A Wish the Heart Makes : Fornever in Blue Genes

by: Tigger

 

Chapter 23: Estrangement

"MacPherson’s transition is complete, Freuda," Florence said as she entered the other woman’s office.

The older woman looked up from the file she was studying and gave Teri a hard look. *She’s changed so much in the past years,* Teri thought to herself. *Where is the smile that used to greet me when ever I would come to see her at school, and call her up on the televid?*

"And your point is, Florence?"

*She won’t even call me by my given name anymore she is so caught up in this feminist counter-insurgency movement of hers. It’s like we’re playing secret agents against the space marauders instead of trying to make the world better and safer than it is.* "We need to consider what we are going to do about her. We can’t leave her under the sedation indefinitely. Even with our modern techniques, eventually she’s going to suffer brain damage from the continuation of this chemically induced coma." "*She*?? You just said transition was complete, did you not?" Freuda asked coldly.

"Well, yes . . . "

"Then *he* is no longer a female. I don’t particularly care if *he* suffers brain damage. Even when he was female, he was a threat to us. When the Leader completes transition, she will decide MacPherson’s fate, but until that time, we will keep her sedated so that she is not a danger to our cause. Is that understood, Florence?"

"But, Freddie . . . "

"Do NOT call me that!" Freuda snapped. "Doctor of Psychiatry Fredricka Van Damme is no longer among us. Only Freuda of the New Women’s Order remains, and that is how you and everyone else will address me, regardless of our relationship in our former lives. Is that understood, Florence?"

Teri shuddered at the vehemence in her old mentor’s voice, and the strange light in her eyes, but nodded her assent.

"Very well, then. Do you understand your orders with respect to MacPherson?"

"Yes, Freuda, I understand them, and I will obey them." *For now, anyway,* she thought grimly. *For now.*

"Excellent. And how long do you estimate it will be for the Leader’s transition?"

"Another day or so, I would think," Teri answered carefully. "Physically, the Leader’s old and new forms are much closer in size than MacPherson’s were, so the transition does not have to be slowed to allow for the assimilation of the hyperactive nutrients that allowed MacPherson to grow so much during the transition to male. Even though the Leader started two, almost three days after MacPherson, she should finish a couple of days sooner."

"Well, keep me informed. That will be all, Florence."

"Yes, Freuda.

~--------------~

Cat left orders with her security team to wake her instantly if the need arose. She and Mandy went down hard for the first time in nearly seventy two hours. It was a measure of her own exhaustion that Cat forgot that Morag’s disappearance left other holes unfilled as well.

~-------------~

"I can’t get over it, Leader," a foolishly grinning Freuda all but gushed. "You . . . are . . . PERFECT! Welcome to womanhood, darling, where you’ve belonged all your life."

Teri looked on from her watchstation, feeling as if she were somehow reliving her recent past. The Leader certainly had the look of Mandy, right down to the nutrient accelerated hair growth. *Well, that is to be expected,* she thought, *genetically, she *IS* Mandy, right down to the smallest amino acid group. Except . . .* and here Teri fought not to stare, *she really doesn’t LOOK quite right - like something isn’t just as it should be, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what it might be.*

For a moment or two, she wondered if she should point out her concern to the two women seated on the bed, but then decided against it. *What could I say? "Sorry, Leader, but I think there is something wrong about you." Right, Teri, and get your head handed to you by Freuda. And I am not all that sure that would be a figurative head-handing, either. Something is seriously different about her, and that frightens me.*

Grimly, Teri shook her head to ward off those thoughts, and tried to eavesdrop on the two women.

"I don’t know, Freuda. Do you really think it is necessary? The process has still only been successful three times. Isn’t it enough that I can get us in there?"

"Leader," Freuda said earnestly, "If we are to take control of Sorenson’s company, we have to make things as smooth as possible. We’ve already hit them once, and we’re going to hit them again. If only Sorenson survives, particularly an attack that was enough to take out Donovan, it might be an issue for some of the police types, and Donovan *has* to die. She’s too bloody dangerous."

"But I still don’t see the point in the rest of your idea."

"Look, it was Jacobs who was able to blunt our original thrust by means of his legal maneuvering. And we can’t leave him alive - he knows Sorenson too well and he’d figure out something about you wasn’t quite right - eventually. We’d have to kill him. If he dies in yet a third attack, the compound will be crawling with investigators who might just figure out what is really going on in there. But having an "Adam Jacobs" on our side when you take over the company will definitely smooth things, particularly with the police, and will buy us time to consolidate your position at BioCybernetics."

The Leader went quiet, and then nodded. "You are sure this is the correct strategy? It is a great sacrifice to ask of a real woman - being made over into a mere man."

"Only for a while. Now that we have the process, in a year of so, Jacobs can die of natural causes and it can all be undone. Heavens, it can be done better as your own case will attest."

"All right. We’ll do it. We will move on BioCybernetics as soon as the transition is complete."

"Leader? I think you should move now, and have the new Jacobs join you when my transition is finished."

"That makes no sense. I will still have to deal with Jacobs, then."

"You can be injured, or in shock - whatever, but the longer we wait, the more time they have to recover their wits after our last attack. The very last thing they will expect is for us to come back, again, this soon after the last time."

The woman lying on the bed became quiet and thoughtful. Finally, she looked up at Freuda. "You’ve given this a great deal of thought."

"It is my duty to you and to the Order, Leader."

"Very well, then. Tell the attack team leader. We will move tonight."

"Excellent." Freuda turned to Teri. "Florence, have another nurse relieve you and meet me in the transition room. You have another subject to oversee through the process."

"Yes, Freuda," Teri answered as she buzzed for a relief nurse. "Who is going to be changed?" she asked.

"Me," Freuda responded, and then strode out of the room.

 

 

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© 1996 by Tigger. 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.