That Little Flower of Hope

 
Author's Note: This story is hard to categorize for me. There are elements of bondage and sex, but it is incidental to the story, and isn't too explicit.

 

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Chapter One   “Stick out your ass, slut, or you’ll wish you’d never been born” Ace Moran, the Dom for this shoot, didn’t shout this command, but Amber knew he meant what he said. Amber tried. She was nude, bound with her hands tied to a hook in the ceiling, her legs spread apart by a bar that was attached to the floor and on the balls of her feet. A ring was strapped into her mouth, making her drool uncontrollably and redering intelligible communication impossible. This was done to make her accessible for oral sex, and to let her screams be as loud as possible. She was going on the drugs they gave her alone. A muscle relaxer to stave off cramps, and a stimulant

to improve her stamina enabled her to continue, but had the side effect of making her an emotional wreck. That was all right with the director of this particular gem, because the client wanted her to be that way. She just didn’t have to act

After twelve hours filming three on demand features, she was exhausted. She was the star, but she would have rather been dead than be in the show business she was in. Amber was in the adult film industry, making mostly bondage themed videos, custom made for clients around the globe. It was lucrative, very much so, at least for her owner. You see, Amber was a slave.

The whip fell across her back, bottom and legs for the next minute. She was screaming, begging to be let go. Her pleas fell on deaf ears, and even if they had been clearly understood, there would be no mercy for her.

After the flogging was done, she sagged into her bonds, nearly unconscious, and crying uncontrollably. Sweat was pouring off of her, dripping off of her breasts along with the drool.

“Very good, slut, very good” sneered the Dom. He had worked with Amber in the past. She was a screamer, very flexible, and her owner insisted upon maximum torment for her. “I have one last treat for you” He strode arrogantly to the table on which his “toys” rested. He picked up a two liter bowl of clear liquid and walked slowly back to where Amber was hanging.

Pulling her chin up, he looked into her blue eyes. She was panting, shaking uncontrollably, very nearly in shock. “Your back side looks rather raw, slut. So do your miserable tits. We wouldn’t want them to become infected now, would we?”

Amber’s eyes rolled back in her head, as she shook her head then moaned. She no longer had the strength to fight back or struggle. The Dom walked behind Amber and smiled evilly. He then poured the rubbing alcohol that was in the bowl down Amber’s raw, bleeding back.

Her reaction was instantaneous. She screamed and wiggled against her bods with all her strength. The stinging alcohol set her back, bottom and legs on fire. Her moans for him to stop were ignored. As the pain began to subside, he threw the remainder across her front, where her breasts, stomach and thighs bore the fresh marks of a caning. This was too much for her frail body. She vomited and passed out.

“Cut!” The director shouted. “Perfect! You can let her down now, Ace”

Amber’s owner smirked and said “Let the slut hang, Ace. Her little boy clit needs the air”

The director smiled. He glanced over at Amber’s owner, John Steele. It wasn’t his real name, of course. That was Jimmy Gabbio. John Steele he felt was more appropriate for a man of power. His power was being able to capture and train slaves for the sex trade. He learned it while working for the CIA, breaking terrorists. That didn’t pay nearly enough for his ambitions. He was addicted to violent, sadistic pornography. He had a thing for ladyboys from Asia, but they soon weren’t enough for him. He wanted to make and sell his own girls, and in 2003, he made his dream a reality.

His business, “Steele’s Magnolias” was a source for young pretty she males. On the front, it was an import/export business in Los Angeles, but the real money was in the girls. He kidnapped street kids who nobody would miss and if they had the right facial structure, he would ship them to Thailand to a crooked doctor and transform them, body and mind.

They would break in a month, and he would lease them to filmmakers for them to be used. Intimidation made them film little disclaimers that they loved what they were doing, but it was far from the truth. No one was looking for them. They looked like girls, different enough from their boy identities to avoid detection by the authorities.

As they got older, they moved to worse and more violent films until they were finally killed in “snuff” films. Their bodies were burned and dumped, never to be seen again. If there was such a place as hell, it was waiting for John Steele. He had killed fourteen this way.

As time went on, he was able to stay in the United States. There were greedy doctors who were more than willing to help, and most were clients of his film company, Magnolia Productions. Sexual deviation is a common affliction in the affluent United States, and he saved the cost and danger of sneaking people into a foreign country. His ranch in West Texas was remote enough to do most of his "training" and filming.

In 2009, he had abandoned the kidnapping of street children and graduated to prowling social media and chat rooms, looking for transgendered youth, or kids who were curious about crossdressing. He had mastered the art of gaining their confidence and making them believe he was a sixteen year old boy who was curious about dressing as a girl.

That was how he found Amber, who in 2009 was known as Cody Phillips, from Wichita Falls, Texas.

Cody was not a very masculine child, the youngest in a family of five. He had a brother, Justin and a sister, Cassandra.
Cody was a gentle child, taking the good natured ribbing of his siblings with a sweet spirit. He loved his brother and sister, and they returned it in kind.

Justin was an athlete, a man’s man, so to speak. He was his father’s favorite, and the two did all the hunting and fishing together they could. Cassie was the female Justin, a tall, willowy volleyball player who was the envy of the girls and the object of desire for the boys. Cody was a small thirteen year old, with a delicate, feminine face.

Confused more often than not for a girl, his father went overboard to “ugly him up”. Short hair and clothes all geared to make him look like a boy. It wasn’t enough sometimes, as he was sometimes confused for a cancer patient.

His father was hard on Cody, out of his intense embarrassment over his “sissy” child. His mother was secretly pleased that he wasn’t so masculine and was a lot more sensitive than his brother she was growing rather tired of her husband’s insistence that all his boys conformed to his idea of manliness.

Cody, for his part totally admired Cassie. He would spend hours with her as a little boy playing dolls with her and cooking playdoh food. It drove his dad crazy, but he didn’t dare say anything because Cassie was having so much fun and his wife would have cut him off in bed for a month if he did.

As he grew up, he spent time with his brother also, trying to learn about baseball. He eventually played, but wasn’t very good, and his teammates were brutal with the teasing. He laughed it off, but Cassie knew it hurt Cody terribly.

“I wish I was like you, Cassie,” he said to her one day. “I feel so wrong. I would give anything to be like you” Cassie never fully understood what that meant. She thought he meant that she was always in control and popular. He wanted to be a girl.

He started to visit chatrooms at twelve, trying to find someone he could talk to about his desire to be female. He found that person three months later. “Cassidy” was John Steele. He told Cody everything he wanted to hear. Cassidy was a kindred spirit who supposedly lived across town. The set up took another three months of work, and then the meet was set in a secluded place. Cassidy would help Cody become the girl he wanted to be.

The trap was sprung in December of 2009, just before Christmas. Cody was snatched from the streets of Wichita Falls, looking for his friend Cassidy. The boy known as Cody Phillips “died” soon after.

The Amber alerts went out. Police worked feverishly, doing everything possible to find the young boy. Television covered the case, as searchers combed the countryside for a body. Nothing was ever found. Cody had been spirited away to the ranch on a charter airplane. He was long gone before the call went out.

After intense interrogation and mind control techniques, hormone therapy and some masterful plastic surgery, Amber was born. After a little work, she had a pert feminine nose and dark brown hair. She was five feet four inches tall, and had developed large B cup breasts, not quite a C. Her name was for credit purposes on film. She was called only “slut” off camera. She slept naked on a dog bed and learned to service her master orally and anally, the former of which was particularly disgusting to her.

Amber learned quickly that any sign of will was punished brutally. John was good at his mind control. She was quickly broken.
Two years passed. Amber had been violated hundreds of times by both men and women. She had made over one hundred videos. Over time, Steele had gotten Amber addicted to his own cocktail of narcotics. He had a special combination of herbs that healed her wounds from the savage beatings she suffered.

Steele was cocky. He had made close to one million dollars tax free from his illegal operations. Amber was his only project right now, and he had already started cruising the chatrooms for another victim. He found his next victim, Galen Douglas. He was a beautiful boy, and ready to try to spread his wings. Unbeknownst to Steele, someone was on to him. That someone wore a badge, and was posing as Galen. FBI Special Agent Janine Rodgers had the man she had been looking for since 2005.

“Please, master. Why have you done this to me? ” she asked him tears were streaming down her face after a brutal night of sex and violence. Tears were like nectar to the sadist that John Steele had become. He was no longer human himself, but a monster.

“I do this because I can. I am a member of a large secret organization. Our purpose is to make slaves of whomever we will. There is no place for you to go. Remember, I have control of at least one officer in every police department in the nation, who is under strict orders to kill you if you should ever be brought to them. You are my property, and you will never see your family again. Serve me well, and I might let you live. Cross me, and you will be tortured for weeks, dying only when I want you to. Do you understand me?”.

Amber hung her head. “Yes, master”

John unzipped his pants. “Okay, slut. Take care of me”

Amber had been in captivity for nearly two years. She started to go down on her master. She had become quite good at it, but a single tear trickled down her cheek as she did. After she finished, she happened to see him look at his phone to return a text. As he put the phone down, she saw the date. October twenty first, her sixteenth birthday. All she could do was submit to another rape. “Happy Birthday, slut” she thought to herself.
 
 
The Present

Amber slowly awakened from her pain induced swoon, still bound. Her hands had gone numb and her jaws were in agony from the stretching of the gag, but she no longer cared. She looked over to her master and the director with dead eyes. They ignored her, and she knew better than to try to get his attention. It would just mean more punishment, and she was ready to go home to her little dog bed. Her old life as Cody was completely forgotten. She couldn’t remember the names of her mother and father, or her siblings. She thought she had a sister named Cathy or something, but she wouldn’t want a freak like her for a sister.

Then in a flash, everything changed. The door to the studio exploded inward and three men in bulletproof vests rolled in followed by series of men and women in blue windbreakers. “Everybody freeze! Search Warrant! Search Warrant! Down! GET DOWN!
Amber screamed, and Steele, Ace and the director dove for cover. It did them little good. In about ten seconds, they were cuffed and subdued.

Amber was screaming and fighting furiously against the straps that held her. She believed what she was told that the police would torture her.

The lone female among the police rushed over to where Amber was bound. “Easy, honey, I’m Janine. We’re here to help” Janine could see the utter terror in the bound girl’s eyes, and she thought she knew why. “She gently but firmly held Amber’s cheeks and forced her to look in her eyes. “Honey, I don’t know what that creep told you, but we really are here to help you. Now calm down so we can get you loose and you can tell me your story. Okay?”
Amber nodded and stopped fighting.

She called to an athletic looking man “Gibson, get me a blanket!”

“Got it boss, right here" He threw the blanket over to Janine, not wanting to violate the girl’s privacy.
It was then that Janine looked down and saw that Amber had a small penis, which surprised her, since the girl looked nothing like a boy at all.

After draping her body in the blanket, Janine undid the gag from Amber’s mouth. “Easy, sweetie, that’s it. Let us get you loose”
Steele had been ushered out of the room before he had a chance to say anything to Amber. She could hear him screaming in the other room, but couldn’t hear anything he was saying.

The agents undid her hands and released her feet she began to collapse and the agent stopped her from falling. “Easy, girl” No one had ever done that before. They had just let her fall to the floor. Maybe they weren’t that bad.

She was shaking violently now, as the effects of the multiple beatings took effect.

“Gibson, call in the bus. We need to get her to the hospital”

“Rog, Boss” he keyed the mic on his radio. “We need an ambulance at 26657 Industrial”

Janine kneeled in front of Amber. She spoke in a low even tone to calm the frightened girl “What’s your name, honey?”
Amber cocked her head slightly. Her name? What was it? Amber thought a moment and gave the only answer she could. “s-slut”
Now it was Janine’s turn to gape. ‘No sweetie, your name. What is it?”

“S-s-sluuutt” Amber eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out. Her last thoughts were of her name. She couldn’t remember it.

“Shit! Where is that bus?”

Janine and her supervisor, Marcus Dubois, stood at the foot of Amber’s hospital bed along with the physician assigned to the case, Dr. Harold Franks.

“What is today’s update, Doctor Franks” asked Agent Dubois.

“He had her addicted to a cocktail of drugs. Ketamine mostly, with morphine and a psychotic of unknown origin. We’re still working on the identification”

“Why is she still unconscious?” asked Janine, not looking away from Amber’s face.

“Medically induced coma. She’s been neglected for a long time. Malnourished and abused. She would be in severe withdrawal sickness now, and there’s no way I was going to let her go through that. I have her on a low dose of methadone to keep the physiological effects to a minimum. We’ll bring her around in the next seventy two hours. Have you made any progress on an ID?”

Janine pulled her gaze from Amber. “The DNA has been cross referenced with our Database. She has been identified as Cody Phillips, missing from Wichita Falls, Texas 21 June, 2009 her family is being notified today”

“Cody? You keep referring to him as she. Why?”

“What do you see? A boy? I’ve seen the transcripts from the online chats Steele used to lure Cody out. He was transgendered. Who knows what would have happened down the road. I guess the choice of whether or not to transition was made for her. And that’s what really sucks”

Dubois nodded. “Yes, sadly. Steele is an expert in psychological warfare. He worked the kid over good, no doubt. I’m calling in Dr. Francine Davis. She’s the only one I know who can possibly unscramble the damage Steele has done”

Dr. Franks was checking Amber’s vitals. He sighed and added. “That’s good. Very good. I can fix the physical. She can be put back, good as new by the time I’m done. But this…” he pointed at his head “…this I can’t fix. She’s going to have to be a strong, strong person to overcome what was done to her. I hope this Dr. Davis is as skilled as you say. Unless I miss my guess, this girl will try to commit suicide soon after she’s awake”
 
 
Wichita Falls, Texas

The dark sedan pulled into the Phillips’ driveway. Agents Harry Smith and Roger Garrett had the unenviable task of notifying Greg and Gail Phillips about the discovery of their missing son. Ordinarily, this would be a joyful duty, but the circumstances of this notification, well, were unusual to say the least.

They got out and walked to the door and knocked. Mrs. Phillips opened the door and looked surprised to see the men at the door.
“May I help you?” she asked.

The two men flashed their badges. “Ma’am, I’m Agent Smith, this is Agent Garrett. We have some news regarding Cody. May we come in?”

Gail gasped. “Of course! Please, come in! You’ve found Cody?”

She led them into the living room.

“Yes, ma’am. He is alive and in Los Angeles”

Gail burst into tears. “Oh, thank God! Is he safe?”

“Please, Mrs. Phillips, sit down. We need to talk…”

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To Be Continued...

Author's Note

Some more things come to light in this chapter

Chapter Two

“Oh my God. My baby. My poor baby” Gail was shocked beyond words.

Agent Smith explained the basics of what had happened to her son.

“That’s all I was briefed on, Ma’am. There’s more. A lot more, but you need to be in LA to learn everything. I must ask that you not release any information to the press or anyone else at this time. This is for your protection. There are plane tickets waiting for you at the airport if you need them, so you need to get going as soon as you can. The flight leaves at nine. That gives you five hours to put things together. I’m truly sorry I don’t have more information to give you, but this is a rather unusual situation. Here’s my card if you need anything, Mrs. Phillips. We’ll be on our way now, as I’m sure you have a lot to get prepared in a short amount of time”

The two agents left quietly, letting themselves out.

Tears were streaming down Gail’s face. After three years, after nearly giving up hope on ever finding Cody alive, their nightmare was nearly over. There were so many things to do. She got on the phone to her husband, who was at his job as Executive Vice President of Engineering at Globe Oil. He was normally on the road or overseas during the week, and had been since shortly after Cody went missing. It was his method of coping, but it was driving a wedge between himself and his family.

He didn’t answer the first call, so Gail dialed again. The second time he picked up. “What is it Gail, I’m terribly busy right now”

“Greg, the FBI found Cody! He’s alive!”

The phone was silent. Gail thought the connection had been broken, but she looked at the display on her cell and saw that they were still connected. “Greg, honey? Are you there?”

“I’m here” His voice was choked, full of emotion. Gail knew he was weeping. “Thank the Lord. How is he? Where is he?”

“They found him in Los Angeles. I don’t know too much right now, but there has been some abuse, apparently. We have plane tickets waiting for us at the airport. I need to call Justin and Cassie and give them the good news!”

“We won’t need those tickets, Hon. I’m calling Harold Jenkins. I’ll have the corporate jet gassed and ready in three hours. Just be at the field by four thirty”

“The corporate jet? How can you do that?”

“Harold said anytime anything came up, it was mine. This qualifies. I’m getting my son back! Call Justin and Cassie and tell them to move it”

Greg disconnected and Gail called Justin, a senior at Midwestern State, and Cassie, a sophomore. Both were on athletic scholarships. Justin for football and Cassie for volleyball. The seasons were in full swing, but when they told their respective coaches the news; they were excused from further commitments until they returned.

As Greg had promised, the jet was fueled and ready when Gail and the kids got there. It was a Bombardier Challenger 600, and was a lot bigger than they needed, but Greg carried a big stick in the company, and the CEO was an old college buddy.
They got their luggage stowed and were wheels up fifteen minutes after that.

Justin and Cassie were full of questions that no one could answer yet, but were excited to be seeing their brother again. There were a lot of tears, and a lot of laughter.

They landed in LA three hours later, where they were met by Agent Rodgers. Gail had called Agent Smith, telling him they were taking the private jet and he let Agent Rodgers know where to meet them.

The family disembarked from the jet and Janine met them at the bottom of the stairs.

“Welcome to Los Angeles!” she shouted. “I’m Agent Janine Rogers, with the Internet Crimes Division of the FBI. I’ll have someone take care of your luggage. Come with me to the car, and we can get you to the hospital, where the team assigned to your child will fully brief you on the situation”

Team? Gail and Greg looked at each other. What weren’t they being told? Their two children looked concerned as well.

Once they had gotten into the SUV that was to transport them to the hospital, Greg spoke up with the question on all their minds. “Ok, Agent Rogers. Just what in the heck is up? Did you say a team was working with Cody?”

“Yes. Your child is very sick right now, and we’re doing everything humanly possible to make sure everything is okay with your child. And I mean everything. I have been on the trail of the man that kidnapped Cody for seven years now, and he finally screwed the pooch. I was able to track him down. I had no idea he had your son. I found her-I mean him quite by accident”
Gail looked at her husband, concerned about what she had just learned. She missed the slip up regarding gender. “Agent Smith said there was a question of abuse?”

“Not a question. There was severe abuse, but I would rather the attending physicians go into that with you” she paused, collecting her thoughts. “You need to prepare yourselves. You won’t be allowed to speak to Cody just yet. He’s changed quite a bit since you saw him last. I’d rather leave it at that until you speak to the team, because it is quite outside my area of expertise”

Greg was getting frustrated. He wasn’t used to being kept in the dark like this, and after three years, he wanted answers. “Just what in the hell is going on here, Agent Rodgers?”

“Mr. Phillips, I don’t really know myself. I’m not going to muddy things up by telling you something that isn’t true out of ignorance. You deserve better. Your child has been brutalized in the most horrific ways possible, and he is going to need every ounce of support he can get to survive this. So getting mad at me isn’t going to make you feel any better, and it isn’t going to help your child”

Greg’s face turned red. He knew he was out of line. The Agent couldn’t, or wouldn’t tell him anything until her ass was covered. He could understand that. “Sorry, Agent Rodgers. I guess I’m a little on edge”

“Please call me Janine. And you have every right to be. But circumstances in this case are so crazy that we have two of the finest physicians in the country working on Cody right now. Drs. Franks and Davis are taking care of the physical and mental needs of Cody right now. Believe me when I say that Cody’s case is almost without precedent. You’ll understand when the briefing is over”

Twenty quiet minutes later, the family was in a staff meeting room of the hospital. Agent Rodgers was there, as was Dr. Franks. Dr. Davis was not in the meeting yet.

After the introductions were made, Dr. Franks began. “Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, let me first say that I am doing everything possible to return your child to health. The patient is malnourished, and blood chemistry is off. Cody was forcibly addicted to a combination of opiates to ensure compliance…”
“Oh my God” whispered Gail.
“I am currently keeping Cody under a medically induced coma to stave off what would be a potentially fatal withdrawal from this addiction. We are administering various medications to manage the withdrawal and I feel we are making good progress in this. But this is not the worst of the problems facing Cody. I’m not good with putting things mildly, so here it is. He has been manipulated via chemical and surgical means into the appearance of a female”

“WHAT?” Greg exploded. “What in the fuck are you saying?”

Dr. Franks’ countenance never altered. “Mr. Phillips! I’m going to have to ask you to hold your temper or leave. Cody is a ward of the State right now. You have no rights whatsoever to make any decisions regarding his or her care pending my approval"

"Why, you ask? I’ll tell you why. Because you are too emotional right now to make critical decisions regarding your child. So calm down right now, or this meeting will be adjourned until you are calm. Is that understood?”

Greg was taken aback by the doctor’s attitude. He was serious. Greg took a deep breath and calmed down, if only to wait for the right time to smack the piss out of the smug doctor.

“Good. Now, if I may continue. MRI’s indicate that the patient has fully formed breasts, and the skeletal structure of a female. Testes are undescended, and penile growth is severely stunted. MRI also reveals a fully formed vaginal canal, covered and sealed by a flap of skin”

“What are you saying, Doctor?” asked Gail. Cody is a girl?

“Not genetically. Sequencing indicates Cody is a genetic male. I suspect Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, or PAIS. Basically, Cody’s body responds poorly to testosterone, almost not at all. It’s pretty easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. You would have found it when Cody didn’t develop male characteristics normally. His kidnappers didn’t know this either, giving him way more estrogen than he could use. There is some liver damage, but it’s slight. I don’t know how he avoided more damage”

“Can it be reversed?” Asked Greg.

“No. His body simply won’t respond to testosterone. And, the testes have been damaged. They need to be removed to avoid the possibility of cancer. I’m doing this procedure as soon as possible”

Justin and Cassie were stunned. Cassie thought back to what Cody used to say, that he wanted to be like her. It suddenly clicked. Tears rolled down her face, but she said nothing. Justin just listened, taking it all in.

Agent Rodgers spoke up. ‘Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, I obtained a log of the chats that lured Cody to the perp. He spoke of feeling wrong, like he was in the wrong body. He was confused but didn’t want to disappoint the family. He just wanted someone to talk to. Someone who he thought would understand what he was going through”

“But…” Gail started.

“It’s not your fault. No one knows what could have happened. Based on what I know now, your son could have been transgendered. I don’t know. But he was curious, and was preyed upon. The fault lies with the bastard who did this”

The door opened, and a tall woman strode in. She was shapely, with dark hair and piercing green eyes. She looked about fifty, but with a weariness that said she wasn’t that old. “Bastard indeed. I’m Doctor Francine Davis, and I’m the one who is going to see to the unseen side of this case. Cody’s mind. But please, Dr. Franks, forgive my interruption. Please continue.”

Dr. Franks smiled. He liked and respected Dr. Davis. “Very well. In conclusion. The physical side of this case will be resolved within the week. In 48 hours, I’ll bring the patient out of the coma. Then Dr. Davis will be on. Any questions?”

“So Cody will be okay?” asked Cassie.

“Physically weak for now but yes, okay. I could give you a lot of other medical mumbo jumbo, but suffice it to say, I’ve given you the pertinent facts. And now, I need to get back to my patients. Dr. Davis?”

“Thank you, Dr. Franks. She stood from her chair and walked over to the window. "Now, down to business. I’ve spent the last four days reviewing the facts of this case. The perpetrator videotaped everything, which made my job both easier and a lot harder. I’m operating on about three hours of sleep, and am not going to pull any punches. I know how you all must feel right now and…”

“You have no idea how I feel” said Greg with as much venom as he could muster. He was tired of being pushed around by doctors.

Francine’s gaze fixed on Greg. “So I don’t know how you feel, huh?”

“April third, 1992, Mr. Phillips. A pair of twin girls, named Zoe and Kallie. MY five year old twin girls. Stolen from my house while I was on a date with my husband. My 15 year old niece Alison was babysitting. She was raped and murdered then decapitated. Her head was placed on the kitchen table” She paused, her eyes narrowing to slits. ”Kallie was found floating in a nearby river three weeks later. They had to identify her by dental records. Zoe was never found. The people, if you can call them that, that committed the crime, were never caught”

She sighed, the sigh of someone who has seen too much hate and death in her life. She continued.

“I’d give everything I own, my very life to get my little girls and my niece back. I lost my husband to suicide a year later to the day. So, yeah, I kinda know how you feel, Mr. Phillips. Do you know how I feel? You found your child,so don’t think you have the market cornered on grief”

Cassie moved next to her mother, and the two of them hugged each other and wept. Justin wiped his eyes and looked out the window. Greg hung his head. “I’m so sorry, Doctor. I’m just a little crazy right now”

“I told you I’m not pulling any punches. Your child has been manipulated by a master of psychological warfare. Someone who regularly broke hardened terrorists for a living. A thirteen year old gender confused young child was nothing for him. The person you knew as Cody effectively died within two weeks of captivity, never to return. The best we can do now is to forge a new child from to ashes of the destroyed one, and help your entire family to heal”

She sat down, pulling out an electronic cigarette. “I have spent the last three days reviewing every second of video that Steele shot. I puked four times. I watched your child break, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips. I watched your child suffer. No matter how professional I try to be, nothing prepares me to watch another human being suffer”

Justin’s head dropped. He was a very reserved person ever since Cody’s disappearance. This was hard on him. Cassie was leaning her head on her mother’s shoulder, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

“What will happen to my baby, Doctor?” asked Gail, almost whispering.

“I’m going to use everything I have in my bag of tricks to see that your daughter grows into a healthy woman”

“But he’s a boy. My boy” said a chastened Greg.

“That ship has sailed, Mr. Phillips. Cody is dead, replaced by a girl who thinks her name is ‘Slut’. I’m sorry, folks, but I’m too tired to be diplomatic. I’m calling her Amber for now, but that is just the stage name they gave her for the videos they shot to sell, mostly custom videos that are being tracked right now to the buyers”

“Guys, she doesn’t appear to remember you, from what I’ve been able to glean from the training videos. Oh, the memories are still there, buried deep, but the things she was made to do and the shame she feels for doing them has made her feel like a leper, so to speak. I’m going to try to bring those good memories back, and hopefully get her to deal with all the crap she has endured to this point”

She drummed her fingers on the conference table. “I’m going to be honest here. I’ve seen this kind of abuse just three times previously. You all have a long road to recovery. I’ll do the best I can, but I’ll need your help”

Greg looked at his wife, who nodded. It was the wordless communication that only people who have shared everything for a long time had.

“Okay, Doc. We’re in”

“We’re doing all that can be done right now” added Janine. “Why don’t you get settled in at the hotel, and we can start fresh tomorrow”

“I want to see Cody” said Gail. “We all do”

“I’ll take you up to her room, and Dr. Franks can handle it from there”

The family went with Janine and Dr. Davis to the ninth floor ICU where Cody was. Dr. Franks was there to meet them. They could see a figure with long dark hair on the hospital bed there were several IV lines hooked up to the girl on the bed.

“Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, I’ve got to go for another round of interrogation with Steele. I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Dr. Davis”

“Can I go in?” asked Gail.

“Sure. Not too long though, okay?”

Gail and Greg crept into the room. Cody looked like he was sleeping peacefully.

Gail couldn’t get over how much he had changed, but she still recognized him. Or was it him? Cody was beautiful…but thin. She needed to eat. Wait…did she just think of her son as a girl?

“Greg, I’m so confused. He’s so pretty. What are we going to do?” Gail whispered.

“I don’t know hon. I don’t know. I’m just as confused as you are. Seeing Cody lying there, that way, I don’t know. Part of me wants to cut his hair and get my boy back” He sighed. “I guess that isn’t going to happen, is it? It's not that simple any more” Tears started down his face.
Gail leaned on her husband. “We’ll figure it out, Greg. We’ve got our child back, and that’s all that matters”

Cassie and Justin got to see Cody for a few minutes and came out shaken, but also amazed at the change.

Cassie was shaking. “I can’t believe it. Cody’s so pretty. I don’t understand any of this. Why would someone do this?”

Francine was staring through the window at the child on the bed. “Who knows? There are a lot of bad people in this world. I wonder sometimes if there’s something like that in all of us. But we’ll get your sibling back” She added, almost to herself, “We have to”

County Jail

Janine came in to the interrogation room, and Steele was already there, in his orange jail jumpsuit. His attorney was present, Mr. Dan English, who should have been way outside Steele’s price range, and quite frankly, Janine thought, should have known better.

“I’ve advised my client not to say anything” English announced to start things off right.

“Wonderful, counselor. Already earning your fee, I see” replied Agent Dubois. “However, given the amount of evidence we already have on your client, I don’t think that is the best course in this case”

“I’ve already filed a Motion to Suppress on all of the video evidence collected”

Dubois rolled his eyes. “Outstanding, counselor. On what grounds, may I ask?”

“That they were illegally obtained, of course”

Janine acted as if she wanted to say something, but Marcus raised his hand. “Good luck with that, Mr. English. Now, Mr. Steele, I have several pictures I want you to look at. All children missing since 2003. All identified as being from videos that were shot at your ranch in Texas. I’d like to ask you to do the right thing here, for a change. Give their families some closure”

Steele smirked. “What’s in it for me, Agent Dubois? A larger cell? More of the shitty institutional food I’ll receive?”

Janine had had enough of this jackass. “The satisfaction of knowing that you did something that made us think you aren’t a complete and total waste of humanity”

Steele smiled thinly. “Ahhhh, Janine. I knew you couldn’t keep your big mouth shut for long. Tell you what; I’ll look at your pictures. Maybe something will come to mind. After all, what you think of me is sooo important”

Marcus slid the first picture over to Steele. “Juan Herrera. Disappeared 2003”

Marcus slid the pictures over in rapid succession, giving the names of each child. Fourteen children, the oldest, thirteen at the time of disappearance. “Where are they, Steele?”

John Steele looked at the pictures carefully and smiled, clearly remembering with fondness the hell he put each one of them through.

“You’re wasting your time, Agent Dubois. My client won’t incriminate himself”

Then without warning, Steele started sliding the photos back to Marcus in rapid fire succession.
“Land fill, land fill, land fill, dumped in the Rio Grande, fed to buzzards, fed to dogs, land fill, land fill, burned, burned, land fill, fed to coyotes, land fill”

“Mr. Steele! I told you not to say anything!” exclaimed English.

Steele dismissed English with a wave of his hand. “Shut up, Dan. You work for me, remember?”

Marcus could barely contain his smile. “What about the last one?”

Steele was still looking at the picture of the one he called “Slut”

“Ahhh, yes. Slut. So perfect. It was my greatest triumph. My Eliza Doolittle, so to speak. It was so flexible, so yielding”
He paused, as if remembering a pleasant memory. “Best one I ever had. I could tie it into a pretzel and it would still be ready for more. I don’t think I ever broke it completely. Slut was always trying to please, to avoid more punishment, but that was what I wanted. It always had something in the eyes…that little flower of hope that all of it would be over someday”

He chuckled evilly. “But of course, the torment would never be over. Not for it”

Steele sighed wistfully. “I couldn’t have killed it. I sold it to a Sheik from Bahrain. He paid eight hundred thousand in gold for it”

Marcus was listening intently. “Eight hundred thousand in gold? When were you due to deliver her?”

“Yesterday. And he doesn’t take to losing very well especially when the payment has already been made. I’d watch Slut if I were you, or it’s liable to end up in a harem getting fucked in the ass by a closeted homo smelly Ahab the Arab” he laughed at that, though no one in the room found it the least bit funny.

His lawyer was just shaking his head, wondering why he took the nutcase as a client. “Mr. Steele, I must advise you to stop talking at this point”

“Why? I’ll never spend a minute in prison. I wasn’t joking about my organization. We help each other out, and plans are already in place for my release from custody”

“You’re not going anywhere, Steele” replied Janine.

“Maybe, maybe not. But you had better watch your new little flower closely. You know what they say? ‘Money talks’? A lot of money and misplaced pride say that a certain little slut better watch her step. And you had better watch them too” He leaned back in his chair, obviously proud of himself.

“I’m done now” He added with a note of finality.

“This interview is over, folks” said English, who was obviously furious with his client.

“Fine with me” added Marcus. “I’ve got all I need for now”

Steele was led out of the room by two uniformed police officers.

“Janine, I want a guard on that kid, 24/7 until I say different. Got it? Steele may be full of shit, but I’m not taking any chances”

Janine was already on her phone. “Yes sir, I’m on it now. I’m heading back to the hospital to get the security detail in order”

The two men got their disguises in order. They had obtained their credentials to the ICU unit from their contact inside the hospital. Prince Farouk was paying them well and wanted the girl out of the hospital and in his palace within 48 hours.

Somewhere in the city

“Amin? What is so important about this girl?” asked Hamid.

“I neither know nor care. The little faggot is probably getting another little love slave to make his father happy. Let’s get going and get this over with”

To Be Continued

Chapter Three
Amin loaded their rented SUV with the tools for the kidnapping. They had specially modified nine millimeter automatic machine pistols with extended thirty round magazines. Stun guns for any overzealous security personnel. Also, they had a medical bag with enough sedative to knock out a whale and a few items to keep their prey under control for the trip to Bahrain and a large payday.

“All right, Hamid. I’ve got everything loaded. Do you have the credentials we need to get in?”

“Everything’s ready. The Prince has assured us that no one will be expecting us. The girl is on the ninth floor in the ICU. I have the exact coordinates of the bed. Our contact inside is a nurse in the ICU”

Across town, Janine was speeding to the hospital. She cursed herself for not anticipating an attempt to recapture the girl. There was no way she was going to let that happen, not after all the kid had been through. She got back on the phone, dialing the security chief, a retired cop by the name of Gonzalez. She had already briefed him quickly on the target back at the jail.
“I’m ten minutes from the hospital. Do you have someone in place to deny access to the ICU?”

“I can’t do that! The staff has to be able to come and go! There are still critically ill people up there”

“Gonzalez, there are people who will stop at nothing, I repeat NOTHING, to get that child back. I want three armed guards up in that unit ASAP, or you’ll be answering a lot of questions from the director on why you couldn’t follow my instructions! Is that clear?”

Gonzalez wanted to tell the bitch to fuck off, but he didn’t want to bring a lot of attention to the hospital in case she wasn’t completely crazy. “All right, all right. What do you need me to do?”

“Quietly post your men at every possible entrance to the floor. There is no guarantee that anyone will be there today. My guess is that they will be disguised as staff, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they have forged credentials. They will need to be as discreet as possible, so look for anyone you don’t recognize, no matter what their credentials say. And be careful! Whoever is coming will likely be trained and very dangerous”

Gonzalez was beginning to grasp the seriousness of the situation. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. I’ll supervise this personally”

“Thank you!” she said with a note of exasperation. “I’ll be there in exactly seven minutes. That girl’s life depends on your ability to deny access to the kidnappers!”

“Got it. I’ll keep you on the line”

Janine cursed the traffic. She had already broken every traffic law known to man, including driving on the sidewalk to avoid blockages. She was pretty sure the siren didn’t cover that particular maneuver.

Hamid and Amin pulled into the employees’ parking lot. The way had been cleared for them to get their bag and weapons past security. Hamid had thought of everything. Except that his burn phone had lost service.

“Dammit!” whispered Nurse Gaby Abdullah. She had been trying to get Hamid on the phone since she noticed the guards by the stairwell doors and elevator. Their plan had been discovered, but how? She needed to get out of there, now.

Walking to one of the guards, Gaby casually tried to open the door to leave the floor.

“Excuse me, ma’am” the guard barred the path out with his arm. “Nobody leaves the floor until the FBI and LAPD get here. Sorry”

“But I need to get some medicine for the patient in 922”

“Sorry. I know it’s a pain, but it won’t be long”

She was starting to get panicky “But I really need to get that medicine! I have to get it!”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen, so go on back to your station and give us about ten minutes to straighten this out”

Gaby walked reluctantly back to her station. Now she couldn’t call Hamid, who was probably already at the hospital.

Hamid and Amin made their way to the elevator, and punched the ninth floor button. They both pulled out their weapons and hid them in their lab coats. Hamid cursed the slow hospital elevator. He and Amin pulled the slides back on their weapons.

Janine screeched to a stop in front of the emergency entrance. She had maintained contact with Gonzalez all the way to the hospital and still had her Bluetooth headset on. “Anything yet?”

“No. We had a little trouble with one of the nurses, but other than that, nothing”

“Don’t let that nurse go. I want to talk to her when I get up there”

“Copy that”

Janine ran past the elevators to the stairs. She was a marathon runner, so nine flights of stairs were nothing to her. Her instincts told her that the nurse was involved and her nervousness meant that something was going down today.

Hamid and Amin didn’t talk on the way up to the ninth floor. They had rehearsed what they needed to do. Hopefully, no one would have to get hurt. That would be messy, and both of them were professionals who hated it when things got messy.

The elevator doors opened and Gonzalez was there to meet it. “Sorry, no one on this floor until further notice” as he was about to dismiss the men, he realized he didn’t know who they were. He only delayed a second, but it was enough for the stun gun to hit his chest. He went down immediately.

The two kidnappers didn’t realize that Gonzalez had a bad heart. The shock caught him at exactly the right instant, stopping his heart. The security chief was dead before he hit the floor.

The other two guards on the floor were not in a position to see what happened. Amin pulled Gonzalez into the elevator and hit the button to the basement.

They quickly made their way past the nurse’s station. Three rooms to the right was their victim. They made their way to the room.

“Great. She’s asleep. Pull those IV’s and let’s get the hell out of here” whispered Hamid.

“Hold on. I gotta take care of this tag or the whole damn place will know she’s being moved” He placed an electronic device over the smart bracelet that Amber was wearing. A small whistle then a click and a small EMP disabled the tag that would alert security if she was moved. “All right, let’s move. Hamid put the girl over his shoulder and undid the pistol. From here on out, they were playing for keeps.

Gaby saw the two in the girl’s room. She quietly made her way there. “They know about you coming!” she hissed.

The two men looked at each other.

“Shit!” they said simultaneously. They knew their chances of getting out now were next to zero.

Amin motioned to Gaby. “Get out there and distract those guards. Whatever you have to do. We’re going out the north stairway. Get them on the other end of the hall”

“What do I do?” she asked.

“I don’t care. Get naked if you have to, but get those guards to the other end of the hall!”

Gaby left the room and headed to the other end of the hall as she was instructed. She looked into a room and screamed. The two remaining guards rushed to her as they had hoped, completely ignoring the room they were supposed to be watching.

“Go! Hamid whispered. Amin took the lead, and ducked into the hall. Gaby was doing a great job of keeping everyone occupied. Hamid, carrying Amber like a sack of flower, smiled to himself smugly, thinking they just might pull this off, when the stairwell door they thought was unguarded popped open and a woman wearing blue jeans and a pink hoodie walked through it, her weapon drawn.

“S’up?” she asked calmly with a small nod of her head, the sheen of perspiration from her little sprint visible on her forehead. “Going somewhere?”

Amin started to pull his weapon up to fire but Janine was faster. The back of his head exploded in gore an instant after he twitched.
Hamid put his gun to the head of the unconscious girl as Amin dropped to the floor. The gunshot drew the guards back to the scene. A nurse screamed.

Hamid had been in worse situations, but as the saying goes, he couldn’t think of any at the moment “Okay, woman. Drop the gun and the kid might live”

The guards were rushing up behind them. Janine never blinked. “Stand down! Back away! He’s got a gun on her!” They were on their radios calling for backup as they retreated down the hall.

“I’ll use it too, woman. Make no mistake about that. This one means nothing to me, but to you, obviously more. Drop the gun”

“So you can kill me too? I don’t think so. You have no chance to get out of here, mister. None at all. Drop her now and we’re looking at attempted kidnapping. A few years in jail at most. Don’t complicate this by doing something stupid that you’ll end up regretting. You can even take me for a hostage” She let her gun tremble for a second.

Hamid smiled. He had her. “I’m counting to three. If at three your gun isn’t on the floor then, I kill the child. I may die, but the girl is dead. I’m guessing you would do anything to prevent that. Your eyes and gun betray you woman”

Janine knew he meant every word he was saying. She would have hated to play poker against this guy if he was bluffing.

“One”

“Don’t do it” Janine warned.

“Two”

Janine’s .45 fired, the round catching Hamid in the forehead, right between the eyes, crossing the T zone. Hamid dropped like a stone, eyes glassy in death. “Three, asshole”. Janine was a good poker player too.

Janine rushed to Amber, holstering her weapon as she did. Without the drugs keeping her under, she was beginning to come out of the coma. Her eyes fluttered open. Janine had never seen such blue eyes in her life, they looked haunted.

“M-mom?” she spoke quietly.

Amber had some of the kidnapper’s blood on her forehead, Janine gently wiped it off as she cradled her. “No sweetie, get some rest. You just had a bad dream”

“Okay, mom, I’m sleepyyyy” She passed out again into the dreamless slumber she had been in since her rescue.

“Mom…” Janine thought. Maybe she did remember.

The ninth floor was a whirlwind of activity after the attempt. Patients that couldn’t handle the noise were coding and the ones that were able to complain were, and most vociferously.

Janine called Dubois to tell him about the failed plot. He was on his way, along with Dr. Davis and Amber’s parents.

Those men should have gotten away cleanly. Gonzalez was dead, and she had just barely managed to stop the two men. It turns out that Steele wasn’t joking, but why did he give up the plot? What was in it for him? He was living up to his reputation, and was no one to trifle with. He was in jail for now, but did he have a plan to escape?

Dubois made it to the hospital first and demanded a briefing from Janine. She gave him the rundown on what had happened to that point.

“Outstanding work, Agent Rodgers I’m not big on commendations, but if I were, you’d be up for one”
Janine shook her head. “It was FUBAR from the get go. A good man is dead, as are two kidnappers who could have put the finger on their employer. On top of that, Gabriela Abdullah, who I suspect was their inside contact, is missing. You don’t get props for that, Marcus”

“True, but the fact that you realize that makes you invaluable to me. And the important thing is that you stopped that girl from getting killed. After all she’s been through, that would have been an unthinkable tragedy. I’m not letting the bad guys win this one, Janine”

Dr. Davis, Greg and Gail were at the hospital twenty minutes after the excitement. They met in the same conference room as before, as the cleanup was still on in the ICU. Greg was furious.

“How in the hell could you let something like this happen?”

Dubois gave an icy stare at Greg. He was beginning to take a serious dislike to Amber’s father. He was too emotional. This wasn’t going to productive or conducive to the girl’s recovery.

“Nothing happened, Mr. Phillips. Your daughter wasn’t aware of what was happening, as she was unconscious for the ordeal” Dubois’ tone never varied from dead calm.

“Greg! Stop it! You’re making an ass of yourself” Gail chastised. “If you can’t stay calm, then leave”

Greg wasn’t used to Gail standing up to him like that. His ears reddened. “You handle it then! I need some air!” He stormed off to the lobby.

“I’m sorry, Greg isn’t normally like this. It’s just this whole thing has really changed him, from the first moment Cody was kidnapped”

Dr. Davis nodded. “I understand, and we can work with that, but he needs to understand that blowing up at people who are helping is going to wear out his welcome”

Janine put her hand on Gail’s shoulder. “She did wake up for a moment, after it was all over. She called me mom” Gail started to say something, but Janine held her hand up to silence her. “I know what you are going to say and no, she didn’t think I was her mother, she was too addled to know anything. But she did say ‘mom’. That’s a good sign, right Dr. Davis?”

Francine rubbed her chin. “Yes. It is. I agree with your assessment, Janine. Very astute for a lay person. She has everything buried deep, but we can pry it out. Eventually, and with a lot of work”

“Thank God!” cried Gail.

“Thank God indeed, Mrs. Phillips” continued Francine. “Also, you need to consider a name for the child. You cannot continue calling this child Cody”

“But that’s his name!” protested Gail. “Greg won’t like this one bit”

Francine rolled her eyes. “I really don’t care what Mr. Phillips thinks at this point. In my professional opinion, this GIRL won’t think she’s worthy to be called Cody. I’m guessing, and it’s all guesswork at this point, but based on a lot of experience dealing with cases of abuse, she’ll blame herself for what has happened. We can’t allow that to continue”

Gail knew that Francine was right. “What do I do?”

“Did you have a name picked out if Cody had been born female?”

“No, we knew pretty much from the start that he was a boy” She paused, and had an idea. “Wait! I miscarried a year before Cody was conceived. I was planning either way, and the girl would have been named Bethany”

Francine smiled. “That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl”

Gail burst into tears at that. “Oh my God. My little girl. My Bethany. I can do this”

Francine hugged Gail. “This is the first little step to getting your child back, Gail. I’ll handle the paperwork to get her name updated”

Dubois and Rodgers had quietly left the room.

“Agent Rodgers, This isn’t over. I just got a text from a friend at the CIA. There has been a bounty placed on the head of the Phillips girl”

To Be Continued

Chapter 4
“What? Who placed a bounty?” asked a stunned Janine.

Marcus was grim. “Prince Abu Bakr Asif Karim. The girl was apparently promised to his son, Farouk. When the Prince found out about the true nature of the arrangement, he went nuts. He thinks that the girl knows too much and could destabilize things for him if his enemies got wind of this”

“Shit, Marcus. This is getting out of control. How are we going to keep a lid on this and protect her at the same time? I have an investigation to run. The intel we picked up from Steele’s files alone will keep me busy for another couple of years”

“I have an idea, Agent Rodgers, if you can calm down” He pulled out a card and handed it to Janine. “Call this man, Kevin Howard from Pluton Security. He has a history of competency in this area. I know his employer”

Janine took the card. “If you say he’s good, then that’s all I need. I'll call him right away”

“I’ll do what I can on my end. Good luck, Janine, and keep me informed. I’ve been called back to Washington. Something's up”

Janine decided to visit Bethany in her new room. A guard had been placed at the door, an LAPD officer, not hospital security.

Janine quietly opened the door and crept in. Bethany was awake and staring out the window. She didn’t acknowledge Janine’s presence at all. She was crying quietly.

“Hello, Bethany. I see you’re awake”

She never took her eyes off of the window. “Who’s Bethany? I’m slut. Nobody”

Janine slid a chair between the bed and the window. “Bethany is your new name, honey. Don’t you like it?”

“It means nothing to me. I already have a name" She continued looking out the window. "Do you know I haven’t seen the sun since, since, I don’t know”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“I guess so”

Janine noticed that Bethany’s voice was a monotone. Emotionless and flat. It was the voice of someone who had lost all hope. “I know it’s a lot to process right now. You’ve been through a lot, more than anyone I know. But in a lot of ways, the worst is over. The man who abused you is in jail, and I’m on the trail of all the others who have ever hurt you”

“What does it matter? They’ll never pay, why should they? They just used me for what I am. All that I’m good for”

Janine knew that she should stop and get Francine, but she didn’t want her to stop talking. “What do you mean? What they did to you was wrong, Bethany”

“Look. I remember you from the raid. I have no idea if this is some sort of dream or just another one of Master’s tests. My name is slut. I am good for nothing except to serve the Master’s desires. If you want to use me, go ahead. Do you want me?”

The tears were still coming. They were real. Something in Bethany’s mind was beginning to accept that maybe her nightmare with Steele was over, of that much, Janine was certain. She pulled out her cell and texted Francine.

“No, I don’t want anything like that. I’m with the FBI, and you don’t have to do that anymore”

“Whatever. If you change your mind, I’ll serve you. Can I see Master? I don’t know what to do”

Janine knew she was in over her head now. She decided to wait for Dr. Davis. “Master won’t be coming back, Bethany. He’s in jail and will never bother you again”

She was met by silence, as the traumatized child’s tears continued to soak her pillow.

Janine stayed by Bethany’s side until Dr. Davis got there. “Can I see you outside, Agent Rodgers?”

“Sure” Janine squeezed Bethany’s hand and got out of the chair.

After the door closed to the room, Francine got right to business. “How long has she been awake?”

“I have no idea. She was awake when I came into the room. I texted you about thirty seconds later”

Francine’s look darkened. “What did she say?”

Janine related the conversation to Francine.

“So she still hasn’t accepted that she’s free. Interesting. The tears are a good sign. We need to get her to open up, to see how she sees herself, if indeed she has accepted her new gender role” Francine said, more to herself than anyone else. “Thank you for your attention to detail, Agent Rodgers. I’ll take it from here”

“Good. I know she’s in good hands with you” She turned to leave, then back. “There’s something else you need to know. There is a bounty on the girl. Someone very rich and powerful wants her dead”

Francine winced. “Okay, that’s good to know, I guess. What is your plan?”

“I’m calling in some special help. I’ll let you know when everything is in place” She paused, thinking, then added “Help her, Doctor. I’m afraid of what’s going on in her mind”

Francine hugged Janine. “I’ll do my best, count on it”

Shameless plug time: If you want to know more about the following, read the story "532" by me!

Dallas, Texas

Kevin’s cell rang. The number was one he didn’t recognize. “Kevin Howard”

“Kevin, this is Agent Janine Rodgers from the FBI, Internet Crimes Division”

Kevin had heard of Janine. In his line of work, her name came up quite often. “Yes, Agent Rodgers. How may I be of assistance?”
“Marcus Dubois gave me your card. I think I have a job for you, if you’re interested”

Kevin smiled. “Always ready to help. What have you got?”

Janine gave him the rundown on everything that had transpired to that point. Kevin took notes as she gave the details, as he always did. “Sounds like a real hairball, Agent Rodgers, but I think I’ll be able to help”

“Great. Marcus seemed to have a lot of confidence in you”

Kevin chuckled. “I’ve helped him a time or two, he’s a good man. If he gave you my number, then I guess I don’t have any choice. I’ll be out there tomorrow”

“See you then, Mr. Howard, and thanks”

Kevin disconnected. He looked across the table at the beautiful woman across the table. “Well, Belle, I guess our plans for the weekend are kind of ruined. Duty calls” He spoke French to his lovely companion, the love of his life, Belle Kalisek. They had met for a late lunch to go over plans for the long weekend they were taking with her parents.

Belle pouted, which only served to make her prettier. “Poo! You promised me, Kevin! Mom has already made the reservations!”

“I know, but this is one I can’t turn down” Kevin said sadly. He explained the details of the call and the situation to Belle. She knew only too well the hell that Bethany had been put through. She dabbed at her eyes as he explained.

“I understand. You need to go. Mom and Dad will understand. If I can be of any help, please let me know”

Kevin reached across the table to hold Belle’s hand. She was only seventeen, and in truth looked a bit younger, but she had a perfect understanding of what Bethany was going through.

She had been boy named Brian who was kidnapped and put through the same sort of treatment a couple of years before. She, however, was transformed by magic, and was fully female. Her sole lasting side effect of the transformation was that she could only speak French, and due to the spell that had enabled her to do this, she was having difficulty learning to speak English. She could understand English perfectly, but the speaking part evaded her.

“I’ll let you know, babe” Kevin knew her past. In fact, he was responsible for rescuing her. But that made no difference to him. He saw only the lovely girl in front of him, and that was enough for him.

They finished their meal and Kevin kissed her goodbye. She left in the new Honda Civic he bought her. He wanted to get her something a lot more expensive, but she told him that his money could be better spent elsewhere; she thought the car was cute.
Kevin got on the phone to his boss, the CEO of Pluton Security. The world knew him as Charles Baer, but Kevin knew him as Cerberus.

“I already know, Kevin. Get on the first flight out”

That Cerberus knew already was no surprise to Kevin. He pretty much always did. “I’ll make the arrangements now, Boss”

“Good. I’m working on another matter right now, but call me if things get bad. I’m watching this one, Kevin”

“Good to know, Boss. I’ll keep you posted”

Los Angeles

Francine checked in at the nurses’ station before going to Bethany’s room.

“What’s the status on our guest in 505?”

The shift supervisor looked grim. “Not good. She won’t eat, and we just checked her, she’s just lying there on her bed staring out the window”

Francine rubbed her temples. She had more or less expected this. “Okay, thanks for the update. Please don’t disturb us for the next hour”

Francine made a point of knocking on the door before entering. “Can I come in?” Silence greeted her.

Taking a step into the room, Francine saw that Bethany wasn’t on the bed. For a moment, she was worried that Bethany had gotten out of her room, and then she saw a dark head of hair in the corner. Francine walked around the bed and found Bethany naked, on her knees facing the corner. Her head was bowed, almost in an attitude of prayer.

Francine sat on the floor, back to the wall, legs crossed in the lotus position. “He made you do that, didn’t he?”

“Master said this was my position when I was bad. I had to earn the right to wear clothes” Bethany was emotionless, matter of fact.

“I see. You do know he no longer has power over you, don’t you?”

“He told me he would always have power over me. I would never be free” Her head never moved, but tears still trickled down her face.
Francine noted Bethany’s body. She had C cup breasts, and the body of a model. She was tall, and quite pretty in an exotic way. Her eyes were ice blue, which added to the haunted vacant look she possessed. Steele had really done a number on this one. “I can’t begin to understand what you’ve been through. You’ve been brutalized and used in terrible ways. Can I ask you something?”

“You can do whatever you want. If I say no I’ll be punished”

Francine was starting to get angry at the son of a bitch who did this. “If you had a choice, would you stay a girl? Or try to become what you were”

“I don’t have choices. I do what Master says, always”

“I know, but if you did. What would you do?”

There was silence for what seemed like an hour, but was really only a minute or two. This was good from Francine’s point of view. Bethany was actually considering what she actually thought.

“I…I…I guess I would stay like I am” she answered timidly.

Francine nodded. “Okay, we can do that. You do have choices now, sweetie. You don’t have to make a lot of them now, but in time, you’ll find that you can. I want you to get up now and get your gown on and get back into bed. You aren’t being punished anymore, okay?”

Bethany got up slowly. Francine could tell she was unsure about this, and was waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak.

Francine gently put her gown on and led her to her bed. “You get in bed now and get some rest. I’ll sit with you for a while. If you want to talk, just talk, okay? I’m a good listener”

Bethany looked at Francine, almost as if she was staring at someone who wasn’t real.

Bethany looked as if she was about to say something when there was a commotion in the hall. A male voice raised in anger. Francine was focused on Bethany, and then realized who she was hearing. Just as she got up to see what was happening, Greg burst into the room.

“Why didn’t you tell me he was awake? What in the hell is going on here! Do I have to go to the Administrator about keeping me in the loop?”

Bethany was clearly terrified. Her eyes closed and she sank down into the bed, pulling the covers up to her neck.
Francine jumped up quicker than Greg realized. “Mr. Phillips!” She whispered into his ear. “Did the nurses not tell you that we weren’t to be disturbed?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“But nothing. Leave now. I’ll talk to you out in the hall” Francine’s voice never got above a whisper, but it was enough to turn Greg around in his tracks.

Greg went back out into the hall. Francine turned and saw Bethany. She was nearly catatonic.

Francine rushed to her side and Bethany recoiled from her in horror. “I…I…I…can’t! I can’t!” she screamed.

“Shit!” Francine cursed under her breath. She was opposed to violence, but right now she wanted to kill that idiot Greg Phillips.
She left the room and collared a nurse. “Stay with her until I get back” She continued on to where Greg was chewing on a nurse who clearly had no idea what he was talking about.

“…And furthermore, I want hourly updates on my son’s condition. Is that clear?”

“No, it isn’t clear, Mr. Phillips. Come with me”

Francine led him to the women’s restroom. He hesitated at the door, and Francine dragged him in.

“Listen to me, you arrogant bastard. When I am in a session with your DAUGHTER, I am NOT to be interrupted for ANY reason. Not the world ending, not to tell me I won the lottery, NEVER! By you or anyone else”

Greg was flushed with anger. “That’s my child, and I have the right to…”

“Your parental rights at this point mean exactly nothing right now. I was starting to make a little progress in there, but you shot that in the ass because you are too stupid to see past what you don’t understand. Go home, Mr. Phillips. It’s the only chance your child has. If you can’t do that, stay the hell away from her”

“I…I have a right to…”

“No, you don’t in my professional opinion, you are counter to her recovery, and you are barred from this floor until I see fit to let you come back”

“I’ll sue!”

“You’ll LOSE! So go ahead, get a lawyer. This isn’t Texas, and your daughter is a material witness in a kidnapping and human trafficking case. I like my chances in court.”

For one of the few times in his life, Greg was at a loss for words. Bulling into things served him well in the business world, but got him absolutely nowhere here, and he didn’t like it.

“Get the hell off my floor, before I have the officer outside carry you off in handcuffs”

Greg left the restroom, furious. “This isn’t over, not by a long shot”

To Be Continued

Sorry for the long delay between chapters, The next one should be faster!

Chapter 5
Francine was ready to explode. She was making progress with Bethany on her first try and her jackass of a father ruins everything. She took several deep breaths to calm herself and then walked calmly over to the police officer guarding Bethany’s room.

“Officer, that man is not to have access to this floor until I say he can. Is that understood?”

The police smiled. “You bet, Doc.”

Francine re-entered Bethany’s room. She wasn’t on her bed. Instead Francine found her curled up in a fetal position on the floor, facing the wall.

Francine’s heart nearly broke for the traumatized child. She immediately knelt beside Bethany and began stroking the girl’s hair.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Your father just doesn’t understand yet”

There were no tears this time. “He’s got no reason to understand anything. He wants his son back. I can’t be that anymore”
“How do you see yourself, Bethany? Can I call you that?”

“Whatever. I suppose it’s better than slut, but that’s still my name” Her replies were lifeless, without emotion, and that worried Francine.

“Slut is a word that is very degrading to women. Is that how you feel about yourself?”

Bethany sighed. “It’s what I am. Good for nothing. I’m a fuck toy, Master said so”

Francine was completely lost at that response. That bastard Steele had done a number on this one. Her voice, so soft and sweet, was revealing the level of the programming that he had put her through. She decided to try another approach.

“Bethany, I’m going to ask you some questions. They are kind of personal, and you don’t have to answer them if you don’t want to. Is that okay with you?”

“Whatever”

“Were you with a lot of men?”

“Yes. There were a lot of them, I think”

“You think?”
“I was blindfolded most of the time. I sucked their cocks, and they fucked me. It was my job, Master said so”

“Do you like using that language?”

“What language?”

“The word ‘fuck’ for example”

“Master taught me to talk like that. If I didn’t, I was punished. Fucking was what I was good for”

No emotion, none at all. Francine knew that somewhere inside this girl was a nuclear bomb waiting to explode. Her job was to disarm it before that happened.

Francine continued to stroke Bethany’s long black hair. Interestingly, she didn’t fight the contact, and slowly, almost imperceptibly moved a little closer to Francine’s leg. “Good girl” thought Francine. “Fight the bastard. We’ve got a long time to sort this out”

“Let’s just give it time, Bethany” Francine mentioned casually, almost as an afterthought. “We’ve got lots of time, right?”

“Whatever, I guess”

“There are a lot of people that love you, Bethany. I know you can’t understand that right now. People that love you not for what’s on the outside, but the you that’s inside. I’m one of them, and I don’t think you’re a slut. I think you’re a wonderful person who had a bad, bad thing happen”

“I’m not wonderful. Not at all”

“Well, sweetie, I beg to differ on that point, but, let’s get you back into bed, okay?”

Francine helped the slight girl up off the floor and in to bed. She was light, not more than one hundred five pounds, despite being nearly five seven. Starvation is a great motivator, she thought. That could be fixed, but the inside, well, that was another thing. Dr. Davis hoped she was up to the task.

Forty thousand feet over Arizona

Kevin Howard was sitting in his seat in first class, busy on his iPad reviewing the particulars of the case. It was quite disturbing, and not unlike the case involving his fiancée, Belle. Kevin wanted to know what he was up against. The FBI didn’t understand why he wanted the transcripts and recordings of the interrogations.

Kevin was nothing if not thorough to a fault. Attention to detail was his strong suit, and was one of the qualities that led him to becoming the top protection specialist at Pluton Security and the CEO’s right hand man. Not bad for a man of twenty seven.
He shook his head in disgust as he read the transcripts from the interview. This Steele character was a real piece of work, but one who was being drastically underestimated by his captors, in his opinion.

The recordings of the interrogation sessions were also provided, and Kevin listened to them as he read the transcripts.

The flight attendant asked him on her way by “May I get you anything to drink, sir?”

Kevin smiled. ”Diet Coke, please”

“You seem to be rather involved in your work, if you don’t mind me saying”

“It’s not always pleasant, but it pays the bills” he replied non-committally.

The attractive flight attendant gave him a dazzling smile. “Well, don’t work too hard, you’ll get worry lines”

Kevin smiled back. “Don’t worry, part of this job is also being very good at relaxing, and my girlfriend at home is very good at helping me do just that”

Kevin detected a slight look of disappointment in the flight attendant’s face. “Well sir, she is a very lucky girl”

“Nah” Kevin replied “I’m the lucky one”

Kevin returned to his work on his laptop, when he received a coded message in the form of a text message. His normal wireless connections were turned off, but the special low frequency modem was always on.

“Kevin, the bounty on the child is for two million in gold. Several takers already. Get her to location Charlie ASAP.” Cerberus

“Damn” thought Kevin. “This is no good. If he’s thinking Charlie, then we have a major problem”

Los Angeles, Gables Hotel

“The nerve of that bitch! Denying me the right to see my son!” Greg was fuming at what he saw as shameful treatment at the hands of Doctor Davis.

“Honey, STOP IT!” exclaimed Gail.

“Why? I have rights here. That quack is denying me the right to see my son!”

“I don’t think so, Greg. From what I see, we have a daughter now. One who has been brutalized beyond belief, and needs our support right now, not a big mouthed asshole throwing his weight around!”

Greg’s jaw dropped in disbelief at what he had just heard from his wife. “Did you just call me an asshole?”

“If the shoe fits, wear it! Stop stomping around like a bull in a china shop! Our DAUGHTER needs both of us, Greg. But if you insist on denying the obvious, then I’ll do this thing alone if I have to, do you understand me?”

Greg was mortified. In all their years of marriage, Gail had never talked to him this way.

“Are you taking her side over mine?”

“No, I’m taking Bethany’s side! Our daughter’s side” Tears were starting to form in Gail’s eyes.

“What in the hell is this? His name is Cody. I can fix all of the rest of this stuff, Gail. A few surgeries, and Cody will be back, good as new!”

Gail gasped. “Don’t you dare! We will talk to her and see what she wants to do. You are NOT going to rape her again with your insistence on ‘surgeries’ against her will. I swear to God, Greg, I’ll fight you all the way on this. Let the Doctor do her work, and stop being so damned impatient”

“You too, huh? All right, have it your way. I’m out of here. Stay out here if you like, but Justin and Cassie are coming back to Texas with me”

A female voice chimed in from the connecting doorway between the two rooms the family had rented. It was Cassie “I’m not coming back, Daddy, not without Cody, or Bethany, or whatever she chooses to call herself”

Greg was dangerously close to losing control. “So, does your brother feel the same way?”

“Ask him yourself, Daddy”

Justin poked his head around the door frame. “There’s nothing I can do here, Dad. I need to get back. Cody is safe. This arguing is completely bogus. Let things be, Dad. Give it some time”

Greg, still fuming wasn’t mollified. “I’m making reservations on the next flight out. Justin, get packed. I’ll leave, but not before I give that ‘Doctor’ a piece of my mind!”

Back at the hospital, Francine was busily working on a revised plan to re-integrate Bethany into her family when her phone rang. The caller ID gave her Greg Phillips’ number. Rolling her eyes, she hit the button to take the call. “Hello?”

“Greg Phillips. It looks like you’ve won. I’m leaving on the eight o’clock flight back to Texas”

“Greg, I haven’t won anything. And if you leave now, you’re the loser for an entirely different reason”

“Whatever. I’m on my way now. I’m not one to do my dirty work by phone. You’ve got an ass chewing coming, and I’m just the person to deliver it”

Francine sighed. “You do whatever you feel is necessary, but…” she paused, and suddenly had an idea. It wouldn’t be pleasant, but this man needed to be knocked out of his smug assurance regarding his new daughter.

“But what?” asked Greg.

“But nothing. Come on and give me my ‘ass chewing’. I have a couple of things for you too, so I’ll be expecting you. If you feel the same way after our discussion, I’ll leave the case”

“Good” came the curt reply. “I’ll be there in five minutes”

Francine disconnected and began preparing for the final conflict she intended to have with Mr. Phillips. This would be difficult, but there was no other way.

Francine was sitting at her desk when Greg was shown in. His face was twisted in anger. “All right, ‘Doctor’, I…”

Francine held up her hand. “Hold it right there, Mr. Phillips. I am not going to listen to one word you have to say until you do one thing”

Greg smirked. “What’s that?”

Francine pointed to the large flat screen on her wall. “Watch a little video for me is all. In glorious 1080p HD video. You should appreciate it. Watch it all, or the deal is off, and you leave. It’s what I do for a living, but you should be really good at it, since evidently I don’t know anything. It runs for thirty minutes”

Greg looked puzzled “What is it?”

“Watch it and find out. But you need to watch it all, or you shut up and let me do my job”

“Deal”

Francine picked up the remote to the player and hit play. “Have fun, Mr. Phillips” She pocketed the remote and left the room.

For the next five minutes Greg watched the slow debasement of his son. He found out that Cody wasn’t at all happy as a boy to begin with, and the manipulation the boy experienced was obvious. Then the first hardcore video started. There were snippets of the different videos. He watched as the feminized boy was raped and forced to perform sex acts for masked individuals who berated him while he tried to please them. The tears rolled down his face as the scenes got more intense and degraded into bondage and torture. By fifteen minutes, Greg could stand no more. He walked to the screen and turned it off.

Francine entered the room shortly afterward. “Seen enough, Mr. Phillips?”

Greg was sitting on the edge of the chair in front of the monitor. He was staring at the floor, his body language indicating total defeat. “I had no idea…no idea at all”

“You had it easy. I had to watch ten hours of unedited video. It made me sick. But I had to in order to be able to understand what Bethany went through. Greg, I’m not making this stuff up”

“I…I’m sorry…it’s just that…Cody…my son…” Greg could go no further. He broke down into wracking sobs. Francine wanted to go to him, but he didn’t need that right now. He needed to realize the unvarnished truth, that his son was dead, and in his place was a beautiful yet extremely traumatized young woman.

Francine let Greg sort things out on his own. She wasn’t going to influence him one way or the other. After couple of minutes, Greg had regained his composure somewhat.

“Well?” asked Francine.

“Okay, you made your point. I won’t interfere any more. God, Cody…I mean Bethany must think I’m no better than the men who brutalized her”

“You did some damage, but nothing that can’t be undone, I think. If you’re on board, then the healing can begin, and you can have your child back…eventually”

“How long?”

“I don’t know. Weeks, months maybe. I don’t know. I’m worried about self-destructive ideas coming to her, up to and including suicide”

The mention of possible suicide made Greg take notice. “I was worried about that. Why would he…she do that?”

“They took every shred of self-worth away from her. The only positive reinforcement she got was when she did well at those video shoots, and that was only after she had been violently used”

“What do you want me to do?” he asked.

“Go home for now. She’s not going to be ready to see you right now”

Greg hung his head. “I thought so”

“You made this problem by not listening to me. It’s not forever, and I’ll call you as soon as I think it’s safe for you to see her”

Francine gave Greg some materials to study in preparation for his eventual reunion with Bethany. He was a changed man when he left her office. Francine hugged him as he left. “Stay strong, Greg. She still needs her daddy”

The Interview
Kevin was on his way to the jail to interview Steele. It was one of the least enjoyable aspects of his job, but one that he was very good at. He wanted to know what was going on in the mind of the suspect. That and he knew something that the rest of the police wanted to ignore. There really was evidence of a vast organization behind a lot of unsavory things going on. His boss wanted to know, and so did he.

He called ahead and the police liaison officer met him at the front door of the jail. He was escorted to the interview room where Steele was waiting. His lawyer was present with a smug look on his face. The lawyer looked way too expensive for the likes of Steele to afford, but Kevin was used to that sort of incongruity.

Steele laughed out loud when Kevin entered the room “The great Kevin Howard from Pluton Security. Your reputation is quite sterling in my line of work”

Kevin sat down on the other side of the table and pulled out a legal pad. He didn’t acknowledge Steele’s comment at all. He read his notes for the interview and looked directly in Steele’s eyes. “We won’t need your mouthpiece, Mr. Steele. I’m not law enforcement, as you so brilliantly pointed out. Nothing said here will be passed on to the boys on the other side. The mics and cameras are off. This little interview is purely for my edification”

Steele’s lawyer chimed in “Mr. Howard, my client is here entirely of his own free will. I won’t be…”

Steele interrupted his lawyer. “It’s okay, Bob. I think I’ll indulge young Mr. Howard. I think we can take him at his word”

“John, I strongly urge you to reconsider this” cautioned his attorney.

Kevin decided to poke the bear a little bit. “Come on John. What have you got to lose? I’m not going to reveal anything we say here, and I really not here to discuss the case in question”

Steele smiled evilly. “This I have to see! Take a hike, Bob. If I need you, I’ll signal”

Steele’s attorney pointed a bony finger at Kevin. “No physical stuff, Mr. Howard, or I’ll have you up on charges faster than you can think”

Kevin smirked a bit at the attorney’s threat. “No problem here, Counselor. From the evidence I’ve seen, he’ll most likely be entertaining the boys at the Federal prison of the judge’s choice in a few months anyway. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of that”

Steele’s smile faded a bit at that comment.

The lawyer left the room, but Kevin knew he was on the other side of the one way mirror in the room.

Kevin started. “I know you’re guilty as hell, my friend. The boys here think you’re nuts, blowing off about your big organization”

Steele leaned back in his chair confidently. “Go on, Kevin. This is an interesting start”

“I know one thing they don’t, Mr. Steele. You aren’t lying, and that is very interesting to me”

“I see. Well, do go on, Kevin. This gets more interesting by the minute”

Kevin held back a smile. Steele was underestimating him, and that was going to work in Kevin’s favor.

“I’m guessing there is a lot of cash out there, people in high places. The sex trade is only a small part of your organization. Am I getting warm?”

Steele’s face betrayed subtle hints that Kevin was actually right on. Kevin caught those hints.

“I would have no idea, Kevin. I’m a simple businessman”

“Yeah, Mr. Steele, I’ve heard that very thing. Started from nothing and built an empire of sleaze. I wonder where that initial stake came from. You’re certainly not smart enough to do that on your own”

Steele’s face betrayed the sting of Kevin’s remark. “Listen, you snot nosed little bastard…”

Kevin allowed himself a smile. “Easy, Mr. Steele, easy! What’s with all the temper? My employer simply wants to know a little more about your employer. I mean, if it’s that big a secret, they won’t be real tolerant of a guy letting himself get caught like you did. You may not make it to trial. Maybe my employer won’t let you make it to trial. Who knows? Why don’t you get rid of your guilt and tell me a little more about your organization? I mean, nobody believes it exists anyway”

Steele looked like he was about to have a heart attack. He was breathing heavily. Kevin was beginning to get a little worried when suddenly Steele’s breathing evened out. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were completely white, devoid of pupils. He exhaled smoke or mist from his nostrils.

“I smell the stink of Hades’ bitch dog on you, worm” The voice was not Steele’s. It was a deep basso profundo and full of menace.

Kevin was surprised, but not frightened at all. He was told to expect the unexpected. “Friendly guy. I like you too”

“Don’t toy with me, boy. You’re dealing with forces you can’t imagine. A new order is coming to this world. An order to set things right”

“I’ve heard that one before, Ace. It hasn’t happened yet. So what’s the deal? Why all the bullshit?”

“We are the Centimani, whelp. Our sign is EX” he held up his forearm, and the Greek letters Epsilon and Chi appeared, glowing on his skin. Our mission is to subjugate this world and prepare the way for the Destroyers”

“Tell your master that the Titans will rise again. The Centimani will come and aid us in our quest to banish the Olympians to Tartarus”

“But why are you punishing kids like the one here?”

“Because we can, fool. Women are nothing. We punish them for trying to be men, for trying to take the place of men. Men who strive to be women are less than nothing. They deserve death after suffering. And it pains your master to see this. We will not stop, not as long as it distracts him”

“We will fight you, you know that. The Olympians still rule”

“For now, perhaps, but we are patient. Meanwhile, we will continue to plague your world”

“Who are you? Not your organization, but you”
“In time, you will know, whelp. In time”

Steele came out of his trance, as the normal color returned to his eyes. He looked exhausted. “Satisfied? Did you get all your answers?”

“Not really”

“Too bad, it will have to do. I’m done” With that, he motioned to his lawyer, who entered and laid his briefcase on the table. “I believe we’re done here, Mr. Howard”

Kevin knew it was pointless to argue. He collected his notes and briefcase and left the room.

The liaison officer was there to meet him in the observation room. He looked puzzled. “Was that strange to you as much as it was to me?” asked Kevin

“I guess. What language were you to speaking?”

“What?” Kevin asked, incredulous. “What are you talking about?”

“You and Steele were jabbering in some sort of lingo I’ve never heard before”

“Could you identify it if you had to?”

“Nah, if it’s not English or Spanish, I’m out”

Kevin scratched his chin, intrigued at the possibilities that presented. The boss would need to know this, and quickly. In the meantime, Kevin needed to get to the hospital to meet Janice Rodgers and his new charge.
He dialed the boss’s number, but the call went to voice mail.

“I wonder what he’s up to now” Kevin thought.

The Hospital

Bethany woke from her short nap and yawned. She still couldn’t sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time before a nightmare would wake her. She still wasn’t entirely sure that she was really free from the men who had kept her all those years.

She accepted the fact that she was female now. It was what Cody wanted, but not like this. Bethany wanted to be a normal girl, not a sexed up freak. Even now, she felt the need inside her growing more insistent every day. She needed the release of sex.

Being penetrated was like a drug to her. She got nothing out of self-stimulation, the bastards who programmed her saw to that.
Bethany hadn’t said anything about this to Francine because she was ashamed of it. Somehow, they made her this way but didn’t remove her conscience, her revulsion at being a slave to her body. Soon now, she would have to do something to relieve the need.
“What have I become?” she asked aloud, to no one. She rolled over and began to cry.

Janice greeted Kevin in the lobby of the Hospital building. She reached for his hand to shake it.

“Sorry I couldn’t meet you at the jail for the interview, but duty called. I had another case pop last night and I had to finish the paperwork”

Kevin shook her hand. “I trust it was another successful outcome?”

“Oh yes. A predator looking for teen boys. He’s been on my watch list for a couple of months now”

“Good. I hope they throw away the key”

“We’ve got a solid case, so I think that if his last words to his wife were ‘I shall return’, she shouldn’t wait up”

“Shall we meet the Doctor?” Kevin asked.

“Sure! Don’t beat around the bush do we”

“I think it’s best to stay focused for now, at least until I have a better handle on things. I plan on taking her to our company retreat north of LA as soon as it’s feasible. I have a team ready to move when we get the go ahead. I understand you already had some action here?”

“Yes. Two morons thought they had everything figured out. We got lucky, but a good man was killed”

Kevin nodded as they made it to the elevator bank.

Janice led Kevin to Francine’s office, where she briefed him on everything that had happened to this point.
Kevin was jotting notes during the briefing. “I’m not unfamiliar with this type of manipulation, Doctor Davis. I have a feeling that you are seeing the tip of the iceberg, though, and you’re the watch on the Titanic. Don’t be surprised if there are some things that are buried yet. I’ve met this Steele character, and he is definitely into some, let’s just say next level shit, pardon my English”

“I suspect the very same thing, Mr. Howard. I just don’t know when it will crop up. She was programmed to need to be humiliated, but also programmed to hate it and at the same time be unable to stop it. She has ‘Property of JS’ tattooed over her genitals and a stylized version of the same thing on her lower back”

Kevin sighed, clearly disgusted. “Well, Doctor, we need to get her out of here as soon as possible. With the bounty on her head, her presence here only puts other patients at risk. We can’t have that”

Francine nodded, as did Janice.

Kevin continued. “How soon can we have her discharged?”

“Medically, she is on the mend. Some liver issues, as well as minor kidney problems, from improperly administered estrogen and other drug issues, but I think tomorrow is okay with medical supervison”

“Good. Are you up to the medical supervision?”

Francine pointed at herself. “Me? Just try to keep me away. I was brought here for this, and I’m not backing away now”
Kevin smiled broadly. “I thought so. Okay, we pull her out on the down low. No one outside this room knows when we pull her out, okay?”

Nurse Jenn Nelson was making her normal check on room 586, the Phillips girl. It was almost shift change, and she wanted to get it out of the way before grabbing a smoke. She knocked on the door and entered.

“Good afternoon, Miss Phillips. How are we doing…” she was stopped in her tracks. Bethany was cowering in the corner like an animal, shaking violently and drooling like a rabid dog. Nurse Nelson covered the distance to the emergency call button in what seemed like a fraction of a second. She hit the button and ran around the bed to Bethany.

“Are you okay, Bethany? Talk to me”

Bethany just looked at her with wild eyes “Ohhhh God, Oh God! P-p-please! I need someone to…to f-f-fuck me. Oh god. Please kill me!” her eyes rolled back white and her shaking increased.

Jenn couldn’t believe what she was hearing. At about that time, help in the form of two more nurses arrived. “Help me get her back in bed and call for Doctors Smith and Franks. Move it! I think we’re losing her!”

To be Continued