Andersonville 2 - Judge-less                by: Kelly Davidson

 

The warm glow of yesterday’s conversation with my father ended in the cold reality of Monday morning. The cold reality that I was a young, teenage girl. The cold reality that I was expected to act like a girl, something totally foreign and yes, something I found even a little scary. And the cold reality that I had no idea why I was here or where this life would take me. The only thing going my way at the moment was the pair of comfortable, low-slung heels I wore with the blue dress my mother had insisted I wear today. They made an uncomfortable clicking sound as I walked across the hard floor of the courthouse reception area. This would be my second meeting with the judge and to say I was nervous would have been an understatement.

"Good morning Miss Anderson," said one of the officers I hadn’t met before. I noticed he was guarding five prisoners, all of who gave me a slight leer. "Your office is down the hall and to the right."

I nodded but didn’t say a word. It was a little unnerving to meet people who seemed to know you while you didn’t have a clue as to who they were. I pasted an elevator and set of restrooms along the way and made a mental note of them. I had no doubt that I was now expected to use the ladies room – another unpleasant cold reality.

When I entered my office there was also a lovely African-American woman standing over a small table fixing coffee. She turned, smiled, and held out her hand to me.

"Hi, you must be Linda Anderson. I’m Ashlee Gang."

"Nice to me you Ashlee," I responded. "Do you work here?"

She laughed slightly as if I had made a joke. "Oh no, I came here with the judge this morning. I work in Peace River as the judge’s assistant, just like you. I’m only here for the day to train you on your new job."

"One day?" I was surprised. "Will I know everything by then?"

"Enough," she responded confidently. "Most of what you need to know you’ll pick up as you go along." She was interrupted by the intercom.

"Miss Gang, if you will bring Miss Anderson inside my office we can get started."

Ashlee nodded and led me over to the door leading to the Judge’s chambers. After a quick knock she opened up the door and we both went in to find the judge sitting at his desk shuffling some papers around. He didn’t seem to be very happy and when he saw me his mood didn’t change. I took an instant dislike to the man. He gave me a stern look and started talking.

"My name is Judge Jasper. You will refer to me as either ‘Your Honor’, ‘Judge Jasper’, or just ‘Judge’. You will not tell anyone else what goes on inside here except for your weekly reports to Dennis Butz." There was a note of disapproval in his tone over the last sentence.

"As you may have guessed, things are different in this town." He gave me a short smirk and continued. "I tend to run a tight ship here and I expect a few things out of you. First, you will work late when it’s necessary. It won’t happen very often but it will happen. Second, I expect you to be here on time every morning. If your even a minute late you can expect to be docked for it. Third, you will always dress in a professional manner and won’t do anything in your personal life that will embarrass this office – like your little accident this weekend."

I felt my temper rise a little but kept my mouth shut. ‘What a prick,’ I thought.

"Yes Miss Anderson, that is right. I am a ‘PRICK’ if you get on the wrong side of me – which you already have. Let me assure you that you were not my first, second, or for that matter, my last choice to be my assistant. But since you are working for me it means your soul is mine. So God help you if you screw up. Are there any questions?"

The way he had laid out the question was a clear indication he didn’t want me asking any. Besides, I was a little shook up to discover he could read my mind. I shook my head ‘no’.

"Good," he said with some satisfaction. "Now we can begin. If you both will follow me please." The judge opened up the door and led us into the courtroom.

FADE OUT…

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

Voice of Dennis Butz – Thousands of years ago there was a war in the heavens, between the gods of old and the new arrivals. During the process the earth was almost destroyed by fire and floods as our war ran uncheck. Finally, after centuries of conflict, an uneasy peace was achieved between our two people. Both sides recognized they needed the other, but neither side was willing to trust the other. However, as man grew in power and knowledge he challenged the god's themselves. To maintain the balance and keep the peace, a buffer zone was needed.

It’s a small town -- just like thousands of others spread across the land. Quiet streets, family-run businesses, and Saturday afternoon picnics. But this town is different. It’s a place for lost souls, for misguided individuals, and for those who are in need of a second chance. It’s also the last, best chance I have of freeing my people from their captor’s. The name of project is restoration; the name of the town is Andersonville!

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

Anderson 2 – Judge-less

Story by Kelly Davidson

Edited by Carla Winters (Thanks)

This story dedicated to Mathew Shepherd, who lives in the hearts of all open-mind people.

FADE IN…

"All rise," barked out Sargent Williams. "The Municipal Court for the City of Andersonville, Montana, is now in session. The Honorable Judge Jasper is presiding."

The Judge took his seat on the bench while I followed Ashlee over to a small desk in the corner. It was covered with several recording items, including a tape recorder and a video camera. Both were hooked up to a PC computer, a brand I couldn’t make out, that was used to burn both the image and voice onto a CD. All this high tech made me wonder what Andersonville was all about.

There were a few people in the courtroom. One of them was Sargent Williams, who was standing near the judge. There were two other officers too, one standing by the front door of the courtroom and the other standing behind the defendant. The person on trial was a middle-age man dressed in an orange prison uniform. He seemed confused about why he was here. There was also a tall, blond woman with brown eyes dressed in a very professional pants suit standing near us. She flashed me a quick smile and turned back to the judge.

"Sargent Williams, what is our first case?" Judge Jasper inquired.

 

"David Lee Jarvis your honor. He was found guilty of breaking and entering for the fifth time. Also various petty crimes including forgery, fencing stolen property, and lying under oath."

"I see Sargent Williams." Judge Jasper turned to man who was doing a remarkable job of staying calm. "And what you do you have to say for yourself Mr. Jarvis."

"What’s going on here," he objected. "No one told me I would be on trial when I got here. This is suppose to be some kind of alternative sentencing to my crimes. Where’s my lawyer, I know my rights. I want one--" He was about to go on when his voice seem to give out. His eyes went wide as he grabbed his throat but all that came out was a slight gurgling sound.

"It will be easier on you Mr. Jarvis, if you answer my questions from now on – do you understand me?" The man shook his head. "Good! Now let me explain the procedure here. This is not a trial. You have been found guilty of your crimes and have agreed to forgo your original sentencing to whatever new sentence the acting judge – in this case me – determines you should serve. That is what I am trying to determine right now."

The Judge shifted through some paper work and looked back up at the defendant. "From your criminal record, it’s clear to me that your life has been filled with selfish acts due to a lazy attitude. You haven’t even held a regular job for more then 6 months. You’ve been totally irresponsible with your life, even failing to send child support to your two kids. But all that stops here. Is there anything you wish to say before I past sentence?"

Judge Jasper waved his hand and the man was able to speak again.

"Wait a minute, what is this?" Mr. Jarvis asked.

The Judge frowned slightly but didn’t answer him. Instead he held out his hands and closed his eyes as if he were concentrating on an image in his mind. The palms of his hands began to glow and a white ball of light with twinkling blue sparkle rose from it. Mr. Jarvis, who had a front row view of what was going on, stood there in fear. The ball of light/energy floated over the Judge’s hands for a moment then took off like a bullet right at its intended target.

Mr. Jarvis gasped and tried to run but his feet seemed to be planted firmly to the ground. The ball hit him right in the chest and disappeared. Almost immediately the changes started. Not being a very tall man, Mr. Jarvis started growing by several inches. His hair changed color, from dark brown to a platinum blonde while growing longer until it was halfway down his back. The bewildered man felt his hips raising up and become shapelier while there was an outward pushing on his chest. They grew to become rather nice size breast. He face changed from being old and rough to a smooth, feminine look. In less then 20 seconds the middle age man that had been standing there was now a pretty 22-year-old female.

"Welcome to your new life Miss Wilson," the Judge told her unceremoniously.

"What the – who – what happened -- for --" the young woman didn’t know what to say. Her face registered the shock she was feeling.

"Officer Philips, if you would help Miss Wilson to Dr. Green’s office please," Judge Jasper commanded. I noticed the blond lady near me nod at the judge and take a hold of Miss Wilson’s hand while the officer held on to the other.

"Come on dear, we have a lot to talk about," the doctor stated in a comforting tone to the frighten woman.

"But – but I’m a man," she expressed with uncertainly. "I can’t be a woman. I don’t want to be a woman!" There was a small shriek in the hallway right after she left.

"You may bring in the next case Sargent Williams," the Judge said.

 

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

There were four other men that appeared before the judge that morning. But unlike Miss Wilson, they left the courtroom as young girls between the ages of 6 to 14. And for some strange reason, they didn’t seem to remember who they were. The younger ones looked around and asked for their mommy while the teenagers simply said ‘thank you’ to the Judge and left in a hurry as if they had something important to do.

After court was over, Ashlee spent the rest of the morning showing me where to store the CD’s, what reports to fill out, and other duties I would need to do. It wasn’t that hard. The Judge meanwhile locked himself in his chambers and didn’t come out.

"It’s better that you don’t disturb him after a hearing," she told me. "He can tend to be a little cranky at you if you do." I was about to ask Ashlee how much crankier he could get when she looked at the clock and decided to break for lunch. So we grabbed our purses and headed out the door.

"You don’t know how lucky you are to have a Pizza Hut," Ashlee told me as we entered the restaurant. "It’s the one thing I miss about my old life. I use to live on their pizza."

"Doesn’t Peace River have a Pizza Hut," I asked trying to find out all I could about this mysterious town she had come from.

She shook her head vigorously from side to side. "No, and I think the Judge wants it that way. There are a few family run restaurants but no major chains like Wendy’s or Taco Bell. At least you have a McDonalds; it’s been years since I’ve had a Big Mac."

"When was the last time you left Peace River?" I was curious as to how much freedom Judge Jasper allowed his people.

"This is my first time out," she exclaimed. "I arrived in Peace River about nine years ago. It was more of an accident on my part and it certainly was an adjustment once he changed me. But now I wouldn’t dream of leaving."

We were interrupted by our waitress, who took our order. Once she left I began to question Ashlee again.

"Who are you," I inquired. "I mean really."

Ashlee sighed slightly. "It’s better that you don’t know Linda. Who I use to be doesn’t matter anymore. And I was just like you at one time, scared to death of what was to come."

"I’m not scared!" It wasn’t really a lie. The truth was I was terrified with the thought of spending the rest of my life as Linda Anderson. I wanted to be Tom McClain again.

"I just want to know what the hell is going on. Do you know who the judge is, I mean really?"

Ashlee nodded her head slowly. "Yes, I do, but I can’t tell you who he is or what you’re doing here. They told me I couldn’t tell you. I’m really sorry Linda."

"They?" I replied. "Look, you have to tell me something, I’m going crazy here. You do know who I used to be, don’t you?"

"Yes, I was briefed on the way in. You were Tom McClain, a retired detective who was playing the stock market and making other types of deal. You were married to your best friend, Jennifer, who used to be a man herself. You recently lost a son and your marriage was – "

"Okay, so you do know me," I interrupted and a little sore about her bringing up my son. "Don’t you think it’s fair if I know something about you – please?"

"Linda," she started out. "You seem like a nice person and I really want to be your friend. Trust me, you don’t want to know about my past, I wasn’t very pleasant before I became Ashlee."

I pouted a little in silent. It didn’t seem fair that she knew my complete history when I didn’t know anything about her. She saw my brooding and smiled gently.

"It really means that much to you, doesn’t it?" She took a drink of her diet cola and continued, "I used to be known as Matt Stover. I was 35 at the time I drove into Peace River by accident. I was on my way to what I thought was an important meeting." There was a look of guilt in her eyes.

"What kind of meeting?" I asked.

"A KKK meeting," she whispered back uneasily.

"Are you telling me you use to be white?" I was astounded.

"Yes, I was. Does that surprise you? You see I hated black people not because they did anything to me, but because I felt they were different. I also wasn’t very respectful too women either. They were sex objects to be used to satisfy my manly needs. So, when the judge got me into his courtroom he decided to teach me a lesson in both areas. He made me into an African-American woman. It was horrible at first, I mean, I was everything I feared and loathed. But after I accepted who I was it got better. In a couple of weeks I couldn’t imagine being anyone but Ashlee Gang. Tell me Linda, when you look at the Judge who do you see?

"A middle-age white man in a black robe." Ashlee gave me a big grin.

"I thought so. When I look at the Judge I see a middle age black man. Someone else may see him as an Asian or Native American. The point is, he’s trying to show us it’s not the outside color that we should be looking at, but it’s what’s inside the person that matters."

"Who is this judge then?"

She got a concern look on her face. "I told you Linda, I can’t tell you. Believe me, I would love to but I can’t and even if I did you wouldn’t believe me. All I can tell you is that Judge Jasper is a nice boss to work for once he gets to know you."

"Right," I responded sarcastily. "Ashlee, the man hates my guts."

She gave me a soft smile. "I don’t think he hates you Linda. He just isn’t happy with the current situation. Working in Andersonville wasn’t his idea."

"You mean someone is forcing him to work here."

"No, you can’t force the Judge to do anything. What I mean is he was obligated to come here and isn’t very happy about it. Look, despite what you may feel towards the Judge you’re going to find out that he is a very honorable man. When he gives his word he keeps it, even if he doesn’t want to keep it. I think that’s what the problem is, the Judge is obligated to serve here and he isn’t happy about it. Give him a few days, he’ll cool down and then you’ll see the real side of him."

"What about this morning? Does he always turn men into women?"

Ashlee laughed lightly. "No, just most of the time. I’ve kept a few statistics since I started working for him. In the cases of men over the age of 18, about 71% get turned into woman. For the woman that rate is even higher, about 90% get changed into men. Of course we get almost twice the number of men then we do woman coming through our town.

"Over 18? He changes kids to?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes," Ashlee said with some reservation in her voice as if she wasn’t sure she should be telling me this. "Not many but we do get some. However, the judge never makes them any older then they all ready are and usually they don’t have a memory of their past life. I’ve only known him to change the gender of five kids, all male to female.

"Where do these people come from?"

She frowned slightly at my question. "Look Linda, I’ve said too much already. Let me give you some advice instead. Andersonville is nothing like Peace River – not in the way it’s run anyway. It’s hard on the Judge to run his town the way he wants to and then this town under another set of rules. Give him time to adjust and be patient with him. He really is a nice man to work for once you get to know him.

"As for yourself, accept who you are and don’t look back on your old life. You’ll find the rewards of starting over with your current experiences to be a wonderful gift. Look, our food is here."

The waitress placed our pizza on the table and Ashlee dug into it with great enthusiasm. I was surprised to see how many slices the slender woman was able to put away. I tried asking her about various things but she either turned the conversation to something else or ignored my question all together. However, I did feel a certain bond toward her. She felt like a big sister who was genuinely concern that I would fit into my new role.

When we got back from lunch Officer Philips was waiting for us in my office. He was a tall, dark hair man who had let his midlife bulge get the best of him. Despite being over weight he looked fairly professional and even carried a pleasant smile. I noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding band, which surprised me a little. I would have thought all the cops in Andersonville would have been married.

"I’ve been waiting for you to return Miss Anderson," he said with a grin. "Dr. Green would like to see you. Her office is on the second floor, room 212."

"Who’s Dr. Green?" I wanted to know.

"You’re find out when you get there." I heard the cop chuckle as he left.

"Do you know who she is?" I said to Ashlee.

"I’ve never heard of her before. Maybe she’s a medical doctor and needs to examine you. I’ll finish up here while you’re gone."

"Sure – thanks." I wasn’t to thrill about seeing this doctor, and I certainly didn’t want anyone examining my new body. As I made my way toward the steps the elevator door opened up and a man wearing a business suit walked out.

‘Why walk when I can ride,’ I said to myself. I got inside elevator and hit the second floor button, only the door didn’t close.

"What’s going on here," I said out loud with some aggravation. I hit the close button several times but nothing happened.

"Stupid elevator!" I started pushing the number 2 on the panel and close door button at the same time but the door remained open.

"Something wrong Miss Anderson?" It was Dave Williams standing in the hallway giving me a humorous grin.

"Yea, I can’t get this stupid door to close." It annoyed me slightly that I had to explain the obvious to him. Why else would I be standing in the elevator pushing these buttons?

"Yes, we’ve been having trouble with it," he explained. "Step out in the hallway for a moment and let’s see what happens." I did as he told me and almost immediately the door closed.

"Looks like everything’s fine now," he said turning to leave. I pushed the service button several times but nothing happened.

"Hey!" I yelled back at him. "It’s not opening now."

The cop turned back and looked at me. I noticed a small smile underneath his bushy mustache. "I’m afraid the elevator has been out of order for months Miss Anderson. But don’t fret, the stairs will be good exercise for you."

"Months! But I just saw somebody get out of it!" I protested.

"I’m afraid that’s impossible Miss Anderson, we can’t even get door to open. Now you better hurry, you don’t want to keep Dr. Green waiting." Before I had a chance to reply the officer turned and walked away.

‘Damn head games,’ I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. Were all the cops like him, denying reality?

I made my way up to the second floor and found Dr. Green’s office. There was the blond hair woman I had seen in court earlier fixing a small pot of coffee. She looked up and gave me a warm smile.

"Hello Linda," she said in a welcome tone. "Please come in, I’ll be with you in a moment." She went back to fooling with her coffee machine.

The free time gave me a chance to look around the room. Her office looked out over Main Street, which at this time of the day was still slightly crowded with cars from the lunchtime rush. While it was a rather small room there was a comforting atmosphere about it. In one corner a filing cabinet and small desk. In another area of the room there were a couple of chairs, a couch, and a lamp. Hanging from the walls were paintings of different locations – a view of a forest and a waterfall, as well as other beautiful places. There was no doubt in my mind that this Dr. Green was a psychiatrist.

As for the doctor, she was a skinny and attractive woman in her late twenties, wearing a white, silk blouse and a pair of brown pants with a matching jacket. There were several gold chains around her neck and a huge ring to indicate she was married. Her eyes were light brown and she had a trusting smile. If I had still been a man I would have found her interesting but now – now it didn’t have the same effect on my body.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Linda. I just moved into my office over the weekend and I’m not very well organized yet. My name is Dr. Caroline Green, but you can call me Carol. Can I get you anything to drink, coffee or tea maybe?"

"No thank you doctor," I replied rather smugly. I wasn’t about to get too friendly with a psychiatrist. I planned to keep her at arm’s length.

She laughed softly. "I don’t blame you for feeling that way. I guess I would too under the circumstances."

"So you know who I am?"

"Of course," she answered honestly while opening up a file lying on her desk. "You ‘use’ to be Tom McClain and were marriage for almost two years to your best friend. You had an adopted daughter named Tracy and you were an orphan for most all your life. Do you want me to go on?"

"No thank you, I know my own history. And you’re wrong Dr. Green, I didn’t use to be Tom McClain – I still am Tom McClain. So let’s not play any games. Why am I here?

"Please, sit down Linda." She made a motion for me to take a seat in a chair near her. "Or Tom if you prefer." I felt the last part was added to humor me, which only added to my silent angry.

"Wouldn’t you rather have me lie down on the couch instead," I taunted.

"That’s up to you," she answered in a tone that was surprisingly comforting. "Look Linda, I’m here to help, not pick your brain."

"What kind of help are you offering me?" I asked with great mistrust. "A way out of this fantasy world?"

The doctor giggled softly. "No Linda. I’m offering you a way to fit in. Let me explain what my role is. I’m to be your mother, your girlfriend, your helper, and guide in your new female world. I’ve had a lifetime experience at being a woman."

"So you were born a female, is that what your trying to tell me?"

"Correct. Whatever you need to help dealing with your new role I’m here for you. Over there," she pointed to a small feminine table, "I can show you how to apply your makeup properly. If you need advice on dating, you can ask me. And when you get your first – period," she said the word softly, "I’ll show you how to insert the tampon." I winced at the thought.

"It’s going to happen Linda, sometime in the three weeks I suspect. And when it does. I will be there to support and help answer all your questions," she said in rather smoothing tone.

"But we’ll also do fun things together," she added brightly. "We’ll go shopping and I’ll help you pick out clothes and underwear – things that all young woman need. And we’ll go out to lunch together so you can see and feel how women interact with each other. Soon it’ll be like second hand to you."

"What about now?" I asked. "Supposing I’m not interested in having you show me how to apply my eye shadow or lipstick?"

"Then we can talk about other things, like staying healthy. Even though you’re a young, healthy female, you’ll need to start taking care of your body differently then you have in the past. For instance, take drinking water. It’s important that you drink a least 6 glasses of water to keep you skin smooth.

"Wait a minute! Stop, stop, stop!" I launched out of my chair and stood in the middle of the room. "I don’t ‘want’ any of this. I don’t ‘want’ the shopping trips or the girl’s night out or the dates with boys opening up doors for me. And I sure as ‘hell’ don’t ‘want’ the monthly ‘PERIODS' you’re talking about!’ All I want is to be me again – Tom McClain – an all-American male. How long will I be stuck in this role?"

She looked at me with a touch of concern. "He didn’t tell, did he! I’m sorry Tom, I thought you knew. The fact is you will remain Linda Anderson for the rest for life. I know that sounds a little scary right now Tom – but I promise with my help you’ll look and act like any natural born woman by the time we’ll through. You just need to learn how to adjust."

"That’s the point ‘doctor’," I almost snarled. "I don’t want to adjust. I was very happy with the sex I was born with. I liked being a man just as much as you liked being born a woman. Can’t you understand that?"

 

"I do," she said sympathetically, "but I can’t change your future. Tom, sit down please and listen carefully to what I have to say." I did as she asked with a glum look on my face. "Why Judge Jasper turned you into a woman I can’t say. You could ask him but I don’t think he’ll give you the answer you are looking for. Remember what you told your friend, Al, when he got changed into Jennifer?"

"Yes and how do you know what I said?" I demanded to know.

"Because I talked to your brother earlier. I see every new resident who remembers there past life, it’s my job. But I digress – you told him that Al Parker was dead and he needed to accept being Jennifer. Tom, you need to do the same thing."

"But that’s different," I almost yelled out. "Al couldn’t have survived another treatment of Dr. Jensen’s serum. He was forced to remain living as Jennifer Anderson. If that weren’t the case I would have turned him back into Al Parker myself. But with me, all the Judge has to do is wave his hands and I’m a man again. This isn’t a permanent situation – it can be changed! I could become Tom McClain again."

"Technically you’re probably right. But the reality is he won’t do it. I’m here to prepare you for your new life as Linda Anderson. If he were planning on changing you back then I wouldn’t have been assigned to this task. I’m sorry Tom, it’s not the answer you wanted but it’s the truth. You have to accept that you’re now Linda Anderson and will remain so until you die." Dr. Green paused for a second before continuing. "If you like, I can prescribe some medication that’ll help make it easier for you to accept what has happened."

It was laid out on the table like an offer, one which I had no intentions of accepting. "No drugs doctor, I’ll fight you on that."

"I don’t want to fight you Tom," she responded carefully. "But the offer is there if you want to take it. It won’t affect how you think, only how you feel about certain things."

"You mean like men, don’t you?"

"Yes, among other things. It’ll help you accept your womanhood much easier. Either way you’re going to have to accept and live with the fact you are now Linda Anderson, a young woman."

"Who do you report to?" I demanded to know.

She looked a little hurt by the question. "No one Tom. Whatever you tell me stays in this room. If it was any other way I wouldn’t have taken this job."

"And I can talk to you about anything?"

"Only in here," she cautioned him. "Once you leave this room you have to revert back to the role you were given. Call this a small respite from your current reality.

"Okay, then why is it everyone seems to deny the reality of the situation. For instance, Sargent Williams told me the elevator was broke and they couldn’t even get the door to open – only I not only saw someone get out of it, I was standing in the damn thing until he pulled me out. Or the fact that if you try to leave town you find yourself entering back into Andersonville from the north!"

"Well," Carol Green started out; "one reason is because this doesn’t happen to us. We can come and go whenever we want. In fact, I don’t live in Andersonville; I live in a town nearby. So for us that reality doesn’t happen to us."

"But you know it does happen, right?"

"Yes." At least Dr. Green was truthful about it.

"Well the cop who gave me a ticket Saturday acted like I was nuts. Did he know about this loop, or whatever you call it?"

"He knew, but he’s been told to act like it doesn’t exist. And I was really upset to find out the boy’s in the bunker let you crash. In fact, I have a meeting with their supervisor in 10 minutes and I’m really going to raise hell with them. Both of you could have been seriously hurt or killed."

"Bunker?" I asked. The doctor blushed slightly at her mistake.

"I wasn’t suppose to tell you that Linda. Look, forgot about what I just said. Instead, I want you to concentrate on your current life. Accept who you are and try to enjoy the things being a woman has to offer. It’s a lot more pleasant they you think." She gave me a warm and caring smile that I took to be genuine.

"I guess we should talk about your restrictions before you go."

‘Restrictions’ I wanted to yell out. So now I was being restricted on what I could and could not do. This was never mentioned in the deal I made with Dennis Butz.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded to know.

"Every resident assigned to Andersonville is given a restriction level from 1 and 7, seven being the most restrictive. Most new residents have a level 5 status but you were granted a level 4,"she told me pleasantly.

"And that’s suppose to make me happy?" I responded. "What does this mean to me?"

"Basically it means you can go anywhere in town and outside the city limits to the north – up to where the cliffs are. This will allow you to go camping in the woods anytime you want as long as you clear it ahead of time with Sargent Williams or myself. Under normal conditions you would have long-distance and Internet privileges but those are being withheld from you right now – I’m sure you can understand why. Give it a couple of months and even those restrictions will be lifted. There are other things you can do that we can talk about on Wednesday."

"It sounds like I’m in prison."

"Oh Linda," she said jokingly. "It’s not like that at all. This is only being done for your own protection. Once you become accustomed to your new life you will be given more freedom. But to be honest, I can tell you’re still a little upset by what has happened and you may make a rash decision that could affect your life here."

"Like run my car into a wall?" I said.

"Yes, something like that." She gave me another one of her warm, welcoming smiles that was suppose to break the ice but I ignored it. I was a prisoner in Andersonville and she was one of my wardens who was going to tell me what I could and could not do by her timetable. I wasn’t pleased at all.

"Well, I have to go to my other appointment and you need to get back to work young lady." I felt like the "young lady’ was added by her to

re-affirm my position here. "I’ll see you again on Wednesday afternoon Linda. Maybe we can do lunch on Friday if you feel like it."

I didn’t say anything as she walked with me down the stairs. I was in a state of semi-shock to learn they planned to keep me as Linda Anderson for the rest of my life. After saying goodbye I pretended to go into the bathroom but instead peeked outside to see her where she went next. It came as no surprise to me that she got into the elevator. So there wasn’t any question about it, the elevator was the way to the bunker she had mentioned. That meant the people I saw exiting the elevator weren’t really business people at all but some kind of technical personal. When I walked back into my office Ashlee was filing some paperwork.

"How did it go?" she wanted to know.

"It was different," was the only answer I could come up with. To be honest, I didn’t know how it had gone. The doctor was planning to see me three times a week which lead me to believe it hadn’t gone all that well.

"Now that you’re back, I want to teach you how to focus on a subject."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"When the Judge changed you into his assistant, he gave you certain powers. This was done so he and his people could channel into one of the residents and find out things about them. Here, let’s give it a try. Take my hand and focus on Peggy Wilson, our first case of the day. Picture her in your mind and when you have her – let your mind go."

I took Ashlee’s hands and got a mental image of Peggy in my mind. Then I relaxed a little and found everything around me go black. I felt my mind moving, as if I being transported through a long dark tunnel, and suddenly I was in her old male body looking up at the Judge who was talking. It was weird; I could feel Mr. Jarvis/Peggy’s fear, anger, concern, and a range of other emotions as well. Right now he was asking himself what he had got into as the judge was getting ready to pronounce his sentence. Unexpectedly, I was jerked back down that same dark tunnel and into my own body again.

"What was that?" I asked.

"It was the story of her life. We could have gone forward or backward from that point but I didn’t want too overdue it your first time. How do you feel?"

"Tired," I responded. "I felt like I had just had a 30 minute workout on my treadmill. "How long did that last?"

"About 10 seconds. Don’t worry, it gets easier every time you do it. In a month you won’t even feel any side effects."

"So your telling me I can tune into anyone’s life whenever I want?" Actually it was kind of cool thought.

"No," Ashlee told me. "You can only use the power when the Judge or one of his clan gives you permission to do so. If you try it on your own it doesn’t work. Oh, one more thing. Don’t believe everything you see or feel. It’s possible for the individual to make up things in their mind that seem true but really isn’t. Sort of like telling a lie over and over again, after a while it feels like the truth to them."

"How will I know when that happens?" I asked.

"You won’t. In some cases you’ll just have to use your instincts. But it’s not your job to figure it out, the Judge will take care of that."

"How often do you have to use this power?" All of the sudden I had a deep desire to find out everything I could about the Judge and his people. I suspected with their attachment to Area 51, they were space Aliens who had crashed on the earth and decided not to leave.

"I use my power about 2-3 times a day but I live in the same town that they do. I suspect that the number of times you have to use your powers will be a lot less. However, that could change soon. Many of the Judge’s people have business interest in Andersonville that will require them to come here on a fairly regular schedule.

"Like me?" someone said humorously. In the doorway stood a young man, perhaps 25 years old, wearing a business suit and tie. He was about 6 feet tall, skinny but not too skinny, and wore an almost boyish grin.

"Hello Ashlee, how’s it going. And this must be Linda Anderson. You’ve made quick a stir among our people Linda, or should I say, as Tom McClain you did."

I was surprised to see he was so open not only about himself but my past as well. Other then Carol Green, he was the first person to admit who I once was.

"Mark, you know the rules," Ashlee responded but her warning wasn’t too stern. "Linda, this is Mark Merrick. He’s one of our police officers in Peace River. Watch out for him."

The man faked a painful look. "Ashlee, I’m hurt. I’m one of the nicer people in Peace River. Beside, I’m starting up a business here in Andersonville." He handed me a card that read ‘Mercury Connections’ with a dark picture of the Roman God Mercury – without the wing shoes.

"I have a small store at the Andersonville mall," he continued, "where I sell cell phones, fax machines, Internet services. If you need something that deals with communications I’m the person you want to see Linda."

"Don’t you think it’s a slow business to get into?" I asked him directly. "Most of the residents can’t call outside this little town of yours, let alone have Internet access."

He spotted me a knowing grin. "True, but you can always use a cell phone to call your boyfriend anytime during the day." So now we were back to playing mind games again. "Really, I can make you a good deal on a cell phone Linda – and the Internet access when it becomes available to you."

I looked at his card and noticed there was something odd about the dark figure imprinted on it. Then I figured out what is was and asked, "I thought Mercury wore wing shoes?" He flinched at the comment.

"They were in style at the time." Mark Merrick explained as if he knew the Greek God. I course I knew that was nonsense, the God Mercury didn’t exist.

The policeman/salesman quickly changed the subject and said, "Stop by my store sometime this week Linda and I’ll set you up with a brand new cell phone and knock 20% of the first month."

"I’ll think about it Mr. Merrick."

Ashlee interrupted us. "Did you need to see the Judge before we go Mark?"

"If he’s in." The man looked toward the door for a moment as if he were sending a mental message. "Looks like I can go in. I should only be about 5 minutes or so Ashlee. Linda, it was nice meeting you. I hope you’ll take me up on my offer." He shook my hand then opened up the door and went inside.

"What’s going to happen in 5 minutes," I asked.

"Mark’s flying me back home."

"But what about my training? I’m not ready yet," I protested vigorously.

"You’ll do fine Linda. Just don’t do anything to make the Judge mad and everything will work out fine."

‘As of that was possible,’ I wanted to say. The man was impossible to get along with.

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

I finally made it home from my first, exhausting day at work. Fortunately for me the Judge didn’t come out of his chambers the rest of the afternoon. He did call me in once to complain that I hadn’t made his coffee strong enough and made me make him another pot while he belittled me for it. It was enough to make me want to scream but I somehow found the strength to hold my tongue. Now the pleasant smell of chicken and mash potatoes ran through the house. It was one of my favorite meals.

"Hi sweetheart," mom said tenderly. "How was your first day at work?"

"Rough," I replied. Dad gave me a smile and chuckled.

"Welcome to the working world honey – it’s not like high school."

I wanted to argue that I already knew what the working world was like but knew it was a useless battle. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson didn’t remember their own past lives and they sure didn’t remember Tom McClain. To them I was simply their daughter Linda, who they had raised all these years in this quiet little town. But then, the good news was they didn’t remember losing Linda, Steve, and Jennifer. For them, not remember there past lives was probably the best thing that could have happened to them.

"I’ve made your favorite dinner to mark your first day of work," Mom said proudly.

"Thanks Mom," I replied in a tired voice and then, to her surprise, gave her a big hug. She was such a warm and caring woman, and a great mother. The kind of mother I use to dream about while growing up in the orphanage. Having her around almost made up for having to pretend to be her daughter.

"Can I help you with anything?" I offered.

"You to set the table for me?" she answered.

"Sure mom." I grabbed some plates and started putting them around the dinner room table.

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

Day two was much like day one except I didn’t have Ashlee to lean on. Judge Jasper was in his usual foul mood that day. The police led five male prisoners into court, one at a time. In the end, each one was turned into young girl between the ages of three to 10. Fortunately for them, none of the little girls remembered their past lives. I wondered if it was a random event on what person they became or if Judge Jasper decided beforehand. My guess was the latter since Dr. Green wasn’t present in the courtroom this morning to guild them through the trauma and shock of being changed into another person and/or gender.

After the morning court dates Judge Jasper disappeared into his chambers, leaving me to work on the pile of paperwork he had given me. An hour later my phone buzzed and it was the Judge calling me into his office again. There was an impatient look on his face.

"I'll be gone the rest of the afternoon," he said with a scowl as if he didn’t trust me to be alone. "But before I go, I want to practice your focusing skills with me. Talk my hand!"

It was a rather rude command but I obeyed. I took his hands and suddenly felt my head was being invaded by his thoughts.

"You’re fighting me!" he said to me sternly. "Why?" But I noticed he wasn’t really talking with me, rather he was invading my mind with his thoughts.

 

"What – how – I can hear you talking to me." I replied back in real words.

"Of course you can young lady. Now stop fooling around and focus on our second case of the day – little Tina Felts." He jerked my hands slightly to focus and I felt myself going into a slight trance. There was Tina as a young boy, maybe 7 years old, running from his father who was half drunk. The much bigger man was holding a belt in one hand and an open bottle of beer in the other.

"Come back here you little shit!" he yelled at the frighten boy. "I’m going to teach you to respect me from now on." Tina tried to run in his room and lock the door but his father got to him first. He threw his son hard against a wall and Tina ended up on the floor.

"Now I’ll teach you not to back-talk me." He raised the belt up high over his head and brought it down with all his might. I could feel the pain of belt hitting the boy’s shoulder and back – as well as the fear and sadness the he was feeling. It was too much for me to handle and I jerked myself out of the trance.

"My – my – God. How could he do that to his son?" I wanted to know. Judge Jasper never said a word. Instead he stood up and went back behind his desk, a sorrowful look on his face. I could see he felt the same way I did.

"Judge?"

"Miss Anderson," he said in a firm but neutral voice. "You need to work on your skills more. For one thing, you tired too easily. Being a young girl, I can understand why but we need to get you up to speed. I want you to start jogging at least 3 miles a day. This will help tone your body and build up your tolerance. Do you understand?" I did and nodded my head.

"Good, I hate repeating myself." He stood up. "I’m leaving now. You will not enter into my office unless it’s to drop something off on my desk, do I make myself clear?" I nodded my head again.

"Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Close the door as you leave."

I spent the rest of the afternoon filling out paper work and filing the previous morning cases. But no matter how hard I work, my mind kept going to back to Tina Felts. In her past life he was known as Flex Kalua, a three-time loser at stealing other people’s cars. The last time he had been caught red-handed boasting a new corvette from his neighbor’s driveway. I had to admit; at least he lost his freedom by going out in style. The judge presiding over his case had decided the man was hopeless and threw the book at him. Flex had been giving so many years in jail that by the time he got out he would have been too old to drive.

While I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for criminals, I wondered what kind of person I would’ve turned out to be if a father who was a drunken-monster had raised me. So maybe Andersonville was suppose to be a second chance for people like him. It seemed like a pleasant idea anyway. Then I remembered Pete Atkins telling the town was set up to stop a conflict between his people and theirs. If this was so, why did they need other people to fill in the blank spaces? I so busy thinking that I didn’t realize it was after five o’clock until my dad showed up.

"Working late honey?" he asked me.

"Sorry dad." I grinned foolishly. "I guess I lost track of time. Let me grab my purse."

"No problem dear, I wanted to see where you worked anyway. Nice office by the way."

"I guess. I would introduce you to Judge Jasper dad but he’s already left for the day." But then I began to think that I hadn’t actually seen him leave, so maybe he was still in his office. "Let me drop some papers on his desk and then we can go."

I slipped into his office to find it empty and ventured he must have slipped out through the courtroom to avoid passing by me. I laid a few files on his desk that he had wanted and locked the door as I left.

"I hope mom made something good for dinner," I said as we left. "I could use a good meal after today." Dad just laughed and put his arm around me as we walked out to the car.

 

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

I thought the first two days of working for this monster had been bad but I was about to be in for a rude awakening. He came bellowing out his office door even before I had a chance to sit down.

"What is the meaning of this," he demanded to know.

"What?" I asked innocently enough. I had no idea what he could be so mad about.

"You have these papers in the wrong order. I want the profiles of the person last, not first. And you misspelled several words and used improper grammar. Look," he pointed his finger at a sentence. "You used ‘a’ instead of "an" here. It’s all screwed up. I want you to retype it over again and this time file everything the way it’s suppose to be – do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal!" I replied softly back in an acid tone and on the verge of losing my temper with him. He returned my reply with a stare that almost made me wish I hadn’t said it that way but it was too late now. I held my ground and gave him an icy glare back. Then I noticed a slight, thin smile on his face as he turned and went back into his office. It was the first thing he had done out of character this week and left me a little unnerved.

We had two more transitions that morning only this time neither one had a criminal record. One was a middle age lady who was dying of breast cancer. Her file said she’d been divorced for almost three years and didn’t have any living relatives. It made me wonder if the other people Judge Jasper had transformed had also been loners. She was changed into a 13-year-old girl with long, red hair and didn’t seem to remember her past life.

The next case was a 27-year-old man who had decided to kill himself by taking an overdose of aspirin. Judge Jasper told him in strong words that he needed to learn a lesson about thinking of others to the Judge turned him into a 25-year-old mother of two. The man remembered what happened and wasn’t very happy as Carol Green and a couple of the police officers pulled her away. I could see Dr. Green was going to have her hands full this morning. No sooner had I taken a seat at my desk than the judge came out of his chambers and gave me an icy stare.

"Have you forgotten about your appointment today?" he asked

"What?" I responded. "I’m not suppose to meet with Dr. Green until this afternoon."

"I’m not talking about Dr. Green," he said thinly. "I’m talking about the ticket you got over the weekend. You were suppose to be in court 5 minutes ago."

"I’m – I’m sorry Judge Jasper," I responded in an apologetic tone. I had completely forgotten it was this morning. I stood up to enter the courtroom via his chambers but he blocked my path.

"Where do you think your going," he steamed.

"To court like you asked. I always follow you into court."

"Not this time," he hissed slightly. "You’re a defendant, you enter my courtroom like anyone else young lady. Now go around to the front and enter like your suppose to – and don’t stop along the way. I want you in my courtroom in 60 seconds." Before I had a chance to reply he walked into his chambers and slammed the door.

My temper rose and I was going to follow him anyway but good sense got the best of me. I walked down the hallway, turned toward the courtroom doors and went in. The judge was already seated and waiting. The cop who had given me a ticket, Officer Tabler, was watching me with almost an amuse look on his face. I took my place where so many others had before and faced the Judge.

"Well, I’m so glad you could join us today Miss Anderson," he said in a dry tone. "Officer Tabler, you would please tell us why we’re here."

"I cited Miss Linda Anderson Saturday afternoon for running her car into the dead-end barrier on the north end of Main Street Your Honor. While she hadn’t appeared to been drinking, she was acting in an irrational manner. Damage to the wall is estimated to be about $500."

"I see officer." Judge Jasper turned to face me directly. "It’s a good thing you weren’t drinking Miss Anderson or you’d be in real trouble. Not only are you underage, but I take a very dim view on people who drink and then get behind the wheel of a car. I’m going to fine you $150 dollars and –"

"Wait a minute," I interrupted. "Aren’t you going to give me a chance to explain myself?"

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF?" Judge Jasper roared angrily. "You mean you really believe you have a good explanation for running your car into a wall – besides just being plain STUPID!"

The bile rose in my throat. I should have kept my mouth shut but my anger got the best of me. "Yes, I can. It’s this damn road. When I –"

"Watch your language in my courtroom young lady," he warned me. "Do you understand me?"

Oh yes, I understood him fine. He was a prick and a bastard who was going to make my life a living hell for reasons I hadn’t figure out yet. He was pushing me to lose my temper but I wasn’t going to let that happen. No, I was going to show him I was a better man then he was even if I did have a female body now. I took a breath to calm down and then continued.

"Forgive my language Your Honor." The judge got a surprised look on his face as if he wasn’t expecting me to reply this way. "But when I left Andersonville heading south I found myself coming back into town from the north. So I thought if I drove north I would end up on the south side of town."

The judge gave the police officer a look as if I was talking to him in a foreign language. "Is this what you meant Officer Tabler by her acting in a irrational manner."

"It is your honor. Miss Anderson was also yelling and cursing at me. I finally had to restrain her and have her father pick her up."

"That’s a lie," I yelled out. The judge hit his gavel hard against the bench.

"You’re out of order Miss Anderson. If this officer says he had to restrain you then I believe he had to restrain you."

"He held my arm and placed me in his car Your Honor. It isn’t anything like he is describing to you."

"So now he’s exaggerating, is that it Miss Anderson?" I could see where he was going with this and didn’t reply. "I asked you a question young lady."

"Yes Your Honor." It was the wrong thing to say.

"And yet you want me to believe your foolish story about trying to leave town. I think I know how is exaggerating here."

"But it’s the truth," I insisted in a tone that was teetering on the edge of rage. He slammed his gavel down again.

"That’s enough Miss Anderson." I could almost see the steam coming out of his ears. "I find you guilty of reckless driving and damaging city property – as well as putting other lives in danger. I’m fining you $350 plus court cost AND – I’m ordering you to pay for damage to the wall. However, I’m willing to wave $100 of your fine providing you write Officer Tabler here a one page letter of apology for your rude treatment of him within the next 24 hours." The officer looked rather smugly at me.

"I’ll pay the full amount Your Honor," I said, letting my disgust show through. It was worth $100 to hold on to what little pride I had left.

"Suit yourself Miss Anderson. Court is adjourned." The Judge went back into his chambers while Officer Tabler made his quick exit out the side door. I stood there for a minute shaking in anger. I wanted to scream at someone but there wasn’t anyone around, and I most certainly wasn’t going to break down and start crying and give them any satisfaction – despite my new female emotions wanting me to do just that. I was going to beat them at their own game. I was going to be a stronger man then all of them. I wasn’t going to let them break Tom McClain down. I held that in my mind and went back to my office to re-type the reports from the previous days. I wasn’t going to let this ‘monster’ break me.

Almost an hour and a half later I had retyped and arranged the files the way Judge Jasper had wanted them to be. I thought it would make him happy but I found out I was wrong.

"Look at the way you worded these sentences," he started out. "It could mean anything by the way it’s written."

"What do you mean," I asked looking at the sentence. "It says that you asked Mr. Marshal if he had anything to say before you passed your judgement. He replied that he didn’t understand and you told him he would soon. Then you proceeded to transform him into Candy Bailey"

"Yes, now you see what I am saying?"

"No, it looks fine to me" I answered. My anger was now rising faster then I could control it.

"How can I work with such inapt help!" he started to rave. "Ashlee knows how to run a courthouse but you, a untrained monkey could do a better job. Must I do everything MYSELF! Is it too much to expect a little help from you now and then? How can I adapt under these conditions." It was too much for me to bear and I exploded in an angry rage.

"You self-centered selfish Ass! You wouldn’t know good help if it came up and bit you in the butt. You think you’re having problems adjusting, trying stepping into my shoes. I get turned into a girl, am forced to dress, act, and live as one – I get dumped into a crappy job with an unappreciative monster for a boss and on top of all that, I have to worry about getting a period. You think you have it hard – I’ll trade places with you any day of the week. You think you can do a better job on these files?" I grabbed them from his hands, "than you do them."

I throw the files on the floor with all my might and the papers scattered all over the place. Judge Jasper stood there with an almost triumphant look on his face. I found tears streaming down my face and ran out of the room in embarrassment. He had won – he had broken me. I was ashamed at myself but I couldn’t stop the cry that I felt coming. I ran into the restroom – too upset to realize it was the men’s room. But once inside I didn’t care. I dashed into the first stall slamming the door behind me and then I buried my face in my hands and started crying. I had told myself I wouldn’t break down like this but I couldn’t stop the tears. It was almost a relief as each tear and sob came out of my body. Slowly I began to feel better and in a few minutes my sobbing slowed down.

I heard someone walk into the bathroom and over to my stall. At first I was afraid it was the Judge but from the look of the shoes and pants I realized it was one of the Andersonville Police Officers. He knocked on the stall door.

"Miss Anderson, are you okay?" It was Dave Williams and there was a touch of concern in his voice.

"Does it sound like I’m okay," I shot back in cynical tone and immediately regretted doing so. I opened up the stall door and stepped outside wiping the remaining tears from my eyes. "I’m sorry Sargent Williams, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that."

He actually gave me a small smile as if he understood. "You’re using the wrong restroom Linda. I’m suppose to issue our new resident a ticket if they make this mistake but – I’m going to overlook it this time seeing that you were upset when you entered. But please try to make a more conscious effort next time. We don’t want to upset any of our visitors who happen to be here some day."

"Thank – thank you Sargent – Dave." He bushy mustache rose slightly.

"You’re not suppose to call me by my first name either– at least not yet. Judge Jasper wants to see you in his chambers. But first," he held up my purse, "I think you should go to the ladies room and freshen up some."

I thanked him for my purse and went into the ladies room. I looked at my face in the mirror – it was a mess. So I carefully worked to get it back into shape. I wanted to look my best when I marched back in the Judge’s chambers. I was going to show him that he won the battle but not that war, that my spirit hadn’t been broken yet.

I made careful strokes with my mascara, making my eyelashes appear longer and darker. Then I re-applied my eye shadow more carefully then I did this morning, making sure it covered the entire eyelid. My foundation had held up okay but my blush needed major repair. I ran some over my cheeks giving me an almost cheery look again. Finally I pushed out my lips and ran my pink lipstick over them. I didn’t look perfect but I least now you couldn’t tell I had been crying. Even the redness in my eyes was gone. I was ready to face the judge and whatever punishment losing my temper had cost me. It couldn’t have been as bad as the last two and a half days I thought.

I straighten out my dress and hose then stepped out of the bathroom. With every step I took my confidence grew; Judge Jasper was going to see a strong individual. Then fear struck – who I was kidding; I had seen what the Judge could do. I stopped and debated about going in but I knew I had to. If I didn’t I could never face myself in the mirror again. I took a deep breath to settle down then walked into my office. To my surprise, Dennis Butz was standing next to my desk.

"Hello Linda," he said pleasantly.

"Dennis, what are you doing here?" I was so happy to see him standing there that I forgot I was suppose to be angry with him for putting me in this position.

"I heard there was a little trouble," he said with a small grin.

"Yea, you could say that. I have to see Judge Jasper now." Dennis took my arm and led me out of my office.

"Why don’t I take you to lunch instead. My car’s right outside." It didn’t sound like I really had a choice in the matter. I got inside the large Buick and he started driving south out of town. Dennis pulled out his cell phone and punch in a number.

"Barry, this is Dennis Butz. I’m leaving town with Linda Anderson, authorization 34-deta black. Thank you Barry." He put the phone back in his pocket and continued to drive as if nothing was wrong.

"Where are you taking me," I asked nervously.

"There’s a nice place just outside of town," he replied without taking his eyes off the road. "I figured you could use a little outside field trip after this morning. We’ll be there in a few minutes, just relax."

The car crested over the same hill that had taken me back into town days before only this time there was nothing but open road ahead of us. I noticed we ran over three, black metal plates that crossed over the entire road. A couple of miles later Dennis pulled the car up to a small building called the Track Side Inn. We seemed to be the only customers there.

"This way," Dennis said and like a true gentleman, held the door open for me. A server greeted us at the door.

"Peter, we’ll like to get a table by the tracks." The man nodded and led us upstairs to the balcony that had about 15 tables on it with umbrellas. Our table overlooked two, well maintained sets of railroad tracks that ran next to the restaurant. Dennis held my chair out as I sat down and then took a seat across from me.

"I took the liberty of ordering for both of us," he told me. "Peter, I’ll take a cold Coors and bring the young lady a Bud light please." The man nodded and left.

"Don’t you know you could get in trouble for serving beer to a minor?" I said, making sure he caught the sarcastic tone of my voice with just a hint of anger.

"You look like you could use a drink right now," he responded with a grin. Peter was back in a moment with our drinks and our meal. Dennis had ordered both of us a chicken sandwich with fries. Then the waiter left us alone.

"I guess your new job hasn’t been working out so well," Dennis said with slight amusement.

"You could say that. By the way, you forgot to mention that my new job would required me to wear dresses," I replied sarcastically while hold out the hem of my dress.

"Oh?" he smiled in mock surprise. "It must have slipped my mind. Yes, you’ll be required to report to work everyday as a young woman. Sorry I didn’t mention that sooner."

"So, now that I’m fired are you going to turn me back into a man?"

Dennis got a surprised look on his face. "Fired? What makes you think you’re fired?"

"Isn’t that what this lunch is all about? To break the news to me gently so I won’t ball my eyes out? Besides, I’m sure Judge Jasper isn’t going to want me around after today."

The director laughed heartily. "Yes, the Judge was a little steamed about what you said. He gave me an ultimatum – you or him."

"So that’s it then," I replied a little relieved. "I’m out."

"No," Dennis told me in-between bites of his sandwich. "Judge Jasper’s out. I released him before you got there."

"You mean you fired him?" I was surprised.

"Not really. I’m replacing him with someone else." He paused to chuckle as if it was part of an inside joke that I wasn’t a privy to. "And believe me, the judge wasn’t any happier when he found out who I got to replace him. Tomorrow you’ll have new boss to report to. Trust me Linda, you’re going to get along with her just fine."

"What about Judge Jasper," I inquired.

"He'll go back to Peace River where he wants to be anyway. When the new judge is out, he'll fill in; but I suspect he'll be a lot more pleasant to be around. You see Linda, Judge Jasper wasn't really angry at you, it was me he wanted to get back at."

"I don’t understand, what did you do to him?" Dennis took another bite of his sandwich and I could see him debating how much he wanted to tell me.

"It’s better that you don’t know that part of the story. What Judge Jasper was trying to do was prove a point. First, he turned every new person brought into Andersonville into a female. Next, he started pushing you to lose your temper. You have to understand that while Andersonville may be my project Judge Jasper was the one running the show – under my rules that is. This created quite a stir with his people and he wanted out – but I wouldn’t let him. So he decided to get back at me at your expense I’m sorry to say. If I had let him continued the entire town would’ve been filled with woman in a few months. I really had no choice but to let him out of his obligation."

"What about me?" I demanded to know. "When do I get changed back into a man."

The director gave me his first serious look of the day. "You don’t. You’ll remain as Linda Anderson for the rest of your life."

"May I ask why?" I had been expecting that answer but still, it was a little hard to swallow. I knew I should have been boiling mad at Dennis Butz but I wasn’t. True, I was now a woman but the situation I have been thrown into – a warm, loving family setting – was something I had always desired while growing up. I was starting to believe that being Linda Anderson for the rest of my life was worth the price. Of course, I still hadn’t experienced all the things a woman does, like dating, periods, or having babies. These things I still found a little scary.

"You can ask me Linda but I won’t tell you, I have my reasons. You may not like or agree with them but I always do things for a reason." He stopped long enough to take a drink of his beer and continued, "I’m going to do something I normally don’t do. I’m going to reward you for sticking in there the way you have. I’ll allow you to ask me one question Linda. Whatever you ask I will answer it as completely as I can."

"One question," I protested. "I have 100’s of questions I want answered."

"Sorry. Only one question today." He held a single finger up in front of me.

"How about letting me ask multiple questions on one subject then," I countered. "I’ll even let you decide when to let the questions stop without a protest." Dennis thought about it for a moment.

"Agreed. What do you want to ask me?"

There were many questions burning in my head but one had been at the top ever since this started.

"The Anderson’s. Why did you give them back their family? They seemed to interest you somehow."

A thin smile appeared on Dennis Butz’s face. "A very good question Linda, I guess I should start at the beginning. When you and Mr. Parker ruined my plans, I wanted to see you both dead! I even had the elimination order on my desk waiting for me to sign it. I was furious no, in-raged. You don’t know how much of a blow that was to my plans by killing Dr. Jensen. But I decided to think about it a week before doing anything rash. I’m glad I did." He ordered us another beer from Peter and continued.

"During that week fate stepped in. I knew Al Parker was a duplicate of the real Jennifer Anderson and of course, I had her sister’s killer in my protection. Robert confessed to Linda’s murder, as well as the other three ladies he was suspected of and two more no one knew about. Well, I guess he really didn’t confess on his own; he didn’t have a choice. Anyway, I started investigating the Anderson’s just like you had and found out about them losing their three children. I’ve always been a man of justice Linda, and in this case I felt the Anderson’s needed a little. Yes Linda, I felt compassion for them just like you did. I made up my mind to help them if I could.

"So imagine my surprise when I found out you flew them up from Florida to meet with you. Not only that, but you did it in the hopes that Jennifer would take the place of their real dead daughter. So I asked myself why? With the title to Dr. Jensen’s house in your hand you didn’t need anything from them. Then it hit me – you saw the same need for justice in their life that I did. I knew I couldn’t kill you then. And I knew I had to find out more about you."

Peter brought us both another beer and cleared some of the empty plates away then retreated to the back. "The only thing that saved you from my wrath Linda was how you treated the Anderson’s. You became their children and from my sources I knew they were happy again. This gave me an idea, to really give them back their children."

"By using Al and myself," I added.

"Is that really so bad Linda?" Dennis asked me straightforward. "Wouldn’t you have done the same if you were in my shoes? The Anderson’s got what they so desperately needed – while you and Mr. Parker got what you wanted. Al was a good match for Steve and you were a fair match for Linda. Besides, I couldn’t allow you to stay out there in the real world knowing what you knew. By this time the construction of the town was already underway, I just changed the name of the town to Andersonville."

"What about Jennifer and all the rest of these made up characters that populate the town? What are they there for?"

"You already answered your own question Linda. They’re there to populate Andersonville. We need to keep up the appearance of a normal town after all. They’re sort of like temporary people, when someone new comes in they’re transformed into one of these holders and become a real person. The eyes are a problem of course but give our technicians another six months and you won’t be able to tell the real people from the temps."

"So one day Jennifer may become a real person.’

"Not maybe Linda, one day she will be real. I’ve given special instructions on what type of person will take over her life. She’s really is a sweet, young thing, just as the Anderson’s remembered her; just as others remember her."

"So where does Project Peace fit into all of this?" Somehow I knew the project had been more than just assassinating people.

"That’s not part of the subject I agreed to talk about Linda," he stated with a frown. "I have no intentions of answering that question."

"Then can you answer me this? Dr. Jensen didn’t know the real purpose of her serum, did she?"

"No." A pressed smile replaced his frown. "It was better to keep her in the dark of what my true plans were. Besides, she was too interested in tying to find the secret to eternal life. Living forever is highly over-rated, trust me."

"Because you can’t die," I pressed. "All those awards on that wall actually belonged to you, don’t they."

Dennis chuckled. "No, I will die Linda, just like you. If I’m lucky I’ll live another 30 years or so and then – " He held out his hands to indicate it was a mystery to him.

I feared the next question but I had to ask. "What about my friends, like Cynthia and Keith Bennett. What happens to them?"

"In time I will move them here. Cynthia will be changed into a male, if she wants to be that is. The new Keith, or should I say, Klien Walker, won’t be so lucky. In fact, he’ll end up in Peace River to face Judge Jasper. Of course before that happens, all of Keith’s memories will be merged into Cynthia’s mind. Your friend, Kevin Brown, will be handled a little differently. He’ll be asked to join our police force."

"And if he refuses," I inquired.

"I don’t think he will," Dennis replied back matter of factly. "You may not be aware of this Linda but Kevin is burned out on the patrol. He wants a job where he can spend more time with his family with normal hours. Being the cop that he is I think he’ll fit in well here in Andersonville. You’re worried about harm coming to your friends Linda and that is a commendable feature, but you’re worrying needlessly. None of them will be harmed in anyway." He looked down at his watch. "Wow, it’s getting late, I better get you to the mall."

"The mall? I’m not going back to work?"

"I think it’s better you give Judge Jasper as wide a birth as possible while he clears out his stuff. Besides, I think you could use a break today. I’ve arranged for Carol Green to take you shopping today – sounds like a lot of fun."

"If you’re a girl," I uttered unceremoniously.

Dennis beamed, "Which you happened to be now. Besides, you need to know what type of clothes to buy so you’ll fit in. Isn’t it better to have someone helping you with your new role then just throwing you into the water and watching you splash around and make a fool of yourself. Oh, that reminds me." Dennis flipped me a set of car keys.

"I’m replacing your car. Your accident shouldn’t have happened and the person responsible for it has been transferred out. Apparently he thought it was rather funny at the time but he wasn’t laughing after Dr. Green got done talking to him. And I’ve given orders to make sure no one will remember the accident, including your parents. Just don’t try pulling that stunt again Linda, there isn’t any way out of Andersonville unless I allow you to leave. Please accept that as fact."

Thanks Dennis." I looked at the keys and got a wide grin. "Tell me they belong to a Corvette."

"Close," he answered with his own devilish smile.

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

 

I drove into work the next morning behind the wheel of a shinny, cherry red Camaro. It wasn’t your regular stock Camaro – this car had chrome rims, a custom spoiler, a beefed up motor, and a jacked up suspension. It looked ever bit of the muscle car that it. I pulled into my reserved spot in the court parking lot.

"Nice car Linda," Sargent Williams said to me with an appreciative grin.

"Thanks Officer Williams," I replied back with delight. It was amazing how a car could change my outlook on life. I had been so excited when I first saw it that I took Carol Green on a two-hour cruise of

Andersonville – which was hard to do considering it only took about 15 minutes to circle the town.

But the time hadn’t been a total waste since we spent most of it talking about the many problems I was dealing with. Then we went shopping, which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Oh sure, it was embarrassing having someone discuss what bra size you need to buy or what color slip wouldn’t show through what color dress. And Carol tried leading me towards a discussion on feminine products but I drew the line there. Finally Dr. Green stopped trying and we started looking at jewelry. We found some necklaces that would go great with a couple of outfits I brought and couldn’t resist. By the end of the day I had spent well over $300 dollars on clothes and accessories.

When I got home later that evening dad was outside tossing the ball around with my brother. Steve’s eyes nearly popped out in envy when he saw me pull up. And Dennis was true to his word; my father didn’t remember a thing about my accident although my brother did. Apparently the power only worked on the temps and those who didn’t remember their past lives. And most important, I spent a stress-free night at home knowing I wouldn’t have to face ‘the monster’ the next day at work. I couldn’t see how this new judge would be worse.

The new judge was already in her chambers when I arrived at my office. She greeted me with a smile and waved me inside her chambers.

"You must be Linda," she said pleasantly. I could tell I was going to like her already. "I’m June Herns, your new boss. Would you like some coffee Linda, I just made a fresh pot."

I accepted her offer and she motioned for me to take a seat next to her on the couch.

"I guess we should go over the ground rules of what I expect of you," she said in an almost welcome tone. "There isn’t much I demand that you that you wouldn’t be expected to do at another job. Dress nicely, be on time, and always be pleasant to our visitors. On Fridays you can dress down, what I mean is you can wear pants and a sweater but no blue jeans. When we’re alone you can call me June but other times I want you to use my title. Any questions?"

It was so nice to be treated as human being with value that I almost didn’t want to jinx it by asking her any questions. But there was one burning in my head.

"Only one June, but I’m afraid it may be too personal to ask."

She reached over and patted my knee with her hand. "My child, if it’s too personal I’ll tell you. Now what would you like to know?"

"Well," I started off slowly, "Dennis Butz told me that Judge Jasper wasn’t to happy to find out he was being replaced by you. Can you tell me why?"

She laughed cheerfully. "I used to be married to the old goat but he cheated on me so many times that I left him. Now I try to make his life as miserable as possible. You might say I’m the one person he actually fears."

"Judge Herns, I think we’re going to get along real well," I said with a huge smile.

FADE OUT…

 

 

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