Note: This story contains references to Slothrop's series: I Can See For Miles.

 

The Protector: Race Against Time

by

Julie O

 

Chapter 22

Ally was cuddled up to Carol on the living room couch. The only light was from the fire, blazing in the fireplace. The room was filled with the sound of soft jazz.

"Robert has notified the West Coast office to start an investigation of Aztec. For now he wants me focusing on the recovery of the teens," explained Ally.

"What about the book?" asked Carol, as she pulled Ally closer

"Steve told me that they were ready to run the decoding program this evening. If he's right we may have a list of where the teens were initially sold by tomorrow morning."

"That explains the alert that was given out this afternoon. We were told to have agents ready to support a large raid on undisclosed locations over the next few days. By the way, I'm in on this one. They owe me for breaking into our home."

"Someone has a lot of confidence that the book holds the actual key. Maybe it's just Margo's recipe for chili."

"I doubt that. She's not that devious. It never occurred to her that she would be caught. That's why we were able to recover the original teens, along with most of her money. We know she used a simplistic code to hide some of her money. I suspect that wasn't to hide it from us, rather from Thomas."

"That makes sense," commented Ally, she shifted slightly and winced from moving her shoulder. "I doubt she trusts anyone."

"You okay?" asked Carol.

"No. That bastard really knew where to hit me to cause the most pain," replied Ally, rubbing her shoulder.

"When was the last time you took your pain pills?" asked Carol. She began to massage Ally's shoulder. "Before you ask, Doc Oliver told me to check up on you."

Ally laughed. "I guess that I'm due right now. Thanks for caring."

Carol leaned over and kissed Ally.

"Take your pills and we'll go to bed."

Ally smiled. "That's a fair tradeoff."

 

Chapter 23

"Looks like we got it," declared Steve, as he plopped down a file on Robert's desk. "The key was that the color codes didn't mark the letter for the code, they actually designated the letter or number just before the color coding. Clever, but not terribly difficult to break, according to my code breaker friends."

Ally opened it up and saw a printout of the sixteen teens, their dates of abduction, the purchaser, and the location where the teen was delivered.

"This is fantastic," stated Ally. She scanned the list and didn't see any names that stood out, other than the two men already in custody.

"Yes, but it's several years old. Remember that we raided Margo's farm, we found that several teens had been resold."

Ally nodded, thinking about one particular teen that she helped to deprogram. The teen had been sold to a sex club in Tokyo by the man who had bought her from Margo. The man who initially bought her had been killed in prison. The good news was that the teen was going to music school in the fall.

"First thing we do is track down the men and women on this list. Looks like most are local, although there are a few in the New York and Philadelphia area," stated Robert. "Once we've located them then we go in at once."

"The raids will have to be conducted as stealthy as possible, so that if a re-sale has occurred we can nail those bastards too," added Steve. "Afterwards, we can let the press have a field day."

"Steve, I'm giving this to you. Do not conduct the actual raids without my permission," instructed Robert.

"I already sent out a request to additional personnel. Ten raids conducted simultaneously will really stretch us, but we should be able to do it. I'll be back to you a plan this afternoon," stated Steve.

Robert nodded. "This is a top priority. Not just to rescue the teens, but we can't allow a convicted felon to dictate to us. I want to be able to tell Margo Simon that she failed."

"I want that job!" requested Ally.

 

Chapter 24

Two days later Steve called together the agents who would be conducting the raids.

"There are seven targets here in the DC area, one just outside Philly and two in the New York area. Of the two New York targets, one is the city and the other is in Connecticut," stated Steve.

Ally looked around the crowded briefing room. She recognized most of the agents. Carol sat right next to her. Ally was pleased that she was there.

"First the good news, we have all the suspects under surveillance, the fact that we've located them all means that they're not aware of Margo's deal. Now the bad news. Due to the circumstances of this case we must conduct the raids simultaneously. To maintain the secrecy of this operation the raids will be conducted very early in the morning. Our research has shown that three is a good time," continued Steve.

Ally looked around her. Many of the agents were nodding knowingly.

"I stress that teamwork for this operation is vital. I selected the teams and leaders based on experience. If anyone has a problem with this, you can leave now. This is not subject to discussion," stated Steve seriously.

No one left.

A PowerPoint slide was projected on the screen. Ally was pleased to see that Carol was one of two non-Spec-Ops personnel to lead an assault, tasked with a target in Falls Church. Ally saw that she had been assigned to a team led by Tom and their target was in Philadelphia.

"Team leaders, I have your strike files up here. After we break up here, take your teams and conduct your specific briefings," continued Steve. "As soon as you're done report back to me."

"Have we confirmed that the abducted teens are with the suspects?" asked Carol.

"Not in all cases. That information will be in your individual team briefs."

Ally followed Tom and the rest of her team to a separate briefing room.

"How do you feel about working for me?" asked Tom as they walked to their briefing area. "I mean you're a department head…."

"I'm excited to be working WITH you. I only wish that Madison was with us," interrupted Ally. "I may be a department head, but you have far more experience in these sorts of things. I'm just another agent for this operation."

Madison was Tom's partner.

"He's got the target in Arlington."

Ally nodded.

"By the way, I asked for you," whispered Tom with a grin on his face. "Madison wanted you too, we flipped a coin to get you."

In spite of herself, Ally felt herself blushing.

Ally was pleased to see that she knew the other three members of their strike team. Jo and Miguel had been with her when they raided Margo's farmhouse. The fifth agent, James Booker was from Missing Persons. He was almost as big as Madison at six –three and very muscular, a proud veteran of DC police force before he transferred to the Agency. Ally had worked with him once or twice in the recovery of teens.

"It's good to have you back on the team," greeted Miguel.

"I'm happy to see you again too," added Jo.

"Thanks," replied Ally.

Tom then introduced them to James and began the briefing. He covered the specifics of the target and explained the local police would not be brought in until just prior to the raid, which should reduce the chances of tipping off the their adversaries.

Tom held up a photo of an obese man in a poorly fitting suit. "Now, I don't expect the raid to be that difficult, still we can't take anything for granted. The target, Stanley Domi, is fifty-three and very overweight, he's pushing three and a half bills. He's single and lives in a large house outside a small town called New Hope in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His house is near the Delaware River with his nearest neighbor a half a mile away. Surveillance has shown that he has one bodyguard. Additionally there are two other persons in the house. One we've identified as a groundskeeper. He sleeps in the carriage house. The other person appears to be his maid and cook. This may be the teen," explained Tom.

Ally read that the teen's biography. His name was Dean Collins and he had been abducted almost four years ago from Fairfax, Virginia. At the time of his abduction, Dean was thirteen. He was the only son of Marty and Kathleen Collins. Marty was a fireman and Kathleen a substitute teacher. His abduction had devastated both of them. There were several photos of Dean in the file.

Ally looked at one of the photos and saw a smiling thin teenage boy. She shuddered thinking about what he may look like now.

"We'll have a support team standing by to assist with the teen. I don't have to remind you that the teen will mostly be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome and may try to protect Stanley," continued Tom.

"Where does the bodyguard sleep?" asked Miguel.

"He has a room on the first floor. He'll be your target. Jo, you'll back up Miguel. James, you'll secure the groundskeeper. Ally and I will take Stanley and secure the teen. We'll be augmented with the team out of Philly who already has the house under surveillance. We'll have the State Troopers to cover the grounds and provide additional backup. I've worked with them before and they're pretty good. We'll keep the local police out of the picture until after we recover the teen."

"Can we see the floor plans?" asked Jo.

Tom smiled and rolled out several drawings. For the next several hours they reviewed the drawings and came up with the best way to assault the house. Tom noted that there was an alarm system, and it was a type they could easily disable. Critical to the mission was to cut the power as soon as the assault started. They would be using night-vision goggles and in the confusion they should have the suspects in custody before they even knew what was happening.

"They do have an emergency generator, but it doesn't have an automatic startup," stated Tom. "The switch is located on the ground floor near the kitchen."

"So when do we go?" asked Ally.

"Tomorrow night. We leave here this morning and join the stakeout team," stated Tom. "Our gear is being loaded on the plane as we speak. We'll be flying in Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Warminster in time for a late lunch."

Jo looked at the itinerary and smiled. "Cool, I know a great cheesesteak and hoagie place right outside the base."

Ally had enough time to find Carol and hug her goodbye.

On the way to the airport, Ally read the file on the missing teen. Dean Richard Collins had been abducted from a local soccer field. He was waiting for his parents to arrive when a white van pulled up and grabbed him. There were two witnesses to the abduction, but they were on the other side of the parking lot when it occurred. Despite the fact that they immediately called the police no trace had ever been found of Dean or the van.

As Ally read the file she came to the conclusion that Dean was a very average teenager, who had the bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The abductors had probably staked out the field and grabbed the first teen to match their requirements.

Ally looked at a team photo taken just two weeks prior to his abduction. He was a short thin thirteen-year-old boy with shoulder length brown hair. He had a pleasant smile and didn't look like he had a care in the world.

As she read on, she found out that Dean was a good student, although he was struggling in math at the time of his abduction. In addition to playing soccer, Dean was in the school band. She looked at the photo of him playing a trumpet.

Ally returned to the police report. The police apparently delayed their initial search because the witnesses were boys Dean's age. The detectives thought it was a joke and didn't start their investigation until they contacted Dean's parents to confirm that they didn't have a white van. The actual search for the van didn't start for almost an hour. Ally shook her head in disgust; it was possible if they had reacted sooner they might have saved Dean from almost four years of living hell.

Dean's parents had spent the last four years investigating every possible lead. While they never gave up, they apparently had become frustrated with the lack of help from the local police. Ally was surprised that the police hadn't been more helpful, and wondered if there were some payoffs involved. In several cases the Agency had discovered corruption by the very officers assigned to the missing child's case.

 

Chapter 25

On the flight to Willow Grove, Ally sat in the back of the plane and continued her reading. She was learning all about their target, Stanley Domi. He owned several used car dealerships in the Philly area. That was the legitimate side of his business. He also owned several strip joints. If Dean wasn't in the house, Ally suspected he might be working in one of Stanley's clubs.

Stanley Domi had a long rap sheet of minor criminal activities, ranging from pimping to drug dealing. He had also been charged several times with fraud. His car dealerships had been fined several times for fraudulent business practices, ranging from excessive finance charges to rolling back odometers.

Ally thought it was odd that he made the jump to dealing with sex slaves. He went from living in a row house in South Philly to an expensive home in the suburbs.

"Ally, are you busy?" asked Jo.

Ally closed the file. "I was just reading up on what a wonderful person Stanley Domi is. What's up?"

Jo was a short athletic looking young woman. Her dark red hair was cut very short, but stylish. She had been recruited to Steve's team from the Arlington Virginia PD. Steve spoke very highly of her and she was in line to lead one of his assault teams. Steve required the same physical standards for all his agents, regardless of their age or gender. From what Ally had heard, Jo consistently finished in the top for their quarterly physical fitness tests.

Jo sat down next to Ally and looked around. Tom was sleeping. Miguel and James were playing cards in the front of the plane.

"I was hoping to have a chance to talk with you," stated Jo nervously. "Can I ask you something?"

Ally nodded. "Sure."

Jo glanced around, as if to see if anyone was listening. She then leaned close to Ally. "I know this might not be the best place to talk, but this is the first time that I've had an opportunity."

Ally nodded and motioned for her to continue talking.

"When did you know that you were different?" asked Jo.

Ally leaned back in her seat. "I guess I always knew I was different. I was in denial for a long time."

Jo nodded. "How has the agency treated you since you…. well, since you became you?"

Ally smiled. "They recruited me when I was still Al. They knew what they were getting. My initial supervisor was a little worried."

"About what?" asked Jo softly.

"He was concerned how others would receive me. He never doubted my ability to do my job. Overall my experiences have been very positive. That doesn't mean that I haven't had my share of run-ins with assholes."

"I know the Agency's policy regarding workplace harassment. Do they really support you?"

"Yes. They actually transferred one agent who was being extremely annoying," answered Ally, thinking about Grace freezing in North Dakota.

Jo nodded.

"I've also made good use of the Agency's therapists. Sometimes it's the little things that get to me more that the open hostility," added Ally. She began to suspect that this was building up to something, but she wait until Jo was ready. "Carol has also had to deal with some abuse."

"When did she come out?" asked Jo.

"I guess at the same time I arrived in the Agency. Overall her agents have been extremely supportive."

Jo sat there absorbing everything that Ally was saying. "How do you think the Agency would react if a present agent came out?"

Ally wondered where this was leading, was Jo a lesbian? "I can't speak for everyone, but if one of my agents came out I'd fully support them. I'm more interested in their performance."

Jo nodded. "How do you think Steve would respond?"

Ally smiled slightly. "Steve? I'd bet he'd support them if he felt that they were a good agent."

Jo nodded again. "Thanks, Ally."

"Jo, feel free to talk more about what's on your mind."

"Thanks. Maybe after the mission," replied Jo, who stood up and started to walk back to her seat.

"You okay?"

Jo nodded. "Thanks for the talk. You have no idea how much it helped."

Ally walked her walk away. She thought about the inner conflicts she dealt with and how she was so fortunate to meet Carol. Hopefully, Jo would trust her enough to talk about her issues.

 

Chapter 26

They arrived in Willow Grove and Jo directed them to a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant for lunch. Ally had only had non-Philadelphia area cheesesteaks and was looking forward to the meal. To Ally's surprise Jo suggested that she try one with Cheese Whiz.

Ally stared back at Jo. "You've got to be kidding?"

"Trust me on this one. I know it sounds strange, but that's what they use on the ones in South Philly," replied Jo.

Ally begrudgingly admitted it wasn't bad, although she still preferred provolone. What really impressed Ally was the roll and she asked Jo about it.

"They're Amoroso's, and they're the best. You can't have a good cheesesteak or hoagie without a great roll," explained Jo. "I have a friend who ships me a bag every now and then."

"I didn't know you were from Philly," remarked Ally, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"I'm not, but I lived here for a few years. These things are my worst vice. I don't even want to know how many calories are in these," replied Jo.

For dessert, Ally and Jo split a pack of Tastykake chocolate cupcakes. Jo showed her how to peel off frosting and eat it separately. Ally knew that this meal would cost her many hours in the gym when she got back to DC, but it was worth it.

An hour later, they arrived at the makeshift MCU, a converted eighteen-wheeler. It was presently parked two miles from Stanley's home in the parking lot of a nearly empty motor lodge. The only other cars in the lot belonged to the team. There were four veterans from the Philly office manning the consoles. Three additional agents would assist on the assault.

Tom spent the afternoon briefing the team and getting the latest intelligence on Stanley Domi.

There was a light coating of snow on the ground, and the weather forecast called for clear skies.

"Are you sure about the lack of surveillance systems on the grounds?" asked Tom.

Ron, a strikingly handsome African American was in charge of the local investigation. He knew Domi from a recent joint operation conducted regarding illegal massage parlors. He nodded. "We've done three electronic sweeps. The house itself has an alarm system, but that won't be a problem as it's tied to the main power grid, pretty lame system if you ask me. The grounds are clear. There's too many deer in the area for a perimeter system."

Ron Washington had been recruited by the Agency from the Philadelphia PD. He was thirty-one and until recently had played semi-pro football. He was six-one and weighed two hundred pounds.

"Thank God for Bambi," muttered Miguel.

Ally laughed in spite of herself.

"Okay. We'll approach the house from two sides. Jo, you and Miguel will come in from these woods," stated Tom, pointing to an aerial photograph. "Ally and I will come in this way."

"What about me?" asked James.

"You and Ron will come in this way. The coach house is pretty close to the road," responded Tom. "Ron, your other agents will be in reserve here, across the road. That way they can assist as needed.

"They'll be standing by. What about the State Troopers?" asked Ron.

"They'll secure the road and block off any escape routes. From what you've told us, there shouldn't be too much traffic on these road," answered Tom. "They'll also keep the local cops out of the picture until we have Domi in custody and the teen recovered. It wouldn't surprise me if Domi has them paid off."

"Wouldn't surprise me either. We've seen payoffs at his clubs in the past," added Ron.

"If we don't find the teen at the house I recommend that we search his clubs immediately," interjected Ally.

Ron nodded. "We already have the plans for all his clubs. I've taken the liberty of creating assault plans for all three." He handed Tom several files. "We were about to bust his fat ass anyway. If we'd know about the kid we would have busted him sooner."

Tom raised an eyebrow as he looked at the files. "Keep this up and you might end up in DC."

Ron shook his head and laughed. "No thanks, Tom, I like living in Philly. Can't get a good hoagie or a cheesesteak outside the area. Besides, I have Eagles season tickets."

Tom smiled back. "Okay, we'll start moving into position at two. I want equipment and weapon checks completed by one. In the meantime try and get some sleep."

"We've reserved the whole motel. The owner was ecstatic, as business has been really slow. There are rooms for all of you. Also we'll have a meal ready at midnight," added Ron.

Ally took Ron's advice and grabbed some sleep.

 

Chapter 27

Two in the morning found Ally crouching in the woods to the south of Stanley's home. She was shivering slightly; it was a combination of nerves and the cold. In addition to her nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol she was carrying an assault shotgun. Tom was carrying a submachine gun. They were both wearing night vision goggles.

Ally heard the sound of snow crunching and quickly looked to her left. Thirty feet away were three white-tailed deer. The deer stared back at them. Ally smiled and watched them as they moved away.

"We'll start moving towards the house in fifteen minutes," whispered Tom into his headset. "Latest thermal scans shows that Stanley is in his bedroom with the servant. The bodyguard is in his room and appears to be asleep. The groundskeeper is also asleep."

Out in the woods the other agents acknowledged Tom's command.

Ally thought about the teen in the house. She willed that he would be there. She knew that a therapist was inside the MCU standing by to assist as soon as he was recovered. Ally also thought about how Carol, Steve, and dozens of other agents were also shivering in various locations waiting to make their rescues.

Tom nudged her. "It's time."

They slowly made their way towards the house, the MCU monitoring their approach. When they were ready to enter the power would be immediately cut.

Ally followed Tom and was fascinated by the way he moved. He looked like a jungle cat, as he slowly worked up towards the house. There was no wasted movement and near total silence. Ally's movements were merely mortal and did her best to keep up with Tom, while trying to keep quiet.

She never knew that snow could make so much noise. Each on of her steps sounded like an explosion. She was sure that any second that they would be detected.

They met Jo and Miguel by the front door. Ally checked her watch and saw that the assault would begin in one minute.

She knew her job was to back up Tom and then secure Dean.

Miguel approached the door and set a small charge on it.

Tom signaled him by counting down with his fingers. Just before he reached one, the electricity was cut. A surprisingly soft muffled explosion followed moments later.

The agents entered the house. Miguel and Jo were off to take out the bodyguard.

Ally followed Tom up the steps. So far their presence hadn't been detected. They stopped outside the bedroom door. Tom motioned her to stand to the side. He kicked the door open and they rushed in.

"Freeze! You're under arrest! We're Federal Agents!" shouted Tom, as he pointed his sub-machinegun at Stanley.

Stanley was so startled that he fell out of his king sized bed. He was naked , dazed and confused.

As Ally covered him, Tom cuffed him. "Suspect captured," he announced into his microphone.

This report was followed in quick order by Jo and James' reports that they had captured their targets without incident.

On cue the power was turned back on. Tom and Ally removed their night vision goggles and turned on the lights.

"Where's the teen?" demanded Ally, pointing her shotgun at Stanley.

To her utter amazement, Stanley offered no resistance. He just cowered and pointed to a side door. He was visibly shaking and looked like he was about to start crying.

Ally opened the door and gasped at what she saw.

A thin naked teen was suspended from the ceiling. Ally's worst fears were realized when she saw how he had been modified. While he still had a small penis, he also had breasts. They were small, as if he was just entering puberty. His body was smooth and hairless, like a young girl. His face had obviously undergone plastic surgery to make him look like a fashion model. His lips were thick and pouty and his long hair was braided into a long ponytail. There were rings in both of his nipples and an additional ring in his penis. A thin gold chain connected them together.

His back was covered in scars and wounds. It was apparent that he had been whipped repeatedly over the years. Some of the wounds looked fresh, as if he had just been whipped that evening.

Ally gently lowered the teen to the ground. "Everything is going to be okay. We're here to rescue you." She began to untie his hands.

For the second time that night Ally was astounded. The teen looked up at her and began to whimper.

"Really? I'm free? You mean that?" moaned the teen. His eyes flickered with a faint light.

She had thought she's would be dealing with a mentally broken teen devoted to his Master. Ally smiled. "I'm Ally. Are you Dean Collins?"

The teen nodded vigorous. "Yes…yes, that's me!" He began to start crying tears of relief.

Ally pulled him close and began to hug him. "It's going to be alright, Dean."

Dean hugged Ally back and cried. "I never gave up. I knew that I would be saved. I knew you'd come!"

Tom stood in the doorway and gave Ally a thumbs up sigh.

Ally looked up and smiled back. She began to stroke Dean's head.

Tom turned to Stanley. With a disgusted tone he addressed him. "I guess I should read you your rights."

 

"I'm sorry…. please believe me…. I'm sick…I need help," cried Stanley.

Tom wanted to turn around in disgust. "You're sick alright."

"I have money. Please take it, take it all…. just let me go," pleaded Stanley.

Tom tossed a sheet over the naked man. "Shut up and listen. I want to know everything regarding that kid you have in there."

"I…. I want to talk to my lawyer," blubbered Stanley.

"Okay, just so you know, cons love men like you," snapped back Tom.

This only increased his sobbing. Several other agents arrived and took him away.

Ally was still comforting Dean as they took away his tormenter. The therapist arrived and stood outside the room with Tom. Her name was Dr. Bridget Stockton.

Dr. Bridget Stockton had been personally recruited by Jenna to work for the foundation whose sole purpose was to assist the teens recovered in the March raid. A graduate of Cornell, She had written her thesis on the Stockholm Syndrome. She was a pleasant looking young woman with light brown hair and green eyes.

"You going in?" asked Tom her.

Bridget shook her head. "Ally is doing more that I can do for him right now. Let's just get him to the hospital."

Tom nodded.

Ally heard their conversation. She whispered to Dean. "You ready to leave?"

Dean nodded vigorously. "Where are you taking me?"

"To a hospital," replied Ally honestly.

"Can they make me into a real boy again?" asked Dean as he wiped away his tears.

"They'll do their best," replied Ally softly. Dean's words cut through her heart and she had to fight back her own tears.

"I understand. Please don't leave me, Ally," pleaded Dean, as he clung to her.

"Of course I'll go with you," replied Ally softly.

"What will happen to me?" asked Dean.

"We're going to help you get better."

Two hours later Dean Collins was sound asleep in his hospital room, sedated with an IV in his arm. In addition to his many bruises and scars he was slightly malnourished.

"What do you think, Doc?" asked Ally. She was standing outside of Dean's room.

"He should recover. I can't believe the scars on his back. What sort of sick bastard does that to a kid?" The doctor was shaking with anger.

"Anything else physically wrong?" asked Ally. The pain in her shoulder caused her to wince slightly.

"We've doing blood work to check for STDs, HIV and other infections. Additionally, he has been repeatedly abused in the rectum. He may need surgery. I've also contacted a friend who's a plastic surgeon and he'll check Dean out to see what they can do. We've already removed the piercings from his nipples and penis."

"I assume they had him on hormones," added Ally. She stretched out her right arm and rotated it to ease the discomfort.

"Yes, just enough to feminize his body, but not enough to stop him from getting aroused," he answered. "After we get the tests back we'll work on returning his body chemistry to normal."

"Do you mind if I stay in his room? I want to be there when he wakes up."

The doctor nodded. "I assume that you might want to change?"

Ally noticed that she was still in her assault uniform. "I'll radio my team and they'll bring a change of clothing for me. Thanks, Doc."

"Are you okay? I couldn't help but notice that your shoulder seems to be bothering you."

"Old injury. Thanks for asking," replied Ally.

The doctor nodded and walked away.

Ally looked at her watch it was nearly six in the morning. She wondered how the other assaults had gone.

 

Chapter 28

Ally changed into her jeans and sweater and called up Carol.

"We got ours," announced Carol.

"Same here," replied Ally. "What about the rest?"

There was a long pause. "Ally, brace yourself. We didn't save them all."

 

Ally felt a lump form in her throat and wondered how bad it was. "Go on."

Carol went on to tell Ally that while the Agency recovered seven teens, they found that two were dead. One had been dead for several months. Her body was found buried in the basement of the house. The other had been shot as the team arrived, followed by the suicide of the suspect.

"What about the last one?"

"He was sold to a brothel owner in Thailand six months ago. We're in the process of setting up a rescue."

Ally sighed.

Carol went on to tell Ally about the teen. He was one of the last abducted in this group and apparently one of the first that Margo used her hormonal formula on him. The boy had been ultra-feminized and had extensive plastic surgery.

Ally then told Carol how Dean didn't appear to be suffering from the Stockholm Syndrome. "What do you think about that?"

"It sounds like Stanley wanted Dean to resist him and try to fight back. I imagine that it added to his sexual arousal, knowing he had so much power over the teen," replied Carol.

"I'm going to stick around here until Dean wakes up," stated Ally.

"Have his parents been notified yet?" asked Carol.

"I don't know," replied Ally, fighting back a yawn. She suddenly felt extremely weary.

"I'll check with Steve. I'll get back to you," replied Carol.

"Thanks," replied Ally. "I love you."

"I can't wait until you get home," replied Carol. "Try and get some sleep."

Ally hung up the phone. She looked in on Dean, who was still fast asleep. He actually looked content. She thought about his recovery and while it would be difficult she felt that he would make it.

Jo and Tom walked up to Ally. They handed her a cup of coffee.

"How's the kid?" asked Tom.

"Sleeping. I hope he's having pleasant dreams," replied Ally, as she took a sip of the coffee. It wasn't very good, but at least it had caffeine, she thought.

"I have something interesting for you. Stanley's bodyguard is one Victor Vasquez. He's an employee of Aztec security," announced Tom.

Ally's eyebrows rose up in interest. "Really?"

"Yes, and it turns out that we captured a few Aztec employees this morning," added Tom.

Ally nodded. "So you've heard about the others?"

They both nodded.

Tom looked at Ally. "We did the best we could."

"I know. I just wish I could be happier about all this," replied Ally.

"You did all you could," consoled Jo.

"We found a complete sexual dungeon in the basement. There was also a complete video studio down there," continued Tom.

Ally got a disgusted look on her face. "Go on."

"Apparently Stanley made videos of himself and Dean. We also had videos of others with the kid. Turns out that Stanley sold these videos to other degenerates," continued Tom.

Ally shook her head in disbelief. "There're things out there that I wish I didn't know about."

"The videos are pretty damming. In addition to Stanley we had both the groundskeeper and the bodyguard as participants," added Tom. "They would dress Dean up as a young girl and then abuse him."

"There are times I wish I could operate outside the system. Stanley deserves to be taken out and shot. The only thing his lawyer should be allowed to plead for is for an unmarked grave so that no one desecrates it," vented Ally.

Tom nodded. "I agree. Anyway, Ron'll be out at house for a while. He's a damn good agent. Steve's sending in a forensics team to search the property. There's a possibility that there may have victims before Dean."

Ally's phone rang. It was Steve. "Ally, just wanted you to know that we're flying up Dean's parents. They're being briefed on his condition."

"When will they arrive?" asked Ally.

"By early afternoon," replied Steve.

"I'll be staying with him until they arrive."

"I understand," replied Steve. "Oh, Dean's mother stated that his favorite food is pepperoni pizza."

Ally smiled. "Thanks."

 

Chapter 29

Ally sat down in Dean's room and watched him sleep. Bridget came in and sat down next to Ally.

"Will you be handling his recovery?" asked Ally.

"Yes. We have a program designed to help him, thanks to the Shirley Farnsworth Foundation," replied Bridget. "We learned a lot in the rehabilitation from the raid on Margo's farm last year."

Ally smiled. The foundation had been set up using some of Margo Simon's money by Celeste Farnsworth, who herself had been abducted and transformed by Margo.

"I'm glad that there is help for him," remarked Ally. "Why isn't he suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?"

"I looked at some of the videos. Stanley wanted Dean to resist and to fight back. He didn't want a willing slave; rather he wanted a constant victim. That's what aroused Stanley and his friends. Apparently that's what kept Dean alive. It looks like there was an earlier abducted teen who eventually gave in. They killed him and we have the proof."

"Did they videotape it?"

Bridget nodded.

"Who killed the teen?" asked Ally, as she shuddered at the thought of another dead teen.

"The person had a hood on, but judging by their size, I'd say it was Stanley," replied Bridget.

"Can we ID the teen he killed?"

"Forensics is working on that. We found a suspected grave in the backyard. They're excavating it as we speak. We should have a pretty solid case."

"I hope we go for the death penalty," added Ally as she stifled a yawn. Even caffeine was losing its magical powers. "Back to Dean, how do you think he'll be?"

"He'll have his ups and downs. Overall, I'm very impressed with his status. I think a lot of his recovery will depend on reconstructive surgery. He'll carry the physical scars of this for the rest of his life. Hopefully he'll handle the mental scars too."

Ally nodded as she yawned again.

"You must be exhausted. I've talked to the doctors and Dean won't be awake for several more hours. Why don't you grab some sleep? That bed isn't being used," stated Bridget, pointing to the other bed in the room.

Ally was too tired to argue. "Just get me up before he wakes up," stated Ally as she lay down on the bed. In a moment she was sound asleep.

 

Chapter 30

Ally woke up a few hours later and checked on Dean, still sound asleep. Her watch indicated that it was almost eleven so she called Steve.

"Anything new?" she asked.

"Looks like some of the scum we've arrested were major players in the international child porn industry. We've gotten into their computers and have uncovered a huge list of their clients."

"Good."

"We're looking at connections to Aztec Security. I don't believe that they could have so many employees working for these bastards and not know what was going on. I'm flying out to San Diego this afternoon."

"Good luck," replied Ally.

"When do you think you'll be heading back?"

"I should be able to leave here after Dean's parents arrive."

"Sounds good. Do you want to be in on the arrest?"

"What arrest?" asked Ally.

"Bradley Kemper. We discovered some evidence that ties him very strongly to this case."

"Besides the bugging of my office?" asked Ally.

"Yes, you could say that. He turned up on a few videos we confiscated during our raids."

"Ugh! So he's corrupt and a pervert? Nice combination!"

"He's under surveillance as we speak. We plan on arresting him tomorrow morning. The Director doesn't want us to arrest him at the good congressman's office. He wants to minimize the publicity."

"What about Sterling Layton? Is he involved?"

"If he is, we haven't found anything…. yet," replied Steve.

"This will get to the press. I wonder how Sterling will handle it?" asked Ally.

"It'll make for some interesting television, that's for sure," replied Steve.

 

Chapter 31

Ally was reading the paper when Dean woke up. He sat up suddenly and his headed jerked around suddenly, as if to confirm that he was still in the hospital room, and that it wasn't a dream. He ran his hands over the clean white sheets.

"It's okay, Dean. You're safe," comforted Ally.

He turned and stared at her. "I'm really free?"

Ally nodded. "Yes, you're free and safe. I have some more good news for you. Your parents are coming. They should be here in a few hours."

Dean bit his lower lip. "Ally, do they know what I look like now?"

"Yes, they've been told everything. They just want to see you."

Dean's eyes began to tear up.

"Save those tears for when they arrive," stated Ally, as she took his hand in hers.

"What happens to me now?" asked Dean.

"We've dealt with cases like this before and we've set up a system to assist you in your recovery. I have a friend outside called Bridget. She's a therapist and she'll be with you every step of the way. You'll also get the medical treatment that you need."

"Then what?"

"We'll get you caught up in school. We have a college fund that will allow you to continue your education," replied Ally. "You have a long life ahead of you."

"What about you?" asked Dean.

"I have more bad guys to catch," replied Ally with a wink. "But since we're friends now, I'll always be there of you want to talk." Ally meant it. The kid had guts and had survived years of abuse by never giving up.

"You mean that?" asked Dean.

Ally leaned over and gave him a hug.

"Do you think that the Agency would take someone like me?" asked Dean. "I know that I'm never going to be a macho man or anything like that, but all I could think about when they had me was fighting back."

Ally could tell he was dead serious. "I'd be proud to have you work with me."

Dean smiled back. "Seriously, I want to help you catch people like those that did this to me."

Ally nodded.

"Did you catch all the men who…."

"Yes, we arrested all three men at the house," interrupted Ally.

"Good. I hope they rot in jail for the rest of their lives!"

"That's my goal too," added Ally. She didn't bother telling Dean that Stanley might be facing murder charges.

"Do you want to know what they did to me?"

"We have a good idea from the tapes," answered Ally.

"I want to tell you everything."

"Whenever you're ready. Stanley and his friends aren't going anywhere anytime soon."

Dean nodded. He then began to tell Ally what happened. He said that he was drugged as soon as he was grabbed and that he woke up in a small bare room. As he described his initial treatment at the hands of his abductors it sounded very similar to the process used by Margo at the Maryland Farm. The biggest difference was that Margo didn't break Dean's spirit as she had done with the others. Carol and Bridget were right, Stanley wanted a teen who would resist and fight back.

"If it makes you feel any better, we got the woman who abused you, along with her husband," stated Ally.

Dean smiled when he heard that Margo was in jail. "I don't know which one I hate more. That bitch who abused me or her husband who did this to me," stated Dean as he pointed to his face. "They laughed at me when I first saw my new face! I cried and they laughed!"

Ally nodded and thought about Margo's boast that all her ex-captives would easily fall back under her control. Ally doubted that Margo would appreciate meeting Dean again. "They're not laughing now. They're both in prison."

"Did you arrest them?" asked Dean.

"I was in on their arrests," replied Ally.

"Good. I'm really happy to hear that."

"I'm also working to make sure that they stay behind bars until they die," added Ally firmly.

Dean smiled. "Thank you."

Ally smiled back. "You're welcome, Dean."

"Can we talk about the rest of what happened to me later?" asked Dean.

"Whenever you're ready," replied Ally. She then leaned over and hugged him.

A short time later the doctor arrived to check on Dean. While he was pleased with his condition, he ordered him to stay in bed for the next few days.

"Are you hungry?" asked Ally.

Dean nodded. "Famished! I'm so hungry I'll even eat hospital food. I was once in the hospital back home for a few days when I broke my leg playing soccer. The food really sucked."

Ally laughed. "I think we can do better than that," answered Ally. "I'll be back in a moment."

A short time later Ally walked in with Tom, Jo, Miguel, and James. They were carrying several large pizzas and some sodas.

"I thought you'd want to meet the other agents who helped rescue you," stated Ally.

Dean's face broke out in a huge smile as Ally introduced the agents to him.

"We'll get to the pizza in a moment, but first we want to give you this," stated Tom, as he placed a Spec-Ops hat on the boy's head.

"Whoa, this is so cool!" exclaimed Dean as he examined the hat.

Ally handed Dean a plate with two slices of pepperoni pizza on it. His eyes opened up wide as he licked his lips.

"I dreamed about pizza for so long!" He virtually inhaled the first slice.

"Take it easy, Dean. We don't want you getting sick," advised Ally.

"Sorry, but you have no idea how good this tastes," replied Dean. There was big smile on his face.

An hour later Dean was asleep with his belly full for the first time in years. His Spec-Ops hat was still on his head.

"Great kid," commented Tom.

"I agree," concurred Ally, holding back tears.

"Thanks for including us in this little celebration. We don't often get to see the good side of what we do," added Miguel.

Jo and James nodded in agreement.

"When are you headed back?" asked Ally, changing the subject. She didn't want the other agents to see her cry.

Tom looked at his watch. "We're flying out in three hours. You going with us?"

"Maybe. I'm waiting until his parents arrive," stated Ally.

"Call me. We can hold the plane for you," replied Tom.

After they left Ally sat down next to Dean and watched him sleep. Miguel was right; it was a good feeling.

An hour later Dean's parents arrived in the hospital. Ally met them outside of his room.

"I'm Agent Ally Burns," she introduced herself.

"I'm Marty Collins and this is my wife Kathleen." Dean's father was a burly man, with graying hair.

"Are you the agent that rescued Dean?" asked Kathleen.

Ally looked at the woman. She looked much older than her age. Her hair was prematurely gray and her face had a sense of weariness to it.

 

"I was one of the agents who rescued him. The rest of the team is getting ready to head back to Washington," replied Ally. She saw Bridget walk down the hall. "This is Dr. Bridget Stockton, she'll be Dean's therapist."

 

"I don't know how to thank you all," stated Marty.

 

"You just did. By the way, Dean's one of the bravest kids I've ever seen," answered Ally.

 

"Thank you. We'll do whatever it takes to help him recover," added Marty. "I mean that Dr. Stockton."

 

"That's a great start. Actually, the fact that you're here is the best medicine that Dean can have," commented Bridget. "And since we'll be seeing a lot of each other, please call me Bridget."

 

Ally looked Mary and Kathleen in the eye. "I understand that you've been briefed on Dean's appearance…."

 

"We're his parents. We don't care what he looks like," interrupted an anxious Kathleen. "When can I see my baby?"

 

Ally thought about how Celeste's parents had reacted when they found that she was alive. All they could do was think about themselves. Dean was very lucky to have such loving parents. "I'll see if he's awake."

 

Ally stepped into the room and gently shook Dean.

 

He woke up with a start, but quickly recovered when he saw Ally standing there.

 

"It's okay. Dean, your parents are outside."

 

He sat up and nodded uneasily.

Ally sensed how nervous he was. "Dean, everything will be all right. They love you and want to see you. Are you ready?"

 

"I trust you, Ally," replied Dean. "Yes, I'm ready to see them."

 

Ally walked back to the door and opened it. Dean's parents rushed in and hugged him. All three were crying and laughing at the same time. Ally felt tears rolling down her face as she stepped back into the hall. It was moments like this that made it all worthwhile.

 

"You okay?" asked Bridget.

 

Ally smiled and nodded. "Yes, I couldn't be better."

 

Chapter 32

Ally slept most of the flight back to Washington. Originally she wanted to work on her after-action report, but she was just too tired. Her shoulder was throbbing and she took some of her pills. She woke up as they began their descent into Dulles.

They were picked up by an Agency van that took them back to the office. Ally was pleased to see that Robert Ledyard was waiting for them as they unloaded the van.

"Well done," praised Robert. "The dominos are still falling as result of our raids. There have been arrests in eight countries in regard to the child porn ring that was uncovered."

"What about Bradley?"

"Go home and get some sleep. Be back here tomorrow at one in the afternoon," ordered Robert.

Ally didn't argue.

"Oh, Ally, one more thing. Your ride is here," informed Robert. There was a sly grin on his face, as he pointed to the parking lot.

Ally looked over and saw Carol standing there by her car.

"Take off, Ally, we'll take care of all this," stated Jo.

Ally looked at Tom who was nodding.

"Thanks. It was an honor working with all of you," stated Ally. She then walked over and hugged Carol.

 

Chapter 33

Ally was lying next to Carol in their bed. It was early Saturday morning.

"I almost couldn't remember what day of the week it was," remarked Ally.

"I know what you mean," replied Carol, who pulled Ally closer to her.

"It was so sweet the way Dean's parents reacted."

"Not all parents are like Celeste's mother," responded Carol.

Ally nodded. She then told Carol about her conversation with Jo.

"She obviously trusts you," replied Carol.

"I just wonder what's bugging her. Do you think she's a lesbian?"

"Maybe she's a transsexual," suggested Carol.

Ally cocked her head. "What an idiot I am! I never thought about that."

"And you call yourself a professional investigator!" quipped Carol.

Ally smiled. "Seriously, how do you think she'd be treated if Jo becomes a male?"

"His true friends will support him. Steve will support him, as long as it doesn't affect his own job performance. I know Steve won't allow others to harass him."

Ally nodded. "He'll have to deal with a lot of the same shit I have to deal with. Maybe even more."

Carol nodded. "Well don't jump to any conclusions yet. When Jo is ready to tell you she will."

Ally nodded again. "You want to go out for breakfast?"

"Later," replied Carol as she leaned over and began to kiss Ally.

 

Chapter 34

Ally sat across from Robert Ledyard and looked at her watch.

"When does everyone else get here?" asked Ally.

"It's just going to be you and me. We'll have backup from the surveillance team. The Director wants this to be very low key," replied Robert.

"Where is Bradley now?" asked Ally.

"The team just reported that he's in his townhouse," answered Robert as he stood up. "You ready?"

Ally nodded.

They drove towards Georgetown and parked across the street from Bradley's townhouse.

"The team has all exits covered," stated Robert. "I don't expect him to give us any problems."

They walked up to his door and knocked. Bradley opened the door and froze.

"Bradley Kemper, we need to talk to you," announced Robert, as he casually flashed his badge.

"Am I under arrest?" asked a stunned Bradley.

"Yes," replied Ally.

"We'd like you to come quietly," added Robert.

Bradley began to tremble. "Please, isn't there another way?"

Robert shook his head. "This is the easy way."

Bradley nodded and opened the door for them. Ally frisked him as Robert read him his rights. As Robert had predicted, Bradley was as meek as a dormouse. He put on his coat and was then cuffed.

"Is this really necessary?" asked Bradley. His voice was close to cracking.

Ally didn't say a word as she led him down the steps to their car. Fortunately none of Bradley's neighbors noticed that he was being arrested.

On the way to the Agency, Bradley asked what with the charges were.

"Bugging a federal office, conspiracy, and sex with a minor," answered Ally, counting of the charges.

All the color went out of Bradley's face. "Oh, God! You can't charge me with that!"

"We have the video tapes," replied Ally.

"Tapes? How did you get tapes?" asked Bradley. Then it hit him. "Oh, no!"

Tyrone met them when they brought Bradley in.

They took him into an interrogation room.

"Can I see my lawyer?" asked Bradley.

"That's your right. However, let me just say that we're not that interested in you. We want your boss, think about that," stated Tyrone.

"What? What do you mean?" asked Bradley.

"We know that you were working for someone else. We want to know who they are and why they were so interested in Margo Simon," demanded Tyrone. "The alternative is that your name will be in tomorrow's Post."

Bradley stared back at Tyrone and tried to tell if he was bluffing. "If I were to cooperate, what would I get out of this? Do I get to walk away?"

Tyrone shook his head. "Walk away? No, but we'll reduce the charges. We'll also protect you."

Bradley just stared at the ground. The reality that his political career was over was just sinking in. Even if he fought the charges and won, he would lose. No politician would touch him. He silently cursed his weaknesses as he reiterated his request for his lawyer.

Outside the room Ally sat next to Robert.

"Do you think he'll talk?" asked Ally.

"It's a hard read. Obviously he knows something. He's torn between his fear for his personal safety and his fear of going to prison."

"I don't think he cares about prison. I think he's more worried about his own prestige. He loves the power that he had with the congressman and he sees it disappearing before his eyes. He'll talk, but only when he gets sufficient attention from Tyrone." remarked Ally. "But those are just my observations."

Robert smiled. "Pretty good observations."

"I just don't think that he knows that much," replied Ally.

"You may be right, but if we can just get him to mention Cortez's name then we have a stronger link to this whole scheme to free Margo," replied Robert.

"Speaking of the devil, when do we tell her that she won't be leaving anytime soon?" asked Ally.

"As soon as we figure out Aztec's connection to all this," replied Robert.

"If you don't mind I'm going up to my office and read up on the other recoveries."

"Okay. I'm going to wait until Bradley's lawyer arrives. There'll be a full debrief Monday at nine."

Ally nodded. "See you then."

A short time later Ally sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. She opened the file on the raids and started to read. Without taking her eyes off her monitor, she reached into her mini-fridge and grabbed a Diet Coke.

Dean was one of the lucky ones. Several of the recovered teens were suffering from severe depression and psychological problems. One of the teens had no memory of their previous life. The woman who had bought him from Margo had for all practical purposes given him a new personality. She apparently hated men and took out her anger on the teen. The boy now thought he was a pre-teen girl and that the woman who abused him was her mother. Several of the other teens were suicidal.

She then read the file on the teen recovered by Carol. The teen, Gerald Sloan, was working in a private sex club. As with the others teens, his body was altered extensively by surgery. "Jeri" had been turned from a teenage boy into a sexy young woman, with very large breasts and extensive facial surgery. Jeri was also heavily addicted to heroin. The club owner used Jeri's addiction as another way of ensuring total control.

The owners of the club also had three other teens working in the club. They turned out to be local runaways.

Lee Harrington, fifty-one, was the owner of the club. He had a long and extensive record of criminal activity, mostly minor stuff. He had become manager of the club five years earlier and had turned a dumpy little bar into a huge moneymaker.

Ally looked at the financial records confiscated and was amazed at the actual money being pulled in. Something seemed wrong, thought Ally. Carol obviously agreed and noted it in her report. Lee was strictly a smalltime crook. He had neither the brains nor money to start something like this; obviously someone was supporting him.

Ally paged through the other reports and saw a similar pattern. Minor criminals were running very lucrative sex clubs and were connected by the fact that Margo Simon supplied them with teens. Ally doubted that Margo was running the organization. The question remained, who was?

Jeri/Gerald's parents were overjoyed to have their child back. Too bad, this wasn't the story for all the teens. Some of the teens were runaways and their parents wanted nothing to do with them. This would delay their recoveries. Ally was pleased to see that some of the teens were going to Celeste's home. The others were being sent to different facilities funded by Margo's seized assets.

Ally read one of the cases, concerning a boy turned into a living Barbie doll. His face had been surgically altered so that he would appear to be smiling all the time. His waist was tiny, due to surgery and diet. He had huge breasts, thanks to implants. Additionally, his ankles were modified so that he could only wear very high heel shoes.

Ally looked at the photos of the room the boy was kept it. It looked like a life-size Barbie bedroom. All the furniture was made out of pink plastic. Someone had spent a lot of money to create their twisted fantasy.

The doctors believed that they should be able to undo most of the damage, but that the teen would be permanently disabled. It was unlikely that he would ever be able to walk in normal shoes again.

Ally let out a long sigh. At least most of them hadn't been subjected to Margo's hormonal process. The teens recovered from the raid on Margo's farm had a synthetic hormone in their body. It caused their bodies to produce the selected sex hormone. So far it had frustrated the doctors trying to counteract it. Maybe she hadn't perfected it yet, thought Ally. Only two teens, in this group, appeared to have been injected with the solution. One thought he was a pre-teen girl and the other was the one in Thailand.

Ally noticed the time and decided to go home. She picked up the phone. "Carol, since Steve's out of town, why don't we call up Maggie and Beth and see if they want to get together? I really need to be around friends right now."

Carol laughed. "One step ahead of you my dear. We're going over there as soon as you get home. We'll also be making a quick stop for some Chinese food."

"Cool. I'm leaving now."

 

Chapter 35

The evening with Carol, Maggie, and Beth was exactly what Ally needed. They were sitting in the kitchen with boxes of Chinese take-out covering the table.

"Dean sounds like a brave kid," stated Maggie as she dumped some Kung Pao chicken on her plate.

"He told me that he wanted to go into law enforcement. I know that I'd be proud to have him serve with me. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be imprisoned like that for four years," replied Ally.

"Can I meet him?" asked Beth.

"I think I can arrange that," answered Ally. She reached over for the shrimp and felt a twinge in her shoulder and winced slightly. "He's also the only other person I've met who can eat as much pizza as you, Beth."

"You're going back Monday to have that looked at again," ordered Carol, noticing Ally's discomfort.

Ally nodded, as she rubbed it. "I guess being out in the cold didn't help it much."

"Too bad you couldn't punch him back," added Beth with a grin.

Ally turned to Maggie. "Your daughter's starting to sound a lot like her father."

Maggie shook her head. "No, that's me you hear. Steve would have shot him!"

They broke up laughing.

"So how's the baby's room coming along?" asked Carol, as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"You want to see it?" asked Maggie eagerly.

"Please say yes, she's been dying to show it to someone," interjected Beth.

They walked upstairs and entered the room next to the master bedroom. Carol turned on the light.

The room was furnished in a Winnie the Pooh theme. The walls of the room were painted with scenes from the Hundred Acres Woods. The carpet was green. Even the ceiling was painted; giving the impression that one was standing in a clearing in the woods. A rocking chair sat in one corner with a large stuffed Pooh sitting in it. The crib had a mobile of Pooh characters handing above it.

"This is fantastic! Who painted the walls?" asked Ally. She looked up at the painted clouds visible through the tree branches. It almost looked real, she thought.

"One of my friends from school. She's a great artist," answered Beth proudly.

Ally and Carol nodded in agreement.

"Check this out!" stated Beth as she turned out the lights. There were luminescent stars glowing on the ceiling. "Isn't that so cool?" She then turned the lights back on.

"Who picked the theme," asked Carol.

"It was a mutual selection," replied Maggie.

"Steve agreed to this? I would have thought he would go for a 007 theme!" quipped Ally.

"No, he originally wanted the Three Stooges!" joked Beth.

"So, you've decided not to ask about the baby's sex?" asked Carol, shaking her head trying to imagine a Stooges themed baby room.

"Yes. We decided to wait," replied Maggie.

"Besides, if we're not happy, we can always change it," quipped Beth. She was rewarded with a chorus of groans.

 

Chapter 36

Monday morning Ally walked into a crowded briefing room. She was pleased to see Jenna, the Agency's therapist.

"Hey there, Jenna," greeted Ally, as she walked up.

Jenna gave her a hug. "I heard from Bridget. She says that you did a great job with Dean."

"I didn't do anything special."

Jenna shook her head. "You made a big difference. The first few minutes are vital in the recovery of an abduction victim."

"I was glad to help. Dean's a cool kid. Do you have any problems with me keeping in touch with him?"

"No, in fact I want to encourage it," replied Jenna.

"How're the others doing?" asked Ally. She opened the can of Diet Coke she was carrying, and took a sip.

"Mixed bag. We'll have our hands filled with some of them," replied Jenna.

Just then Robert Ledyard walked in.

"Sorry for the delay. We just got word from Steve Williams in San Diego that Antonio Cortez was just arrested as he tried to cross the border into Mexico. Agents are presently sorting through the files of Aztec security. It looks like they were the major distribution point for child pornography and prostitution," announced Robert triumphantly. "Additionally, Cathleen has uncovered over two thousand names in the databases of the computers confiscated in the raids. Most of these are people who subscribed to photos and videos of the teens being used. Warrants are being served as we speak."

The room was filled with cheers.

"Okay, we have a lot to cover," continued Robert. He then began to debrief the ten raids that had occurred a few days earlier. He reported how the recovered teens were all receiving treatment.

"What about the teen in Thailand?" asked Ally.

The teen was a boy who had been feminized. According to the file the boy now identified and referred to herself as female.

"The good news is that we recovered her," answered Robert with a stern face.

"What's the bad news?" asked Ally sensing something was terribly wrong.

There was an audible silence in the room.

"Her initial physical shows that she's HIV positive," replied Robert.

Ally gasped. "Does she have AIDS?"

"No, apparently she was newly infected. The doctors have already started her on the drugs," replied Robert.

"Any chance it's a false positive?" asked Ally hopefully.

Robert shook his head. "She'll receive the best treatment possible. She'll also be treated for hepatitis."

"What about those who had her?" asked Tom.

"The Thais arrested the owner of the brothel. He's in their hands now," replied Robert.

After the brief, Robert waved Ally over to him. "You want to go talk to Margo?"

Ally's eyes lit up and a big smile grew on her face as she nodded. "Oh yes. I'd like that very much."

"Tyrone will meet you there. He's been looking forward to this too."

"Did we learn anything from Bradley?" asked Ally.

"He claims that Sterling Layton knew nothing about his activities. He also claimed that it was his idea to tour your Op-Center. The congressman wanted to see the Agency and Bradley used the tour as an opportunity to get to your computer and phone. It turns out that he pulled the same stunt in the Treasury Department. Bradley had arranged for a visit by Sterling and used it to plant the bug."

"Do you believe him?" asked Ally, as she sipped her Diet Coke.

Robert shrugged his shoulders. "He's got no reason to lie. If Layton was connected I'd image that Bradley would sell him out in a heartbeat."

"Another unanswered question is who was really running the clubs. Looking at Cortez's record, I doubt if it was him. He's just the muscle."

Robert nodded. "There's an investigation already underway."

"By who?" asked Ally.

"The organized crime task force has this one. We know who isn't running it. It looks like there's a new organization. Subtler, running it more like a business. I'll keep you appraised."

Ally nodded.

"Bradley is protecting someone. The person must be powerful, because Bradley refused protection in exchange for information."

 

Chapter 37

An hour later Ally met Tyrone outside the prison interrogation room.

"Well done! I'm so relieved that you got the teens back. I lost a lot of sleep worrying that I might have to cut a deal with that creature," exclaimed Tyrone.

"What? Don't tell me that you didn't have faith in us?" asked an astonished Ally. "I'm also relieved."

Tyrone smiled. He then pointed to the window. "Here she comes."

Margo Simon was led into the room in shackles. As before, she was dressed in bright orange coveralls and a black knit hat. She sat down, smiled, and waved her fingers at the one-way mirror.

"Obviously she knows we're here. You ready?" asked Tyrone.

Ally nodded and they walked in.

Margo smiled as they entered. "I must admit that I'm surprised to see you this soon. Are you giving up so soon? Why you still have a few weeks left until the deadline."

"We didn't need all the time you so graciously gave us," replied Ally.

"Really? So, are you ready to deal?" asked Margo. "To be honest, I'm disappointed. I thought you'd delay the inevitable until the last minute."

Ally looked at Tyrone. He cracked a sly smile and shook his head. "I'm here to inform you that you've being charged with an additional sixteen counts of abduction. The whole list of charges will be provided to your new lawyer. I'm sorry to inform you that previous lawyer is facing some charges himself."

The color slowly faded from Margo's face. The cocky self-confidence began to waver slightly.

"That's right Margo. Not only did we get the teens back, but also we've arrested Marcus Castillo's partner and his compatriots. By the way, the code breakers weren't that impressed with the color code you used in the Academy Awards book. They said it was juvenile at best," interjected Ally. There was a slight grin on her face.

"That's impossible," dismissed Margo, waving her hand in a dismissing manner at Ally.

"No, I'm telling you the truth. Maybe if he had hired some better co-workers you would have gotten away with it. They were very sloppy and very arrogant. If you ever get out, you should be more through in screening your employees," added Ally. "As for the code, we broke it in just a few days. The names you so triumphantly gave us were very helpful, but the code-breakers said that it only saved them a few hours work." Ally lied about this last part, but wanted to make Margo squirm a bit.

Margo glared at her with pure hated. "When I get out, I'm going to take particular delight in torturing you," threatened Margo. She stared intently at Ally. "Yes, my pet, you WILL be mine."

"I wouldn't plan on that anytime soon," interrupted Tyrone.

"I wasn't talking to you!" snapped Margo to Tyrone

"I'd listen to him, as he's telling you the truth," interjected Ally. "You're not going anywhere."

"Oh, I'm going to get out. Maybe I was too optimistic about this plan, but I'm not done playing the game. I haven't played all my cards yet," replied Margo, her eyes still glaring at Ally. "There are some very powerful people supporting me."

"We arrested the people who bought the teens from you. There're not going to be in any position to help you," continued Tyrone.

Margo laughed. "Those idiots? They were minor players. I should have known they'd get caught. Still they served their purpose. No, I'll play better next time, I now know so much more about you. I underestimated you little one, and that won't happen again. The next time I'll make it more challenging."

"I'll be waiting," replied Ally staring back at Margo.

"You do that my pet. I still have some delicious plans for you."

Ally smirked back. "You have the rest of your life to plan. You're not going anywhere. These additional charges will keep you locked up until you die in your cell."

Margo shook her head. "Foolish girl, I'm getting out, and sooner than you think. This was just a minor setback."

Ally had enough and stood up, smiled at Margo and ran her eyes over her. "I seem to remember that last time we met you complimented me on my fashion sense. You know, orange really is your color. But what do I know?"

Margo just glared back angrily and appeared to be about to lose her temper. Then she realizing that she was about to let out an unwanted display of emotion, she regained her composure.

Ally waved her finger slowly in front of Margo. "Tisk-tisk. I wouldn't think that you could lose your temper so quickly," taunted Ally as she walked out. It was childish, but she couldn't resist. She looked back into the room and watched Margo glare as Tyrone read the complete list of new charges against her.

Margo seemed to know that Ally was still there and she glared at the one-way mirror. Ally let out a long sigh of relief knowing that Margo would stay locked up. Still, Ally decided not to dismiss Margo's threats. Maybe this was just a test to see how well the she and the Agency would respond. She thought about what Robert had told her about the group behind the sex clubs. Ally also suspected that Margo wasn't making threats. In fact, Ally believed that Margo's comments just confirmed that someone big was behind all this.

 

Chapter 38

After reporting to Robert, Ally had a few errands to run. She stopped by Michelle's office and dropped off a bottle of wine.

"Ally, this isn't necessary. But thank you very much," replied Michelle.

"I know, but I really appreciate everything you've done for me," answered Ally.

Next she headed up to Rich's office.

"Well, well, how're you doing today?" asked Rich.

"I just got back from telling Margo the news. She didn't take it very well," replied Ally.

Rich smiled. "No, I wouldn't think she would."

"I don't think we're heard the last from her either."

Rich nodded. "We'll have to keep our eye on her."

"It was good working with you again," continued Ally.

Rich motioned her to sit down. "I have some Blue Mountain, you want some?"

Ally nodded vigorously.

He poured her a mug. "Just so you know, I don't share this with everyone!"

Ally smiled and took the mug from him. The coffee tasted as good as promised. "Thank you very much."

 

"Just so you know, those raids are helping us clear up quite a few cases. In addition to the teens recovered directly in the raids, we've recovered an additional twenty-five teens. They were working in several brothels owned by one of the suspects."

Ally nodded and sipped her coffee, savoring the flavor. She began to think of the teens that had been killed and let out a sigh.

Rich seemed to sense what she was thinking. "Ally, you can't save the world. You have to take pride in the fact that we had a victory. No, we didn't win the war, but we put some really bad guys away."

"I know. I was just thinking about the ones we were too late to save."

"Ally, I've been involved in missing persons for fifteen years. I'd be lying if I told you that it doesn't get to you. So, you celebrate the victories and then go back to war."

"Thank you, Doctor," replied Ally with a grin.

"And don't you be a stranger in here. You can stop by when you're not saving the world."

Ally laughed.

"Oh, have you made plans for the dinner?" asked Rich.

The Agency had a huge formal dinner every year. It was mandatory to attend, but most agents looked forward to it all year. It was scheduled for the following month.

"Carol and I are going with Steve, Maggie, and Beth Williams. Also Michelle and her husband."

"What about Donna and Ed?"

"They're sitting with some of the agents in my, correction, her department," replied Ally with a proud smile on her face. "Donna promised that they would join us for coffee afterwards."

"Can Alyce and I join you?" asked Rich referring to his wife.

"We'd like that a lot," replied Ally remembering the previous year's dinner.

"So, is your promotion official?" asked Rich, as he refilled their mugs.

"Almost. I was pulled off organizing it for this case," replied Ally.

"I have a couple of agents who are interested in transferring into your department. I'd hate to lose them, but I think they'd excel at your department's type of work," stated Rich.

"Cool. Donna will be losing a few agents once the new offices are set up. Send me their files. I'll take a look at them, but it will be Donna's decision."

"Donna's a good choice. I would have tried to steal her from you, but I respect you too much!"

 

Chapter 39

A few days later Steve was back in DC. Ally stopped by to find out how the interrogation of Cortez had gone.

"What an arrogant bastard," proclaimed Steve, "no wonder Margo hired him."

"Did you get any information out of him?" asked Ally.

"No. He's not talking. But, then again we don't need his confession. Just like Margo he left his PC files unencrypted. We can connect him to the child porn ring and also the prostitution."

"Good. Anything else in the computers?"

Steve nodded. "We found payoffs to several local police departments. I've already passed this information to Robert. They should start the arrests shortly. I really hate corrupt cops."

Ally nodded in agreement. "So what's left?"

"Larry confessed that it was Cortez who recruited him, along with the dearly departed Derek. Nevin appears to just be a dupe. We know Bradley Kemper was involved in some kinky sex games with the ex-congressman. He's not talking, but I imagine he may have blackmailed by Cortez. So far he doesn't want to talk about it."

"That makes sense, since Aztec was supplying security for many of these perverts."

"We have some rather interesting names in Cortez's files, however Sterling Layton's name isn't in there. So either Layton just was careless about who he hired, or…"

"Or, he was too important to be documented," interrupted Ally with a grin.

Steve nodded. "Exactly. So, we'll keep an eye on the congressman."

"When will the story of Bradley's arrest hit the press?"

"Tomorrow at the earliest. The Director gave Layton a head's up."

"Do you think it will effect his re-election?" asked Ally.

"I doubt it. He'll rant and rave at how society is so depraved and try and turn it into his advantage."

"Has he seen Bradley since the arrest?" asked Ally.

"No. In fact no one from his office has had any contact with Bradley. My guess is that he'll hope that the whole mess blows over quickly."

Ally nodded. "So where does Margo fit into this?"

"From what I've seen from the files we found in Aztec, they were going to bring in Margo to create new sex slaves to sell. However, it looked like they were going to abduct their teens from other countries this time. We discovered plans for a facility to be built on a private island in the Caribbean. The plans were still in the preliminary stage, as they hadn't even bought the land yet."

"Well, isn't that nice," replied Ally sarcastically.

"I think it goes deeper, but none of the principals are talking. Margo had access to some very powerful people while she was in the Agency. I don't think she's bluffing when she hinted about having friends in high places," continued Steve. "There's some real money behind this."

Ally nodded. "Do you think the Director knows this?"

Steve just looked back at Ally and cracked a grin.

"Of course he does! Okay, that was a stupid question!" replied Ally with a laugh.

"You're allowed one occasionally."

Ally laughed.

"Another thing that bothers me is how easily we caught Cortez. I've seen shoplifters put up more resistance," remarked Steve. "I'd like to think that it just because we were so efficient, but something tells me that let us catch him."

"Who has him now?" asked Ally.

"He's out in a prison in California. Several agencies are fighting to get him. I'll let the lawyers fight it out on this one."

Ally nodded.

"Changing the topic. How's the party planning progressing?" asked Steve,

"Don't worry everything will be ready by Saturday," replied Ally, referring to Beth's birthday party.

"I'm amazed that we were able to get everything done, considering what's been going on."

"I know. Carol has done wonders putting together the meal."

Steve nodded. "Oh, Maggie told me you liked the baby's room."

Ally nodded. "The Stooges?" she chided.

"Soitenly! Hey, I was raised on them and I turned out okay!"

Ally laughed and shook her head. "See you later." As Ally walked out of Steve's office she ran into Jo. "Hi, Jo."

Jo looked up from the file she was reading. "Hey, Ally. How's the shoulder?"

"Doc gave me some more pills. He was pretty pissed that I was on the raid, but he'll get over it."

Jo laughed. "He blames Steve every time one of us gets hurt."

"I know."

Jo looked around and then leaned closer to Ally. "Can we talk in private, somewhere outside of work?"

"Sure. You have a place in mind?"

Jo shook her head.

Sensing her nervousness, Ally smiled. "Why don't you stop by my place this evening? Here I'll write you out directions."

Ally wrote out the directions.

"Thanks," replied Jo, who folded the paper and stuck it in her pocket of her jacket. "Is seven okay?"

Ally nodded. "That'll be fine."

 

Chapter 40

Ally looked at her watch and saw that it was seven-thirty. She was about to give up on Jo, when the doorbell rang.

Ally looked out the peephole and saw Jo standing there. Ally opened the door and greeted her fellow agent.

"Come on in, Jo."

"Thanks, Ally. I had trouble finding a parking spot."

Ally cocked her head and smiled at Jo.

Jo shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, I was here on time. It just took me a while to get up the nerve to come up here."

"That's okay."

After taking her coat, Ally walked Jo into the kitchen. Jo was wearing jeans, a dark blue sweater, and hiking boots.

"You want something to drink?" asked Ally.

Jo sat down by the kitchen table. "Do you have any Diet Coke?"

Ally smiled. "I think we might have some." She reached into the fridge and pulled out two cans. "Would you like a glass?"

"No, the can is fine."

Ally handed her a soda and sat down next to her.

Jo let out a long sigh. "I don't know where to begin. But I felt I could trust you."

Ally stared back.

"You said that you always knew that you were different, right?"

Ally nodded. "That's right."

"And you fought the feelings you whole life too?"

"Yes."

Jo stared at the table. For several moments she sat there in silence.

"I'm different too," stated Jo softly.

Ally reached over and took her by the hands. "Go on."

Jo let out another sigh. "I just know that I was meant to be a guy. I mean I've felt this way my whole life. What does that make me?" asked Jo, almost pleading.

"I'm no doctor, but sounds like you may be transsexual," offered Ally.

Jo nodded softly.

"You already know this, right?" asked Ally. She looked at Jo.

Jo nodded again. She reached up and wiped away a tear. "Some guy I'd make, look at me, I'm crying."

Ally smiled softly. "Guys are allowed to cry."

Jo's lips began to quiver and in a moment she broke down. Ally moved over and began to hug her. She held onto Jo for what seemed like minutes, letting Jo let out her emotions.

"You're the first person that I've talked to about this," confessed Jo as she tried to regain her composure.

"I think I can relate to what you're feeling right now," confided Ally, as she held out a box of tissues.

"I can't remember the last time I cried. I guess that I've always been tried to control my emotions," continued Jo.

"It's okay to show your emotions. I've learned that."

Jo nodded and blew her nose. "I don't think I can go on living a lie. But I don't want to give up my job. Ally, I love what I'm doing! I mean I really love being in Spec-Ops. I'm really good at it and I can't imagine doing anything else. But what would the rest of the team think? What would Steve think?"

Ally didn't say a word and let Jo vent out all her fears and frustrations.

"I mean, what difference would it make? I've never worn a dress to work. My hair is shorter than most of the women and many of the men!" continued Jo. She then let out a long sigh. "What should I do?"

Ally thought about what she was about to say. "Have you seen Jenna yet?"

"Jenna? The therapist?"

"Yes. While gender identity isn't her specialty, she is knowledgeable and can help you. This isn't the sort of thing that you should self diagnose. I started seeing a therapist as soon I realized who I was. Believe me when I tell you that my therapist really helped me,"

"Then what?"

"Do you want to stay in the Agency?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then you should talk to Steve. I'll be there for you if you want."

"He'll freak."

"No, no he won't. Steve is very understanding. He's one of my best friends in the Agency and he knows that I'm a pre-op transsexual."

"But that's different?"

"How?"

Jo sat there trying to think of a response. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."

"Jo, you've proved yourself to the rest of Spec-Ops time and time again. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by their reaction. I know I was when I first transitioned."

"But you arrived here as Ally?"

"I transitioned back while I was still a detective back in California. I had a few months to turn over my department and I did it as Ally."

"How were you treated?" asked Jo.

"First off, I told my chief what I was going to do. He held a meeting and told the rest of the force that I was now Detective Ally Burns. He emphasized that he wouldn't tolerate any harassment."

Jo took a sip of her soda. "And then what happened?"

"There was some tension at first. My first few days as Ally were crazy. I was a nervous wreck. I felt as if the whole world was watching me. My fellow officers were oversensitive on how to address me. If they slipped up and used the wrong pronoun or called me Al, they were very apologetic, overly apologetic! It became annoying for all of us. I finally told them to just relax, that I was the same person, just in a different package. That helped break the tension."

"Did you win them all over?"

Ally shook her head. "No. But most were willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. There were some assholes. I got some nasty e-mail and notes, but nothing worse than that. I think the fact that I didn't use the locker room helped. However, I never hesitated to use the women's room."

"Do you think you could have stayed there?"

Ally nodded. "I think so. The funny thing was that I had more that one person tell me that they weren't all that surprised. Many thought I was gay, turns out they were right, as I consider myself to be a lesbian now!"

Jo laughed.

"I had proved myself to them several times over. To some of my co-workers that gave me the right, in their eyes, to do whatever I felt like with my life. I think that's the way most of your co-workers will feel."

"What about your family?"

"My parents were also very cool. Of course, there was a period of adjustment, but overall they've accepted me as Ally and have accepted Carol as my partner."

Jo nodded. "I don't know how my family will respond. I was always a bit of a Tomboy."

"Are you and you're family close?"

Jo nodded. "Yes. While they didn't initially support my career choice, they're very proud of me. My Dad's a cop and so are my two brothers. I just don't want them to think they did something wrong in the way they raised me."

"I don't know what to tell you other than you need to give them the benefit of the doubt. I was pleasantly surprised by my family's response. The only thing that bothers them about my life is that I work for the Agency. They're college professors and are a bit suspicious of the government."

Jo laughed.

"I do know from my own experience that you need to resolve this issue. It will eat you up inside," added Ally.

"I know that I could just get by and wear guys clothes at work…."

"But that's not what you want. You don't want to dress up, you want to live the way you know you should be accepted as," interrupted Ally.

Jo nodded vigorously. "Exactly."

"So, do you want Jenna's number?"

Jo smiled. "I'd like that."

Ally reached into her purse and pulled out her address book.

"I appreciate that you trusted me enough to talk about this," stated Ally as she wrote down Jenna's number.

"I just knew that you were the best person to ask about this."

"Can I ask you a personal question, Jo?"

Jo nodded. "Shoot."

"Are you in a relationship with anyone right now?"

"Sort of. I've been in an on-again-off-again relationship with a woman."

"Does she know?"

"She suspects something has been bothering me."

"Would she mind if you were a male?"

Jo thought about it. "I don't know. I know she's bi."

"Be honest with her. It will be a good place to start."

Jo smiled. "I'll think about that."

"So tell me, what do you want to be called?"

"I know this sounds shocking, but I want to be called Joe!" She began to laugh. "Or maybe Joey."

Ally joined in the laughter. "Okay, Joe, but remember I'll be there when you want to talk to Steve."

"Thanks. I'll still be J-O, for now. I'll call Jenna tomorrow," explained Jo. "I let you know when I'm ready to talk to Steve. Thanks so much Ally, you have no idea what this means to me."

"I think I do," replied Ally who leaned over and hugged her.

 

Chapter 41

"So, did I do the right thing?" asked Ally, as she poured Carol a glass of wine at dinner.

"Yes. Jo sees you a role model and obviously respects your opinion. I'm glad you told her to see a therapist," replied Carol.

"She sounded pretty sincere. I can really relate to much of what she was saying," continued Ally.

Carol nodded. "How's Dean?"

"Better. I saw him today. He's been writing out a very detailed description of what happened to him. Bridget feels this is excellent therapy for him. From what I read, he'll make an excellent witness for Domi's trial. His attention to detail and memory is exceptional," replied Ally.

"What about his health?"

"He passed his initial physical, and so far all his tests are negative. They're waiting for him to get his weight up before they conduct any surgery. They want to take care of his rectum first and then they'll operate on his breasts. They also want to work on the scars on his back. He had his hair cut and it's a big improvement."

"That's good to hear. What about his face?" asked Carol. She had seen photos of Dean and how feminine his face looked.

"The doctors think they can help, although he'll always have soft features. He won't be able to hide them with facial hair. Apparently he was subjected to massive electrolysis, and has no facial hair to speak of," replied Ally.

"I suppose it could be worse."

Ally nodded as she thought about the others. "Thankfully he'll be home soon. His parents have been staying with him in the clinic. They've been very supportive. I understand that most of the others are going to have a much more difficult recovery."

"I've noticed that you've taken a very strong interest in Dean," noted Carol. "And I don't just mean in terms of the investigation."

Ally nodded. "I guess I have. I deal with abused kids everyday and the predators who try and hurt them. I guess it feels good to get close to some of those my department has helped."

"I think it's wonderful. The problem with our sort of career is that to survive you must not let the horrible things you see bother you. The risk is that you could lose your humanity." Carol gazed lovingly at Ally. "I haven't told you this, but I was close to being totally burnt out when I went out to California. I had seen so much human misery that I was becoming immune to it. Meeting you reaffirmed my faith."

Ally stared back into Carol's eyes and saw that they were getting teary. She reached over and took Carol's hands into hers.

"I also never told you how I nearly lost it when you were wounded. I don't know what I would have done if you had died. I sat in that damn waiting room praying for your recovery, as you mean so much to me. I can't tell you how relived I was to her that you would make it," continued Carol.

Ally started to speak and Carol reached up and put a finger to Ally's lips.

"I know you feel the same about me. I just want you to know that you're my life. Loving you and seeing you bloom has saved me," continued Carol. She then leaned over and gently kissed Ally on the lips.

Ally kissed Carol back. For once in her life she kept her mouth closed.

Without a word, Carol led Ally to their bedroom.

 

Chapter 42

Later that night, Ally was cuddling close to Carol in bed. She looked up and smiled. "Oh, I got a call from Celeste today!"

"Is she still going down this weekend?" asked Carol as she stroked Ally's hair.

"She said she wouldn't miss it for the world. She's also getting two of the teens for her house."

"Is she still keeping them at her home?"

"Yes. She plans on allowing several to stay at her home until the facility in Connecticut is opened. The other one in upstate Pennsylvania won't be open until next year. Two of the girls she took in after the Maryland raid are starting college in the fall."

"When will her Connecticut home be opened?" asked Carol.

"She's hoping for a grand opening in the spring. By the way, we're invited for the ceremony."

"That would be great. We could make it a long weekend."

"I wish it was now. I could use a long weekend now," sighed Ally.

Carol reached over and put her hand to the side of Ally's face. "Why don't we do that? I think we could both use some time off."

"I'd love that."

"Good, because I just made reservations for us to go to Hawaii in three weeks. An old friend of mine is loaning us their vacation home on the beach for a week. Nothing to do but lay in the sun and rest."

"Oh, that sounds marvelous!" exclaimed Ally.

"I thought you'd approve. Besides, I want to see what you look like in a grass skirt!"

"I'm just happy you picked somewhere warm!"

Carol smiled and kissed Ally passionately. "You ready for round two?"

Ally giggled and nodded.

 

Chapter 43

The day of the party, it was Ally's job to keep Beth away from their home. They spent the day at the Smithsonian.

"So, what time are you taking me to the party?" asked Beth innocently.

"Hey, at least try and act surprised!" replied Ally with a grin.

"Oh, I will. I'm really excited about it! So who else will be there?"

Ally cracked a smile. "Sorry, little sister, some things must remain a secret."

Beth nodded. "I can't believe that it's been three years since…. since I was reborn." She let out a long sigh.

"You okay?" asked Ally.

Beth smiled back. "Yes. It's just that I have very mixed emotions about this day. I gave up so much, but I also gained a lot. I mean I have a wonderful family and am about to be a big sister! I'm going to Penn in the fall and have a great career ahead of me. But…."

"But, you still miss your old family," interjected Ally.

Beth nodded. "I know that that bridge is burned. It would be way too traumatic for both sides."

Ally nodded.

"I also get nightmares this time of year. I find myself back in San Diego reliving my transformation," continued Beth. "They're so realistic. I haven't told Mom and Dad about them, even though I'm sure they know about them."

"Don't be afraid to talk to them about them. Whenever I get one of my nightmares, I always talk to Carol about it," stated Ally.

"You still get nightmares about the attack?" asked Beth.

Ally nodded. "They're not as frequent, but I still get them."

"Do you think they'll ever go away?" asked Beth.

"Jenna said that they might. The point is that you have to learn to live with them. Having them isn't a sign of weakness."

Beth nodded. "Your right. I just don't want Mom and Dad to worry about me."

"They worry about you because they love you."

"Thanks for reminding me. I'll talk to them about it if I have another nightmare."

Ally threw her arm around Beth. "Let's go get something to eat, little sister."

"Sounds good, big sister!"

They left the museum and picked out a small restaurant nearby. Ally had eaten there a few times and they always had great homemade soups. As they ate Ally couldn't help but overhear the conversation at the table next to them. A man and a woman were discussing an article in the morning Post.

"I love it. I've never liked that pompous right-wing jackass!" exclaimed the man.

"I can't believe he didn't know that his own aide was involved in child pornography!" remarked the woman.

Ally turned around. "Excuse me, but you are you talking about?"

"That fascist congressman Layton, one of his aides was busted by the Feds for being involved in a child porno ring," stated the man, holding out the paper.

Ally glanced at the article. It appeared on the bottom half of the front of the paper. Not the type of press that a congressman liked.

"Thank you," replied Ally.

"Do you think it will effect his re-election?" asked Beth.

"No. This is February. He has enough time for damage control. By November the voters will have forgotten it ever happened," replied Ally.

"Hey, don't be so cynical, have some faith in the people," remarked the man. "Hell, after today I even have faith that the Feds can do some good in the world!"

Ally smiled. She wondered what the man would say if she told him that she was the one who arrested Bradley.

 

Chapter 44

"So what time is the party…. errr, what time are you taking me home?" quipped Beth.

"It would serve you right if they actually forgot about your birthday!" retorted Ally.

Beth laughed. "I never cared about my birthdays when I was Ben. I was rather indifferent about my first couple as Beth. But for some reason I'm looking forward to this one."

"I was always hoping on my birthday that I would wake up a girl," remarked Ally, as she headed towards Beth's home.

"I can't imagine what that must have been like, Ally."

"Don't get me wrong, I had a great childhood, in spite of my gender issues. Still, I was very confused about the feelings I had. I think not having anyone to talk to made it worse. I didn't have a lot of friends my age to begin with."

"That's right. Weren't you were some sort of child genius?"

"Something like that. I graduated early from both high school and college. I guess I was compensating for the gender conflict," suggested Ally.

"You think?" quipped Beth. "Seriously, why did you go into law enforcement? You must have had other offers."

"Oh, I did. But I want to prove something. Maybe I thought that if I went into something dangerous and macho I would become a real man," answered Ally.

Beth smiled. "Did it work?"

"Obviously law enforcement made a woman out of me!"

Beth and Ally started laughing.

"Okay, we're almost there. Try and act surprised, okay?" asked Ally.

"I will. By the way, thanks," replied Beth.

"For what?" asked Ally, as she parked the car.

"For being my sister."

 

Chapter 45

Beth used her key to enter the house. Steve and Maggie were sitting in the living room talking about her latest prenatal exam.

"Did you have a good time, Beth?" asked Maggie.

Beth nodded and hugged her parents. She glanced around the room and to her surprise; she didn't see a thing out of place.

Ally was always amazed that no matter how mature Beth could act, there were times when she was such a normal teenager.

"Ally you want some coffee? I was just going to make us some," asked Steve as she started to stand up.

"Let me do it, you always make it too strong," commented Beth. She headed towards the kitchen when the party guests sprang out from their hiding places.

"Surprise!!" they exclaimed. "Happy Birthday Beth!"

Beth actually jumped back in shock as the room was suddenly filled with partygoers.

"Gotcha!" stated Steve with a big smile on his face. "We knew you'd figure it out so we decided to use some old spy tricks."

"Hide the object in plain sight," added Ally.

Beth was too happy to care. "Gran!!" she exclaimed when she saw Andrea Carlson. She immediately hugged her grandmother.

Beth then turned to see Celeste standing next to Carol. "You came here for my party? That's so cool!"

"Hey, we're going to be roommates!" replied Celeste.

Ally watched as Beth greeted her friends and family. Carol came up and slipped her arm around Ally. "She seems pretty happy."

Ally nodded. "Considering what's happened in her life she deserves to be happy." She then noticed a tall thin teenage boy with glasses moving closer to Beth.

"Is that Kevin?" asked Ally.

"Yes, he seems to be a nice kid."

"He'd better be!" quipped Ally. "Seriously, they make a nice couple."

Carol smiled and leaned over and kissed Ally on the cheek.

Ally looked around at the guests. Most were also her friends too. She was pleased to see Madison and Tom there. Beth had told her that they had once been on a mission together. Donna also showed up.

"Okay everyone, the food is in the dining room," announced Steve.

Carol had put together a Mexican buffet for the meal.

Beth's eyes opened up wide. "Did you do this Carol?"

"Maggie told me that you love Mexican food."

"I do. Thank you very much," replied Beth as she hugged Carol.

"Did you make enough?" asked Ally looking over the huge amount of food on the dining room table.

"Maybe not, Beth and Steve can sure pack away the food," replied Carol.

 

Chapter 46

After dinner Beth opened her gifts. She loved the string of pearls that Ally and Carol gave her. Celeste had bought her a matching pair of earrings.

"How did Celeste know?" whispered Ally to Carol.

Carol smiled back. "She called and asked me what we were giving Beth. Now Beth will have something to wear to the Agency party."

Andrea's gift was that she was taking Beth with her to Denmark in July.

"I want to show you where I lived," explained Andrea.

"Thank you so much! I can't wait! It's going to be so cool to travel with you!" replied Beth.

As Beth finished opening her gifts, Celeste sat down next to Ally.

"The latest group of teens arrived this week," remarked Celeste.

"Thanks again for all you've done," replied Ally.

"I hope that these are the last teens that we ever get that have had the displeasure of meeting Margo Simon," continued Celeste angrily. "I never thought I could hate someone so much as I do that woman."

"I think we've recovered all the teens she abducted. So are you excited about starting college?" Ally thought about Margo's comments concerning her captives. Ally suspected that Margo wouldn't last five minutes with Celeste.

"Very much so. Our condo is almost ready. I've rented out several of the other units already. Having personally screened them, I fully believe that we're going to have a very cool building."

"I don't doubt that."

"I really liked the couple that will be living on the floor below us. Guess what? They're both going into law enforcement and already enrolled at Penn. The guy Matt is in criminology and his fiancé Cat is studying criminal forensics science. I know Beth will like both of them. Spirit approves of them too."

"Cool. So how're things going in your personal life?"

"Dad and I are closer than we've ever been. We try to have dinner every few weeks. I know that we're never going to be able to make up for all the lost time, but I really don't care, I'm just happy that he's in my life."

"No more problems with your mother?"

Celeste shook her head. "She's written us both off," she replied sadly.

Ally bit her tongue and just sat there in silence. As rotten as Celeste's mother had treated her, she was still her mother and Celeste still loved her.

"Well, I'm very happy to see you."

"I'm serious about you guys coming up for the grand opening for the Connecticut facility."

"We're already planning on it. How's the other one coming along?" asked Ally.

"A bit slower. We had to start this one from scratch. We're building it on an old farm just outside the town. We had to convince the town's city council first. However, once we told them what are plans are they fully supported it. The local high school principal was very encouraging. She's working on a plan to integrate the teens into the school."

"Sounds great."

"I'm semi-amazed by what we're accomplished so far myself."

"I'm not," replied Ally

Celeste smiled back. "Thanks, Sis."

 

Chapter 47

"Okay, we've saved the best for last, unfortunately, Beth, we don't have your gift here." announced Steve.

A large smile began to form on Beth's face as she listened to her parents.

"Since you're going to college up in Philly we decided that you'll need transportation," added Maggie.

"So, we're going to buy you a car. We're going to let you pick it out…. within reason," remarked Steve.

Beth immediately hugged her parents. "Thank you so much." Tears were running down her face.

Only a few people really understood Beth's emotional response. Having her own car was a return to adulthood for her. It was appropriate that it happened on the anniversary of the day that she became a young girl.

 

Chapter 48

"Thanks so much for coming, Celeste. How long will you be down here?" asked Beth, as she passed some coffee to her.

"I'll be here all weekend," replied Celeste. "I'm staying with Ally and Carol."

"Cool. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Where are you going?" asked Celeste.

"Another party. My friends at school are throwing me one. Kevin is taking me there. Don't worry I'll act surprised!" explained Beth, as she glanced at Ally.

"Just remember, you may be eighteen now, but we still want you in at a decent hour," interjected Steve.

"No problem, Dad. I'll be back before dawn," quipped Beth.

"If you're not home by one, I'll have those two track you down and bring you home!" threatened Steve with a smile, as he pointed at Madison and Tom, who smiled and waved at Beth.

Beth smiled back and then gave Steve a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Dad." She then repeated the act with Maggie. After saying goodnight to everyone else Beth left with Kevin.

"Kevin's a nice kid," noted Tom.

"I don't recall asking you," replied Steve with a smile.

"I wouldn't worry about Beth," added Madison.

"I agree with both my colleagues," piped in Ally.

Steve nodded. "I have to admit that I like the kid too."

"Does he have any idea of what you and Maggie do for a living?" asked Tom.

"Beth told him that we're professional troubleshooters," answered Maggie.

Tom nodded. "So, she told him the truth!"

Chapter 49

The following Saturday, Ally and Carol were watching a movie in front of a fire. They had planned to go shopping that day for their trip to Maui, but the eight inches of snow that had fallen so far had changed their minds. Carol said it was a shame to waste a good blizzard, so they cuddled on the couch while watching Bogart flicks. They started their double feature started with The Maltese Falcon to be followed by the Big Sleep.

"It looks like we're secured the funding for the additional offices," stated Ally, as she reached into the ceramic bowl of popcorn they were sharing.

"That's wonderful news. So have you decided where they'll be?"

"Yes. In addition to Seattle, we're establishing an office in Atlanta and St. Louis. We'll handle the east coast from here. I'll maintain my office and staff here."

"You're getting a staff?" mocked Carol.

"Okay, I'm getting a personal assistant, but I think staff sounds cooler."

"You've come a long way from running everything yourself from a converted vault," added Carol.

"It was a secure communications room." Ally smiled and kissed Carol.

"I've noticed that you've shown maternal feelings the last few weeks. First there was the way you helped Dean and then there was Jo," remarked Carol.

"And your point is?" asked Ally.

"I'm just wondering if Maggie's pregnancy is having an influence on you," continued Carol.

Ally laughed. "Please!"

Carol smiled. "Good. I have nothing against children, but I'm not ready, besides you're enough of a handful for anyone!"

"Oh thanks! However, I was thinking how nice it would be to have something waiting for us when we got home."

Carol raised an eyebrow. "What're you talking about?"

"Can we please get a kitten?" begged Ally.

"Just one?"

"Two would be better. They could keep each other company!"

Carol stared back at Ally. "Since you're the least spontaneous person I know, tell me all about it."

Ally giggled. "Okay, you caught me…. again! Anyway, I was talking to Michelle this week and their cat is due to have kittens in a few weeks."

Carol thought about it. They had dinner with Michelle and her husband Warren several times. She remembered that Michelle had a very sweet black cat. "Do we know who the father is?"

Ally laughed. "Yes. It was her daughter's cat." She went to tell how Michelle had left her cat with her daughter when they went on vacation and how nature had taken its course.

"Let me think about this for a while. Although, I have always liked the idea of having a cat."

"Or two?"

"Don't press your luck, my dear!" replied Carol as she leaned over and kissed Ally.

In between movies, Ally checked the mail and to her surprise it had actually been delivered.

"Mail's here. I guess they take their motto pretty seriously," she announced as she sorted through the stack of letters.

"Any thing good?" asked Carol from the kitchen, where she was making some hot chocolate.

"Oooooh, I got a letter from Rep. Layton," replied Ally as she dangled the letter from her hand.

"Oh, I've got to hear this!"

Ally walked into the kitchen, sat down at the table and opened the envelope. "Dear Special Agent Burns, I want to express my personal thank you for the way you handled the case involving my staff member. I was horrified to think that a person like that was on my staff. Let me just say that this motivates me even more to clean up the morality of this country. We must have a country that is free of filth and perversity. I can only be thankful that we have law enforcement agents like you protecting us from the degenerates of the world. We need more like you."

Ally immediately began to laugh and was joined by Carol.

"I agree with him. We need more transgendered lesbian agents in law enforcement!" added Carol.

"I think I'll frame this and post it in my office," remarked Ally, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Can I see that please?" asked Carol. She read the letter while shaking her head in disbelief. "I want a copy of this too. I can break it out whenever I need a laugh."

Ally sorted through the rest of the mail. She held out an envelope addressed to her. It was from one of the surgeons that she had applied to for her SRS. She held it up for Carol to see it.

"Well? You going to open it?"

Ally nervously opened the envelope and read the letter.

"Well?" asked Carol impatiently.

Ally finished the letter and without a word or a show of emotion handed it to Carol.

 

The End

Thanks to Slothrop for the help.

  

  

  

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