was here?

"I followed your racing career, such as it was, with great interest. In fact, I watched you race on a few other occasions, including the time you won at Lakewood strip."

"Yes," I smiled with some pleasure. "I went up against a 65 corvette in the finals and beat him by less then a half a second. It was a satisfying victory. So you held an interest in me because I beat your friend in a race?"

Officer Merrick's expression changed to a more serious tone. "No, that wasn't the reason why. There was an 11-year old boy in the crowd who was dying of cancer. He loved cars, but I think he knew he would never live to drive one. After the race his father asked, even begged, some of the drivers to let him just sit in their car. They all told him 'no' - and one owner got rather rude to him in front of his son. You overheard the conversation and offered to let his son sit in your car. In fact, you did him one better; you worked it out with the track officials so you could take him down the track a couple of times."

"Well, I held back of course," I explained. "But the smile on the boy's face made my day." I remembered the sickly looking boy named Tommy Foster, whose dark skin looked pale even for an African-American. But how his mood changed when I sat him behind the wheel of my car and let him start it up, then rev the motor.
And how he laughed with joy as we peeled off the start line and raced down the track at almost 80mph.

"You made him very happy that day," the officer pointed out.

"I wish I knew what happened to him, if he got better."

The officer gave me a grim look. "He died three weeks later. They buried Tommy with the picture his father took of him sitting in your car."

"Oh," I said softly as my mood quickly changed. The officer looked at me closely, as if he was trying to sense how I was feeling. A slight look of frustration appeared on his face that turned quickly back into a smile.

"You shouldn't be sad, Mr. Stillwell. You were the only one to take the time to fulfill his wish. He left that night feeling happy. You should feel good about that."

"I am - I did at the time." I stopped for a moment not knowing what to say. This officer seemed like a likable person, not the cruel, hard nose jailer I had been expecting to show up. On the other hand, the officer with him didn't seem that sociable.

"Well, Officer Deimos and I need to get back on patrol here. It was nice talking to you again, Mr. Stillwell. I hope to see you on the track one day."

"If you do, come up and say hello to me; and make sure you call me John." I offered him my hand, which he took.

"I'll do that - John. Drive safely now." He gave me a parting grin and both officers drove away in the same car.

I stood there dazed and confused. Nothing about Peace River was like I had been told. Had everything Klein the rat told me about this town been a lie? If so, maybe this wasn't a bad place to live. Maybe Angie and Anne had been right, that I should consider seeing if they would let me stay here. I shook my head a few times to clear that thought away. Even if I was willing to entertain the idea of staying, I didn't belong here. After all, I had come here on a mission to break people out of this town. How happy would this Judge Jasper be when he found that out? I couldn't stay - even if I wanted to - even if I felt there was nothing left for me on the outside.

I pulled my car out on to the main road and headed for the bridge in the distance. In just a few more minutes I would be across it and away from Peace River for good. Maybe I would return in a couple of years, to check up on my friends and find out if they were still happy and wanted to stay. But the closer I got to the bridge the more I realized how unhappy I was becoming. I stopped at a red light and looked at the woman in the next car getting something from her purse. She looked over at me and smiled, then proceeded to apply some lipstick.

"Had she been a guy before?" I wondered. "If so, how could she, or rather he, be so happy. Was this place truly that wonderful to live in? "

The closer I got to the bridge, the harder it became to continue driving. I couldn't get the question out of my mind; would I be happy if I stayed? Than I realized the more important question that needed to be answered was, would I be allowed to stay here? I knew that if I didn't find out the answer I would never be happy.

I stopped my car and thought about what to do. Angie had mentioned a lawyer, what was her name. I parked my car and walked over to a phone booth. In the yellow pages I spotted her, Stephanie Hall, attorney at law. The address indicated she was less than a block away. I thought about it long and hard then locked my car and headed off in the direction of her office.

***

"What can I do for you, Mr. Stillwell?" Stephanie Hall asked with a welcoming smile. She took a seat behind her desk and pulled out a pad of paper to take some notes. I eyed her carefully. She was young, maybe in her late twenty's, but her eyes showed great wisdom. It was clear she was a fighter and someone you wanted on your side.

"I need your help in a matter, Ms. Hall." I laid two, 100-dollar bills on her desk to show I was serious. "Before we begin, I want to make sure that anything I tell you will be kept confidential."

"Of course it will," she assured me. "And we don't have to be so formal here, you can call me Stephanie. Now, what can I do for you John?"

"That's fine," I told her. I took a breath and blurted out the truth. "I know about your town, Stephanie. I know that Judge Jasper is really the Roman God Jupiter, and that there are other Roman gods here helping him run Peace River. In fact, I ran into Mercury less then an hour ago."

The female attorney put down her pen and raised her eyebrows slightly. One of the rules about Peace River was that no one could talk about the gods so openly. Oh, people found ways around that rule but to mention their names directly, that was suppose to be impossible.

"Who are you?" Stephanie asked in a suspicious tone, causing me to chuckle. I knew what she was really asking me.

"I'm just a man, Stephanie, nothing more."

"Then how can you talk about the judge and his people so freely?

"Perhaps I should start at the beginning," I offered.

"Perhaps you should," she agreed with interest.

I took a drink of water from a glass in front of me and began. "It's like this, Stephanie. I'm an inventor working out of my home. A few days ago my boss brought me a rat that he had picked up in an alley. I was working on a device that interprets impulses from the brain waves. This would allow stroke or accident victims who couldn't talk normally anymore to communicate with their doctors or love ones again. Of course first I had to test it out on lab rats, as Federal Laws demands, before I could test it out on humans."

"I take it you were successful," she summarized.

"Yes," I answered. "My invention consisted of a harness that fit over the head and body of the test animal. When I hooked it up to this rat, it turned out to be someone by the name of Klein Walker. He told me his story, at least part of it anyway, and about my two friends, Angie and Anne Davis. He said they were being held captive here against their will. That turned out to be a lie."

Stephanie nodded her head. "I don't know who this Klein Walker character is, other than he was someone brought in from Andersonville and left rather quickly. My friend at the courthouse, Ashlee Gang, could fill me in on him. However, I do remember your two friends quite well. I can assure you, John, both were happy to be here when they were dropped off at my door."

"I know that now. But you see, Klein told me some pretty horrible stories about Peace River. Things like man-eating mermaids, one-eye monsters, and the reason why this place exists. It all sounded pretty sinister."

"Really," Stephanie faked a smile while knowing there was more truth to the story. Even she didn't know the real purpose of the town, and it was tempting to find out what that reason was. However, Stephanie thought the better of it. The only way to prove to Judge Jasper that she should be allowed to travel freely beyond Peace River was to show she could be trusted. Only those few people he felt could be relied on not to interfere with his plans, whatever they might be, were permitted to visit the outside world. Finding out what they were up to would most likely jeopardize her chances.

"It was some pretty wild stuff," I went on. "So when I found this town filled with normal, happy people, it was like a slap in the face."

"How were you planning on getting your friends out of Peace River?" Stephanie asked, now intrigued with my story. "You must've known that if your friends tried to cross over the river with you, all of you would find yourself driving back into town from the other side."

"Klein showed me how to make a jammer that would stop this from happening," I explained. "All I had to do was pick them up and drive away. The only problem was, they didn't want to leave. And now, after seeing Angie and Anne again and knowing how happy they are here, I find myself wanting to stay." I swallowed hard then asked, "Is living in Peace River worth giving up your freedom, Stephanie?"

My attorney observed me carefully for a moment. "John, I've been in your shoes once before. Living in Peace River is like living in your own little world. You have to believe that nothing else exists outside the town boundaries. That was the hard part for me, because I missed visiting places in Chicago, St. Louis, and a dozen other cities. It's not easy, but you gain other things in return; things you didn't even know you were missing. So it's not like you're giving up your freedom, you're simply trading one form of freedom for another."

"What form of freedom is that?" I asked directly.

"Freedom from violence and intolerance. Freedom from serious illnesses, like cancer. Freedom from old age. No one in Peace River ages once they reach 30. When you die, you die looking and feeling young. Judge Jasper gives you a healthy, beautiful new body to live in. However, I don't want you to think it's a cakewalk living here. You will have to work five days a week just like everyone else. Judge Jasper usually assigns people to jobs they're good at, and will be happy doing. And people do die from accidents, just like they do in the outside world. I lost a good friend less then a month ago in a swimming accident. Peace River isn't any different from the rest of the world you're used to. We just live under a different set of standards." My attorney stopped talking for a moment to let that sink in.

"John, I think you should know something else," she cautioned. "Most of the men brought here get changed into women. I don't know why Judge Jasper does this, but the percentage is quite high. There's no way I can promise you'll still be a male after your meeting with him. You could become a little girl or a married woman; it's really up to him. Add to the fact that he'll most likely be slightly pissed by your actions, and I would say your chances of being kept a man are rather slim."

"I understand." I took a deep breath. There was something else I needed to tell her. "I think you should know that I met Angie and Anne through a TG support group. You see, I'm a... a..."

"Crossdresser!" she finished with a wide grin.

"Yea," I admitted in slight embarrassment. I cursed myself for being so scared and closeted over the matter. Why did my admittance of being a crossdresser make me feel like I had commented some kind of terrible crime?

"It's okay, John," Stephanie reassured me in a comforting tone. "I kind of figured you were TG because of your relationship with Angie and Anne. It doesn't matter to me one way or the other. However, I think you should know that since you are a crossdresser, the odds of you remaining a man are practically nil. I've represented 53 male cross-dressers over the years and all of them were transformed into beautiful woman, even when they didn't want to be."

I suddenly felt sorry for those people who had been forced to live their new life as the opposite sex. While there were many good points about this place, I saw a number of flaws in the town as well. It seemed like the ones running Peace River were concerned about everyone being happy, but only up to a certain point.

"That doesn't seem right," I stated.

"Maybe," she answered with a small shrug, "but it's the way things are around here. I'm not going to sugarcoat the truth for you John. I want you to decide what you want to do with both eyes wide open. There'll be times when things don't seem fair, and there won't be anything you can do about it. The Judge and his people are fair-minded, and they'll treat you as if you're their own children, which in a sense you are I suppose. But they also expect you to accept certain things about your situation unconditionally, like not being able to leave the town or accepting the new life you've been assigned, even if it is as the opposite sex. There isn't anything you can do about that."

She saw the trouble look on face and added, "John, you can still walk out my door and drive away without anyone knowing you were here. Believe me, some of my past clients would give anything to be in your shoes. But once I go to the judge, you'll be stuck in this town for good. It's highly unlikely he'll allow you outside in the real world again. So, are you sure you want to stay?"

I stood up and looked out the window of her office that faced the main street of town. A mother was walking down the sidewalk pushing a stroller with a newborn baby in it. That should've been my wife, if someone hadn't robbed her of her life. She had died before the rescue workers could get her out of the car. So the hell with the outside world! What had it ever done for me except create a lot of pain and heartache in my life? Look what the outside world had done to me. This was the first time in months I had gotten the nerve to leave my house.

"I'll stay," I told her softly. "However, I was wondering if you could talk to Jupiter first, then come back and get me."

"If that's what you want. Just don't try leaving, John. He'll only have someone come after you."

"I won't leave. I just need time to prepare - that's all. I want to walk around the town one more time as myself before...before I'm changed."

She smiled, stood up, and placed her hand on my shoulder. "I understand, John. Just remember, this isn't the end of your life, it's the beginning of a new one - one that you'll find happy and rewarding. Now let me call and see if the judge is in."

She picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Hi Ashlee, I was wondering if Judge Jasper was in. I have an important matter I need to discuss with him. Great, I'll be there in 15 minutes." She hung up the phone and I returned her comforting smile with a nervous stare.

"John, it's not too late. I can still make up an excuse as to why I had to see him."

"Just make me the best deal you can," I told her. "As a sign of my good faith," I handed her my car keys and the pen that held the jamming device. "This should convince him that I willing to live under his conditions. The jammer inside this pen protected me from his magic. Now I'm just like anyone else here. I won't be able to say Ju... Ju... his name unless he wants me to."

Stephanie pocketed the jammer and car keys into her purse. "It'll make my job easier to convince him of your intentions when I show him these things. I'll meet you back at my office in an hour."

We parted company outside. My attorney drove off toward the courthouse in her new Ford, while I started walking toward a group of stores. For some reason, shopping always calmed my nerves. I wandered around for about 30 minutes until I stumble on 'Marshall's Clothing Store'. It looked like it catered to the female population of the town.

"Why not," I said to myself. I could always pretend I was looking for something for my wife. Besides, if what Stephanie had told me was correct, I would become a regular customer here.

When I entered the store the first thing I noticed was how feminine it seemed - only it wasn't something I could put my finger on. This store didn't look any different than other dress stores I had visited, but it felt different. There was even a feminine smell that I couldn't describe, but it was sweet and smoothing to the senses. Perhaps this was done to make the women who had once been men more at ease with being here.

Over near the corner I spotted a rack of spring dresses and started walking toward them. That's when I spotted one of the most realistic mannequins I had ever seen. She, or rather it, was dressed in a short, flowered dress that looked very flattering over it's plastic body. Strange, but the closer I got the less it looked like plastic - and the eyes seemed to be watching me. That was impossible of course but when I moved over a few feet the eyes still seemed to be locked in on me. I was about to take a closer look when someone interrupted me.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Something about the voice turned my legs into Jell-O, and I turned to see one of the prettiest women I had ever seen. She was tall, almost 5' 11', with golden blonde hair and an angelic face. The short dress she wore showed off her long, tan legs and did little to hide her firm, luscious breasts. Only my deep sense of self-control prevented me from reaching out and touching her. I quickly forgot about the mannequin I was going to check out.

"Can I help you," she repeated lovingly.

"I, um, well." I found it impossible to find the words. All I could do was look back at her hypnotic smile and think how much I wanted to go to bed with her. Never had I lusted over a woman quite so much.

"I bet you're looking for an outfit for someone, right?" she grinned as if this was part of an inside joke. I nodded my head, unable to take my eyes off her. It was as if she had cast some kind of spell over me. I felt my face flush with excitement as my body temperature rose by several degrees.

"Well," she said, never removing the charming smile on her face, "we have several nice outfits over here on sale for those evening outings. Like this one."

The saleswoman held out a silky, blue dress with white lace around the V-line collar. The dress screamed out 'GIRL!' and I had no doubt the silky smoothness would feel great against my body.

"Pretty, isn't it," she said suggestively. "Anyone wearing this outfit would look and feel so lovely. Maybe you'd like to try it on."

"Yes, I would," I replied back in an almost hypnotic state. I reached for the dress then caught myself. "I mean, no. It's for someone else, I mean."

I felt my face burning with embarrassment as I tried to recover. "I don't wear...I mean, it's not for me."

"Are you sure," she questioned. "Nothing feels better than the soft touch of a pretty outfit against your body."

"It's not for me!" I recovered, knowing full well that she was toying with me. Then I noticed her nametag read Vicki Marshall. Oh my God, no wonder I was acting this way. I was standing in front of Venus.

"We have a private changing room in the corner," she continued to press. "You can try on anything you want."

"I...I need to go," I told her quickly. It took all my inner strength to pull myself away from her. "Thanks for helping me."

Turning, I almost ran out of the store, which was hard to do since my body was telling me to stay. Outside I tried to catch my breath as I wiped the sweat from my brow. Oh man, that was close. That's when I spotted Officer Merrick standing in front of his car less then ten yards away. The warm smile he had worn earlier was replaced with a stern stare, and he was looking right at me. I guess he now knew that my being here wasn't an accident.

"Officer Merrick," I acknowledged. He nodded slightly at my greeting but never said a word, nor did he stop staring at me. I found myself getting very nervous. I swallowed hard and got up the courage to ask the next question. "Are you here to arrest me?"

"No," he shook his head. "Your attorney is waiting for you back at her office, I suggest you go there. Judge Jasper is very anxious to meet with you."

"I imagine he is," I grinned, hoping to break the tension between us. It didn't work. Mercury continued to stare at me as if I was some kind of criminal.

"Mer... Mer..." I found myself unable to use his Roman name, and noticed a slight smirk on the officer's face as I tried and failed. I switched over to his first name in the hopes of reaching him. "Mark, please don't be angry with me. I thought this place was hell on earth and you were some kind of monster."

"So what changed your mind?" he asked in grim fashion.

"I don't know, maybe it's from what I've seen and heard since I've been here. Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about why I was here earlier, but what would you have done if I had?"

"I suppose we'll never know," he stated coldly. "Your attorney's office is two blocks that way." He pointed in the direction with his finger. "Do you want me to drive you there?"

"No, I'll walk." Before I could stroll away he grabbed my arm and looked into my face with his steel-blue eyes.

"I'll be watching you," he reassured me. Then he released my arm and got in his car.

The conversation freaked me out, and I rushed to get away. This was not the same warm and friendly cop I had met just an hour ago by the lake. Now Officer Merrick was cool and business-like. Worse, he could read my mind and find out everything about me. Had that contributed to his change in attitude? Had he discovered something about me he didn't like? Would Judge Jasper act the same way? I quickened my pace to Stephanie's office.

***

What surprised me when I walked into the reception area was that Stephanie's secretary wasn't there to greet me.

"Must be out running an errand", I deduced. I noticed the door to Stephanie's office was slightly closed and concluded she hadn't heard me come in.

"Stephanie, are you in here?" I asked pushing open the door. I was taken aback by what I saw. My attorney was lying on the floor unconscious. Sitting on the edge of her desk and smiling back at me was my boss, Donny.

"Hello, mate," he said in his strong, Aussie voice. "I've been waiting for you to show up."

"Donny," I blurted out in complete surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"It's a long story! I'll explain everything while we bugger out of here."

"What the hell do you mean by that? I'm not going anywhere. And what happened to Stephanie?"

"She's just taking a bit of a snooze, cobber, she'll be okay in a few hours. I needed her you see, but I had to send her little helper away."

I shuddered a little at his cold words. Something told me in the back of my brain that whatever had happen to the secretary it wasn't good.

"You still haven't answered my question." I inquired. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to take you out of this joint," he grinned real big, showing his white, shiny teeth.

"I'm not going anywhere," I told him staunchly.

"I figured that would happen," he stated directly. "However, I didn't expect you to dump Klein outside of town the way you did. I needed him inside Peace River to do my bidding. Fortunately, he found another way in and completed his mission. He's a crafty little man he is."

"You mean a criminal and murderer - or don't you care?"

"I don't," Donny replied. "What he does to you humans is none of my concern. I gave him his reward for a job well done and sent him on his way. As for you, do as I say and you'll come away from this with your life."

"And what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Drive mate, just drive." He smiled coolly, indicating there was more to his statement than he was telling me. "We're going to walk out to your car and you're going to drive both of us out of here."

"You should know that Mercury is watching me." I suddenly realized that I had been able to say his real name. Donny smiled as he saw the bewildered look on my face.

"You're only allowed to use their names if you're in the presence of a god that will let you," he stated with a smirk, his Aussie voice now replaced with a deeper Mediterranean tone.

"You're - one of them!"

"I was until Jupiter kicked me out," he answered with just a tad of anger. "I am the god Demoe, hero to our people and third in command of all our armies. If it weren't for my personal sacrifice, we wouldn't have defeated the Titans, our mortal enemies. Everyone knew my name after the battle of Apur, EVERYONE!"

"I'm sorry, but I read several books about the Roman gods before I left and I don't remember you being in there."

"No, I'm not," he answered with disdained. "Old Jupiter made sure of that. While he was out whacking one of his ladies friends, his wife, Juno, decided to get back at him. So she invited me back into her bedroom and seduced me. When Jupiter found out she had cheated on him, he punished me instead - the double-standard maco. I was stripped of my rank and thrown out of Olympus. My name was stricken from every history book. All the statues in my honor were destroyed, and all humans that knew of me were put to death. In less then a day I was forgotten by your world, and by my people. ME, A HERO TO MY PEOPLE, TREATED LIKE A TITAN SCUM DOG!"

"If all this is true, Mercury will spot you as soon as we leave here. He'll be on you faster then crap through a goose."

"If he looks at me real carefully, maybe; but I think he'll be more concerned with watching you. Watch and you'll see what I mean."

He laid his hand on Stephanie's arm and suddenly began to change before my eyes. Demoe's hair grew longer, his body mass disappeared, and his face became feminine. In a matter of seconds he was the spitting image of my attorney.

"See what I mean," he/she grinned evilly. "Mercury will never recognize who I really am unless he probes me. I doubt that he will. He's still as big of a fool as I remembered. Come now, you're going to walk to your car and then we're going to have some fun with Merk and his pals."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I told him. He/she gave me a cold smile.

"You don't have a choice!" he/she hissed in a low, feminine tone. Suddenly my body became rigid as someone took control of it. I tried to break free of the grip but it was useless.

"You're just wasting your energy," he/she told me directly. "Each one of us was blessed with certain powers when we were born. In my case, I was blessed with many powers, including the ability to change my shape and control your puny, human minds. Fortunately, I was able to escape Jupiter's clutches before he was able to steal my powers."

"Mercury won't let me leave with you," I told the imposter. "He'll follow us wherever we go."

Demoe got within inches of my face. "I'm counting on that."

***

With Demoe standing next to me looking like Stephanie Hall, we walked to my car parked a block away. I tried to run, to break free or cause some kind of disturbance, but it was useless. Looking back I could see Officer Merrick sitting in his car watching us.

"You once told me this crate could roll," Demoe said as I started the Cuda. "I want you to prove it to me. When you get to the traffic light ahead, I want you to signal like you're going to turn."

"No, I won't," I replied but something in my mind told me I would. When we stopped at the traffic light, I flipped on my turn signal as I had been told to do.

"Very good, Johnny boy." Demoe laughed in a belittling manner. "Now, when that light turns green I want you to burn rubber and get the hell out of town as fast as you can."

I felt my feet and hands move into position, as my eyes focused on the light. I didn't want to follow his commands, but I found it impossible to disobey them. As hard as I tried, I couldn't break the spell he had over me. I watched as the light turned yellow for the side traffic, and felt my foot revving up the engine. When the light turned green I released the clutch and hit the gas with all my might.

The car shuddered back and forth as the rubber of the tires tried to catch hold of the dry pavement. Thick, gray smoke and the smell of burnt rubber filled the air and engulfed the rear of the car. The tires squealed loud and hard in protest. Finally they caught and the Cuda surged forward at an incredible rate. I shifted gears and tires screeched again as rubber moved faster than the pavement could handle them. I shifted twice more, and by the time I hit 4th gear, a mere 8 seconds later, we were already doing 90 mph. In the distance I could see a cop car struggling to keep up. Demoe laughed loudly.

"You really screwed up Mercury's mind back there. He thinks he still has the upper hand, the fool. He just ordered Deimos to block off the bridge on the other side of town. It's a good thing you had those jammers installed on your car, huh Johnny!"

Demoe activated the jammers as we raced closer to the end of the mile-long bridge. The car was doing almost a 120-mph as everything in my peripheral vision became a soft blur. I kept my eyes focused on the road ahead, praying that we didn't hit a bump or something else. At this speed, any little jolt could cause the car to lose control and go crashing into the river. In a matter of seconds we buzzed by the end of the bridged and faced an open road ahead. Demoe laughed loudly again.

"Oh my gosh, Johnny, it's too bad you can't hear what I'm hearing. I think you just caused Mercury to shit a brick back there. He's - wait." Demoe went silent for a moment and tilted his head as if he were listening to something. He entered into a slight trance and a moment later straightened back up again.

"Okay, he just radioed Officer Deimos to tell him their plan failed. He's going to pursue us, but he wants Deimos to stay in town and make sure nothing else happens. Yes, I figured Mercury would do that. Now he's trying to subconsciously call for backup. Well, I'll put an end to that."

Again, Demoe went into a slight trance as if he were concentrating on something only he could see. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the cop car was at least a good quarter of a mile back. Officer Merrick was quickly losing ground on us. I braked hard for a curve and flew through it at nearly 110 miles per hour.

"Go faster," Demoe demanded. "I don't want him to catch us yet."

"If I go any faster I'll lose him," I explained.

"You needn't worry about that. Old Mercury can run at least 130 mph."

"It's not him, it's his car you stupid idiot. It's just a regular car with lights attached to it; otherwise he would be on my ass by now. We're not racing against Mercury, we're racing against his car and right now we're kicking his ass!"

Demoe glared angrily at me as if he didn't like being second-guessed. "I told you to go faster, now DO IT!"

I found my foot pressing down harder on the accelerator against my will. Despite doing almost 120 mph, the car lurched forward slightly. It wasn't long before the speedometer said we were doing almost a 150-mph. As I predicted, the cop car quickly started to disappear into the distance.

"He's not keeping up," Demoe muttered in surprise.

"Well DUH, you moron! I tried to tell you he wouldn't be able to. For all the powers you were given, being blessed with good, common sense wasn't one of them, was it?"

Anger flashed in Demoe's eyes, and if we weren't going so fast I think he would have killed me. But he quickly recovered and a thin smile appeared on his lips.

"You're trying to bait me, to get my mind off Mercury so he'll be able to call out for help. You're a clever human Johnny boy, but not clever enough. I've been playing you like a puppet for almost a year now. Every move you made was a result of my doing, including how you reacted after your wife was killed."

"YOU!" I yelled turning to look at him with hatred in my eyes. "You had her killed?"

"I did no such thing, Johnny boy," he smiled with satisfaction. "I ran into her myself. You should've seen the terror on her face just before I knocked her lights out. In fact, her getting pregnant caused me to advance her death by a few months. It's a shame your son had to die in the accident, but his birth would've interfered in my plans. I couldn't allow that to happen. I was going to end her life by raping her, but the accident was much cleaner."

"You SON OF A BITCH!" I tried to remove my hands from the steering wheel so I could wrap them around his neck. "I'll kill you!"

"I don't think so," he laughed. "You still haven't figured this all out yet, have you Johnny boy. You see, I'm going to lure Mercury out into the middle of nowhere and kill him, after I remove his power. Adding his power of speed to my skills will allow me to steal the power orb right underneath old Jupiter's nose. I'll be so powerful that even Jupiter and the combined strength of his clan won't be a match to me. So you see, I'm hardly worried about empty threats from a insignificant human like yourself." He let out a loud, defiant laugh.

"I'll find a way, I swear I will."

"I don't think so," he replied confidently while looking back at the cop car now almost half a mile away. "This isn't where I planned to bushwhack old Merc, but if we go any farther we'll lose him for sure; and slowing down to let him catch up will only make him suspicious. Right now he's so pissed at you Johnny that he can't wait to get his hands on you. The fool, he's not thinking this thing out."

Demoe paused with his bragging for a moment and looked ahead. "Okay, just around that corner I want you to hit your brakes and spin out. He'll think you just lost control of the car and stalled."

Before I had a chance to think about it, I was doing what he said. I hit the brakes hard, leaving a thick cloud of gray smoke behind me. Then I jerked the car slightly to the left as we entered into a long straightaway. The rear of the Cuda moved right, and the car to slide sideways for about 100 feet down the highway. Then we finished up the 180-degree spin; stopping and facing the way we had come.

"Get out," Demoe ordered.

I found myself being pushed out of the car while dragging him/her with me. A knife appeared in my hand and I brandished it up to Demoe's throat just as Officer Merrick showed up. Demoe started screaming in panic and fear, making a very nice picture for Mercury.

"I'll kill her," the words were forced out of me. I held the knife even closer to his/her throat. Oh how I deeply wanted to use the knife and end Demoe's life, even if it meant my own certain death.

"Put the knife down now," Officer Merrick demanded sternly while pointing his gun right at me. "This will be your only warning."

I tried hard to send a mental picture to Mercury, but Demoe must have been blocking my efforts. Suddenly he screamed real loud and hit me in the stomach with his feminine elbow. The blow took me by surprise, and I staggered away gasping for my breath. Officer Merrick, unaware of what was really going on, followed my movements with his gun. Suddenly I found myself able to talk again.

"Mercury, it's a trap!" I tried to yell out. It was too late. Demoe had already produced a weapon of his own and was aiming it right at him. Mercury looked over just as Demoe pulled the trigger. A blue bolt of energy shot out from Demoe's gun, striking Mercury in the chest. The impact caused him to fly over 40 feet in the air, and he landed hard against a tree. There was loud thud and Mercury fell to the ground.

Demoe laughed out loudly, and changed from Stephanie Hall into a person I had never met before. The new person was male, about 6'5", and had a rugged, scared face. With a menacing look he pointed his gun at me.

"This is between him and me," he stated with a glare. "Get in your car and leave. I have work to do." Demoe's sternness was replaced with a look of deep satisfaction as he started walking toward Mercury. Much to my surprise, I saw that Mercury was still alive. The Roman god was working his way around the tree for some protection.

"The hell I'll leave," I shouted loudly, reminding myself that I still had a score to settle with him. I run toward him, but he pointed the gun at my leg and pulled the trigger. A horrible, searing pain dug into my ankle, along with the smell of burning human flesh. I fell down to the ground in great pain.

"That was very stupid," Demoe informed me with almost no emotion. "If you had followed my plan to begin with, I would've ended your pitiful existence. Instead, I'm going to let you live with this knowledge. Goodbye Mate!" He again turned and started walking slowly toward Mercury, mocking him.

"Can you hear me, Tweedy?" he called out. "Remember, I gave you that nickname the first time I saw you wearing those wing-tipped shoes Cupid made for you. I bet you haven't heard that name in a while."

"I got a gun, Demoe" Mercury yelled back weakly.

"A human gun, not a real gun," Demoe answered with a chuckle.

"I can still use it on you!"

"Oh, it'll hurt if you shoot me, I'll give you that, Merc. But it won't stop me from getting what I want. Don't fight me Mercury, you've lost. Let me have what I want without a struggle. If you do that, I promise to make your death quick and merciful.

"Would that be the same mercy you showed the 250 people you slaughtered in the village of Kwite'e?" Mercury challenged.

"You're hardly in any position to judge me, Tweedy. Not when you compare what I did with what you'll doing to the people back in Peace River."

"At least we're giving something back to them," Mercury argued in a debilitated state. He coughed and green blood came out of his mouth.

"Why don't you ask the people of Peace River and see if they agree with you," Demoe countered. "You're getting weaker, Tweedy, I can feel it. Come on Merc; give it up already! You know it only makes it harder to get what I want from you after you're dead. Don't be a stubborn jackass, Mercury; I'm going to get your power anyway. Why not save yourself some suffering in the process?"

"Come get it," Mercury yelled back with new determination. He turned and fired the gun, striking Demoe in the chest.

"OWW - SHIT Mercury, that stung." Demoe screamed out. He touched the wound with his hand and healed it instantly. "Why do you always have to do things the hard way, Merc? You never won when we played this game, not once. I'm too good at it."

Demoe raised his gun and shot at the tree Mercury was behind. The blast struck the trunk about 3 feet above Mercury's head, exploding it into a mass of splinters. The top part of the tree fell to the ground, barely missing Mercury. Demoe laughed loudly with glee and continued slowly moving toward him.

While this was going on, I was looking around for something to fight with. I thought about running him over with my car, but any illusions I had of harming him vanished when Demoe healed himself. If a bullet didn't have any effect on him, why should I expect running over him would be any different? Besides, my car made too much noise to allow me to sneak up on him. No, if I was going to defeat this bastard I needed something special. Maybe there was something in Merrick's patrol car I could use.

I got to my feet and in great pain, limped my way over to the cop car. A quick search inside the vehicle proved fruitless. I tried to call for help on the radio but was greeted with static.

Out of desperation, I grabbed the keys from the ignition and made my way back to the trunk. Perhaps it held something I could use. I glanced over to at Demoe to see what he was doing while fumbling with the keys. He was either too interested in Mercury or didn't think I was enough of a threat to him to pay attention to me. I opened up the trunk and inside found a black bag. When I unzipped it I found a gun similar to one Demoe had in his hand. On the side was a knob graded 1 to 10. I turned it to ten, hoping it was the highest, and took aim.

"Eat this you demi-god wanna-be," I shouted at the top of my lungs. I pulled the trigger and a laser bolt came out, only less powerful than the one Demoe had shot Mercury with. It hit Demoe in the side and spun him around. He looked at me for a moment, stunned.

"Shit, position ten must be the weakest setting," I thought. I turned the knob to one and tried to fire again but nothing happened. The gun began to whine, and that's when I realized it was charging up. Demoe must have realized it too, for he pointed his gun at me and fired. I managed to dive out of the way just in time. His shot hit the gas tank of the police car, which instantly exploded into flames. Shrapnel from the explosion flew out and struck me in the side. I screamed in pain as the red-hot metal penetrated my skin and rolled away from the fire; the gun still clinched firmly in my hand.

"I won't miss this time, mate," Demoe announced while pointing his gun at me.

My gun was already pointed in Demoe's direction and there was a green light flashing on the top. I prayed it meant the gun was ready to be used and I quickly took aim and fired. The force from the recoil almost broke my shoulder and I cried out in pain, but my mark was right on. The shot hit Demoe in the head, exploding it like a melon ball. It was a strange and sickening sight. Demoe, his body anyway, stood swaying back and forth for almost 10, long seconds. Then the gun dropped from his hands and he fell forward to the ground.

"That's for my wife and son you cold-hearted bastard," I yelled out in triumph and pain. I looked at the gun in my hand and was surprise to see the blast had melted the barrel. It was a good thing I hadn't needed to shoot again.

Using the remains of the gun as a crutch, I painfully stood up. As quickly as I could, I made my way over to where Officer Merrick was laying. It didn't take a genius to see he was in bad shape. Green blood was everywhere, as it flowed freely from his chest.

"What can I do to help?" I asked. I took off my shirt and stuffed it into his chest wound.

"Only he can help...at the courthouse," Mercury muttered in pain.

"Who can help? You mean, Jupiter? Is that who?"

Mercury nodded.

"I'll drive you there," I told him.

"No time, I'll be gone by then. I...can't tell them I'm in trouble...too weak. Use the car radio."

"That explosion you heard moments ago, that was your car radio," I informed him. "He got your car, not mine."

"Then I'll die here," he stated weakly

"The hell you will," I replied in anger. I started to lift him up, and he screamed out in pain.

"Suck it up, pal," I told him with raw determination. "I'm in a hell of a lot of pain myself. I can't carry you, so you're going to have to find the strength to help me out. Now walk."

We stumbled forward toward the road; his bloody arm swung around my neck. I hoped his blood didn't contain anything poisonous to humans. Each step was torture as the shrapnel dug further into my body. I wanted to sit down and rest but kept moving - knowing that if I did stop I would never be able to start up again. When we got to my car I flung open the passenger door and maneuvered him inside.

"Pain!" he cried out.

"I know," I tried to comfort him as I got in. "Just hang in there."

I started up the car and threw her in first gear. I drove around the burning police car then opened her up.

"Hang in there, Mercury," I urged him on as I shifted gears. The ankle wound made it almost impossible to use the clutch, so I straight shifted instead. The gears screeched in protest.

"PAIN!" Mercury yelled out. All of the sudden the car began to vibrated side to side violently. I struggled to keep the Cuda on the road as it started to fishtail wildly out of control. Doing almost a 110-mph, it wouldn't take much to cause her to roll. I fought the wheel hard and hit the gas, hoping I didn't over correct. The car fishtailed some more but finally straightened up.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" I yelled.

"The vibrations of my pain," he answered weakly.

"I don't know what the hell that means, but the next time you have to do that let me know. You could've killed us both." He nodded and closed his eyes.

I accelerated up to almost 170 mph on the straight-aways, pushing my car to its limit. I braked hard for a curve, slowing to just under 125 mph, before accelerating back up again. I looked over at Mercury, who seemed to be losing consciousness.

"Just another 3 miles, Mercury. Hang in there!"

"It's coming, that wave," he muttered out. I hit the brakes hard, leaving a long trail of smoke and rubber in the process. This time the car was only doing 70 mph when the violent shaking started, and I was prepared for it.

"PAIN! - PAIN!" he cried out. Then the shaking stopped and everything was normal again. I punched the car back over 100 again.

"Can you contact your father so he can meet us at the bridge," I asked hopefully.

"Too...weak," he answered. "I...I can't." He started losing consciousness again.

"DON'T YOU DIE ON ME NOW, MERCURY!" I yelled. "We're almost there, I can see the bridge in the distance."

"Slow...slow down. Don't risk...hurting anyone."

"Let me worry about the driving, you worry about staying alive. We'll be at the courthouse in less then three minutes."

"I'll...I'll try," he whispered.

"NO! YOU DO IT OR I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" I screamed. He nodded and bit his lip hard.

I crossed the bridge doing close to 100 mph and slowed when I reached the outskirts of town. Luckily it was before the lunch rush started and traffic was light. Moments later I was pulling up to the front of the courthouse. Due to my own deteriorating condition, I misjudged how fast I was going and ended up crashing onto the courtroom steps. The sound of twisting metal against the concrete steps was sickening. I hobbled out of my car and made my way around to the passenger side.

"Grab my neck," I commanded while reaching for Mercury's waist. He obeyed and I lifted him out.

My ankle was really hurting now, as were other parts of my body. Each step I took was more painful then the last. I bit my lip and carried the officer into the courthouse. There an African-American woman, coming to investigate the sound of my car crashing, met us. She put her hand up to her mouth in horror.

"Help me," I called out. She obeyed, and wrapped Mercury's free arm around her neck. Together we carried him into the courtroom and laid him on a bench.

"Stay here," she said before running off yelling, "Judge Jasper, come quick. Officer Merrick has been injured." She reappeared a moment later with a man behind her.

I don't know what I had expected Jupiter to look like, but what I saw wasn't it. He was tall, muscular, and maybe in his early 50s. The king of the Roman gods had a nicely trimmed beard and wore an expensive three-piece suit that must have been tailor made. He glanced at me for moment, then rushed over to the officer and placed his hands on his chest. As he closed his eyes, his hands began to glow.

I stepped out of the way, and the woman who had met us at the door ran over and helped me sit down. The thrill of the ride back into town had drained me, as well as the loss of blood from my unattended wounds. Suddenly I realized that Mercury wasn't the only one who was dying in this courtroom. Two more gods, one male and another female, rushed in to help Jupiter. They placed their glowing hands on Mercury who continued to lie there not moving. I closed my eyes, thinking this was all a bad dream, but the pain was enough to convincing me that it wasn't.

"Stephanie," I said to the black woman who was trying to stop my bleeding. "She's been hurt! You have to check on her."

"I will," she replied, "but first I need to take care of you." She gave me a worried smile.

"It's pretty bad," I told her, finding myself unable to concentrate anymore. I was starting to feel pretty lightheaded.

"It's not good," she agreed. "Hang in there."

"That's what I told Mercury," I laughed and then started coughing. "What's your name?"

"Ashlee Gang. I heard about you, Mr. Stillwell. Everything's going to be alright." I saw another goddess run into the room and place her hands on Mercury.

"Why doesn't he move," I asked.

"Keep still," Ashlee told me. She ripped away part of her skirt to make a bandage.

"You're pretty, you know that Ashlee," I mumbled out in a foolish fashion. "Very, very pretty. Married?"

"I'm afraid so, John," she smiled slightly. "Two kids with another on the way." I looked down at her belly and saw it was swollen.

"A pity," I replied dazed. "You're so beautiful."

My nurse didn't say a word back as she continued to work on my wounds. I saw Venus arrive, looking as beautiful as she did at the store. However, this time she had a worried look on her face. The goddess of love walked over to where Mercury lay and looked at him with concern. Then she turned and stared at me with the same, concerned look.

Walking over, she got down on her knees and said softly, "I'm going to help you, John."

"No, help him," I protested. I tried to raise my arm and point to where I wanted her to go, but I was too weak.

"He's in good hands," she assured me. "It's you I'm worried about."

She grabbed hold of my hand and suddenly everything changed around me. I was standing in a field, surrounded by beautiful flowers that I had never seen the likes of before. In the distance I could see a tall, stately building made of white marble. Standing close by was Venus, completely naked. She smiled lovingly and placed my hand on one of her warm, luscious breasts. I could feel my body temperature and sexual excitement rise within me. Next to us appeared a bed, and she pulled me down to it. That's when I realized I was also naked.

Suddenly there was a blinding light, and reality shifted back around me. I found myself sitting on the floor in the courtroom, my hand firmly clinched on one of Venus' breasts.

"I'm sorry," I said in embarrassment while quickly pulling my hand away.

It's okay," she smiled warmly, "I have that affect on men." She got up off the floor and said, "Ashlee, help Officer Deimos take Mr. Stillwell to a place where he can lay down. He needs to rest now."

Out of nowhere the officer appeared and carefully helped me to my feet. Although weak as a newborn baby, I was no longer in pain. Deimos was a lot stronger than he looked, and carried me almost effortlessly to the door. I stopped him before we left, so I could look back to see how Mercury was doing. To my joy, I saw the police officers feet moving slightly as they continued to work on him. That's when I passed out.

When I woke, I found myself in a darkened room. My head buzzed and I felt slightly dazed, but for the most part I felt pretty good. I ran my hands down to where the wounds in my side were only to discover they weren't there. I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness caused me to think the better of it.

"Take it easy, John," a familiar voice murmured.

"Who's there?" I groaned.

"It's me, Stephanie. How are you feeling?" I felt the touch of a soft hand on my forehead.

"Dizzy. What time is it?"

"It's 3 in the morning. You've been asleep for almost 16 hours."

"16 hours," I repeated trying to clear the cobwebs in my head. "How's Mercury doing?"

"He's fine. In fact he's already back to work. They recover faster then we do."

"How are you doing, Stephanie?" I asked. "Did Demoe hurt you?"

"No, not too badly. But my secretary," she stopped short and turned away. In the light from the door I could see tears in her eyes. I knew Demoe had murdered her secretary.

"I'm sorry, Stephanie. If I had only known who Demoe really was, I would've tried to stop him."

"You couldn't have known, John. No one knew."

I tried to raise myself out of bed but felt nauseous. Stephanie tenderly pushed me back down. "Take it easy John, your body isn't ready to get up yet." I nodded weakly.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" I asked.

"The muses taking care of you said you would wake up soon. I wanted to be here when you did."

"But why?"

"I was concerned and I wanted to make sure you were okay. You lost a lot of blood yesterday, John. If Ashlee and Vickie hadn't stopped the bleeding, you would've bled to death."

"I killed one of them, Stephanie. What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't really know, John. I haven't talked to Judge Jasper yet. You may have killed one of his people, but you saved his son doing so. You stayed to fight while knowing you would most likely die if you did. The Judge and his people admire brave souls."

"It was hardly bravery," I confessed. "It was revenge that caused me to stay and fight. Demoe murdered my wife and unborn son to force me to complete his plan. I couldn't run away knowing that. I wanted to kill him so badly it hurt. So you see Stephanie, if anything, it was false bravery."

"I better let you get some rest," she told me. "Just so you know, we have a meeting with Judge Jasper at 10am. I'll be here about 9:30 so we can talk some more. Don't worry, John, everything will turn out okay."

I nodded and closed my eyes. Moments later I had drifted back into a sound sleep.

***

The muse, one of the two assigned to me, woke me up and fed me some kind of white mush while the other prepared my bath. The mush didn't taste too bad; in fact it hardly had any taste to it at all. Whatever was in it helped restore some of my strength back to me. After I was done eating, both of them lifted me out of the bed.

I protested vigorously as the sheet rolled off my naked body, but they simply giggled at my embarrassment and lowered me into the oversized bathtub. Both girls were similar in appearance, standing about 5' 4" tall with brown hair tied up in a bun at the back. Despite their size, their strength was amazing. I had no doubts that one of them could've lifted me if necessary. They proceeded to bathe me as if I was a child, soaping me down with large sponges and rising me off with large vases of warm water. I sat back in the tub and closed my eyes, thinking about how I could get use to this type of treatment. All too soon the bath was over and I was lifted out of the water.

Despite the fact I now felt strong enough to stand and dress myself, they both insisted on helping. I found them both helpful and annoying at the same time. Shortly after I was dressed, Stephanie showed up wearing a blue skirt suit with an off-white, silk top. We talked some more about how I came to be here, and she offered some good advice on how to act when I faced the Judge.

"I guess it's time," I told her nervously.

"Just relax, everything will work out okay," she assured me. "Come with me."

We arrived at Ashlee Gang's office right on time. The young woman smiled pleasantly and led us into the judge's chambers. It turned out to be quite crowded. Judge Jasper stood up to greet me and shook my hand. His handshake was firm, yet friendly, and his actions did a lot to calm my nerves.

"Why don't I introduce you to everyone first before we begin," he said in a formal tone. "This is Mr. Marsh..." He stopped and frowned. "I don't see a need to continue pretending since Mr. Stillwell knows exactly who we are. This is my son, Mars." A tall, athletic-looking fellow stood up and shook my hand, almost crushing it in the process.

"You met his wife, Venus." She smiled pleasantly but didn't offer her hand for obvious reasons.

"My colleague, Minerva." Minerva was short, standing only about five feet tall, but incredibly beautiful in her own right. There was also a look of wisdom on her face and of all things, an owl perched on her shoulder.

"My brother, Neptune." He was very similar looking to Jupiter, with a well-trimmed beard and firm handshake. However, he didn't have quite as stern of a look as some of the others in the room.

"Over here is Judge Herns, from Andersonville. I've asked her to be here this morning to observe. Now that that's out of the way, I think we can begin." He took his seat and motioned for my lawyer to begin.

"Thank you, Your Honor. Mr. Stillwell hired me to petition to you his request to stay in Peace River."

Jupiter smiled and waved his hand. "Stephanie please, we don't have to be so formal here. One of the reasons why we're holding this discussion in my chambers is so we don't have to be. I've read the request you typed up last night and it is most thorough."

"Thank you, Your Honor," she beamed with pride.

"John, can you tell us why you want to stay here?" It was Minerva who asked the question, and she seemed quite interested in my response.

"I don't really know," I answered honestly. "When my wife died, a large part of me died as well. I found myself uninterested in things I used to think were important. However, seeing my friends Angie and Anne again changed all that. My work doesn't allow me to make a lot of close friends, those I really cared about. I guess it came down to that I lost my wife and I didn't want to lose my friends again." Minerva gave me an understanding nod.

"Are you prepared to stay here, without the chance of leaving, if it's our will?" Neptune asked directly.

"I hope one day you will trust me so I can visit the outside world from time to time, but I am prepared to stay if that's the case." I stopped for a moment then added, "I know what I'm walking into here. I know why Peace River exists and what will happen to me. I accept my fate if you will allow me to stay."

"Stephanie, if you could excuse us please," Jupiter told her politely. My attorney patted me confidently on the hand and left the room without saying a word.

Jupiter turned to me and asked, "I'm curious Mr. Stillwell, as to why you didn't tell your friends the truth about Peace River. You could have told them why we needed them in an attempt to convince them to leave with you?"

"I was going to," I admitted, "but when I saw how happy they were living here, I couldn't. They're both blissfully happy here. I couldn't ruin what they had and still call myself their friend. To them, any cost for living in Peace River as real women is worth the price. I don't think they would've left anyway even if I told them. So why ruin their image of this place?"

"You care about them greatly, don't you?" Neptune questioned.

"Yes," I told him with feeling. "I care - I love them as if they were my own family. Their happiness means everything to me, which is why your secret is safe with me."

Neptune nodded thoughtfully and said, "Considering all the events that have happened in the past two days, I believe you. Still, not everyone would agree with what we are doing here."

"Can I ask a question? Isn't there some other way you can get what you need without harming them?" The female judge from Andersonville answered the question.

"We're trying another way in Andersonville," she said. "The results look promising, but it is still too early to know for sure."

"At the present time there is no other way," Jupiter finished for her as if he feared she would say too much. Judge Herns in turn gave him an angry scowl, which he ignored.

"In return for what we need," he continued, "we offer our residents an even trade. They're given a youthful, healthy body that doesn't age past 30, and an environment free from crime, hate, or cruelty. Most people, like your friends, view Peace River as paradise. However, even with our careful screening process, a few people who come to live here still see Peace River as a prison. But I can assure you, Mr. Stillwell, we're not the cold-hearted or cruel gods that Demoe painted us out to be. We want your people to be happy, and to live full, productive lives because it benefits us as well."

"Yes, I can understand why," I nodded. "So, what happens to me? Will you let me stay?"

Jupiter looked at his colleagues first then continued. "You've left us with quite a predicament, Mr. Stillwell. On the one hand, you know too much about Peace River for us to just let you go unattended. Oh, I could make you forget about us for a while, but in a few months you'd eventually remember everything again. That's the problem with learning about us outside the influence of this town, we can't wipe your memory clean."

"So, I get to stay then?"

"No," he said rather uncomfortably. "While I could allow you to stay, I believe your life, your destiny, is out there, beyond the boundaries of our town."

"But that's not true," I protested. "I don't have a life anymore. When Demoe murdered my wife, he murdered me." I stopped for a moment then asked, "Is it because I killed one of your kind that you won't let me stay?"

Jupiter shook his head. "No, Mr. Stillwell. Your life has taken a detour, nothing more. In time you will overcome this painful setback and move forward. We would like to help you get back on track, but not here in Peace River. We want you to work for us, to help us on the outside. From time to time we'll call on you. Until then we want you to resume your life as if this didn't happen.

"As for Demoe, he's not really dead in the sense you think. Think of him as in a coma. He won't wake up until he's healed again. Of course, you don't have to worry about him, Mr. Stillwell. With his injuries, that won't happen for a hundred years or so. If anything, you did us a favor by shooting him."

"You don't want me here, then?" I asked in disappointment.

"That's not the case at all," Jupiter replied honestly. "I would be proud to have you as a citizen of my town. However, I believe keeping you in Peace River would be a travesty to the outside world. We need more people like you out there, not in here."

"Do I really have a choice?" I asked directly.

"No, you don't," said Jupiter firmly. "However, I understand your need to be with your friends from time to time. I'll allow you to visit Peace River three days out of the year."

"Only three days? How about a week?" I suggested.

"How about one day?" he countered with a frown.

"Three days is fine," I relented.

"Good," he smiled, "then we're done here."

"Jupiter, one more thing. Would you mind if I had lunch with my friends before I leave - Please?"

"I've already made arrangements for you to do so. Both of your friends are waiting outside. I'm giving you until one this afternoon to leave town."

"Thank you," I said standing up.

He rose and shook my hand. "Thank you for saving my son, Mr. Stillwell. You'll be hearing from us soon."

Outside Angie and Anne greeted me. Both of them looked anxious about what had happened in there. They seemed a little relieved to see me standing there, and not some stranger.

"What did he say?" Angie asked while hugging me.

"I'll tell you over lunch."

***

"And then he ran out of the door as fast as he could," I finished. We all laughed at the fond memory of that support group meeting. Those memories seemed so long ago. I looked down at my watch and noticed it was close to one.

"It's time, isn't it?" Angie asked sadly.

"I'm afraid it is, guys. I need to make another stop before I leave."

"But you'll be back, right?" Anne asked.

"Christmas, if they let me," I said. They both looked glum at the thought of not seeing me for a while. "Hey guys don't look so down. At least I'm able to visit you now. In time Judge Jasper may even let you visit me. Think about all the fun times we'll have in the future."

"It's what you tried to do for us that's going to make us miss you," Anne said. "Angie and I have talked about this after you dropped us off at school. Coming here to rescue us John, was very brave."

"What I did was out of desperation, Anne. I've been so lonely since Janet died. I was willing to do anything to get some of my life back. Now that I found you again, I feel like I have. You guys - I mean you ladies, are the best! I love you both."

"And we love you," they replied together with tears in their eyes.

"I know," I sniffed. I stood and gave them both a big hug. "I'll see you again real soon."

We said our good-byes and I headed over to a local floral shop. There was still one more stop I needed to make before leaving town. After picking up some flowers, I drove over to Stephanie's office. I found her filing some papers her secretary would've been doing if she were still alive.

"Hi, Stephanie," I said while presenting the flowers to her. "I wanted to say 'thank you' before leaving."

She blushed while taking the flowers. "They're lovely! Thank you, John. Usually I only get flowers from the people I win cases for."

"I don't consider it a loss, Stephanie. Sure, I didn't get to stay, but I do get to visit from time to time. I've gotten much more out of this trip then I ever expected. Don't be sad, I'm not."

"I'm glad, John. I just wish there was more I could do for you."

"I've been given my life back because of you, what more could I ask for?" I looked at my watch and frowned. "I really need to be going."

"Make sure you stop in and see me the next time you're in town."

"I'll make it a point to do so," I promised. "Goodbye, Stephanie."

"In Peace River we say our good-byes a little differently, John." She walked over and gave me a big hug. "Take care of yourself."

"I will. You too, Stephanie."

As I left her office I felt good, as if the black cloud that had loomed over me for so long was gone. I was starting all over again. Although it wouldn't be easy, the long hard night was behind me now. Ahead I could see the sun rising in my life once more.

Outside I spotted a police car parked next to my Cuda, with Mercury leaning against the hood. Officer Deimos was sitting inside the police car silently staring at me.

"I was afraid I wouldn't get a chance to see you before I left, Officer Merrick," I told him with a smile.

"I wanted to say goodbye, John and thank you for what you did," he grinned conservatively. "Considering what you knew about this town, you could've left me back there to die."

"No, I couldn't have," I explained. "Demoe was using me to steal your power. It wasn't enough for me to stop him. I had to make sure his entire plan failed. Besides, you're much too valuable to Peace River and my friends. It's a nice place to live."

"You don't want to leave, do you John!" he stated.

"No, I don't," I told him honestly. "I want to stay, even knowing what I know; even knowing what it'll cost me in the end. But I have to obey your father's wishes."

"So if you could stay you would?" he asked with interest.

"Without question." I frowned slightly. "Maybe one day that'll happen, I don't know. It's close to one, I need to get out of here."

"Good luck, John." Officer Merrick shook my hand and in a more serious tone added, "I'll see you soon."

His words had an almost haunting effect as I drove out of town. I looked down at the murky river as I passed over it. Below I spotted what looked like a small human jumping around in the water. Was it one of these man-eating mermaids Klein Walker had told me about? I wondered how honest he had really been concerning Peace River and what had happened to him?

I passed over the bridge and slowly the town of Peace River disappeared in my rearview mirror. I sighed sadly. I had never expected to be turned away like this. What was I to do with my life now? My research was still there, but my heart wasn't into completing it. Maybe that was because I had been more interested in making money instead of helping others. Well, that wasn't true, but getting rich had been my first priority.

I cranked up the volume of the radio and pushed my Cuda to 70mph. There was a rattling under the hood, indicating my high speed running the other day had done some serious damage to a lifter. Most likely I would have to tear down the engine to make sure nothing else was wrong. I checked out the gages, the oil pressure was a little low. Just to be sure I tapped it a few times to see if it would change. It didn't. Yes, I would have to tear the engine apart when I got back home. My eyes drifted from the oil gage back to the road just in time to see a brown deer prance out in front of me.

"OH SHIT!" I yelled. I jerked the wheel sharply to the left and slammed on the brakes - all too late. The Cuda shuddered violently as the rear quarter panel struck the deer with sizable force, causing the car to fishtail in the wrong direction from which I was steering into. I spun the steering wheel the other way and hit the gas pedal but it didn't work. In a fraction of a second I knew I was going to crash. My last view was that of a patch of trees my driver's door was going to strike. I closed my eyes to spare myself from seeing the end. Suddenly my car jerked violently around and stopped. When I opened up my eyes I was on the other side of the road staring back at where I had came.

"HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!" I kept repeating. My Cuda and I should've been wrapped around one of those trees, not sitting here safe and sound. There's no way I could've avoided this crash.

"You can't park here," someone said.

"What?" I asked in confusion. It was Officer Merrick standing next to my car with a thin smile on his lips.

"I said you can't park here, Mr. Stillwell. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cite you for this."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I yelled angrily. "Can't you see I was almost killed here? Can't you see the deer back..."

I stopped in mid-sentenced and looked around. There were no skid marks from my car, at least not where I had spun out. Nor was there a deer lying on the road. There was only Officer Merrick who grinned even more as he saw me figuring this all out.

"Like I said, Mr. Stillwell, I'm afraid you're going to have to see the Judge about this."

I grinned back. "I heard he can be a real tough bird in cases like these."

"Yes he can," Merrick agreed. "I don't expect you'll be on your way back home after he's done with you. If you don't mind, I'll ride back into town with you." Officer Merrick opened up the passenger door and sat down.

"Do you mind?" I asked carefully. "This will be my last trip in her."

"Go ahead," he said waving his hand. "Just make sure you slow down when you get to the town limits.

I started the car back up and jammed the shifter into first gear. After revving up my motor to an awful whine, I popped the clutch and laid down a line of black rubber and smoke behind me. Mercury, the god of speed, seemed to appreciate the wild ride as I chirped the tires in all four gears. When we got into town I took a more conservative approach to my driving and pulled up in front of the courthouse. Officer Merrick stood on the steps and waited while I said my last good-byes.

"It's been fun, old girl," I told the Cuda as I gently rubbed my hand down one side of the car, over the trunk, and up the other side.

"Goodbye, Betty," I said softly with feeling. I kissed my hand and placed it on the hood to show my affection. I knew it was just a car, void of any real feelings, but the Cuda had meant so much more. It was the last symbol of any family I had left - and any freedom. I joined Officer Merrick on the steps and he led me inside.

"Sit here," he commanded once we entered into the courtroom. Stephanie joined me a moment later.

"John, what's going on?" she asked. "I got a call from Officer Deimos to come here right away."

"I wish I knew what to tell you," I replied. I told her about the car accident that didn't happen.

"That explains a lot," she stated, although she didn't elaborate on what she meant. I was going to ask when Judge Jasper walked into the courtroom followed by Ashlee Gang.

"All rise, the honorable Judge Jasper is now presiding," Officer Merrick bellowed out. Jupiter looked over at me with great surprise.

"What's going on here?" he demanded to know while looking straight at Officer Merrick.

"Mr. Stillwell has been charged with parking in the middle of the road, Your Honor," Mercury replied as if that explained everything. Judge Jasper was not impressed with his answer.

"In my chambers - NOW!" he told the traffic cop. I looked over at Stephanie with confusion as they both went to the Judge's chambers. The door was slam shut with great force.

"What's happening?" I asked

"Nothing you want to be a part of," she answered. Suddenly I felt the ground start to shake underneath my feet.

"Earthquake?" I questioned.

"Judge Jasper!" Stephanie commented. "John, if you want to come out of this in one piece, I suggest you let me do the talking."

"But I didn't do anything wrong."

"It doesn't matter," she told me. "Whatever Officer Merrick did, Judge Jasper is super pissed about it. If you end up saying the wrong thing he'll take it out on you. Do you understand? Now keep your mouth shut."

The door opened again and Judge Jasper walked out without Officer Merrick. He took a seat on the bench and faced me with a very stern expression.

"It appears Mr. Stillwell, that you'll be joining our family after all," he got straight to the point. "Ms. Hall explained to me earlier that it was your desire to be a part of your friends' family. I'm going to honor your request, that part at least."

I wanted to ask him what he meant by 'that part at least,' but remembered what Stephanie had told me and held my tongue. Judge Jasper raised his hands and closed his eye. He started mumbling something I couldn't make heads or tails out of, and then a blue ball of light or energy, I couldn't tell which, rose out of his hands. It moved forward quickly, striking me in the chest.

Almost instantly I began to lose weight, growing thinner both around my arms and legs. There was a rush of activity on the top of my head, and long, blonde hair started spilling out over my shoulders. I watched in even greater shock as my blue jeans and T-shirt changed into a light blue dress that hung at least 2 inches above my knee. My old, grimy tennis shoes changed into a pair of white pumps. Gold jewelry appeared on my wrist, fingers, and around my neck - as well as a wide-brim hat that covered my blonde hair.

"Welcome to Peace River, Miss Felton," Judge Jasper announced unceremoniously. He rose silently and went back into his chambers.

"That's it?" I asked Stephanie.

"What more did you expect?" she answered.

"But... but, I'm a girl," I stuttered out. "Angie and Anne were supposed to have an older brother, not an older sister."

"I guess that's what Judge Jasper meant when he said he was going to honor part of your request," Ashlee Gang interjected while joining us. "It appears that Angie and Anne got a sister in his place."

"So I see," I added with disappointment. I held the hem of my dress out in front of me in mild shock. I knew this could've occurred, that I might become a girl if I stayed. However, I had been expecting to remain a man when he told me I would be a part of their family.

"It's okay, Sherry," Stephanie said seeing the look on my face. She wrapped her arm around me in a comforting fashion.

"Sherry?" I said.

"Your new name," Stephanie smiled, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "Take a deep breath dear, it's not the end of the world."

"I'm okay... it's just... it's just..." Tears welled up in my eyes as I found myself getting very emotional without knowing why.

"It's okay, honey," Stephanie repeated the words, this time more softly. "A lot of people feel the same way after it happens. Don't be ashamed."

I suddenly found myself bawling in her arms for no reason. Both ladies hugged me tightly, as if it would help. For some reason it did. After a few minutes I was able to get control of my emotions again.

"Feel better?" my attorney asked.

"Yes," I admitted while wiping the remaining tears from my eyes. "I felt so, so abandoned. I guess my new name is Sherry Felton now, huh?"

"That's right," Stephanie nodded. "Why don't I explain the rest of your life to you on the way to your job."

"A job?" I giggled slightly. "What did I get stuck as? Looks like I'm some kind of secretary from the way I'm dressed."

"Actually, you own your own business. You're the owner and chief mechanic at Sherry's Cherry."

"Oh God," I almost laughed. "Couldn't he have come up with a better name for it?"

"I guess you could always change the name if you want," Ashlee commented, "although I'm sure it'll bring in plenty of business."

"Yea, but what kind?" I stated joyfully. Instead of being stuck in some office I would be doing the one job I loved, working on cars. I actually found myself looking forward to it.

"Let's go check out your new place and see what you think," Stephanie said while pulling me towards the door. "See you later on for lunch, Ashlee."

My attorney led me out of the courthouse and to one of the side streets off the main drag.

"The place isn't much to look at, but I think you'll like it," Stephanie commented as if she were a realtor trying to sell me the place. "It's only a two bay garage, but there's room for expansion."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," I told her. A joyful greeting from behind interrupted our conversation. It turned out to be Angie and Anne, and both were running as hard as they could to catch up to us. It turned out that Ashlee had just told them the news. Both girls gave me a joyful hug when they caught up with us.

"We heard the news," Angie said with a smile.

"We have a new sister," Anne beamed. "A wonderful, beautiful new sister."

"One who can fix our cars when they break down," Angie added humorously.

"One who will charge you full price for doing so," I laughed back. They were my sisters now, and it felt great to think of them as such.

"Why don't I have your sisters show you the shop, Sherry," Stephanie said handing the keys over to Angie.

"Oh, that'll be great!" Angie agreed while giggling with joy. Both of them grabbed a hand and led me away, giggling and hugging me as we went. I just smiled and didn't say a word. I was home!

***

The office around the two ladies gradually faded back into view. Ashlee felt drained by the experience, her body wasn't putting out the energy that it once had with the baby almost due.

"I'm sorry, this was a strain on you," Vickie said with concern. Venus touched the pregnant woman's hand and Ashlee felt a sight tingling rise up her arm. Suddenly she didn't feel as tired as she had moments ago.

"Thank you for the boost," Ashlee told her. Vickie gave the young woman one of her warmest smiles to let her know she was welcome.

"There's still one piece missing." Ashlee looked at the goddess a little confused. "What every happened to Klein Walker?"

"Aww, well that's why I'm here," Vickie grinned. "I need to show you what happened so we'll have a complete record of this event. Here, take my hand."

The two ladies joined hands and the room started to change around them.

***

Klein Walker was pushing the car as fast as he dared. Nearly two hours behind him was the town of Peace River. The god Demoe had been true to his word, and had turned the ex-rat into a 20-year-old man. Klein was now tall, muscular, with a crop of dark hair to accentuate his very masculine body. His face was rugged with crystal blues eyes. Klein knew he wouldn't have a problem finding women to go out with him.

He was heading in a southeasterly direction; fearful that if he headed back toward Seattle one of the gods would spot him. He had bigger plans waiting for him in Texas, near the Mexico border. There he would set up a new operation smuggling drugs and illegal immigrants across the border and work up from there. His operation would be small at first, but Klein had years of experience under his belt. He would make his new operation into something much bigger and powerful then he once had. In a few years he would be a major player in the criminal world, only he would be young enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

A car sitting on the side of the road with its hood raised distracted his attention from thoughts of power and greed. However, it wasn't the car that got his attention, it was the blonde haired woman dressed in a short, red dress with a pair of tan, luscious legs, standing next to it. She was dressed rather sexy, but her face indicted this was a woman of charm and grace. She waved him down and he pulled up next to her.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

"Oh yes, please," she replied back. "My car broke down over an hour ago and you're the first person I've seen. Can you help me out?"

"Let's see what I can do," he smiled warmly while thanking his good luck. No one around, she was totally defenseless, and he was horny as hell.

"My name's Steve Walker, what's yours?" Klein asked getting out of his car.

"Vickie Marshall. I really do appreciate this, Steve." The goddess Venus gave the young man a killer smile. This only made Klein desire her more than ever.

"My pleasure," Klein grinned back. He stood next to her and faked like he was looking at the motor. What he was really doing was leering at her breasts through his sunglasses. "I see the problem. I should be able to get it fixed within a few minutes."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Vickie clapped in excitement. "Is there anything I can do in return for your help?"

"Let's see," he grinned forcefully. "You can take off your clothes first and then we'll discuss the specifics of my payment."

"What?" Vickie responded with fake shock and anger.

"You heard me," Klein snarled, grabbing the smaller woman and pulled her right up to his face. "Me and you are going to have some fun."

"Oh darling, you don't know how much fun we're going to have," Venus smiled back.

Suddenly Klein sensed a trap and tried to run. He took a few steps toward his car before finding himself frozen in place.

"Oh no you don't," Vickie told him humorously. "You didn't really think we would let you get away, did you, Mr. Klein Walker? Stand still," she giggled slightly, "while I take care of you."

Vickie/Venus held out her hands and closed her eyes, whispering words that Klein couldn't understand. A bright, red ball of energy rose out of her hands and went forward, striking Klein in the chest. He felt a tingling sensation throughout his body, and then started to shrink.

"Oh no, not again," Klein tried to scream out. He saw white fur cover his arms and legs as his hands turned into claws before his very eyes.

Vickie watched carefully, her smile never fading from her face. When it was over she reached down and picked up the helpless, six-week-old white kitten.

"There, now you got what you wanted," she taunted him. "You're a pussy - cat that is. Actually, just a baby pussy."

The kitten hissed its disapproval at the situation.

"Naughty pussy cat," Venus scowled Klein playfully. She rubbed the kitten up and down on its spine using her magic. Moments later the kitten started to purr loudly. "There, much better."

"You do know my father isn't going to be happy about this?" Mr. Marshal, the Roman god Mars, said as he walked out from behind a rock.

"I don't care," Venus pouted. "I think turning him into a rat was wrong, even if he did deserve it. Besides, I have a good home already picked out for him, I mean, her."

"If you weren't so beautiful and charming," Mars chuckled as he shook his head from side to side. "We need to get back."

Venus smiled mischievously at her husband. "Come on, I'll race you home."

"You're on," Mars answered as he got into Klein Walker's car. The two revved their engines and disappeared into a bright hole that appeared in the middle of the road. Moments later it disappeared as well.

About 10 minutes later Vickie drove up to a two-story farmhouse with white picket fence in front. On the steps of the porch sat a 5-year-old girl with her hands on her chin. Tina Keebaugh had been born in Peace River, so she didn't have an old life to deal with. Vickie noticed the little girl didn't seem happy like she usually was. Vickie/Venus could also sense the young girl's grief and sadness over a recent loss. Her mother came out of the house to see who was driving up, and gave Vickie a short wave.

"Hi Margaret," Vickie said warmly as she got out of her car.

"Evening, Vickie," the farmer's wife replied. "What brings you out our way?"

"I heard Tina's cat was killed by a car."

"We buried it this morning," Margaret said sadly. "Look at her, she's been like that all day."

"Losing a pet can be hard on a child," Vickie agreed. "So when I heard, I rushed out and got her something to cheer her up. Take a look in the car."

Margaret peered inside and smiled. "It looks just like old Snowball."

"This one is more streetwise," Vickie told her in a knowing way. Margaret nodded, understanding what she meant. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Margaret smiled. "Tina dear, come here please."

The little girl rose up slowly and made her way over to the car. "Hello, Ms. Marshall," she said politely.

"Hello, Tina. I heard about your cat. I'm very sorry to hear what happened."

"Why did he have to die?" Tina asked trying to hold back the tears.

"Oh honey," Vickie started out in a comforting tone. Venus got down on her knees so she could talk to the young girl face to face. "That's what life is all about. You're born, you live, and then one day you die. When we die no one really knows, but it's a natural cycle."

"But I didn't want him to die," she sniffed. "I loved Snowball."

"I'm sure he loved you too," Vickie replied giving the girl a comforting hug. "That's why when I heard what happened, I went out and got you something I thought would cheer you up. Would you like to see?"

The little girl nodded her head slowly, and Vickie reached into her car and pulled out the kitten. Tina's eyes went wide with surprise and excitement.

"SNOWBALL!" she shouted with glee. She took the kitten out of Vickie's hands and hugged it tightly. "Oh, he's so beautiful and purrs so loud!"

"It's a she, honey," Vickie corrected the young girl. "However, I don't think she will mind sharing the name of your old cat.

"Thank you, Ms. Marshall, I love her. I'm going to take Snowball up to my room and show her around." The little girl scampered away happily.

"That was very nice of you, Vickie," Margaret told her.

"She needed a new home," Vickie grinned. "If Snowball gives you any trouble, just let me know. Have a good night, Margaret."

Margaret waved as Vickie drove off into the setting sun.

***

Slowly things came into view, and Ashlee found herself back in her office.

"Some ending, I'm glad it was a happy one," Ashlee commented. "I didn't really like how Judge Jasper handled Klein Walker the first time."

"I felt it was better to keep Mr. Walker in Peace River from now on." Vickie explained. "Since Tina needed a new cat, I decided to kill two birds with one stone. Well, I really need to be running here. Take care of yourself, Ashlee, and that new child of yours. By the way, do you want me to tell you what sex it is?"

"No, but thanks for the offer," Ashlee replied. "I want this one to be a surprise."

"Okay then. Take care of yourself." Vickie gave Ashlee a big hug for good luck and headed out the door. Judge Jasper's secretary watched her go then turned to the folders piled high on her desk.

"There's no way I can get this done by five," she said slightly frustrated. Even more frustrated, Ashlee felt like she had to pee again. The baby must be resting on her kidneys.

"Oh, damn it," Ashlee cursed as she felt her panties get wet. She felt slightly embarrassed knowing she had peed her pants, but then a sharp pain followed the wetness.

"Oh no," she said in a slightly panic state. "JUDGE JASPER, HELP!"

Fade out...

Next episode - The Day Linda Anderson came to town.