Andersonville 21 – Sins of the father, sins of the son.

by Kelly Davidson

 

"Good morning, Miss Anderson," Crius said in a formal tone.

"Please, call me, Linda," I replied.

"Only if you call me, Crius," he answered. The Titan God smiled, but I detected no warmth to it.

"Okay, Crius." I returned his smile with some reservation. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I didn’t feel at ease with him. When he had asked me out to breakfast, I had been tempted to say ‘no’, but my curiosity had gotten the better of me. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to talk," he replied in a dry tone. Our waitress, who happened to be a temp, came over and asked if we wanted some coffee. I noticed Crius seemed annoyed by the interruption, and struggled hard not to lose his temper. We both ordered a cup and she hurried off.

"I’m sorry," he explained, while tugging on the collar of his shirt. "I’m not use to these clothes, and it’s making me rather cranky."

His comment made me laugh. "Believe me, Crius, I understand completely."

He laughed too, and this time the feeling seemed genuine. "Yes, of course. I keep forgetting who you were before my brother had you changed."

His words stuck like a knife in my back. I knew who I was. I was Linda Anderson. Then I cursed silently. That wasn’t right – not totally.

Crius seemed to notice my discomfort over his words. "I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"No," I replied, then smiled. "No, I’m fine. Anyway, what would you like to talk about?"

Crius laughed again, only this time it seemed rehearsed. "You get right to the point – I like that. The reason why I asked you here was to thank you for getting me out of my prison cell. I understand you were the one who negotiated with Jup…oh, I’m sorry. My brother tells me I can’t go around using his name here. What I mean is, I understand you were the one who negotiated with Judge Jasper for our release."

"I had minor role," I told him truthfully. "To be honest, I was surprised he went for it. I guess he didn’t want to go to war."

"You would be surprised, " Crius shot back with fire in his tone, "at how much they enjoy war. None of their people can be trusted. You should never turn your back on them, Rammona."

"Who?" I asked.

Crius blinked his eyes for a moment as if he were surprised. "I’m sorry, I forgot you didn’t know." He quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, I’m in your debt, Linda. If I can ever return the favor, please, just let me know."

"How about telling me what’s really going on here?" I suggested

The old god smiled. "I don’t think my brother would like that if I did. To be honest, Linda, you probably know more about what’s going on than I do. As you may have guessed, my brother is very secretive about things."

"Yes, so I’ve learned. Has he always been that way?"

"No, not always," Crius confessed. "A long time ago he used to be very open with his feelings, and his plans. The war changed him, and made him less trusting of others."

"That’s too bad," I sighed. "Dennis isn’t a bad guy to work for, but sometimes his logic frustrates me to no end. It’s like pulling teeth trying to get him to explain his reasons."

Crius laughed. "Yes, I understand what you mean, Rommona."

I looked at him carefully. "You called me that name again – Rommona. Who is she?"

"No one, my dear," he told me. "Just someone I once knew."

"And I remind you of her?"

A thin, tight smile crossed his lips. "Oh yes, very much so. Not so much by how you look, although there is some resemblance. It’s your personality that reminds me of her. I can see why my brother likes you so much."

His words rattled me a little. "What do you mean by that?"

"Why nothing," he replied with a waxy smile. "It’s just, when I’m talking with you it’s like talking to Rommona all over again."

"Who was she?" I asked carefully.

"I really shouldn’t tell you," Crius replied. "My brother would be ‘very’ angry with me if I did."

"Please, Crius," I pressed. "I promise I won’t tell him you told me."

The Titan God put his hands together as if he were praying, and thought about it for a moment. "Very well, if you insist. I guess I do owe you a great deal. Rommona was my brother’s daughter."

"His daughter!" I shot back.

"Yes, his daughter," Crius confirmed. "You see, my brother loved her very much, but Jup…I mean, Judge Jasper, murdered her to break his spirits. Since then, he’s been searching for someone to replace her."

"And he found me to take her place?" I threw out. My temper grew at the thought that I had been mislead and used by Dennis once again.

"Well, I suppose he did," Crius agreed. "Of course, Rommona dressed a lot more um, what’s the word, ‘girlish’, than you do. No offense, Linda."

"None taken," I answered. ‘At least not against you.’

Our talk was interrupted when Leo, one of the people assisting Crius, came walking into the restaurant. I wasn’t sure, but I had reason to believed he was a Titan God too, at least an offspring of one. He whispered something into Crius’ ear, and the god nodded.

"I’m sorry, Linda," Crius said deeply concern. "A problem has arisen, and I must see to it. Perhaps we can share a meal another time."

"I look forward to it," I told him formally. There was something unsettling about him, only I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was almost as if you could sense trouble in his nature.

"Good. I’ll have my assistant call you to reschedule."

He flashed me a smile; one that seemed forced, and left the restaurant in a hurry. I sat there stewing in my own anger at what a fool I had been. No wonder Dennis liked me so much, I reminded him of his dead daughter. The son of a bitch had done it to me again, only explaining half of the truth to me and leaving out the best parts. Sure he had me turned into Linda so I could be with the Andersons – but that was only part of the reason. As it turned out, I was a replacement for his daughter as well.

‘DAMN HIM! DAMN HIM! DAMN HIM! How dare he treat me like some object for his pleasures!’ I thought to myself. Every part of me wanted to pick up the phone and rip Dennis a new asshole, but that would be letting him off to easy. No, I would wait until we met in person to give him a piece of my mind – ‘again’. I was so wrapped up in my own little world that I didn’t notice someone new sit down across from me.

"Hello, Linda," the voice said to me. I looked to see who it was and gasped.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

Fade out…

**********************************************

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

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

*********************************************

 

Andersonville 21 – Sins of the father, sins of the son.

Written by Kelly Davidson

Edited by Geoff, Nelson T.

 

This story dedicated to Mindy, the founding mother of Fictionmania. If it weren’t for her insight and hard work, we would all be much poorer. She spent thousands of dollars of her own money and time to keep FM running – and all I have to repay her with is this story, and my gratitude. Thanks Mindy!

 

Fade in…

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Sitting across from me was the last person I expected to see – Jerry Kohl. About a year ago he had wandered into Andersonville with his friend, Rodney Allen (read AV 6), and together they had figured out the secret of Andersonville. Fortunately, Judge Herns had allowed Jerry to leave after removing the memories of his visit. Obviously, something had gone wrong.

"It’s nice to see you too," he chuckled at my reply.

"This isn’t a laughing matter!" I scolded. Then I added more forcefully, "Now what the hell are you doing here, Jerry?"

"I thought I would stop in and visit with my friends for a while," he answered as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Are you crazy?" I gritted my teeth. "Do you have any idea what they’ll do if they find out you’re here? Speaking of which, how in the hell did you get into town without them knowing about it?"

"That wasn’t a problem," he smiled calmly. "I parked my car at a truck stop east of here, and hiked in."

"That’s almost twenty miles through solid woods," I replied. "How in the hell did you keep yourself from getting lost?"

"I was a Boy Scout," he grinned. "The troop leaders taught us how to use a compass in the woods. Once I got close enough, the lights from the town led me in the rest of the way."

"Well if you don’t leave right now, Judge Herns will turn you into a ‘girl’ scout," I warned him. "Come with me, I’m getting you out of here."

"No," he replied firmly. "I’m not going until I see Rebecca."

I looked at Jerry in disbelief. He had to know what Judge Herns would do if she discovered he was here. What I found even more disturbing was that he had picked a very public spot to meet with me, not even trying to hide his presence from the people below. It was almost as if he wanted to be caught.

"It’s not Rebecca anymore, it’s Jane Harper," I explained. "Remember, you gave her your life – and if you don’t leave, Jerry, you may end up being her sister. This isn’t a game we’re playing here."

"I know that, Linda," he answered. "But I didn’t spend two days walking through the woods so you could send me away. Like I said, I’m not leaving until I see her."

"This is suicide, Jerry. You have a life out there, don’t blow it. Oh SHIT!" I noticed my waitress was staring at us very carefully.

**********************************

Inside the bunker an alarm went off at the computer of temp number 1A135, known to everyone else as Toby Storm. The temp switched over to the alert and saw that the waitress had spotted someone unfamiliar in town. Toby looked carefully at the man, and didn’t recognize him either. He had the computer do another search of their residents (the waitress had already done one), and couldn’t find a match. Convinced it was a stranger, he pushed his supervisor button. A few seconds later Jeff Summers appeared next to him.

"Hi Toby, what have you got?" Even thought Toby wasn’t a real person, it was hard for Jeff not to see him as one. Toby, in theory, had a wife and two kids, and spoke about them often. Even Toby believed he was a real person, and not one of those computer images he watched over all the time.

"Julia at ‘Bakers restaurant’ spotted a stranger. I checked, and he doesn’t come up on our files."

"Let me see," Jeff said leaning forward. It was a middle-age man talking to Linda Anderson, his ex-girlfriend. Suddenly Jeff felt a slight pain in his heart. Had he made the right decision to break up with her? He pushed the thought away and concentrated on his job. The man looked very familiar to him. Then Jeff remembered. He picked up the phone and punched in the extension number.

"Colonel Myers, I need you to look at something – code two." Moments later the colonel approached; concern written all over his face.

"What is it, Jeff," he asked.

"Recognize him?" Jeff pointed to the screen. Colonel Myers looked carefully, and then his mouth drew tight when he saw who it was, and what it meant.

"Jerry Kohl," he replied. "What the hell is he doing back here?"

"I don’t know, sir," Jeff answered. "He didn’t come through the front gate, so he must have sneaked in somehow."

"I’d better have him picked up," Colonel Myers frowned. "Keep an eye on him – and get some backup to watch him."

"Yes sir," Jeff said as he turned back to his man. "Toby, who’s the nearest temp in the area?"

*******************************************

I was relieved to see our waitress turn away and go back to her job. Maybe they hadn’t spotted Jerry after all. In any case, I knew it wasn’t safe for him to be out in the open like this. I had to get him away from the temps and their prying eyes.

"Jerry, I have to get you some place where they won’t find you. There’ll be a train leaving tonight, and you’re going to be on it."

"Only if I get to see, Jane," he argued.

"Look, that isn’t a good idea. Trust me, she’s doing fine. Now come with me."

"Only if I get to see, Jane," he stated again more firmly.

"Damn it," I swore in frustration. "Okay, if I promise you a visit with your friend, will you come with me?"

"Sure, as long as you promise."

"Alright, I promise. Now lets go before it’s too late." But it was already too late. Just as we stood to leave, Officer Candy came strolling into the restaurant. Normally the cop wouldn’t have given me the time of day, but this time he turned and gave me a big smile. It wasn’t a friendly smile either; more like one of those ‘You’re in big trouble now’ smiles. He approached us slowly.

"Good morning, Miss Anderson," he stated in a rigid tone. "Who’s your friend?"

"No one you know," I told him curtly. "Joe’s here to repair my computer, and we were just having a cup of coffee before going to my office. In fact, we were just leaving."

"Strange, I don’t know anything about some repairman being here," he smirked. "Perhaps I should accompany you back to your office so we can talk to the judge." He reached over and firmly grabbed hold of my arm.

"Let go of me you ‘jackass’," I responded in a raised voice. "You’re hurting me."

"I don’t like it when people lie to me," the cop hissed back.

"Officer, she was only trying to protect me," Jerry interrupted in a calm manner. "Please, let go of her. I won’t give you any trouble."

"I’ll get to you in just a moment, Mr. Kohl," Officer Candy shot back. "You’re not the one I’m worried about running off."

"Like I would get very far, you ‘idiot’," I answered. "Where in the hell would I run to, Officer Candy? They can follow my movements where ever I go. Maybe you should try using the brain between your ears once in a while, instead of the one between your legs."

"You have a smart mouth, little girl," the cop growled.

"And you’re an asshole, Officer Candy," I answered right back.

"Let go of her," Sergeant Williams ordered as he walked into the restaurant and saw what was going on.

Officer Candy looked like he wanted to defy that order, but thought better of it. He released my arm and glared at me, as if hinting that this matter wasn’t over.

Sergeant Williams gave Jerry a curious stare. For a moment there was an awkward silence, broken when the cop said, "Mr. Kohl, I can’t say I’m happy to see you. I’m sure Judge Herns won’t be any happier."

"It can’t be helped," he shrugged his shoulders. Dave Williams nodded, and motioned for us to follow him to his car. We did, with Officer Candy following right behind us. Dave placed Jerry Kohl in the back of his car, and let me sit in front.

"Does she know?" I asked Dave in a low voice so Jerry wouldn’t hear.

"She knows," he replied.

Once we got to the courthouse, Sergeant Williams took Jerry to my office and sat him down. It wasn’t too long after that when Dr. Green showed up. She gave him a slight smile.

"Hello, Jerry," she said softly, and with some sadness in her voice.

"Hi, Dr. Green," Jerry replied back in a pleasant tone. "It looks like I’ll be needing your help after all. I may be here for a while."

Carol Green frowned. "We’ll see."

My phone buzzed, and I picked it up. Judge Herns was on the other end asking me to send Dr. Green in. I motioned her inside, then followed her in.

"Good morning, Carol," Judge Herns greeted the doctor. "I think you can see the problem we have." The judge looked at me curiously and said, "That will be all, Linda."

I held my ground and didn’t move. I was determined not to let it end like this for Jerry. I couldn’t let this happen. He wasn’t a criminal; he was an ordinary Joe, and a family man. I was going to fight for his right to leave Andersonville unharmed.

"Linda," Judge Herns said a little more strongly, "I said that was all. Please wait outside."

"I’m sorry, Judge, but I can’t." I swallowed hard, and stood there scared over how Judge Herns would react to my refusal. I was a little relieved to see she took it rather well."

"Why can’t you leave?" she asked gently.

"Because…because I don’t want you to change Jerry Kohl, Your Honor." I looked over at Dr. Green, who gave me a look of agreement. "Please, Your Honor, don’t do what I think you’re going to do. Please let him go."

"I haven’t made up my mind yet!" she explained calmly. "In fact, I’m just as torn about what to do as you are. I’m not my ex-husband, Linda. However, we do have a real problem here, and I must explore all my options. Do you know how Jerry was able to remember his previous visit to Andersonville?"

"No," I shook my head. "I didn’t get a chance to ask."

"I see," Judge Herns sighed. "I suppose we’d better find out then. Please bring him in."

I opened up the door, and motioned for Jerry to come into the office. When he saw the judge, he actually gave her a big smile. The man didn’t seem to realize that his life was on the line here.

"Judge Herns, how nice to see you again." Jerry walked over to her desk and shook her hand. "I’ve been wanting to thank you for healing my heart. My cardiologist told me it’s stronger then ever. You should have seen the look on his…"

"Mr. Kohl," Judge Herns interrupted strongly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came for a visit, Your Honor," he laughed joyfully.

"We don’t allow visitors," she told him firmly. "In fact, you weren’t supposed to even remember being here. Would you please explain to me how that came about."

"What?" he questioned. "Oh, my memories – sure, sure." Jerry pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the judge. "Well, Your Honor, it’s like this. About three months ago I was in a very bad car accident. I got knocked around pretty badly, and was in a coma for 23 days. When I came too, I remembered everything about being here, including the gift you gave me."

"I see." Judge Herns thought about it for a moment. "That doesn’t explain why you snuck into my town, unless you knew you would be in trouble if you did come back."

"Well, I didn’t think you would be happy with me," he grinned. "But then I wasn’t really sure this place did exist. I mean, after all, I was in a coma for more than three weeks. Maybe I just imagined it. So I had to check it out, to be sure. I mean, I didn’t want to build up the hopes of the others."

"What others?" Judge Herns demanded to know.

"The others in my support club, Your Honor. I was thinking I could bring some of them back with me the next time. You could change them into real women for a day or so – or longer if they prefer."

"There WON’T be a next time, Mr. Kohl," June said forcefully. "Andersonville is not a transgender resort town for ‘you’ and ‘your’ friends. What we’re trying to do here is very serious work. In time your people will find out about this place, but not now."

"Come on Judge, give me a break. I came all this way to work out a deal with you."

"There will be ‘no’ deal, Mr. Kohl," Judge Herns replied.

"Yes, there will be," Jerry shot back in a disrespectful tone. "You see, Judge, I remember everything about Andersonville now. You can send me away, but I’ll be back with others."

"Jerry, what the HELL are you saying," I almost screamed. He was giving Judge Herns no options but to keep him here.

He turned and gave me a cold stare. "I think I’ve been very clear here, Linda. I’m not going to let this place go to waste on a bunch of criminals when you have people out there who would appreciate being here. I have friends who would kill for a chance to be a woman for a day, week, or the rest of their lives. I’m putting them first."

"You’re not well, Mr. Kohl," Judge Herns announced in a dry tone. Jerry laughed out loud at the suggestion.

"I know what you’re thinking, Judge. You think that this bump on my head has affected my thinking. Well you’re wrong. I’ve made a full recovery from my injuries – you can even ask my doctor if you want. I know exactly what I’m doing here."

"If that’s the case, then you know I won’t do what you’re asking," she replied.

"I don’t see how you have a choice!" he shot back. "You see, I don’t think you have the guts to tear me away from my family. If you did, you would’ve done so already – and even if that happens I have a backup plan. I wrote a complete paper about Andersonville before I left, and hid it so it wouldn’t be found for about a month or so. If for some reason I don’t return home, my documents would cause a great deal of concern among my loved ones. Enough concern that they would investigate my accident, or whatever you come up with to end my life. No, I think you’ll consider my deal, and accept it."

"Jerry, don’t do this," I begged.

"Don’t bother, Linda" June Herns interrupted in an irritated tone. "Mr. Kohl has already made up his mind, now it’s my turn."

"Your Honor," I started to beg, but she held up her hand to stop me. Then she turned to Jerry with anger registering on her face.

"You made a mistake by coming here, Mr. Kohl." She closed her eyes and raised her hands.

"What?" Jerry stated in surprise. "Judge…Your Honor, WAIT! We can still work something out."

It was already too late. A blue ball rose out of the judge’s hands and raced toward Jerry. As soon as it was absorbed into his chest, the changes started to occur. Jerry started to shrink, as his hair grew longer. He got younger, much younger. His face changed from that of a man with 3 days worth of growth to an angelic little girl who was maybe 9 years old. The judge hadn’t forgotten about his clothes, and had decided to dress him in a short, yellow dress with puff sleeves and a skirt that flared out. Jerry’s muddy boots changed into a pair of black Mary Jane’s. Ribbons mysteriously appeared out of no where, and tied themselves to his now, long brown hair. Jerry stood there with his eyes popping out in shock. That quickly turned into anger.

"You change me back right now!" he screamed. However, Judge Herns was in no mood for his passionate displeasure.

"Keep quiet, little girl," she replied, while holding out her hand. Suddenly Jerry found himself unable to speak. "It’s only because I have some respect for who you once were, that I’m allowing you to keep your female name, Jenny Kohl. Dr. Green will fill you in on the details of your new life. You will go with her now, and you will not give her any trouble – is that clear?"

Jerry, now Jenny, nodded his head in fear.

"Good," Judge Herns stated firmly. She paused, and I could see the pain in her eyes as she spoke the words. "Jenny, I take no pleasure in what I did. I was prepared to let you leave, but you left me no choice. You are who you are because of what you did. Still…I’m sorry it had to come to this. Go now."

Dr. Green grabbed hold of Jerry/Jenny’s hand and gently pulled him out the door. I watched them go, then turned to Judge Herns who was looking through some papers.

"You’re just punishing him, right?" I demanded to know. "You don’t really plan to keep him here for the rest of his life?"

"He made his choice, I did what I had to do," was her reply. She didn’t even bother looking up at me when she said it.

"June, you can’t do that – IT’S WRONG!"

"Do you THINK I ENJOYED doing that?" she answered angrily. "What was I suppose to do, let him go so he could tell everyone about Andersonville? That’s not an option, Linda. He made his bed, now he has to lie in it!"

"But…but you even said yourself he wasn’t well," I pointed out. "Was that not true?"

"I don’t know," she frowned. "I sensed something, but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s like he knew what he was doing and yet…he wasn’t himself."

"That’s all the more reason to let him go," I argued.

"I’m sorry, Linda, but it’s not. As I said before, Mr. Kohl knew what he was doing. I gave him a way out, and he didn’t take. I don’t know why. In any case, judgement has been made."

"No," I yelled. "I won’t let this go. You’re just like Judge Jasper!"

Judge Herns face turned beet red. Slowly she got up out of her chair, never once taking her piercing eyes off me. Her lips grew tight as she leaned forward.

"If I was just like my ex-husband, we wouldn’t be talking right now. In fact there is a good chance you wouldn’t be alive, Linda." Her angry expression turned to one of hurt, and she quickly turned away. "Judge Jasper doesn’t allow people to question his decisions," she explained painfully. "Don’t you ‘ever’ accuse me of being like that ‘old goat’ again."

"I’m…I’m sorry June. I really didn’t mean what I said."

She nodded, but still didn’t turn to face me. "I know you didn’t, Linda. Leave me now, I have much work to do."

I left the room feeling guilty about hurting her feelings. In all fairness, it was Jerry who had put her in this spot. June had told me she was willing to let him go, and I had no reason to doubt her. If there was one thing I had learned about Juno, she was up-front and honest about her decisions. I sat down at my desk and started thinking of a way to make it up to her.

*******************************************

"Are there any question about your new life?" Dr. Green asked.

"Let’s see, I’m nine years old, I’m a girl, and my name is Jenny Kohl. Oh, and I like to play with Barbie dolls. Nope, I think that about covers everything, Dr. Green."

Carol frowned. Jenny/Jerry sat there on the couch fiddling with the ribbons on her dress. The little girl didn’t seem angry about her predicament; in fact she seemed almost relieved. It just didn’t add up.

"Jerry, is there something you want to talk to me about?" The doctor hoped that by using his male name, the little girl would open up to her. Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"My name is Jenny now, remember Dr. Green. And ‘no’, there’s nothing I want to talk to you about. If you let me go I’ll tell everyone about this place, and what you did to me. I wonder what a ‘real’ judge would say about that."

Her threat caused the doctor to take notice. It was almost as if Jenny didn’t want to leave Andersonville, and was trying to find ways to make them keep her here. What could have happened to cause that?

"Alright, Jenny. I’ll see you in a couple of days." Carol Green paused for a moment and gave Jenny a concern stare. "If you need to talk before then, I want you to call me. I’m pretty busy these days, but I’ll find time to fit you in. Now, Officer Scott is waiting outside to take you to school. Are you sure you’re okay?"

"Yes, doctor," Jerry nodded.

Carol watched the little girl stand and leave. She sat there for a moment puzzled but Jenny’s actions. Her words said one thing, but her body movements indicated something totally different. Something was definitely not right.

Dr. Green glanced at her schedule book. She had another appointment coming in 15 minutes, just enough time for her to see June Herns if she hurried. The doctor sighed. They were supposed to bring in some more doctors soon to help with the workload. It couldn’t come soon enough. Locking the door as she left, Carol Green headed for the judge’s office.

*************************************************

"I don’t know, June, it just doesn’t make any sense," Carol Green explained. "For some reason, I believe Jerry wanted you to change him into someone else."

"I’m in agreement with you," Judge Herns said. "I sensed a great deal of relief and happiness as he was leaving my office. His words were angry, but not his emotions. And there was something else I picked up – guilt. Any idea what that could be?

"No, none," the doctor shook her head. "I tried to get him to open up to me, but he refused. Then he got very defensive at the thought of leaving here. Maybe…maybe the accident scared him, and he feels safe here."

Judge Herns shook her head. "No, that’s not it. It’s something else, something more. Mr. Kohl is not the type of person to be scared of dying. He has a great deal of faith in the afterlife, and an even stronger desire to provide for his family. And his threats to expose Andersonville to the world, I just don’t buy it. Jerry knows his best friend would suffer greatly if he did that. No, I’m convinced he wanted me to change him into someone else, but why?

Carol Green looked at her watch. "I have to go, I have a client showing up in 5 minutes. If you find out anything can you let me know, June?"

"You’ll be the first one I call."

Judge Herns sat back in her chair and thought about what she knew. She remembered the old Jerry Kohl, and his strong feelings of caring about others. The person brought in today had those same emotions, but had tried desperately to hide them from her. The judge picked up the phone and punched in a number. After a brief conversation, she headed for the elevator to go below.

******************************************

The play area was crowded with kids from the elementary school. Jerry looked around a little bewildered by the recess activity. Inside he felt a sense of relief – and sadness. He had succeeded in his plans so far, except for the fact he was now a little girl. Jerry had hoped the judge wouldn’t make him any younger than a teenager. Well, it was of no matter. Jerry considered it extra punishment for his crime. Now it was up to Judge Herns to fix everything and make it right again.

"Jenny, are you feeling okay," his teacher asked. "Why aren’t you playing with the other kids?"

"I need to use the bathroom, Mrs. Kauff," he told the young woman. "Is it okay if I go now?"

"Can’t you wait?" Jerry shook his head. "Okay, run along inside."

She smiled, and Jerry smiled back. Mrs. Kauff was a temp, but not a bad temp. In fact she seemed very patient with the kids, almost in a motherly type of way. Jerry felt a twinge of guilt inside about lying to her, and what he planned to do next. He went inside and made his way down the long hallway to the other door. Just across the field sat the high school.

Carefully, the little girl looked around to make sure no one was watching. Confident that no one was, he bolted out the door toward the other building. He arrived inside the High School just as the class bell rang. Quickly kids poured out into the hallway, and Jerry found himself surrounded by kids both older and taller then him. He looked around for someone familiar, but didn’t see anyone.

"Excuse me," he said to an older girl walking by. "I’m looking for Jane Harper, do you know where I can find her?

"Sorry," the teenager replied and kept walking. Jerry tried a couple of other kids without any luck. He was about to ask someone else when he felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What are you doing here, little girl?" the voice asked. Jerry recognized the voice; it was Mrs. Miller, the school superintendent.

"I um…was just looking for someone," he replied, hoping she didn’t know who he was. "I should be going now."

"You should be in class, Jenny," she expressed strongly. "Mrs. Kauff is going to be worried about you. We have rules here, Miss Kohl"

Jerry hung his head at being caught. "I’m sorry, Mrs. Miller. I didn’t mean to get in trouble on my first day, but I wanted…I needed to talk with Jane Harper. I…I couldn’t wait."

Mrs. Miller saw tears in the little girl’s eyes, and stood there for a moment deciding what to do. "Come with me," she finally said.

The superintendent took hold of Jenny’s hand, and led her down the crowded hallway.

********************************

Colonel Myers observed Jeff Summers working quietly in the spare office. Judge Herns had asked him to find out everything he could about Jerry Kohl’s accident, and Jeff had volunteered to do the grunt work. Barry could see him busily working on the computer searching for information and taking notes. He liked Jeff, but there was something odd about him. For one, he wasn’t typical of the people who worked in the bunker. All the others were outgoing and aggressive individuals, Jeff was a little shy and withdrawn. He was the type of person who would rather read a book then watch the Superbowl or World Series. In fact, Jeff had very little interest in any type of sport. Stranger still, Jeff’s military records were sealed to everyone, including Colonel Myers, his commanding officer. That order had come from Dennis Butz, and Barry wondered what the connection between them was.

If that wasn’t enough, of all the people working in the bunker, Jeff was the only one living in Andersonville. No, that wasn’t right, he was the only one allowed to live in Andersonville. Others had requested to live in Andersonville, and all had been turned down – all except for Jeff that is. Barry had asked Jeff why this was so, and the young man had explained he was part of an experiment that Dennis was conducting. Colonel Myers didn’t buy his answer for a minute – although he didn’t know what the real reason could be.

The colonel saw Jeff stand and gather up some papers. The soldier placed them in a folder and headed for his office

"What did you find out, Jeff?" the colonel asked with interest.

"Something I think Judge Herns is going to be interested in," Jeff said as he handed over his work. "Take a look at the newspaper article I printed off about the accident.

Barry read it carefully. "Damn!"

"Yeah, I thought you would be interested in that. It gets better. Look at the medical records I included. There’s no hope I’m afraid."

The colonel read the medical report and nodded sadly. He wasn’t sure if this was an important piece to the puzzle or not, but knew Judge Herns would want to see it.

"Good work, Jeff, and thanks for volunteering. By the way, are you going to the hockey game with us next month?" Barry noticed the look of conflict on the young man’s face. Jeff didn’t want to go, but this was a unit outing with the people he worked with. He didn’t want to let them down by not being there.

"I…I guess."

Colonel Myers decided to give his young sergeant a way out. "You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Jeff. They’ll be playing the Columbus Blue Jackets that night. They’re not a prime team hockey team in the NHL yet. The others will understand if you don’t want to spend a $150 to see them play."

"No, I’ll go," he stated a little reluctantly. "It should be a fun time. By the way, what’s a ‘blue jacket’?"

"Beats the ‘hell’ out of me," the colonel chuckled. "I better take this report to see the judge now." Barry Myers picked up the folder and headed for the elevator.

**********************************************

Jerry was sitting in a small room that served as the teacher’s lounge. He stared out at the town of Andersonville, his new home. Instantly he felt a twinge of sadness at the thought. Never again would he see his wife’s smile, or his kids laughing. It wasn’t fair, but then there was no choice in the matter anymore – he had seen to that. The door opened, and Mrs. Miller walked in with Jane Harper behind her. The teenager looked at the him in confusion.

"Mrs. Miller, I don’t know this little girl," she exclaimed.

"Jane," Jerry called out. He stood to hug her, then realized that Mrs. Miller hadn’t told her friend who he really was. Mrs. Miller smiled.

"I’ll let ‘Jenny Kohl’ fill you in on everything, Jane." She closed the door as she left.

"Jenny Kohl? Jane blinked, and looked at the girl once more. "Jerry?"

"Hello, old friend," Jerry replied, tears of joy starting to leak from her eyes.

"My gosh, Jerry? Is it really you?" The little girl nodded her head, and Jane ran over and hugged her tightly.

"Take it easy," Jerry giggled. "I need to breathe."

"I’m sorry," Jane giggled back. "Oh Jenny, it’s great to see you again." Suddenly Jane stopped hugging her, and held Jenny away from her. "Wait a minute, what the hell are you doing here, Jenny? You were supposed to be freed. Did they bring you back?"

"No, not them. I came here on my own." Jerry saw the concern in Jane’s eyes. "Sit down Jane, this may take a while."

Both of them took a seat on the couch, and Jerry started talking. "There was an accident, and I was hurt badly. Fortunately I recovered, but somehow the accident caused me to remember my time here, and our friendship."

"So you came to see me?" Jane asked carefully.

"There were other reasons, but yes, you were one of them. I missed you, Jane. When I remembered our friendship, I had to find out how you were doing."

"You shouldn’t have worried about me, I’m fine," she smiled. Then she asked carefully, "How’s my…my family? I’ve been wondering what happened to them. The judge told me she made sure everything worked out okay, but I still had my doubts."

"They’re doing fine, Jane. They don’t remember you of course, but I still keep in contact with your ex-wife. She’s married to some guy in the insurance field – heck, he even sold me a life insurance policy. My wife almost got the chance to use it too."

"What happened, Jenny?"

Jerry frowned, as if it was painful to recall why he was here. "I was coming home late from a ballgame. I was tired, and I should’ve pulled over to rest a bit. But I didn’t stop; I was stubborn. I ended up falling asleep at the wheel, and wrapping my car around a tree. Fortunately, I didn’t hit anyone else, or they may have been killed. I was in the hospital for more then a month recovering."
"Well, at least no one else was hurt," Jane said in a comforting tone. Jerry cringed at her words, but didn’t elaborate.

"Anyway, your family is doing well," Jerry told her. "I talked to your kids a lot after the accident. They’re the same as you knew them, only some of the things they experienced with you never happened. Remember when Pete fell off the ladder while helping you fix the roof? We thought he broke his back, but he turned out to be okay except for being a little sore the next day. Well that never happened according to him. He never fell off a ladder in his life, even though he still has a fear of climbing them."

"Interesting, Jenny." A sad expression appeared on Jane’s face. "I miss them sometimes. I don’t regret staying here, Jenny, because I know they would’ve left me once I transitioned. I also know this was the best thing for them, for all of us. Still, I do miss them. Knowing that they’re happy, well, that makes me feel a whole lot better. And seeing you again." Jane hugged her again with tears in her eyes. "I missed you the most, Jenny. I missed all those good times we had."

"I missed you too," Jerry replied.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Jane asked, "So how long will you be in town for?"

"Forever," Jerry replied.

"WHAT!" Jane responded with surprise. "What the hell do you mean ‘forever’? What about your family?"

"I guess… I hope the judge will take care of them," Jerry replied. "It’s for the best."

"What are you talking about, Jenny? What’s going on here?"

There was a knock on the door, and Mrs. Miller opened up the door. "I’m sorry girls, but you both need to get back to class now. You can visit with each other later."

"Yes, Mrs. Miller," Jerry said standing up. Jane continued to stare at her friend with concern. Something was very wrong here.

"Jenny, call me after school," said Jane. "I want to talk with you some more about this."

"Okay, Jane. We’ll have plenty of time to talk now." The teenager watched her friend grab Mrs. Miller hand and leave.

"Something is very wrong here," Jane whispered to herself.

*********************************************

Colonel Myers and Dr. Green were sitting and watching the expression on Judge Herns face as she went through the information Jeff Summers had found. There was tightness to her expression, as she tried to figure it all out.

"So, now we know the full truth," she said to the others.

"Do we, June?" Carol asked. "Guilt may have driven Jerry Kohl here, but what was he hoping for?"

"A miracle," Judge Herns stated.

"Can you provide him with that ‘miracle’?" Colonel Myers wanted to know.

"No, I can’t." The judge told him sadly. "This isn’t going to be easy, but Jerry needs to be told."

"Wait," Carol interjected. "Why tell him at all? Give him what he wants and make it easy on him?"

"A lie?" Judge Herns raised her eyebrows. "I won’t do that. First of all, I wouldn’t be doing Mr. Kohl any favors by letting him believe his plan worked, if this is what he intended me to do. Second, he has to face what he did, or he will never be whole again. He can’t hide from his mistakes forever."

"What do you want me to do, Your Honor?" Colonel Myers asked.

"Let your men know that Mr. Kohl will be leaving us soon. In fact, I’ll be the one who drives him to the truck stop. Oh, and thank your sergeant for getting me this information."

The colonel nodded. "I’ll let him know." He stood and left the room, leaving Dr. Green and Judge Herns alone.

"Do you want me to stay?" Carol Green asked.

"No," June said. "I think this is something I should handle by myself. Jenny is still in school; I’ll have Mrs. Miller bring her to my office. Thanks for the offer, though."

Carol stood and smiled. "You know June, I think you would make a pretty good psychologist."

Judge Herns smiled warmly at the suggestion. "I’ll leave the mind puzzling to you, Carol. What I have in store for Mr. Kohl is some tough love."

After Dr. Green left, Judge Herns sat down at her desk and went through the medical report one more time. She felt sorry for Mr. Kohl, she knew this had to be killing him inside. June took a moment to prepare herself, then picked up the phone and called the school.

Twenty minutes later Mrs. Miller brought Jenny into her office. Judge Herns noticed she seemed nervous, and even a little scared; only the judge sensed it was not about her own safety. June dismissed her muse, and told the little girl to take a seat in front of her desk.

"I know," she stated firmly, while crossing her arms and sitting on the edge of her desk in front of Jenny. She said it in such a manner that Jenny knew her plan had failed.

"I’ll give you points for what you tried to do," she added sternly, "but I can’t let this go on any longer."

"Please, Your Honor," Jerry begged.

"NO," Judge Herns shouted. She pointed her finger at the little girl who was on the edge of breaking down. "No, I won’t let this continue. You won’t use me in this way."

"Please!" Jerry pleaded. "I’ll do anything. I’ll give up my life to save his. I swear; you return him back to normal and I’ll stay here for the rest of my life. I won’t try to leave, and I won’t cause you any trouble. Please honor my request!"

"What you’re asking for," Judge Herns said dryly, "I can’t do. Why didn’t you tell me right off the bat that your son was injured in the car crash, and now has permanent brain damage? Why didn’t you come to me first, and ask me to heal him? Why didn’t you try to make a deal with me, instead of attempting to ‘TRICK’ me?"

"Because…because," Jerry stuttered.

"Because you knew I would say ‘No’," she answered for him. "You knew what my answer would be, so you decided to trick me into doing what you wanted. I’m not happy about that, Mr. Kohl, nor do I understand your reasons. Why did you think your son would be alright if I made everyone forget you existed?"

"Because the accident wouldn’t have happened!" Jerry cried out. "I wouldn’t be in his life, so the accident wouldn’t have happened."

"Using that logic, he wouldn’t have been born either," Judge Herns expressed harshly. "I can’t change past events – what’s happen has happened."

"But that’s not true!" Jerry pointed out in tears. "I checked with Rebecca’s son. There were accidents I remember that he doesn’t. Once Rebecca disappeared – those accidents never happened."

"No, you’re wrong, Jerry," she lectured in a calm but firm manner. "Not every event was remembered because I didn’t take the time to create them in his minds. Sure, you remember Rebecca teaching his son to skate, and falling in the process. I removed that memory, but it still happened, only it was a minor injury with no permanent damage. It wasn’t worth my time or effort to recreate a memory that didn’t affect him or anyone else. Death, injuries, love, and marriage – those are different. I can’t change the past Jerry, I can only make people forget, or believe someone else is responsible for an event. What you want me to do is change history, and that I can’t do."

"Then…then heal him," he sobbed. "Make my son normal again. I’ll give you anything you want."

"I can’t," June stated sadly. "Even if you brought him here, I can’t fix what has happened. I’m sorry, I wish I could Mr. Kohl, I really do. But his memories are gone, and that’s one thing I can’t replace."

"Nooooo." Jerry fell to the floor bawling. Judge Herns almost broke, she almost showed compassion – but didn’t.

"Stand up!" she ordered. "I said stand up NOW!" She reached down and with great strength pulled him to his feet. "This pity party has gone on long enough – and we still have business to attend to! Now I want you to tell me what is really going on here. This is only part of it. I want to know the ‘entire’ reason for why you’re here!"

"I’m my fault," he continued to cry. "It’s ALL my fault. My sins caused this. God is punishing me for my sins."

"WHY!" Judge Herns roared. "Because you’re a CROSSDRESSER? Do you really think your God is that shallow? Do you think wearing a few items of clothes would cause him to punish you by killing your son? I thought your God was a God of love, not vengeance!"

"I…I don’t know," he sobbed.

"Well I DO!" She grabbed his chin and pulled it up so she could look him right in the eyes. "This accident was just that, an accident. It was ‘poor’ judgement on your part, not your God’s doing. You want to punish yourself then FINE, but not in MY TOWN, MISTER. You’re leaving!"

"No, wait!" Jerry begged. It was already too late. Judge Herns had been prepared, and with a few words a ball of energy rose out of the palm of her hands and struck Jerry in the chest. Almost instantly he started to change back into his original, male form. In less then a minute he was Jerry Kohl again. He sat down on the floor and leaned back against a wall sniffing.

"It’s all my fault," he whimpered. "I failed him…I failed my son. There’s nothing I can do to fix it."

Judge Herns got down on her knees and faced the broken man. "There is something you can do, Jerry. You can pray for his healing. Miracles do happen, if you believe hard enough. Right now you need to go back and be the father your family needs you to be. You need to be strong during this time, so they will be strong."

June softened just a bit. "What you’re doing, Mr. Kohl, is running away from the people that you love so you can punish yourself – and that’s wrong. It’s a noble act to come here and try to sacrifice your life to save your son, but your motives aren’t pure. You need…you need to forgive yourself for what happened and move forward."

"I can’t," he cried.

"You must," Judge Herns countered. "This self-condemning serves no one – not your family, or your God, or most all, you. We all make mistakes, Jerry, and sometimes we have to live with them for the rest of our lives."

"Even you?" he sniffed.

Judge Herns smiled slightly. "Especially me – just don’t let anyone around here know that. Come on, stand up now." She grabbed Jerry’s hands and helped him off the floor. "Mrs. Miller is going to take you to see Jane now. I’m giving you an hour to say goodbye to her."

"What…what about my memories of being here."

Judge Herns frowned. "That’s a problem. Because of your injuries, and how the memories came about, it would be impossible for me to make you forget them again. What I can and will do is make you forget where Andersonville is. I can’t have you coming back here again, Jerry. One day our town will be known to your world, and then you will be allowed to visit your friend – I promise. But right now our town needs to grow without any interference from the outside world – and sadly that includes you. Enjoy the memories of your time here, Jerry, but respect my wishes if you ever do remember how to get back here again."

Jerry hung his head and bit his lip. "Judge…thank you. I’m sorry…sorry for trying to trick you."

"I’m sorry I had to be so hard on you, Jerry. It wasn’t personal, my child. However, I couldn’t allow you to go on like this for the rest of your life. Go now."

**************************************

I saw Jerry come out of Judge Herns chambers with tears in his eyes.

"Good luck, Jerry," I said to him. He stopped to give me a hug and whispered ‘thanks’ into my ear. Quickly he followed Mrs. Miller out the door. I waited for a moment, then peeked inside the judge’s office. June Herns was standing at her window looking out.

"Come in, Linda," she said without turning.

"June…can I get you anything."

"That was hard," she whispered. "Jerry Kohl is a kind soul. You want to do so much for people like him, and yet sometimes doing very little is the best thing you can do."

"The intercom…the intercom was on," I explained. "I heard what you said to him."

"It’s okay," she turned and smiled softly. "I turned it on so you would hear what I had to say. Jerry didn’t know, and that’s all that matters. I didn’t mind you listening, but I think he would have."

"His son…I wish you could heal his injuries."

"I just did," she said.

"But…but you told him you couldn’t."

"No, Linda," she said gently. "I told Jerry I couldn’t return his son’s memories, and I can’t. What I can do is fix the damage to his brain cells, at least to some extent. His son will have to start over again, learning how to walk, and talk, use the bathroom. It may take years, but one day his son will get back most of what he lost. Jerry will think of it as a miracle from God, and who knows, maybe it will be. Scientific research has shown that those injured who are prayed over, heal faster than those who aren’t. Faith can do great things at times."

"Maybe, but I’ll know the truth," I smiled. "I thought your people only did things that you got something out of."

"I will get something out of this," Judge Jasper stated.

"What?" I asked.

"Satisfaction, Linda," she smiled. "Satisfaction."

***************************************

It was quiet the rest of the day. Judge Herns had left to take Jerry back to his vehicle, leaving me with a fairly light workload. I was just getting ready to leave when Dennis walked into the door.

"Hi Linda," he smiled. "I heard you wanted to speak to me."

‘Why did he have to come in now?’ I asked myself. I was actually in a fairly good mood over today’s events. Now he had to walk in and spoil things. I thought about postponing our talk for another time, but decided to go for it.

"Close the door, will you Dennis," I said. He did, and faced me unaware of what I knew.

"So Linda, what do you need?" he smiled

"Don’t you mean Rommona, Dennis?"

He frowned in discomfort. "No, I don’t. Rommona – Rommona is none of your business, Linda."

"Oh, but I think it is, Dennis!" I shot back. "Once again you played me for a fool, and you know what the sad part is? I believed you when you told me why I became Linda Anderson. Now it seems there were other reasons – reasons you didn’t bother to tell me."

"You’re not Rommona!" he stated firmly. "I told you the truth, I did it to keep you, Al, and the Anderson’s together. And if I recall, you were given a chance not to remain in this body. You’re Linda because it was your choice, not mine, ‘young lady’. If you want to blame someone, go look at yourself in the mirror."

"Don’t give me that line of crap," I replied, suddenly finding myself getting very angry. "I remind you of her, don’t I?"

"Yes, a little," he said with some bitterness. "So do a lot of people. Take your brother’s girlfriend, Sally, for instance. She has the same walk and hair style as my daughter did."

"Yes, but I have her personality, Dennis. Every time we talk, you think I’m her. That’s why you take me out to lunch all the time. Hell, Dr. Jensen once told me you were a skirt chaser. Maybe you’re hoping to be the one to ‘crack’ my cherry one day."

"Now look here," he stated angrily. "I take you out to lunch because I’m a good boss, and I want to show my appreciation for the good job you do. I do this with all my secretaries. If you think there’s some hidden motive in all this then you’re reading too much into it, ‘Linda’. I’m showing you my appreciation, nothing more. Okay, I enjoy your friendship, so sue me. But let me make one thing clear here. Our lunches are not about my sexual desires or my dead daughter! It’s about me being a decent, human being."

"You’re not human, you’re a ‘Titan’!" I shot back. Dennis actually stood there with his wide mouth open, unable to replay. "All these centuries, and you still don’t act like us."

"You’re right, I don’t act like you," he explained calmly. "I’m what your race should be, and isn’t. I’m the best of humanity, and you can’t stand that. I have a code I live by, values I cherish, and am willing to admit my faults and mistakes while not pointing them out in others all the time. So I’ll take that as a compliment, Linda, even if you didn’t mean it as one."

"You know, I’m getting real tired of your smugness, Dennis."

"And I’m getting real tired of your ‘holier than thou" attitude," he answered back. "Ever since we’ve met you’ve been trying to condemn my people for our mistakes. Well I hate to break the news to you, LINDA, but your race is even guiltier of the crimes you accuse us of. Your people murder each other in cold blood for money or other objects they consider precious. Drug dealers sell poison to their brothers and sisters to make a quick buck. Someone with AIDS will still have unprotected sex with unsuspecting partners just because they’re too lazy and selfish to wear a condom. Organized crime, hate groups, pollution, greed, lack of empathy for other people – SHOULD I GO ON, LINDA? If you want to judge all Titans based on the past bad actions of a few, then you better be willing to do the same thing with the human race!

"Do you know how many of times I’ve lived to be an old man without having to be in a war? Three times, Linda – THREE!" He held up three fingers in front of my face. "You accuse my people of being war mongers, but your race has had so many wars that you’ve forgotten most of them. When we were in charge there was no war or injustice, only peace and prosperity. That was before the Olympians came, and we screwed up. Instead of accepting them into our world as brothers, we started hunting them down. WE MADE SOME MISTAKES LINDA – ALL RIGHT! Now get over it!"

"I want to know who you are," I snapped, trying to get my momentum back. Dennis was starting to turn my argument back on me, and I wasn’t going to let him. "You’re Cronus, aren’t you? That would make sense. Jupiter himself even referred to you as their leader.

"I am ‘not’ Cronus," Dennis stated firmly. "Cronus was a great leader, who ruled with wisdom and understanding. Jupiter has him locked up underground with the rest of our people. Do you really think he would allow our leader to walk around free? Use your brain, Linda."

"I ‘am’ using my brain, Dennis. I think this is another one of your head games to throw me off the trail."

Dennis rolled his eyes. "I don’t have time for this. You want to believe I’m lying, fine – but I’m leaving. I grow tried of your need to argue with me every time we meet."

He started to open the door but I slammed it shut. "Don’t you dare ‘fucking’ walk out on me, Dennis. I’m not some airhead little girl you can treat as such."

"Yes, I know, you’re Tom McClain," he sneered sarcastically. "How could I forget, since you blame me all the time for being Linda Anderson. Well we all have our cross to bear, don’t we, ‘Tom’."

I grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and turned him around, just like I had done with Judge Jasper. Only Dennis didn’t seem affected by it. He stared at me calmly, as if waiting to see what I would do next.

"You know what I’d like to see," I spatted out. "Once, just ‘ONCE’, I like to see how you react to being turned into a woman. I would love to see you experiencing this from my side of the tracks – to be trapped in the wrong body and not be able to do anything about it you – you cold, heartless, Titan bastard!"

Something inside Dennis broke; I could see it in his eyes. His lost his temper, and grabbed hold of my blouse. In his anger he ripped it open as he pushed me against the wall. Then he got within inches of my face and hissed, "I AM trapped in the WRONG body! YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO I AM, TOM? FINE THEN, I’LL TELL YOU! You’re wrong, I’m ‘not’ Cronus – I’m RHEA!

I stared into his eyes that were filled with fire. "Oh shit," I whispered. According to myth, Rhea had been the wife of Cronus, and in her own rights was a queen of her people. She had been on the same level and status as Juno, AKA June Herns, had been.

"That’s right, ‘TOM’, old buddy old pal! Just when you thought you had it all figured out, I get to prove how wrong you are. You’ve been living as the opposite sex for less then two years; try living as it for over 10,000 years like I have. Every time I die, every time Mercury leads me to the new person Jupiter picks out for me, I pray it’s a female body. Once in a while I get to live as a woman, but I think Jupiter does this to torture me – to remind me how much I’ve lost. Living as a man all this time is ‘his’ punishment for what I did ‘after’ the war. You think you’re the only one who has suffered here, TOM? WELL THINK AGAIN!

He paused for a moment to shake his head in disgust. "Now that you know, ‘Tom’, you’ll forgive me if I understand how you feel, but at the same time don’t rush to comfort you every time you cry about it. You had your chance to remain as Tom McClain, and you decided against it. For better or worse, it was your choice to be turned back into Linda, not mine. I was ‘never’ given that chance – so think about that!"

I stood quietly, trying to think of something to say. His revelation had taken the fight right out of me. This was not how I had expected things to go, and I realized that I had pushed him to far. At the same time, I wasn’t willing to back down and lose face. I tried to think of a way to end this, but Dennis solved the problem for me.

"I’ll leave you, ‘Miss’ Anderson," he said distantly. "From now on I’ll stay out of your way as much as possible. Here’s some money for the blouse." He pulled out his wallet and threw a fifty on my desk. "For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I lost my temper and ripped it. Oh, and one more thing, Miss Anderson, in case you didn’t notice. Humans aren’t the only ones who feel pain and sadness. Even we ‘lowly’ Titans have feelings too. Goodbye, Miss Anderson."

He opened the door and quickly walked away. I felt my knees growing weak as I grabbed my ripped blouse and sat down in a nearby chair. For a moment I thought I was going to cry, but managed to stop myself. Every part of me wanted to run after Dennis and beg him to forgive me. I knew he would, but suddenly my pride got in the way. He had lied to me; I didn’t know how but I knew he had. Crius, his own brother, had even told me so. Damn it, Dennis was the bad guy here, not me – he should be the begging me to forgive him. Everything he did revolved around helping ‘his’ people. If that meant screwing the human race to do so then so be it.

I wiped the tears from my eyes, refusing to break down. If only Judge Herns were here to talk too. I put on my coat and locked the door as I left. It was going to be a long night.

Fade out…

Next eposode – The awakening

 

 

 

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© 2002 by Kelly Davidson. 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.