This is the first story I ever published on line. I first put it in storysite in 2001. I was still mucking around with a name then and sometimes used Credence Browne. I think I will keep her alive as a character.

I can't read this story myself with out reliving the feelings of terror and lostness that I felt at that time. This was an extremely bleak time in my life; forcing myself to live the life that others wanted me to but knowing full well that it was not me.

I want to warn some of you that this may be triggering. I know it is for me. It is also from the depths of my heart in a time when I was not medicated into stupor. Now I am coming off all my meds and feeling really vulnerable and frightened. I will adapt and learn to be a happy person again.

Ms Frankenstein by: Credence Brown (Gwen Brown)

Credence stood there, knees held tightly together, shivering slightly as the rain soaked wind buffeted her. The boardwalk didn't offer much protection against the elements.
Even with her long cotton raincoat tightly buttoned, the wind still whipped under her skirt and chilled her ankles.

She'd left the apartment after she witnessed the wreck and subsequent death of her tormentor, to try to sort her feelings out a bit. She'd thought to walk down the beach but it was so cold that her low heels offered little protection and also proved to be a poor choice for beach travel.

The hood of her long raincoat offered some protection but the driving rain still pelted her glasses, gradually compromising her vision in spite of the fact that she was using her exquisitely nailed hands to hold the edge of the hood out.

Now, looking out toward the stormy Pacific ocean, and listening to the roar of the surf, her thoughts were a jumble of pent-up emotions. So much had happened to her in the last months. She felt crazy, and unsure of herself; with scattered and surrealistic memories of some other life. A life which did not fit into her present reality.

It was as if every person around her, just now was a potential source of pain for her. Credence felt afraid and alone. She couldn't say that she could remember much of her past life. Her body still felt as if it were for some reason foreign to her and she had not the slightest idea why.

She felt so near tears all the time. It was as if she were waking up from a horriblly bad nightmare. As a matter of fact, she was not sure she was not still, in one.

Credence was sure the man down the boardwalk from her was following her. She didn't know what to do but was sure she could not tolerate being in fear of what he might do to her later. Careful not to let him know she was watching him, Credence thought about what to do.

Doctor Shahava had abandoned her in this little coastal town, called Seaside, with almost no money. He'd repeatedly told her that she'd had a bad accident and that he had nursed her back to health. Credence wondered if that nursing included the unwanted intimacy that he'd forced her into having with him.

She found herself suddenly knowing things and had no idea how she'd learned them. He'd taught her every aspect of lovemaking including some which seemed really sick. Her wrists were still red from the chains he'd used on her last night. Finally, he seemed to grow bored of her and arranged this weekend trip.

Credence was not actually surprised to find that he was returning to Portland and she was not. He said he had a family and had to leave her there and return to them before his wife got suspicious. He said he'd be back to see how she was doing.

He'd told her that someone would contact her in a week or so and offer her a job in a local business. He had a wicked leer on his face that scared her when he said that. It felt horrible knowing another human being could have that much power over her.

Deciding, Credence walked up the walk toward the man. Suddenly, she slid into another one of those disconcerting waking dreams that made her feel so inept. She'd noticed they happened when she was really upset. Someday, she would understand them as disasociation.

She could feel her mind slipping away and could do nothing to stop it. Her vision grew foggy and sounds seemed distant.

Her legs felt stiff as she tried to walk. She wasn't on the beach any more. The heels, far too high for her, threatened to trip her. The skirt she wore limited her steps in length. It helped to swing her hips so she could take slightly longer steps. She'd been doing this for days. She'd walk for a little while and then sit for a while. He'd make her climb some steps and the go back down them again.

It felt as if she was doing these things this way for the first time but she had become very good at it and enjoyed it. Her breasts swaying on her chest felt so natural. They weren't overly large but made her feel like a woman. Why was it so new and wonderful to feel like a woman? Hadn't she always been one?

The scene changed as fast as turning the page of a book. Now she sat on a huge bed. She felt very aroused. Her knees were spread and she was impaled on something that went way inside her body. She couldn't get up and didn't want to. She felt a joyous, ravenous feeling sweeping through her body. As she lost consciousness, the setting changed yet again.

Credence sat there, immaculately manicured hands folded on her lap. She was nervous. It had been a long time now and she was starting to wonder. Her whole body was super sensitive. She could feel every item of clothing on it as if it were an entity of it's own.

The light blue starched cotton dress she wore had a full skirt and mid calf hemline. She felt the waistline caress her body, the bodice holding her firmly upright. The matching wide fabric belt added to the tiny waist effect.

She could feel the scoop neck that revealed just enough cleavage. The air circulating in the room felt cool on her upper breasts. The way the sleeves were sewn on, the only comfortable way to hold her upper arms was almost at her sides. The back buttons secured the dress firmly about her body. It had taken her a half-hour to fasten all of them. How nice it would have been to have someone, a lover to help her.

Under the dress was a double layered full slip, the outer layer a stiff starched nylon netting and the inner a smooth satin sewn so slim that her legs were restricted to short, mincing steps. Credence wondered how she'd do on steps. The effect of such an undergarment was to give the dress some fullness but not that of the 50's style.

Beneath all that, an underbust corset was laced tightly about her abdomen. He'd put that on her. Credence knew better than to fight him. The last thing she wanted was another therapy session. The Electro Therapy as he called it left her feeling terrified and incompetent.

She had to be careful how she bent over because the top of the corset and her bra clashed then, inflicting painful pinches. She just knew that he could have put her in an all in one and she'd be much more comfortable.

She waited, trying not to think of how long he'd kept her there. Looking down past her slightly pointed full breasts, she eyed her hands. They were almost useless. Some how Credence could remember being much stronger. What had happened to her? He'd done something so that she had only enough strength to pick up small items. A turkey in a roaster was out of the question. She'd grown more accustomed to the long fingernails and as she did felt less helpless.

Through her clothing, she felt the garters lying against her inner thighs. She'd protested about wearing them at first and gotten a whipping over them. Then he'd shown her how to fasten them on the inside of her thighs in front and almost on the outside in back. That way they didn't show and one could sit with out inadvertently unfastening them. She had to concede that they were surprisingly little bother once she got used to them. Besides, she had no choice.

Beyond her hands, she could see the rounded toes of her matching pumps sticking out from under the skirt of her dress. She had to admit they were very pretty. She held them out, carefully holding her feet together the way he required her to do it. When she set them down again, Credence was careful to put her feet to one side, like a lady.

Finally, Credence could hear his footsteps in the hallway. Her pulse quickened. Why had it taken so long and where were they going. Something akin to fear with a touch of admiration flooded through her.

"Hello Credence. You look very nice today." He said

"Oh thank you so much Doctor." She replied. She felt herself blush slightly as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Here, stand up, it's time for us to go. I have some people for you to meet." He said.

She stood, wobbling slightly on the 4" heels. He placed a metallic blue colored cape about her shoulders and buttoned the top button. He fastened her wrists into wristbands inside the cape near the front and then zipped it from the floor to the top button. An ornamented gold choker sewn into the cape snapped shut about her slim neck. She'd be able to raise the hem of the cape to negotiate steps but that is all the freedom she'd have. He seemed concerned that she'd escape or something.

He held her tightly as she negotiated the steps into the garage. When she got into the car she could see that she'd need help with the hem of her dress.

"Doctor, would you please help me with my dress?" She said. By now she knew he had deliberately placed her in the position where she'd have to ask for help just to get her accustomed to doing so. She also knew that he enjoyed her incapacity to help herself. That seemed demented to her but he allowed her no freedom of will and her drugged state kept her serene.

Now seated in the car he leaned across to fasten her seat belt and then kissed her deeply. Credence felt breathless when he finished. His hand cupped one of her breasts through her clothing and she knew not to resist the response of her body. By now she knew the penalty for failure to respond to his overtures.

Credence suddenly snapped back to the present. Someone was speaking to her. It was the man. She'd stopped right beside him. Credence's heart pounded in her ears.

"I said, it's a cold day." He said again.

"Oh yes, I do hope no one gets hurt." She said. By now, Credence's hands shook and she felt as if she could pass out.

"Look Miss. Who ever you are now. I know all about the Doctor and what he's done to you. I want you to know you are not the first. The others all died." He said.

This was too much for Credence. Tears began to flood her eyes and then to stream down her face, ruining her carefully done makeup.

"What are you going to do to me?" She said.

Her voice was almost too low for him to hear. Uncontrollable weeping choked off the last part of her sentence. As he started to reply, Credence went limp, falling heavily into his arms.

She wakened in the apartment, lying on the couch. She looked about the room. He was sitting at the table counting some money out. There was a sizeable stack.

Credence tried to sit up but standing was too much for her to try right now.

"He turned and looked at her. Her first clear view of him was surprising. He was about 50 she guessed and his face looked as hard as a commando's did. It softened for just a moment as he saw she was awake and sitting up.

"OK, he named you Credence. Do you remember anything at all?" He asked.

"No, some, a little." She said. It was obvious she was confused about what had happened to her.

"Well, you were once a man. I don't know how you fell into his clutches. It doesn't look like you had a family. I found your old picture in the yearbook at your High School but that is as far as I could go." He said.

"It would take a very good Doctor to tell what you once were." He said.

He told her many things she did not know. Credence found out the Doctor had done all sorts of genetic experiments and surgery on her. From what he knew of the Doctor's work, it was so good that no one would ever know. For all he knew, the Doctor got Credence's body from the morgue or had simply kidnapped her off the streets. Credence found out there was simply no way to go back.

"He had a lot of money in two brief cases in the car. I took them both before he left to give back to the bosses he'd embezzled it from. I'm going to split my half with you to help you make a start. There's about a half million here. That should help you out but it's lousy payment for what he did to you. The rest I'm giving back to the people who set me on him. My agreement is I get half of what I recover.", He said.

"I call it poetic justice that he should die in a freak accident with a gasoline tanker. He ran under the back trailer and snapped off the piping, the hot engine igniting the gasoline that poured out all over his car. I can't imagine how he missed seeing the truck.", He said.

Both he and Credence had seen it from two different directions.

"Oh, he was going to sell you to a creep down the road who has a strip joint. He doesn't know you are here. The Doctor was going to call him next week to firm things up. The Doctor was going to let the creep control you with a drug he developed for the purpose. You had your last dose last night." He said. "You should be coming out of the fog as the days pass"

"If I was you "missy", I'd get out of town, now and make a new life before all the concerned parties add things up." He said. "You'll probably need to hold up some where until you get through the withdrawal if there is any." He finished.

"Can you tell me anything else about my past?" She said.

"Missy, it would be dangerous for you to start nosing around his place so I'm not telling you anything else." He said.

"I'm telling you to get away from here as fast as you can." He said. His voice sounded so hard that she started to shake and cry again from fear.

"You know, he did a really nice job on you. No one will know if you don't tell them. Everything works too, from what I read in his notes." He said.

He patted her on top the head and left.

When Credence's emotions settled somewhat, she put her coat back on and left the apartment in search of a way to get away. She was going down to the Manager's office to ask about a bus when she noticed a used car for sale in the parking lot.

It was nothing special but it was a newer automatic and looked to be in good shape. The phone number was to an apartment in the complex. The man had just purchased it a year ago and now wanted to return to college. He just wanted out of the payments.

He was very happy to have Credence count him out exactly what he asked. Before he left, Credence suddenly realized she'd not be able to move her two suitcases without great difficulty. He lacked change.

"Sir, do you think you could help me put my cases in the car?" She asked. Her voice betrayed her feeling of vulnerability. He seemed sympathetic. "I'll forget about the change." She said.

He agreed to come to her apartment in a half-hour.

It was nearly 1:00pm when Credence finally got out of town. She had the hand written bill of sale for the car and that is all. Credence was still amazed that she knew how to drive but had no recollection of how she learned. She had no driver's license and knew she'd have to take care of that soon. There was insurance, too.

Something told her to lose herself in California. She had no where else to go. She couldn't remember anything. Did she have a family worrying about her? Did she have a job unfinished? She couldn't say.

She stopped for the night at a motel south of Eugene. The clerk asked her if she needed any help. And she gratefully accepted it, tipping him generously but still careful not to arouse suspicion.

Something wakened her about 4:00am. She sat up, fully alert. Credence couldn't understand what had happened. She walked to the window and looked out. Two men where standing in the door of the managers office. They kept looking toward the room Credence was occupying. She had a strange feeling about it. She dressed in a few minutes, somehow finding the strength to get her bags out to the car.

She stood there thinking to herself that no one could possibly be looking for her. Had the drugs made her paranoid? Was this the withdrawal the detective had warned her about? Shaking inside she decided that what ever the truth was she was getting out of there as soon as she could.

She didn't know if she was paranoid from that withdrawal or if someone really was hunting her. Now, they were sitting in the car outside the Managers office, looking toward her room.

She crept out to the car in the dark and slipped in when an early morning delivery truck pulling into the drive blocked their view. Almost too coincidentally, the truck began backing down a long alley, not only blocking their view but also blocking them in.

It had been very difficult to move the suitcases. She would be sore for a week.

In moments she started the car. Too late, the truck cleared the men's view and if they were going to bother her, they'd do it now. She left the lot before turning on her lights. She wasn't sure what had attracted their attention but she would put a stop to it right now, if she could. Her heart was pounding as she lost sight of the motel. No one seemed to be following.

She back tracked back to Salem and began looking for a bus stop but instead found an Amtrak station. She checked her bags in a locker, bought a ticket. The next train was at 9:45am. She'd passed a little park on the way through town. It was near a little fast food restaurant.

Pulling into the park, Credence suddenly noticed it was near a river and there was a boat ramp there.

A train ride, a used car, a bus ride and another used car later, Credence felt safe. Now she was in Chicago. She didn't know how long it would take to discover the car in the water. She hoped never.

Credence set about getting an apartment and a new identity. It took her a couple weeks to do that and was forced to spend her nights in a motel, telling them she'd had everything stolen on the bus ride out here.

At the library, she used computers there to search the Internet to find a way to get false identity. The Doctor had thought he would be able to manage her better if she had no legal right to exist. On the Internet there were many sites that boasted they were in the identity business.

Finally, she found someone right in Chicago who said he could help her. It was all done with mail and fax machines. They never saw each other. She found out later, he'd simply kept a list of deceased babies handy until they got cold, a year or so and then sold them again after he'd doctored the death certificates and gotten a false SSN. Sure, the method would never hold up under close scrutiny but the people he dealt with had new names every few months.

Credence even managed to find a baby named Credence with a last name of Browne. She'd really liked Credence and planned to keep the name. Had she known that the Doctor had used Credence as her file name, she might have thought twice about it.

The name did seem very well used in the states so she did not think it would draw attention.

Credence liked lingerie. She finally found what she was looking for in a group of shops down town. She didn't notice the middle aged gentleman who had followed her for the last hour. She had her purchases sent to her apartment; to arrive after she got home.
She found her preferences were toward stockings and garter belts or corsets, long skirts full or slim, and white blouses. She bought one suit.

The sales person who sold her the suit referred her to a tailor shop to make the modifications to the suit she wanted. Credence felt a drive to wear her clothing tight but not slutty. She even arrived at her appointment the next day, laced into corset and wearing stockings. She allowed the woman who was tailoring her suit to even tighten the laces a little to further trim her already tiny waist. She wore the suit home, thrilled at her new appearance.

She now suspected that her odd little quirks were somehow related to the Doctor. In truth he'd not actually known what he was doing with much of his work in genetics. It was, she supposed, like programming. Artificial or not Credence felt just as driven as if she had natural desires.

While at the shop, Credence met the owner. He seemed very nice and his face was familiar to her although she did not know why. Even now, she suffered gaps in her memory and did not know why. She supposed it was from the stress of the past months.

He was tall and had a medium build. His dark brown hair and full eyebrows made him seem mysterious. Attracted to him, Credence eventually accepted a dinner engagement with him to discuss some Modeling for him. Credence had protested that she had never done any Modeling but he eventually wore her down through constant flattery over a period of several weeks.

Credence felt deliciously feminine that evening. Corseted, stockinged, skirted and heeled, her trim toreador jacket finished the effect. Her brown mane fell nearly to her hips and the long dangly gold earrings made her nearly deaf when she moved. The new tight curl permanent gave her hair the look she'd been trying to find. What a chore it had been too. The woman in the shop kept asking if she'd like to have some of her hair cut off, but Credence emphatically declined the offer. She joked that Credence would have to choose a wide door wherever she went.

She had no idea that the need to be exceedingly feminine was part of her conditioning.
Now came the finishing touch. The cape he'd sent her nearly reached the floor and had pockets sewn into the lining to accept her arms, according to the accompanying note. She knew she needed to put the mask on first and took it out of the box. Interestingly there was no strap, just a little bit, which went into her mouth. She thought she'd simply spit it out when she wanted to talk.

Credence wanted to be all dressed and standing there when he arrived. She had no idea that the cape was part of her conditioning. When she put it on, her mind was conditioned to make her very docile. The Doctor had sought to make her easy to subdue when he wanted to demonstrate her to potential customers.

She wanted to be desirable and make him want her so much that he couldn't help himself. She thought craftily that he'd assumed he'd have to help her on with the cape.

Credence removed the mask and laid it aside because the cape seemed very different in the way it was sewn together. Obviously, the zipper was in back because a bit of lace around the collar indicated the front. After a long time she could see that she'd not get it fastened by her self but then she had an idea. She used a piece of yarn through the zipper over the shower rod and back to the floor.

So after much delay, Credence managed to get her arms into the pockets on each side of the zipper after she'd gotten it started up the zip a good distance. Now she backed away from the curtain rod, pulling the zip up and eventually worked it up to her neck. When she finished her arms were corralled in back along her hips. With difficulty, she pulled sharply on the string and broke it. Now she'd not get out of the cape without help.

Credence knew he'd be at the apartment any time to pick her up. She'd left the door unlocked to let him in. He always used his key and let himself in anyway.

She walked over to the table and put her face into the mask by leaning far over. She almost fell over but as soon as her forehead hit the mask, she regained her balance. It took some wiggling but she finally found the little ball like bit, which went into her mouth and clamped it with her teeth. She lost the mask out of her mouth the first time so the next time she grabbed it, she really clamped down on it.

Credence could hear a slight hissing as she stood up. Then she felt something moving through her hair and under her chin. The mask was clamping its self to her head! Alarmed, she tried to spit it out but she was too late. In a few more seconds, the clamping was complete and the little ball in her mouth had expanded to a full gag. Credence could not make a sound. To make matters worse, the eyeholes on the mask had closed when the gag expanded.

Credence lapsed into a semiconscious state just the way the Doctor had built her. She wanted to fight or be afraid but she could not concentrate enough to do so.

After what seemed ages, the door to her apartment opened. Credence wondered what she had gotten herself into. Someone walked into the apartment but Credence could not tell who it was. Tiny little squeaks came from her mouth but that was all she could do.

It was obvious to Credence at the feminine clicking of the heels on the floor it was not her dinner guest. The person led her out and down the hall to the elevator. She'd tried to resist but found the heels she wore only hampered her. The ride to the garage terrified her and she'd soon been ushered into a car. She could tell they were in the garage from the sounds.

After a short ride, they got out, walked across the sidewalk and into a shop, which smelled like roses. "Hello, Credence." A pleasant female's voice said to her. Credence was in no position to make conversation. "Ok, well, lets see what we can do with you." She said.

By now Credence was very frightened. The woman rubbed something on the back of her neck. She didn't feel the needle and in a few minutes, Credence didn't care what she did. She wasn't even frightened.

She led Credence a short distance down a hall and into a room.
The woman removed Credence's cape and did something to remove the mask. She could see that she was in what appeared to be a medical clinic. The woman helped her into what looked like a dental chair with OB stirrups. She started to strap Credence in but suddenly decided not to when Credence began to moan softly.

This was all somehow familiar to Credence but she couldn't understand how in her foggy mental state. She removed Credence's Jacket and drew some blood. The woman was good because all Credence felt was the rubber hose around her arm.

Later Credence began to answer questions for the woman. She could remember talking to her for a long time and then everything was blank.

Credence wakened sitting at her own kitchen table about 4:30am, still wearing her suit. She never did see the man who she was supposed to have dinner with and never did afterward.

Credence could not remember a thing about the previous evening. Had the door to her apartment just closed? She could not be sure.

About a week later, Credence was at the local college looking into some courses that seemed interesting. Somehow, she felt followed again and after she moved several times she finally noticed a woman who just happened to be interested in the same thing as her too many times.

Credence was in no mood to go through the events of the past week all over again. This time she walked right up to the woman and asked here what she found so interesting about her.

She had a concerned look and Credence immediately felt drawn to her but remained cautious. Finally, the woman said, "Credence, we need to talk about something very important." I can't tell you what here but please meet me at that McDonald's at 1:00PM, OK?"

Credence looked down, picking at her long, flowered wrap skirt, nervously re folding the wrap even though it was in no danger of exposing her legs.

"Why should I trust you?" She said.

"I know what happened to you and I know what happened last week." She said.

Credence's heart began to pound. The woman helped her into a chair. She nearly began to weep but somehow held it off. Credence felt worn out.

"Could we meet somewhere with some privacy?" Credence choked out.

"Here is my card. Meet me here after 3:00. I'll wait for you." She said.

They have a tracer in you. They probably aren't even tailing you since they know where you are at all times." She finished.

"Here, go to these stores and walk around a little and buy a few things just as if you were shopping. If anyone is following, maybe they'll get bored." She said.

The woman left hurriedly and Credence didn't see her for the rest of the morning. This time she simply kept her distance from Credence to see if anyone else was interested in her. She also took care to notice if anyone were following her.

The woman she'd met was Dr Jane Miller, a Gynecologist. In what Credence assumed was her office she began to explain things that Credence never suspected. She found out later that Dr Miller had borrowed the office from an old Medical school friend.

She explained the origin of her memory loss, the way the some people kept finding her so easily and where she was from. All this had originated at a little Hospital in the lower southeast side of Portland, Oregon.

Dr Miller said she used to work for the good Doctor but had grown afraid when some of his patients mysteriously died. It hadn't been that hard to walk away from him since he had this insane desire to keep all the credit for his work. She'd been scrupulous about flattering him but carefully maintained her distance over the years.

The woman had learned of his tracking devices before she left. After his death she wondered if he'd left any wandering souls. She'd found it easy to get a friend of hers to let her into the Doctor's office. She wanted to go to the authorities but was too afraid. The device was simple. It used a combination GPS and Cell phone. Once a day it called the cell network in Portland and reported it's position. The whole transaction took less than a second, so the batteries would last for months.

The whole thing was buried in the fatty tissue on Credence's right hip. Dr Miller simply put the little receiving device in her purse and walked out with it when she saw a moving signal had been reporting in every day.

Credence had wondered why she had a persistent sore spot on her hip and when she saw the device, which had been planted there, she knew why. She felt chilled to find out what she'd had inside her body.

Credence begged the woman to give her more information about her past life but her knowledge was sketchy. She did know that she had come from a car wreck and knew the place where it occurred but nothing else. The wreck had occurred in the Sunset Canyon near the tunnel.

The woman Doctor wanted to do everything she could for Credence. She'd taken two weeks off work to finally track her down once she realized that Credence had settled. Unfortunately, someone else who knew got to her first. What fate was in store for Credence, she had no idea. They, who ever it was, were apparently watching her.

Dr Miller urged Credence to disappear once again when she removed the tracer. Credence did just that, wearing surgery scrubs home after giving her clothes to Dr Miller. The Doctor said, the less Credence knew the better.

That night, Credence was on a plane for Florida, she'd decided to spend a few days at Disney world and near the Cuban American compound. By the time she left Florida, she was a blue eyed blonde with just shoulder length hair. She also decided that moving to Portland would be safe since they were now looking for her everywhere but there. She wanted to know about that accident!

Credence had also bought a mini skirt and skimpy tank top but felt so exposed wearing it that she changed clothes in the restroom when she landed at the Portland Airport. She'd decided that clothes like that were not for a 30-year-old woman at all!

Credence happily found she could wear the blue contacts almost all the time. Her new Doctor told her she was a natural for them. She'd decided that she'd wait for a while to contact Dr Miller. She'd used a rental car to drive past her office but felt strange about the situation.

Credence found a darling apartment west of Portland in a growing area called Hillsboro. It was on the second floor and had a turret style sitting room with a view of a new city park. She had a security system installed in the apartment, rented some furniture and appliances. She'd found a darling full canopy bed with canopy. She made sure the apartment manager was in her suites when the men arrived. Credence chose to be absent. It cost her $20 but she just did not feel comfortable with the men in her apartment.

She also found a cute little red Honda Civic. The dealer seemed miffed when Credence was able to open the hood and knew exactly what she was looking at. He'd tried to tell her the car was turbo charged and when she looked, she said, "No it's not!" She wondered later if she should have told the man to take money off the price of the car since they'd forgotten the turbo charger.

Credence knew at the rate she was going through money, she'd have to get a job soon. She knew she could type very well and she'd realized unexpectedly that she knew things about Electrical Contracting that not many women knew. She'd been walking into a Safeway store where some men were remodeling the deli section and saw a man working on an electrical panel right where the customers were. She walked right up to him and said, "Where are your barriers and safety tape? Are you doing this alone?"

He hurriedly apologized and said he'd take care of it right away. As Credence walked away from the man, she suddenly found herself wondering how she knew about that sort of thing.
Later as she was checking out, a man in a suit walked up to her and said, "Can we talk for a moment?"

He had nice eyes and a friendly voice. Credence felt her body react to him immediately. It was embarrassing but she tried to hide it. Fortunately, her bra was thick enough to hide her outrageously pointing breasts.

Credence felt disconcerted with all the emotions flooding through her body but managed to squeak out a timid answer. "Yes, I suppose so."

"My name is Fred Harris and I'm the Construction Superintendent." He said.

"Oh, very nice to meet you Mr. Harris. I'm Credence Browne and I, well I do, well I just live down the road." She said.

She realized that she had no real identity and didn't really know who she was. She found herself somewhat shocked to find that she'd just held out her hand, fingers extended, palm down and done a modified curtsey. She had no idea where she'd learned that!

"My Electrical Contractor over there said that you had confronted him about his safety practices when you came into the store. He was surprised and said he'd simply gotten in a hurry." He said. "I hope you don't turn this in. I really need this contract." The man finished.

Credence felt her face flush, and felt somewhat empowered at the way the man had approached her. He could have simply told her to mind her own business.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I suddenly just knew what was wrong and I don't know how." She said. Credence could feel tears forming in her eyes, somehow now afraid of the man.

He seemed to sense her predicament and her approaching loss of control. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't cry." He said. That was all it took to open the floodgates. Now Credence began to weep in great sobs.

Fred seemed perplexed at first and then seemed to make a decision. He helped the now nearly incapacitated Credence through the line. She insisted on paying for her own groceries, but could not see through all those tears to count that money out. By the time they'd gone through the line, Credence felt exhausted and hoarse.

The store manager was hovering around Credence like a mother hen, making sure that no one bothered her. Eventually Credence croaked out that Fred had not been upsetting her but that it had been very difficult for her the last several weeks. She didn't know why she'd just started bawling.

Credence was about to find out about menstruation. Apparently, it had taken her new organs a few months to fully waken.

The manager knew Fred and she told Credence that he could be trusted. Fred wanted to make sure she was all right and finally Credence allowed him to drive her home. One of his men picked him up at her apartment. He even carried her groceries in and locked her car.

"Can I call you later?" He asked.

Credence felt too confused and worn out to argue and let him copy her phone number down before he left. She wakened hours later, her stomach cramping, still fully dressed.

The next morning, the persistent ringing of the phone finally wakened her. Her hair was all over the place and blinded her until she wrestled it out of her eyes. Groggily she searched for the source of the ringing and answered.

"Hello." She said. She sounded sleepy and almost out of it.

After a moments hesitation a man's voice timidly said, "I'm sorry to waken you. This is Fred. I was just checking on you to see if you are OK."

Credence was absolutely thrilled that he would care and went into the Full Charm Mode.

Again her body was giving her the ride of her life, chilling and flushing, lips pulsing and nipples pointing. It was almost too much for her to handle.

"Oh Fred, thank you so much for calling. You didn't have to do that. I'm so thrilled to hear from you. I was so embarrassed at what I did yesterday that I didn't think I'd ever hear from you again." She said.

Her voice sounded so feminine that it even surprised Credence. She'd felt so unsure of herself that suddenly she could feel that she was in every way a woman!

Fred wanted to know if she could meet him for Lunch. Credence hurriedly looked in the mirror and shrieked. "I'm a mess", She said. He told her it was only 10:00 am. It didn't take much encouragement to get Credence to agree to meet him at Applebee's.

She was only fifteen minutes late walking into the restaurant. She'd worn platform sandals on her stockinged feet, an almost floor length, flowered full skirt and a light mauve tank top under an open white sheer blouse. Her nipples kept misbehaving so she finally wore a padded bra to give her more modesty. She'd finally given up on her hair and put it in a ponytail.

She felt so special when he pulled her chair out for her and seated her. Lunch lasted for over two hours while they talked. Credence could feel an already budding love for this man. She didn't know how she would handle it all. Things were happening so fast for her.

She didn't tell him everything except she did say that she'd been in an accident and didn't remember much. She knew some things and didn't know how was all she told him for now.

She wanted to look into the accident and try to discover who she'd been, her past life, and learn more about what the Doctor had done to her. Just now she was thinking that she would have plenty of time to look at that. Right now she was too interested in finding out more about Fred.

To be continued.............

 © 2001
The above work is copyrighted material. Anyone wishing to copy, archive, or re-post this story must contact the author for permission.

Credence continues to search for clues about her past life. Fred becomes a much larger force; friend, protector, confidant. Will he be a lover? She begins to see that the evil forces in her life persist.

Ms Frankenstein by: Credence Brown (e) (Gwen Brown)

Part 2

Fred eventually offered Credence a job helping with the office work but also doing site inspections. At first, Fred’s office crew seemed a bit standoffish, but as time went on, at least a few of the other women warmed to her.

Work at his contracting company kept her very busy. Some of the subcontractors were growing to fear her little walk through inspections. She had grown reluctant to confront them personally but after Fred did a few times, they began to understand it was simply easier to be nice to Credence rather than face Fred. The quality of the work improved with two people to watch over the work.

Credence wakened thinking of Fred. She lay in bed for a few minutes while she ordered her day. It was a sunny morning, and she thought about what to wear. Growing restless, she got out of bed and scampered into the bathroom. Of course morning ablutions were first on the list and then she put on her favorite soft, light blue, robe.

She went searching in the kitchen for something to eat. The way she stood dumbly in front of the cupboards, an observer would think that they were empty, but in truth, Credence was learning about feminine cravings. She finally settled on some wheat chex and milk with Coffee.

While she was eating, the phone rang. It was Fred. “Hi Credence, were you planning on coming in today” He asked.

“It will be a little later because I thought I would give our friends over at Computec a visit to see how they are doing.”

“Is Joe treating you better now?”

“He’s not much of a problem but that apprentice of his better learn to stop staring at me or I am going to whack him”

“Oh, I am sure you will be a force to be reckoned with.” Fred was chuckling as he said it.

“OK Mister, you just wait until I think you need straightening out!” Credence spat.

“Seriously Credence, if the kid is bothering you, I will talk to his boss for you.”

She was about to say that she could handle her own problems, when she decided that she liked being defended. “Oh, would you Fred that would be so nice?”

“Yeah, no problem; look me up when you get in will you?”

“Sure, see you later.” She finished.

Well, mister creep is taken care of she thought. She decided to drive over to SE Portland and look at Dr “Evil’s” old offices to see if she remembered anything. Dr Miller had given her the address.

The difference now is that she knew the source of some of her strange drives. In her conversations with Dr Miller, she’d learned that much of the conditioning would break down as time passed. She and Jane (Dr Miller) stayed in touch using encrypted email, through a local university.

Neither of the women knew about the experimental neuron modifier in Credence’s brain. Dr “Evil’s” mechano/biological mechanism was supposed to change our girl’s brain structure to that of a woman’s along with feeding his perverted agenda. It was both a biological nanite, and a virus, except it was designed not to mutate. Much of the early remodeling of her brain happened while she was in a medically induced coma.

Her kidnapper, before his death, thought that most of the personality change had finished, but he never would have suspected that many of the new “connections” were still going on. Credence was in for huge surprises.

That afternoon after Fred and her had lunch; she got on Route 26 and headed into town. As she drove, Credence smiled as she thought about how little actual persuasion it took to get her to spend time with Fred. The freeway climbed a short hill and then began a steep winding descent into Downtown after passing through a tunnel. She’d vaguely remembered the freeway after Fred showed her the Map but it showed nothing about a tunnel. As she came around the corner and got her first view of the entrance, Credence was suddenly frozen in terror. She did not know why but she could not go into that Tunnel! She slammed on the brakes and then hearing loud horns and the squealing of tires, blindly ran the car off the right side of the road and up into the landscaping.

Her car was well out of the travel lanes but its presence there made for much rubber necking; producing a huge traffic jam. Credence sat there dumbly for a while. Time had no meaning to her in her catatonic state. Gradually, she came around.

Still really shaken up, she called Fred. When he answered, all she could say was “Help me Fred”, and then she started bawling.

“What’s the matter Credence?” He asked.

Every time she tried to explain she’d just break down again until finally she managed a little better.

“Fred, you didn’t say anything about a tunnel on the freeway and when I saw it I could not drive through it. Fred, I crashed my car.”

“OK, so where are you?” He said.

“I am in the shrubs before the road goes into the tunnel”

“I am on the way sweetheart. You just sit there until I get there.” He said and hung up. He also called a wrecker and told 911 dispatch where she was.

When he was well on his way, he called Credence back. “Sweetie, I am on the way and I called a wrecker just in case.” He said. His voice was filled with concern for her.

“Oh, Fred thank you so much, dar…. Sir, I will be so very happy to see you.”

After they both hung up, Credence was hugely embarrassed because she just about called him darling. As she was starting to deal with her feelings about Fred, there was a sudden knocking on her window. Looking out, she could see a Motorcycle Policeman.

“Miss, are you OK?” He asked. He also asked for her ID.

Credence said, “I think so, but I think I broke my car.” She said with an impish smile.

The officer looked down at the front tire and said, “Yes, you have at least one flat tire.”

The officer was very nice to her, seeing that she was on the verge of tears.

“So Miss Brown, how did you get off the road here?”

His smile was warm enough not to frighten her, but realizing that she could not simply tell him that she was suddenly afraid, so she said that sudden cramping was so strong that she just drove off the road.

Just about that time Fred arrived. He’d pulled into a wider area up the hill and ran down to her. When Credence saw him, she burst into tears again. She was so upset that she scrambled out the window into his arms. “I’m so sorry” was all she could get out and then she began sobbing again.

The policeman was somewhat bemused by her sudden agility, especially in a dress, but when he saw her hanging on him, he just shook his head.

“I am so sorry officer; I am so embarrassed; I think I ruined my car.”

Just then the fire department and an ambulance arrived. They were just about to be all over it, but she and Fred managed to convince them that Credence was OK. The Policeman took her name, but did not write a ticket. The wrecker showed up and Fred told him to put the car in a certain shop in Hillsboro.

“OK folks, you are free to go.” The officer said.

Fred told him that he was parked up beyond the off ramp for Goose Hollow. Fred almost carried Credence up to his car. He started it and moved slowly down the off ramp and out of the congestion.

“So, what happened Sweet heart, what made you drive off the road?” He asked.

Credence looked at him for a moment, and unfastening her seat belt. She moved into the center of the seat. When she was bucked in again, she buried herself against his side.

In a quivering, little girl voice, she said, “Sir, there is something about that tunnel, I need to go through it but I can not drive through it.” Credence felt like there was a light show going on in her brain and she was nauseated.

“So, why are you calling me “Sir” now?”

“I don’t know Sir; I mean Fred’ I just feel really confused and upset right now”

“Well, since the day is mostly shot, let’s go over to that clinic you were going to visit?” He said. “You almost called me darling when you first called, so what is going on?” “You know, calling me darling would be totally acceptable to me.” He said, his voice seemed full of humor and love.

“Ok, darling” She said, as she wiggled her body up against his side more firmly.

“I don’t know? It is like there is something going on in my head. I don’t know how to explain it but I feel really disoriented right now.”

“Well, I’m taking you to the hospital to see that you are OK.” He said.

“Oh, please, don’t take me to the hospital; I have my own Doctor who knows me.”

Fred pulled over in a wide spot. “OK, then you will call her right now, and she can either meet us at her office or the hospital.”

The forcefulness in his voice helped Credence to feel more secure. “Yes sir, I will call her right now.” She quickly dug her phone from her purse and called Jane. Her phone immediately rang through to the Doctor’s voice mail. “Hi Jane, I am with Fred right now, and there is something wrong with me. He says I have to meet with you or he is taking me to the hospital.”

As soon as Credence was off the phone, Fred headed for Jane’s clinic. In a few minutes Jane called back.

“Hey kid, let’s see, it’s 3:30 PM now, I can see you at 5:00 PM, how is that?”

“That would be wonderful.” Credence said.

When Credence hung up and she had just a moment to think, she realized what she’d just done. She was about to compromise her secret with Fred. What would Fred think?

“Um, Fred, we need to talk about something important and secret.”

Looking down at Credence, he said, “Let me guess, you were kidnapped by Aliens?”

Credence had a sinking feeling, and then began to realize that she could easily lose him. “Fred, this is much worse than that, and I can prove it.” Tears were threatening to overflow from her eyes again.

“OK, we are going to talk this out. Should we do it now or go to a restaurant?” Fred was starting to think that Credence was perhaps an escaped mental patient, or worse. Well, anyway, they had an appointment with her Doctor soon. Perhaps she could calm her down.

Rather than go to a Restaurant, Fred drove her to the Doctor’s office and they sat out front in the parking lot talking until the appointment. Credence gave him the short version of her story and she was able to be fairly lucid even with the light storm going in her brain.

“Hello Credence, who is this that you have with you?” Jane sounded a little cross, but was willing to listen to the explanation. Credence started to explain that Fred was safe and he knew everything. She only got that far, and just slumped to the floor.

Jane told Fred, “I can’t follow usual procedure here because this whole situation is very dangerous to our girl. You seem safe enough and I have no choice but to take a chance on you. Please pick her up and bring her into my short stay surgery suite.”

Fred did as he was asked and soon the ill young woman was lying under the huge lights in that room.

“How much did Credence tell you, Fred?”

“Well, she told me a pretty wild story about being operated on and programmed by some Doctor and being on the run. Is any of that true?”

“Yes, Fred that and much more is true. We know that the Doctor was killed in Seaside the night that he dumped her, but we do not know who the other players are and the specific locations involved.” She said. Connie worked away examining our girl as she talked to Fred.

“Fred, she needs the help of someone who cares for her and will try to protect her. Are you that person?”

“Yes, Doctor, I am. I have not known Credence long but I have quickly grown to love her. She is really strange, because one moment she is a strong young woman, and then the next she is clinging to me and calling me Sir. I had suspected that she had been through a lot.”

“Fred, this is not going to be over tomorrow or the next week. Do you have that kind of time?”

“I have to think about this some, but I will personally stay with her tonight, and tomorrow, I will contact a friend who I know will help me keep tabs on her. I take it you do not want the police involved?”

“Fred, I have to tell you that some of the medical procedures her captor did to her are so advanced that if that Doctor’s friends or worse yet the government gets wind of this, Credence will never have any peace and may well be a captive for the rest of her life.”

“OK, I will do some calling while you examine her.” Fred called his foreman and gave him some instructions. And then he called a number in Lincoln, Montana. He seemed pleased with the results.

“I know a Brain specialist. From what I can tell, she has very abnormal brain activity. Here is where it gets dangerous Fred. From now on, you need to stick to her like a Husband. I am going to put my wedding ring on her. I am not married but I wear it to keep from being bothered. Would you mind being her husband for now?”

“Well, this is a little soon.” He chuckled, “But now that you mention it, the idea appeals to me.” He said with laughter in his voice.

Jane paged her friend Brian, the Brain Guy, as she called him. He called back in just a minute or two.

“Hey Brian, this is Jane.”

Fred and Credence could only hear one side of the conversation.

“No Brian, I did not call you to accept your proposal of marriage.” She sounded like a teen aged girl talking to him.

“Seriously, you…I need a special favor. NO, down boy, darn it Brian I am trying to be serious. You need to use the big brain on top your shoulders, not the two small ones.” She quipped good naturedly.

When she had finished her conversation and was off the phone, “OK, here is what Brian is going to do. He is going to do a CAT scan and try to lose the image or destroy it once he’s seen it. OH, they’ll get all angry with him and make a fuss but he thinks he can get away with it.” Jane said.

“Ok, you are going to have to be one of those “pain in the ass”, possessive husbands that will not allow the Doctors or anyone to run you off. Some of these hospital people get pissy and you need to stand up to them.” There is this pain in the ass thing called Hipaa. They are not going to go asking for a marriage license unless you give them cause for suspicion. You just go in there acting like her husband, and keep the snoopy bastards off her. If she is out, they will have to ask you for permission to do things.” She said

Her use of the off color word made Fred raise his eyebrows but he knew enough to take her seriously.

It was Credence’s wish that she not become the subject of the local Psych crowd because she just plain did not trust them. Once the institutions become aware of her, and then the government, who knows what, would happen. In their talks over the months her and the Doctor (who insisted that Credence call her Jane) finally understood most of her modifications; though, not how he had done all of them.

Credence had a fully functioning Uterus and Cervix. Her menses had proved to be manageable after the first one. The only signs of surgery were three tiny scars about the size of a pencil. Her sizeable breasts (D’s) were all hers. Her DNA was all girls, no sign of male DNA.

There was a much defined, but tiny, mass in her brain, that had tested as non cancerous but they could not figure out what it did. Fred really had to clamp down on them to keep the medical people from prying too much.

Credence had researched the news during the time of her escape. Fred’s friend had arrived in Portland in a few days and was much help to her. John Dole had taken what Credence had and quickly found out that the Doctor’s real name was not what he had used in Portland. Dr Haroon was Iranian and had an estranged wife and two boys in Iran. Tasmeen and her two sons, 6 years old, Ahad and 10 years old, Haweed were living in near poverty there.

The good Doctor “Frankenstein” had ignored their pleas for help. The various letters and other correspondence had given her address and also revealed that he had been getting a substantial income from unnamed resources over there.

Sally had gone to the police then but had left any information about Credence out of the report. The last word that she’d heard from the police came in the form of a phone call from Sgt Harris of the Portland Police.

“Dr Miller?” the sergeant said.

“Yes, this is Dr Miller.” She said.

“I just thought you would want an update on the situation of Dr Haroon”

“Yes, how are things going for the wife?”

“We found her through the Iranian embassy. Apparently, she has asked for refugee status in the US and it looks like the Iranians are going to let her leave. The US embassy has said that she will be allowed to come” He said. “I think they are hoping that she can enlighten them on Haroon’s business dealings”

“That is just wonderful for her. Is there any news about the organization that was supporting him?” She asked.

“The Iranian government has not revealed any of that information to us. Perhaps they did to the state department but it is doubtful, with the current international situation” He said.

“Oh, the state department was in here checking on Dr Haroon and they asked about a project called Credence. Did you ever hear of a woman named Credence?” He finished.

Sally’s blood ran cold. She was determined to allow Credence all the privacy she wanted. Dr Miller knew that she would have to warn Credence. She quickly denied any knowledge of Credence and managed to get off the phone. She quickly sent an email to Credence.

The Detective had noted the change in Jane’s voice. Not being trained to lie, was not even aware of it.

About a week later, her receptionist gave her a message, which was signed, The Girl You helped. It was confusing at first because her practice was all women. The message said she’d call back. She’d tucked the message into her lab coat. Later that day, a package from UPS arrived and it was labeled personal, Dr Miller, so Marge just threw it on her desk.

Credence did not really expect Dr Miller to call back, but she just wanted her to start thinking about the time that she had helped a girl in trouble.

It was after the office staff had gone home before she had a chance to open it. Inside was a cell phone and letter that said, “Get on the freeway headed toward Salem and call me at speed dial one.”

Jane Miller began to suspect the identity of the mysterious person and immediately left her charting to see what could be done. Credence had done the best she could to not be traced by the Dr Haroon’s cronies or anyone else for that matter.

On the way south on the I-5, Sally dialed speed 1, and waited for an answer. As soon as Credence picked up, Sally recognized her voice. “Credence, how are you, can we meet somewhere?” She said.

“Yes, I had hoped you would want to; how about at the first rest stop out of town?”

“Oh yes, I know exactly where it is”

“OK” Credence said and then hung up. Sally did not know how paranoid to be about it, but she shut the phone off too.

Sally pulled into the rest stop at Aurora and parked. She just sat there for a moment, and then got out to use the rest room. Credence was waiting when she came out. They compared notes and agreed to stay in touch. In spite of all the caution, Credence did not notice that she was being watched from a distance.

The man had followed Jane, not Credence.

Credence and Fred’s relationship had deepened over the weeks. They were falling in love with each other. Fred knew it but Credence was still afraid. Fred hoped that as time went on, Credence’s fears would diminish. Fred was taking her to see a live play and she wanted a new dress. She wanted to surprise him. He'd mentioned he needed to have his suit cleaned and Credence volunteered to drop it off for him.

The last weeks had felt wonderful. They'd seen each other almost every day. Credence and he had not had sex but the temptation was growing to almost intolerable levels. His kisses inflamed her desire in a way that she found most disturbing. She so wanted to be genuine and chaste however she did not know how she'd stay that way if all this kept up.

She'd passed the dress shop on the way to town several times and today yielded to the urge to go in. Almost as soon as Credence walked into the shop, she saw a beautiful, light mauve, frothy gown, which seemed to draw her with an irresistible force. It was strapless, with a deeply cut heart shaped bodice and cut so low in back that it just began to reveal the upper end of the cleavage between the cheeks of her derriá¨re. She tried to walk past it but found herself drawn to it so strongly that it almost frightened her. Credence could not know that part of this drive originated with some changes the Doctor made to her genetics.

In addition to what humans were born with, he'd added several hundred more pairs of chromosomes programmed to make specific items of clothing and certain situations very attractive to her. In a way, he'd made her a slave to his desires. It had taken him many tries to make the new genetic train stable. He'd found that certain chemicals could cause it to break down and had thus given her a strong revulsion for them. Still, he knew that her life could be shortened since exposure was inevitable. The Doctor had been working on a fix for all that when he'd been killed.

As she walked around the gown, she could feel her nipples pointing and she even felt tension between her thighs. This felt embarrassing and her face began to flush hotly. As she touched the full skirt of the floor length gown she began to feel her vision pulsate. She was going to faint, she thought for a moment. Had the doctor continued his work, he'd have known he could turn that reflex like response down quite a lot and still get an acceptable reaction.

"May I help you? A woman said. Credence jumped with surprise. She hadn't heard the woman approaching.

"I love this gown." Credence said. She'd intended to say something else or nothing, anything but that. Though the feelings and camaraderie between women was perfectly normal, Credence had not yet become accustomed to dealing with them and often left her somewhat breathless and confused.

"Would you like to try it on?" She said. The sales woman's friendly manner began to calm Credence. She could feel her face begin to cool somewhat.

"Oh, could I please?" She said. Again Credence hadn't intended to say that but felt compelled to do so. Had the Doctor been a woman, he'd have known a simple pleasurable excitement would have sufficed. She felt so propelled by deep emotions. It was as if she were on some drug.

As the woman moved the gown to the changing room, she picked a package off one of the stands as she walked by. Credence hadn't seen what it was.

When she hung the gown in the room, she turned to leave and then handed Credence the package. "You'll need these." She said. "Oh and when you get it on, I'll show you how to keep it up." She finished. Her voice sounded light with slight bemusement.

Credence found she had to discard her bra. She'd known that before hand. In the package she found little adhesive crescents to hold her breasts up. She applied them after some hesitation and was pleased with the results. Credence tried to push her panties and panty hose down so they wouldn't show in back but finally had to discard the panty hose also. She couldn't do without the panties. The dress was on now but each time she moved, she could feel it slip.

Sighing, she pushed the curtain back and stepped out into the room. "I think the dress is too large." Credence said. The sales woman looked at it a bit and then said, "Let me help you. It does take a bit of adjustment." She deftly reached inside the waistband at the side and located a small ribbon. She pulled it a little and Credence felt it tighten. She repeated the procedure on the other side.

Now the dress felt as if it would not slide off Credence's hips. But how would she keep that top from falling away and exposing her breasts? Then the woman pulled the top away from her breasts and began spraying something all over her breasts and torso.

"That feels so cool. What is it?" She asked. It is the same adhesive that beauty contestants use to keep those skimpy swimsuits in place. She allowed it to dry for a moment and then pressed the top back into place, intimately molding it to Credence's breasts. In the more intimate areas, she showed Credence how to do it. That was much less embarrassing.

She deftly slipped some inch wide steel bones into the sides of the dress, threading them up and through pockets Credence hadn't noticed beside the bodice of the dress. When she finished, Credence felt sure the gown would stay in place. She invited Credence to walk around the shop wearing the gown.

The woman seemed astonished at how good Credence looked in it. "My gosh, you look just like a model." She exclaimed. Credence just loved the gown. The sales woman called a friend and asked them to come over and take pictures. It all happened like a whirlwind.

Credence quickly realized the gown had a train that she needed to manage. It was too low in front, dragging on the floor until the woman handed Credence her own three-inch heels. That helped but she'd have to purchase shoes, which matched the gown.

Suddenly, Credence was standing in the middle of the mall posing for photographs. By the time it was over Credence was quite shaken by all the attention. The dress would be ready in a few days.

When she returned to pick it up, it was in a huge plastic bag. Credence was fully occupied with getting it out the door, down the mall and into her car. She did not notice the man go into the store after she left. It was the same man who’d spied on her at Aurora.

The play that night was wonderful. Fred was so attentive that Credence didn't know what to do. Afterward, they ran into some of Fred's friends and stopped at a well-known restaurant for late night desert.

Credence wanted to go home to change but Fred wouldn't allow it. It felt odd having Fred become so assertive with her. On one side she wanted her own way but on the other his audacity gave her a sense of security she'd never felt before.

The couple was very nice and about Fred and Credence's age. Tom was a Software writer and Anne was a Pediatrician.

Credence and Anne immediately liked each other. Tom and Fred had grown up together in St Louis.

Credence and Anne made the boys exchange seats so they could talk while the boys chatted about football and hunting. Anne was not as tiny as Credence and at first seemed envious that Credence fit in the gown so pleasantly. She'd insisted that Fred loan his suit coat to her to put around her shoulders since her lace shawl felt too revealing for the surroundings.

They talked about how they met their men, where they went to school and all that until Credence became uneasy. Credence realized she could not remember much of her childhood. She related that she'd been in an accident and could not remember much. In fact, Credence realized with a shock, some of her adolescent memories were of playing football or other activities usually reserved for boys.

Credence began to feel shaky and she felt herself slipping off into one of those dreams. "Oh no, I'm sorry." She said as she sagged back in the seat. It was just a moment, less than 5 seconds but when Credence returned, the others had looks of concern on their faces. Credence for once could remember becoming disconnected this time and hastily concocted an excuse, which the boys believed, but Anne did not.

In the coming weeks, Anne and she would become fast friends and Anne would help her through so much. She would need the help because there were those who were still searching for her. Credence was still very wary of too much disclosure.

Credence had to promised to return to the shop with the dress just one more time to show a potential customer. Credence wondered why the customer didn't just try it on herself. Soon she would know the customer wanted to buy Credence, not the dress.

Once Credence was again in the dress, the woman who was new to her, acted strangely for a moment and then asked Credence to step to the back of the store for adjustments to the gown. Credence thought it looked just fine but the woman persuaded her that some improvements could be made.

Credence had been sipping on some delicious white wine the woman had offered her. She hadn't seen the powder the woman had slipped into the glass. Credence began to feel detached and very mellow. It had overtaken her so suddenly that she'd not thought anything of it.

She obediently placed her arms, folded in the small of her back and allowed the woman to bind them securely there with 3" wide pink ribbon wrapped many times around her arms and her elbows. "Why are you doing that?" Credence asked. When she finished, Credence could not move her arms at all. "This will help you hold your breasts out more." She said.

Then she began placing a tiara with an attached veil on Credence's head. Folding the veil back, the woman suddenly inserted a gag in Credence's mouth and tied it firmly in place.

Credence now too drugged to know she was in danger, simply stood there. She began to slip into one of those waking dreams but this time it did not alarm her.

Credence lay there looking at the ceiling the same way she'd done for two weeks or two months, she didn't know. It could have been two days or two years for all she knew.

She'd wakened after going to bed in her apartment, in this room. It had no windows or doors and appeared to have translucent walls because there were no light fixtures but it was not dark. The walls and floor were soft and warm, interrupted only by a toilet, which flushed its self and a spigot which dispensed some sort of drink through a small tube which engaged in the hole in the thing which gagged her, making any sound at all impossible.

Her hands were encased in very soft bowling ball-sized things linked together by a flexible rod about three feet long. She was athletic enough to bend so she could put the rod in front or in back but no matter how she left it when she went to sleep, it was always behind her when she wakened.

Her feet were also encased in the same sort of arrangement but the balls were flat on the bottom and while she could not see her feet, they felt as if she were wearing impossibly high heels.

Her long hair, now hip length, was always brushed out when she wakened. Other than her hair, Credence was completely nude.

She also knew that somehow, someone was exercising her when she slept because she'd felt some slight soreness a few times when she'd wakened and she knew that her muscle tone would have by now completely deteriorated if she was not some how getting some exercise.

Credence felt as if her wakening periods were several hours long at a time. She'd not heard anything since she'd been there and not been able to say anything either.

Out of boredom and fear, Credence had cried herself to sleep many times. Now even that emotion seemed to be absent.

A distant click and then a low rumbling startled her. Perhaps now she would find out what was happening to her.

Suddenly, Credence found herself back in the dress shop. A man of some foreign nationality was talking. His accent was thick but Credence could not tell what it was. "This woman will make a very nice addition to my family. I will pay the price you ask but you are responsible to deliver her to my plane at the airport." He said. He wore his own national dress and Credence was not that familiar with Geography but she guessed him to be Indian or Arab. His voice sounded cultured and likeable but Credence hadn't yet understood she was to become his slave.

They'd been discussing Credence for a long time, negotiating her fate as she stood dumbly in the background. Credence noticed the discarded sacks of fast food and the empty coffee cups. They had no idea the drug was wearing off.

Credence still felt very groggy but felt aware enough to know his intentions. They seemed unaware that Credence was waking up. She looked at the clock on the wall at the back of the store. It was five minutes until twelve. She'd planned to meet Fred at the Macdonald's for lunch. If she could somehow get there perhaps he could help her.

Nearly hysterical, shaking like a leaf, Credence looked around. She was standing right by the curtain which lead to the front of the store and beside it was the main electrical panel. The door was open. Credence didn't know how she knew some things but she knew that if she could trip the main breaker the whole store would be dark. She also knew that with any luck, the emergency lights would not work. They usually didn't. She didn't have time to ponder how she knew these things if she were going to save herself. Still she wasted important seconds wondering about her past life.

Suddenly she thought, "I must snap out of this."

They were deep in conversation in the little office and seemed to have forgotten Credence. The panel was close. She simply turned and used her chin to pull the lever down. She could feel her skin breaking but the gag helped a little. In spite of excruciating pain, Credence shut the main breaker off. The building was now dark and the people in the office were shouting with alarm and anger.

Credence slipped through the doorway out into the store and began stumbling toward the front entrance, knocking over racks and displays as she went. The closer she got to it the more light from the mall illuminated her flight. In a flurry of activity, she managed to make her way to the front of the store, out the door and began stumbling toward Macdonald's.

She had just sighted Fred standing there when someone grabbed her and began dragging her backward. In a last desperate effort, Credence kicked a display, knocking it over and breaking the glasses on it. The attendant began shouting and the last thing Credence saw was Fred's face turning toward her.

Suddenly she was in another world again. Credence had no idea that the experience she was remembering was not real at all but had happened in a cyber space created by the Doctor to program his patients.

Now the restraints were gone. Credence sat in a huge bedroom on a beautiful canopy bed with pink and mauve flowers on the bed spread. She wore a huge white gown made from some sort of silken material.

The lace collar was high and stiff from a backing sewn into it. It flowed into pleated shoulders made puffy from padding and then down onto sleeves which were loose above the elbow but skin tight down her wrists. The sleeves ended in a frothy flower petal like arrangement, which just allowed her fingertips to protrude. The skirt of the voluminous gown was several feet longer than she was tall. She surmised that a long gown was in some ways better than chains and shackles. The Doctor thought them to be much prettier.

Growing curious, she stood and almost fell. She was wearing heels so high it was difficult to balance. Leaning back against the bed to steady her self, Credence wrestled the hem of the gown up off the floor, attempting to get a look at her shoes. It took a lot of effort to get the voluminous, billowing petticoats under control but finally she could just see her toes and then one of the shoes. They were pumps with about 5" heels. She must just be weak from inactivity.

Credence's head was clearing somewhat now and she began to get curious about her surroundings. She quickly found that the front of her skirts must be picked up to move at all. There were no hoops. Her very bouffant skirt was that way due to many yards of frothy petticoat. It was difficult to pick up her petticoats because her sleeves tangled her fingers so much and the gown was so overly long.

She looked with wonder at her fingers. Her nails were at least an inch long and had a metallic mauve finish. They were difficult to manage but were so pretty that she simply loved them.

Still, Credence managed to explore her new surroundings extensively that day. She had no idea that her whole world existed only in cyber space. If she'd known that she still would have thought it very beautiful.

On the balcony outside the bedroom, she felt as if she were thousands of feet high. Looking around, it appeared that the balcony was one of many on a huge tower like castle on a flat plain, which seemed without end.

Credence suddenly returned to the real world. She was lying on the floor with many people around her. Fred was holding her in his arms. The look of concern on his face made her feel warm and safe.

Fred was dabbing at the blood running from her chin. He'd removed the gag.

A questioning look was crossing his face. "Oh Fred, they were going to sell me to some rich foreigner." She said. Credence suddenly began to weep in huge breathless sobs.

Suddenly the police arrived. "We followed a woman and two men into that dress shop over there. The men made it out the back door to his limousine but we caught them." He said. The police officer was obviously looking at Credence in unveiled admiration. "We'll need you to make out a complaint. I think it will start with attempted kidnapping. How did your chin get cut? Were they torturing you?" He asked.

Credence felt so comfortable lying there in Fred's arms that she'd forgotten that her arms were still bound behind her. "Oh dear, I'm still tied up. No, I broke my skin on the main breaker in the panel rather than go to Timbuktu with that bearded lover boy." She said.

Dabbing at the blood flowing from her chin, Fred held her gently while he kissed her forehead.

The men were obviously enjoying Credence's compromised position. "Will one of you perverts please untied me." She said. She seemed so serious, but then broke into a smile. "I'll stay here in your arms though." She said. Everyone broke out laughing. It seemed to break the tension.

Suddenly, Credence was bawling again. They quickly got her on her feet and used hastily procured scissors to cut the ribbon off her forearms.

"Credence, you need someone to protect you. You should be married." He said. Fred's voice sounded serious.

Credence looked at him curiously for a moment, feeling her insides doing funny things. A grin crept across her face beneath her mussed hair. "Why Fred, is that a serious proposal?" She said. Her voice revealed that she was not taking him seriously. Then she looked into his eyes. He was serious!

"Why, yes it is." He said.

"Fred, would you really? We have to talk." She said.

"No we don't," He said.

"You can go up the aisle on your own feet or in a sack." He said emphatically.

Much later, they'd finished with the police. Credence got Fred to take her home to change. The gown would need repairs and the cleaners. Fred took her to dinner.

They talked long after dinner and desert. There was laughter and tears also. Credence told Fred what she suspected about her past. Fred found it hard to believe but agreed not to press marriage any more until Credence knew more.

During the last few weeks, John had managed to find out that the accident in the tunnel had killed the man she’d been, but could not find any burial records. Later, he found that the body had been donated to a local Medical University. Credence had been afraid to inquire much because she did not know how safe it would be for her to do so. She suspected that he’d had a family and now Credence certainly wanted to make sure that they were taken care of.

Fred had been keeping much closer watch on Credence now, and his friend John was a big help. John was one of those people whose demeanor really chilled Credence, although when he’d first gotten to town, the two had greeted each other like brothers. The love in Fred’s voice for Credence was obvious when he introduced her to John.

John’s hand was like a huge rough pillow, and her hand looked tiny there. “So, you can’t stay out of trouble eh?” He said. His tone of voice nearly made her wet her panties.

“Oh, no sir…I mean yes sir…I mean I don’t know how it happens?” She said in her little girl voice.

Credence felt little along side Fred, who was well over 6 feet tall, but John made Fred look short. Credence found she felt so timid that she almost hid behind Fred.

Then John and Fred went into his office, pointedly shutting the door on Credence. She stood there huffing when Alice, the book keeper said to her, “Oh those guys and their boy talk. Come on honey, lets go have coffee and leave them here.”

Credence was still huffing as she left the office with Alice but the woman quickly had her laughing and feeling less left out.

Later that night, Fred took Credence to dinner while John set about getting himself settled. It took him a while to sooth Credence’s pride.

“You MEN just shut the door on me; how could you?” she asked. Credence could not help sounding like an offended teen.

“Habibti, you don’t need to know much about John or what he will be doing, trust me.” He said.

Feeling coy, Credence asked, “What does Habibti mean?”

“Oh, it is an Arab word for darling or sweetheart.”

Credence felt her body doing strange and wonderful things as she absorbed the meaning of the word.

Fred reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a little leather-covered case. Credence's heart began to pound and her face felt as if it were on fire. A shrill squeak was all she could manage.

"Credence, I won't push you any more. But when you are ready, this is waiting for you." He said. His voice sounded so solemn.

Credence couldn't talk at first. She began to sob so hard it scared Fred. Several minutes and a pile of napkins later, Fred could see the joy in her face.

"Will you marry me"

"Oh, yes I will fred! I thought that you would want to wait until we knew more."

"I love you, and that is all I need to know."

"Oh my face, Fred, look what you've done to me. You should be ashamed." She said.

"You don't have to be such a bawl baby about it." He said. His eyes revealed his usual mirth.

Credence had worn a longish slim skirt and a horizontally striped turtleneck sweater. She followed Fred's gaze down toward her breasts and could see that her nipples were happily pointing at him. She reached over and slapped him. "I knew I should have worn a thicker bra." She said.

"I like what I'm seeing." He said.

I really thought two chapters would do it, but I suppose not.

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 © 2001 by Credence Browne, lately called Gwen Brown. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.