If anyone reading this story discovers a typo or other error, please let me know. You can send an email to: barnold@ralabs.com. Please let me know where you saw the story and what the error was. I'll attempt to get it corrected.

This is a work of fiction, with a few real life experiences added in. All of the characters in this story are fictional, and any resemblance to anyone else living or dead is probably a coincidence. Please notify me if you are archiving this and the other chapters of the story on a web site. Permission specifically granted to Sapphire's Place and Crystal's Story Site to archive this. If you intend to publish this story in magazine or book (paper or electronic) format, please contact me for arrangements. Additional information on this story may be found at: http://www.ralabs.com/zapped/ .

Thanks to Lynn Jennings for editing and proofing assistance with this chapter. Any errors left are likely my own in working on the story after Lynn worked on it.

 

Zapped

by Bob Arnold

© 2003 by Robert Arnold – All Rights Reserved

Chapter 13b – Making Up Is Hard To Do

 

January 11, 2003 - Saturday

I woke up to the feeling of a tiny furry paw batting the end of my nose. The light was streaming into the room and splashing across the head of the bed. I saw a stray lock of hair hanging down across my face and it moved whenever I exhaled. Maggie had decided to have some fun with my hair and was batting at the movement with her paw. I played the game with Maggie by varying the time I held my breath between exhales. Finally I blew a stream of air from my mouth that moved the hair up and out of the way.

Maggie looked a little depressed that the fun was over and curled up again in a little ball on the pillow. I, on the other hand, felt an urgent need to use the bathroom so I was forced to get up for the day. Water splashed into the tub as I took care of my own business then I slid into the warm, inviting water. Twenty minutes later I was back in the bedroom dressing in an outfit quite similar to the one I wore yesterday, a pair of jeans with a blouse. I spent a few minutes brushing and combing my hair then applied my makeup lightly since it would all have to come off at the theater later in the day. Maggie was sitting on the end of the bed cleaning her fur again as I finished.

"Hello, little one. Feeling fine today?" Maggie looked up at me and made a little purring sound. "Come on, then. Time for breakfast before you have to go back home." I placed Maggie on the floor and she followed me into the kitchen.

Four slices of toast went into the toaster. Four strips of bacon went into the microwave along with an egg mixed up for an omelet in a special microwave-cooking dish. The microwave dinged as I buttered the last of the four slices of bread. Maggie's breakfast consisted of a small bowl with cottage cheese and another small bowl of milk. I poured a glass of orange juice for my own breakfast.

A few moments after I sat down I felt tiny claws starting to climb up the leg of my jeans. I looked down to see Maggie doing her best to get to the table. I lifted her off my leg and set the squirming kitten on the table. She sat next to my plate staring at the bacon strips. Smiling to myself I took half a strip of bacon and placed it on a napkin on the table next to Maggie. I watched as she devoured the piece of bacon then she looked at my plate for the rest of the strip. "All right, little one. I guess you're on solid food now aren't you?" The rest of the strip of bacon disappeared as quickly as the first half did.

From previous experience I knew that cats eat almost anything people do so I cut off a small chunk of my omelet and placed it on the napkin. That too disappeared into the tummy of the tiny cat. The last little bit must have filled her up since she started her fur cleaning operation again. I managed to finish my breakfast while Maggie cleaned up the bowl of cottage cheese and milk after I placed them on the table.

The last of the dishes from breakfast went into the washer as the front doorbell chimed. "Well, Maggie, looks like it's time you went home again." I scooped up the happy kitten and answered the door.

The same little girl from yesterday stood on the front porch. "Hi, Sally. Toby got out again."

"I know. We can't figure out how he does it either."

"Kittens can squeeze through the tiniest openings, Sally. Just remember that any time Toby disappears check with me, OK? He seems to like visiting with me."

"Thanks, Miss Stevens. I'll do that." I handed the squirming kitten to Sally and watched her walk back to her house with the kitten tucked inside her coat.

For the next few hours I busied myself with maintenance on the computers I used to run my web site. The time moved by quickly until I heard the front door open and close again. Moments later Tammy poked her head into the computer room.

"All set to go, Jen?"

"Sure, just give me a moment to print a couple of things then log out of the system."

"Good. I need to use the facilities anyway. It's COLD out there!"

"You can make a cup of hot chocolate if you want some, Tammy. Help yourself in the kitchen."

"Sounds good to me, Jen. Want a cup?"

"Sure. You go warm up and I'll make it, OK?"

"Thanks, Jen." Tammy headed for the bathroom in the office as I headed for the kitchen. A couple of minutes later we were sitting at the kitchen table waiting for the milk to warm up in the microwave.

"So are you ready for today, Jen?"

"About as ready as I was last weekend, Tammy. As much as I will have to do this over the next two months I don't think I'll ever get used to doing the play. The radio show is sort of old news to me by now."

I watched as Tammy took the two cups of milk out of the microwave and stirred in the special hot chocolate mix then added some mini-marshmallows to each cup. "I know what you mean. It seems strange to be going seven days a week doesn't it? I have to go to college then do the radio show with you then the play at night."

"I'll be spending a few days each week in Orlando then coming back up here for the radio show and the play. I wonder if I'll have any problem remembering where I am every day?"

"Just look outside. I think it'll be easy to figure that one out, Jen. White means New York, green means Florida. That plus the fact that you'll freeze those lovely boobs of yours off if you go around without a coat up here right now should keep you informed."

"Sounds reasonable to me, Tammy. Say… I think we better get moving for the radio station."

Tammy glanced at her watch. "You're right. We've got about an hour to get there. Let's go."

The drive to the station took about half an hour in the slippery winter driving conditions. That was certainly something I wasn't going to miss when I had to be in Orlando.

The radio show went like it always did with lots of questions and just as many answers. Word of my activities at MouseWorld had started to leak out since I got several questions from listeners about it. I promised to provide a weekly update if my listeners wanted it and asked them to send me an email if they were interested. When I checked my email at the end of the show, over three thousand emails were already there asking for the weekly update. It looked like this phase of my life was going to be an open book to the public.

Tammy and I agreed on Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch so we picked up a small bucket and a few side orders and took them to the theater. As usual for a Saturday, we were the first to arrive and went about the task of turning up the heat and the lights. We went to my dressing room to have lunch as the theater warmed up. Fortunately the dressing room warmed up faster than the rest of the theater and we were quite comfortable.

I wish I could report that the two shows we did were memorable but like the show last night it was becoming somewhat routine. I still had a major case of stage fright every time the curtain opened for my first appearance. Each time I swallowed my fear and put on the "stage face" my fellow cast and crew had come to expect.

I vividly remember that the discussion during the catered supper between shows turned to my activities. Details had leaked out on one of the evening entertainment reporting shows about my deal with MouseWorld. I got bombarded with questions from everyone about what I'd be doing and when. While I was only certain of certain milestones in the schedule I provided as much information as I could. It seemed to satisfy most of the cast and crew and soon the attention turned away from me back to the local gossip that we always had about local people in the theater and broadcasting.

The crowd in the theater lobby had grown after the second show to meet me and get an autograph. I stayed much longer than previous Saturday nights to satisfy the demand. Finally I was forced to admit to myself that I was a "someone" now. Six months ago I was a nobody going nowhere fast. My death then would not have left even a footnote in history. Now I was the center of attention at least for this group of people that wanted to meet me. I wondered again how long I would be able to walk in a grocery store or go shopping in private without a crowd of people or paparazzi following me around.

The mass of people slowly dwindled to nothing. I looked up to see Adam waiting for me. "Ready to go, love?"

"Am I ever! You're taking me home?" He nodded yes. "You're staying the night I hope."

""Well, you DID promise me breakfast didn't you?"

I hugged him tightly and kissed him. "Just try to get away from me!" I wrapped an arm around him as we walked out to his car.

The bucket seats in his Mustang didn't allow me to snuggle up beside him but I did manage to lean over and rest my head on his shoulder as we traveled the slippery streets back to my house. We arrived intact and headed inside the warm house.

Adam turned to me as we headed for the bedroom. "Jen do you mind if we just…"

"…get to bed?" He smiled then nodded. "Adam I'd really like that and I'm not even going to insist that we do anything more than go to sleep right now. I don't know about you but I'm really tired and I wouldn't enjoy having a little fun now as much as I would in the morning."

"Thanks, Jen. I knew you'd understand."

"Adam, just having you next to me is all I need tonight." I started to undress. "I'm going to go take a bath and clean up. A hot bath is going to help relax me."

Adam started to undress too. "Is the tub big enough for two?"

"Yes, it is but only if we don't get something started neither of us has the energy to finish tonight." I dropped my panties and bra on the floor. "Give me a couple of minutes then come in, OK?" Adam nodded as he stood by the bed in his underwear.

"Let me use the bathroom by the office and I'll be right with you, love." He walked out of the bedroom as I headed for the bathroom.

I started to fill the tub and added some of my favorite bath beads to the water. The pleasing fragrance of lilacs filled the bathroom. I used the toilet then slipped into the inviting water. Adam walked in a few moments later.

"Is there room for one more?"

"Sure! I patted the water. Come on in!" Adam eased in beside me and we snuggled in each other's arms. I never knew that simply washing up in the tub could be such an erotic experience. Just the gentle touch of Adam washing my sensitive parts sent me over the edge at least twice. I returned the favor my using my hands to bring Adam to the edge of ecstasy several times then completed the job after I'd gotten out of the tub. I let the water drain then told Adam to rinse off using the shower head before he came to bed. I patted myself dry then headed for the bedroom and slipped between the satin sheets on my bed.

Adam appeared a couple of minutes later and got in beside me. We lay spooned together in each other's arms as we both drifted off to sleep.

January 12, 2003 - Sunday

Waking up was heaven as I felt Adam's arms wrapped around me. I lay as still as I could trying not to wake him too early. I waited as long as I could before the demands my body was making took over forcing me to get up and head for the bathroom. I finished up as quickly as I could and returned to the bed to find Adam waiting for me.

"Morning, beautiful. How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm doing great, Adam. How about you?"

"I'm ready to go if you are."

"Let's not spoil the feeling. Let's just cuddle some more. We don't have to be up for another two hours."

"Fine with me. I'm glad to know our relationship is more than raw sex."

"Well… the sex is great but I like just being with you, Adam."

"And I love being with you, Jen."

We snuggled back down in the bed and slept for almost two more hours before we both needed to get up. Adam went first to take care of his morning ritual before he dressed in clothes he brought with him. I then completed my own morning preparations then dressed in a revealing teddy and put a terry bathrobe on over it.

I was preparing waffles and sausage again when Adam came into the kitchen with the Sunday morning paper. "Want me to read the review of the play last night?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Let's see…" Adam fumbled with the paper until he found the Entertainment section. "Ah… here it is. I'll skip the movie review just before our review. Ahhh… 'and I was in attendance again at the second performance of Victor/Victoria last evening at the Community Theater. The group continues to produce a crisp highly entertaining show with few mistakes and loads of fun for everyone in the theater. Word has leaked out that additional performances will be added until the end of February on the current schedule of a show Friday night, two shows on Saturday (one in the afternoon, another in the evening) and a Sunday afternoon performance. Performances through the end of January are already completely sold out so don't wait too long to get tickets for the additional performances. I suspect that Jennifer Stevens recent association with the MouseWorld organization will not let the group schedule performances past the ones just added. As soon as I can dig up more details on the MouseWorld deal you'll see them here.'"

"So that's all he said, Adam?"

"That's all. Not much, eh?"

"Well, I wouldn't expect much more. What more can he say that he hasn't said already?"

"True, Jen." Adam dropped the paper on the table and began sniffing the air in the kitchen. "WOW! Those waffles smell great! Is mine ready?"

"Coming right up, Adam."

I placed a plate in front of Adam with a large waffle, two sunny side up eggs and a few pieces of sausage. I then went to prepare my own plate.

"This is great, Jen. Do you have breakfast like this every day?"

"No, I've learned that with this body I can't eat like this all the time. Days like this where I'll be on the go all the time I can get away with it but I usually just have a bagel with some cream cheese and some orange juice as my normal breakfast."

"I could have this for breakfast every morning. I love waffles on a cold winter morning."

"It's one of my favorite things too, Adam." I watched him devour the waffle then look thoughtfully at his plate. "Want one more?"

"Do you read minds too, Jen?" The smile on his face stretched from ear to ear.

"No, I just know how good these things are. I'll start another one for you." I got up and started another waffle cooking in the waffle iron then went back to the table. I finished my breakfast then served Adam his waffle. While he was eating that I busied myself cleaning up the kitchen and loading the washer with the dishes.

"Adam, will you help me with the script for the animated show? We have almost four hours before we have to leave for the theater."

"Sure, I wanted to see what you were getting yourself into anyway."

I tugged on his arm until he followed me into the living room. I pointed to the couch then went to the office to get the script.

"This is it. It's kinda like a western set in the world inside a computer. I play Jenny Hex, the town's sheriff. A 'bad guy' moves into town and starts taking over everything in sight and he isn't doing it by legal methods either. The bad guy is called Draco Selinoid and is sort of a cross between Recardo Montalban's Mister Rourke character on Fantasy Island and Darth Vader. He polished and sophisticated on the surface but totally evil at his core. I want you to read his part in this scene."

"All right. Looks like you have the first line."

"Here goes…."

Jenny: "All right, Draco. What's your game?"

Draco: "Why, Miss Eight, whatever gave you the notion that I, of all people, would be involved in some nefarious scheme?"

Jenny: "Because of those two idiots you call your employees, Bits and Null, that's why!"

Draco: "What have they done now, my dear lady?"

Jenny: "According to old man Wombly at the General Store they came into the store and trashed half the place. They said that Wombly better sell out to you or there wouldn't be anything left to sell anyone."

(Script directions – Draco sits for a few moments forming a reply.)

Draco: "Those two idiots. I told them to go buy some trash bags NOT trash the place. Good help is SO hard to fine these days." (A sleazy smile spread across his face)

Jenny: "That's your story?"

Draco: "That's what happened."

Jenny: "I don't believe it or YOU for one nanosecond, Draco. You're out to take over the town and everyone in it. I'm NOT going to let you get away with it either. " (Jenny stomps out of Draco's office)

(Scene shifts to room next to Draco's office – Bits and Null have been listening at the door.)

(Draco is heard slightly muffled through the closed door) Draco: "Oh, boys, will you please come in here?" Draco's tone of voice is sickly sweet.

Bits: "We're in for it now. I don't like it when the boss talks nice to us."

Null: "I know but we gotta do it anyway. We're on the payroll."

(They enter the room to face Draco.)

Draco: "Boys, I told you to trash the place and let old man Wombly know who he was dealing with. I didn't expect him to go running to the law." (Draco impatiently drums his fingers on the huge oak desk making it shake. Bits and Null tremble.)

Bits: "Sorry, boss. We did like you said. Is she gonna be a problem? (Bits points toward the door where Jenny has left the room.)

Draco: "Yes, She is. As much as it pains me to rely on you two clowns I have a job for you." (Draco's eyes start to glow a dull red slowly increasing in intensity.)

Null: "What is it, Boss?"

Draco: "She's going to have an accident."

Bits: "What kinda accident, Boss?"

Draco: "One that will keep her out of my way until I take over this town."

Bits: "But Boss…"

Draco: "No excuses. Just do it." (evil tone in his voice here) "If you fail this is what will happen to both of you!" (Draco pounds his fist onto the oak desktop shattering it into thousands of splinters.) (sweet tone returns to his voice here). "Do you understand, boys?"

Null: "We understand, Boss. We'll get right on it." (Bits and Null almost fall over themselves to get out of the room.)

Draco: "Oh, Boys?" (Bits and Null stop and turn to face him.) "Bring me another desk and clean up this mess will you?" (Bits and Null stand there looking at him. Evil tone returns to his voice again. Draco ROARS at them.) "NOW!" (Draco laughs evilly as Bits and Null run out of the office, Draco's laugh echoing behind them.)

I looked at Adam in complete amazement. I couldn't believe that my sweet, caring Adam could sound so evil when he wanted to. "Umm… Adam, how do you DO THAT? I've got goose bumps! Look!" I pointed to my arms where little mounds had appeared until my arms looked a little like coarse sandpaper.

"I was just having some fun with it, Jen. I guess I sort of overdid it didn't I?"

"No, you didn't. That's exactly the kind of thing they were looking for, sweet and charming one moment and cold and calculating an instant later. I didn't know you had it in you!"

"That's not the real me, Jen. I was just getting into the character."

I watched the bumps on my arm soften and disappear then looked up at Adam. "I've got an idea, Adam. Want to audition for the part? I don't know if they've cast the role yet but I think you'd make a great Draco. You sure have me convinced."

"You really think I have a chance at it, Jen?"

"Maybe. Let's record something using my PC and I'll send a file down to the casting office at the studio. It can't hurt to try."

Adam nodded in agreement. We spent the next thirty minutes or so recording the scene we had just read. I added a few effects like a little reverberation to Draco's evil tone and added the reverberating laughter to the end of the reading. I played it back for Adam.

"Is that ME, Jen?"

"That's you, love. Oh… Look!" I pointed to Adam's own arms now covered in goose bumps like my own were. "This is spooky!"

"I know. I sound so slimey. Is that what they really want for the character?"

"From what I know now, yes. Let me send this now so we'll know something on Monday maybe." I attached the MP3 file to an email and sent it off to the casting people at the studio. "There, all set."

"Thanks, Jen. Ah… how much does something like this pay anyway?"

"I'm not certain, maybe ten thousand dollars for the pilot episode, much more if they decide to make it into a series."

"WOW! That will sure pay off a lot of bills!"

I thought briefly of offering to help Adam but decided that he, like me, had his pride when it came to doing things. He had already told me that he wanted to make it on his own and I was not going to stop him from trying. "Well, don't get too excited, Adam. I'm sure you are one of a bunch of people that have tried out for the part. We'll just have to wait and see."

Adam thought for a few moments. "But, Jen, can't you…"

"Can't I what?"

"Can't you put in a word for me?"

"I thought YOU were the one that said he wanted to make it on his own, the one that didn't want to become known as 'Mister Jennifer Stevens'?"

"Yes."

"Well, I just opened the door for you the same as I would anyone else that had the talent. Other than that you're on your own getting the part. If you do get it though I'll ask my lawyer to represent you in the contract negotiations if you prefer. He did a great job for me and you really should get help with that."

"That works for me, Jen."

"Now I think it's time we got ready to leave for the theater. I don't know where the time went." The clock showed just an hour left before we needed to leave and I needed to change out of the teddy I was wearing for Adam. I hurried back to the bedroom and changed into an outfit similar to the ones I had worn the past two days. There's only so much latitude you had in dealing with the cold weather in upstate NY winters and skirts or shorts just weren't in the list of options.

While I was changing into my outfit, Adam changed out of the pajamas bottoms he was wearing into jeans and a sweatshirt then ran a comb through his hair. He looked over at me while I was brushing my hair at the makeup table. "There, all ready to go! Come ON, Jen. We'll be late!"

"We still have time, Adam. You don't want me going out looking like THIS do you?"

"You look just fine to me. I love that look you get just after we've been making out for a while."

"But we're going out, Adam. I can't go out looking like that!"

"WOMEN! You and your primping!" He smiled sweetly at me.

"MEN! Good for only ONE thing and then they only have ONE shot at it!" I tried to keep a straight face but couldn't. Then I stuck out my tongue at Adam and blew him a raspberry.

"Well, YOU seem to like it enough!" Adam started to tickle my sides. I rolled onto the bed as he kept on tickling. The tickling continued for almost half a minute with me laughing then gulping for air.

"ADAM! STOP OR I'M GONNA PEE MYSELF!"

Adam stopped tickling me and I slowly regained my composure. When I caught my breath I reached up and pulled him down on top of me to give him the most mind-blowing kiss I could muster. When we both came up for air our breathing was ragged and deep.

"You keep that up, Jen, and we're not going to make it to the theater at all."

I sighed and let him roll off of me. "I guess you're right, love. Just hold that thought for when we get home tonight."

"You mean you…"

"Yup! As many times as we can."

Adam got a gleam in his eyes. "I guess I better have a good lunch on the way to the theater. Looks like we might not get supper tonight, just dessert."

"Yup." I rolled off the bed and went back to finishing my hair and makeup.

The snow crunched under our feet as we walked out to Adam's car. It refused to start because of the extreme cold so we took my truck. It grumbled quite a bit at being started on such a cold morning but it did start.

"We'll take care of your car when we get home again, Adam. Is the truck warming up?" I still felt chilled to the bone.

"Yup, but real slow. We should have heat in a few more minutes, Jen, Can you keep the windows clear with the scraper?" I nodded that I could and set to work trying to keep the frost from our breath from completely icing the windshield over from the inside. I stopped when I noticed the windows starting to clear from the heat flowing from the dash vents.

We stopped on the way to the theater to buy a large pizza and a two-liter bottle of soda. When we got to the theater we turned up the heat then devoured the pizza in my dressing room while we waited for the place to warm up. When Tammy came in about half an hour later we were sitting on the couch hugging each other under a blanket.

"I thought I told you two to go get a motel room or something. SHEESH!" She scooped a piece of the now cold leftover pizza from the box and started to munch on it.

"How can you stand to eat cold pizza, Tammy?" I looked up at her as she bit off another mouth full.

"I'm a college student, remember?" She pointed to her tummy. "I got a cast iron stomach from eating in the cafeteria for lunch most days." She finished off that slice and grabbed the last one in the box. "Besides. It's COLD outside. It's gotta be below zero out there! I need the energy to keep warm!"

"Yah, tell me about it. Even in here I'm freezing and I've got Adam to keep me warm." Adam looked up at Tammy and waved while grinning.

"Now that you mention it, Jen it IS awfully cold out there. How long as the heat been turned up?"

Adam looked at his watch. "It's been almost an hour, Tammy. It's still cold out there?"

"Freezing, Adam. We'd better check the furnace."

My dressing room seemed to be warming up but that was only because of the two baseboard electric heaters. The area where my dressing room was located was a newer addition to the theater and didn't have any heating vents from the old furnace system. When we got into the old part of the theater I could see my breath hanging in the air. We headed down into the basement.

I sniffed the air at the bottom of the stairs and the odor of fuel oil hung rather heavily. As we passed by the paint shop area I grabbed some dust masks and put one on offering the other two to Tammy and Adam. Both refused them but I kept them with me anyway.

The smell of the oil got heavier as we got closer to the furnace. Adam looked the old unit over and found a problem. "Here it is! The breaker needs to be reset." He started to reach for the red button on the burner.

"ADAM! Don't…" But it was too late! The furnace started with a huge WHUMPF sound and shook violently. Huge clouds of black soot shot out of several openings around the furnace, one hitting Adam directly in the face. He staggered back coughing and rubbing his eyes.

"Tammy! Put this on NOW!" I tossed a mask at her then clamped the other one over Adam's nose and mouth as I pulled him toward the paint workshop. Out of the corner of me eye I saw a kill switch for the furnace and hit it but not before a cloud of the inky black soot had been sucked into the ventilation system of the theater. The fans rumbled to a stop as I searched the paint shop for a critical piece of safety equipment.

Thank God the paint shop crew had followed proper safety protocols because they had the emergency eyewash station that I was searching for. I shoved Adam's head over the fixture and pumped away on the handle to spray clean, sterile water into his eyes to flush them of the soot. "Keep your eyes open, Adam. Keep blinking but DON'T shut them. We need to get the soot out!" Coughing continued to take almost every shred of energy he had but he managed to nod his head slightly that he understood.

"Tammy! Call 911 and get an ambulance here. I think Adam is going to need oxygen. He's taken in a bunch of that stuff into his lungs. Get Greg down here if he's up there and get my cell phone."

"I'm on it, Jen." She disappeared up the stairs. Moments later Greg appeared. "Greg, get a mask on. They're over there on the counter."

He came back moments later wearing a mask. "What the hell happened, Jen?"

"The furnace exploded from a load of unburned fuel oil. Adam took a full blast of soot in the face. I think I got his eyes in time, Greg but he's going to have breathing problems. I sent Tammy to get an ambulance. Help me get him out of here." The water was running clear now and I took a soft cloth that was part of the station and got it wet with more of the clean water. I carefully cleaned the area around Adam's nose and mouth so that he wouldn't inhale any more of the soot that was stuck to his face. We managed to get him back up the stairs and onto the old couch on the stage. Coughing still wracked his body and I was getting more concerned as his color changed toward a bluish cast to his skin.

The ambulance crew burst in the stage door a couple of minutes later and immediately tended to Adam. They started administering oxygen and took his vital readings. I stood back and watched as Adam's color slowly returned. The coughing slowly subsided too, but now when Adam coughed thick black mucous appeared. He spit it into a small cup the ambulance crew gave him. One of the crew came over to where I was standing.

"Good save. They told us what you did, Miss Stevens."

"Thanks, and please call me Jen. How is he?"

"He really should spend the night in the hospital. He took in a lot of soot. He could still develop breathing problems overnight. He says he doesn't want to go though."

"You let me talk to him… he'll go."

I walked over to Adam and sat down beside him on the couch.

"What's this crap that you don't want to go to the hospital overnight?" He started to lift the breathing mask to try to speak. "No. DON'T try to answer. I'll tell you. You once told me you weren't going to watch while I killed myself. Well, that works two ways, Adam. You're going to the hospital and that's FINAL."

He started to protest again. "If you go I'll…" I whispered in his ear. His eyes got real big.

He managed to croak out a single word, "Really?" before the coughing started again.

"Yup. When you think you're recovered enough to handle it, love. Now go with these nice folks and don't worry about performing. I have a hunch we're going to cancel tonight anyway. There's soot all over everything here." I wiped my hand on the couch and held it up showing it was almost black with a layer of soot. Adam just nodded then laid back down. I walked back over to the ambulance crewmember.

"He'll go with you now. I've got a few things to take care of then I'll see him at the hospital."

"Wait just a minute, Miss Stevens. You need a bit of help yourself."

"What?"

"Have you looked in a mirror?" She held up a small makeup compact mirror.

My eyes were ringed with a thick layer of soot and, when the mask was removed, thin streaks of soot could be seen going into my nose where the mask hadn't sealed well.

"Where do you want me?"

"Got a dressing room?"

"This way…" She picked up a large black case and followed me to the dressing room. Since it didn't have a vent from the heating system it was clean inside. I plunked down in a chair at the makeup table and turned on the lights so she could see better to work on me.

The first step was to flush out my own eyes and then clean up my face so the soot on it wouldn't get inhaled. Even my ears got filed with the stuff. My hair was caked with soot and a brushing got rid of some of it. The makeup table got covered with clumps of the soot. I cleaned up the table some tissues and deposited the whole mess in the trashcan.

It had taken just a couple of minutes to complete the process of cleaning up. Adam was being bundled up for the trip to the hospital for observation and I was contemplating making the trip along with him to be near him. That was until Greg and Tammy came into the dressing room.

Greg sat down heavily in a chair next to me at the makeup table. "Well, it isn't good, Jen. I had to cancel the performance this afternoon because of all the soot all over the place and the fact we don't have any heat out there. I'm worried about the pipes freezing in this cold too. That'll cause even more damage."

"I got it covered, Greg."

"HOW? Just how are we supposed to get someone in here to fix the thing on a Sunday afternoon?"

"Don't worry, Greg, I said I got it covered! Tammy, do you have my cell phone?"

"Right here, Jen." She handed me the cell phone. I turned it on and dialed a number I remembered from past use. The phone rang a couple of times before someone answered.

"Hi. Barney. Jennifer Stevens calling. Got a minute?… Yeah, I sure have changed since then… So you heard what happened, huh?… I know, we do have to get together and talk about old times. Listen, Barney, I got a rush job for you. I'm at the Community Theater and the furnace detonated… Yup, soot all over the place… Can you come over and get it running again?… Sure, now is great, Barney… Look, better bring an air filter or two. Looks like an old industrial model to me. I didn't get a good look at it before we needed to clear out of the basement… Great, Barney, see you in about fifteen minutes. Just come around back to the stage door. It'll be open. Oh, before I forget, can you bring the BIG cleanup kit? Great! Bye!"

I hit the END button on the call phone and smiled at Greg, "There, all set, Greg. A friend of mine in the heating business will be here shortly to fix the furnace. He's going to bring one of his cleaning kits too. He's got a side business doing fire restoration work. If you can keep some of the cast and crew here to do the work we can get things back to close to normal today."

A big smile broke out on Greg's face replacing the worried look. "That's great, Jen! Now what do we do about all the people that are expecting a performance today? The doors were supposed to open in about an hour for the audience."

"Simple, just explain the situation and offer to exchange their tickets for another of the new performances we added or they can get a refund instead. Say that it will take about a week to mail the refund since you don't have a whole lot of cash on hand. I'll bet most of them go for the replacement ticket."

"That will work, Jen."

"And as a side offer, run a few tours of the theater and backstage area to let them see the disaster we're facing with all of the soot and no heat. I'll make myself available in the lobby to sign autographs too if Adam will be all right going to the hospital by himself."

"You go check on him and let me know, all right, Jen?"

"I'm on the way, Greg." I caught up with Adam as they were almost out the stage door to load him into the ambulance.

"You gonna be all right, Adam? I'll go with you if you need me to." He motioned for me to come closer.

As I got close enough to hear what he said he took off the oxygen mask and planted a big kiss squarely on my lips. From the feeling of what he was trying to do with his tongue I assumed that his hospital stay would be a brief one and that they would probably have to tie him into the bed to keep him any longer than overnight. He was smiling from ear to ear as I broke the kiss.

"Thanks, love. I think I understand. Are you sure it's ok I stay here and help clean up?" He squeezed my hand and nodded. "All right, Adam. I'll come and pick you up when they're ready to kick you out of the hospital. I'll try to come and see you tonight if I don't have to stay too long here."

Adam shrugged and waved as the ambulance crew opened the door. "AND NO PASES AT THE NURSES NOW!" Adam's eyes got big and he made the common motion with his hands tracing the curves of a woman then gave a big wolf whistle and rubbed his hands together. "I tried my best Jack Benny impersonation, "NOW CUT THAT OUT!", then promptly dissolved into a giggling fit as they loaded him into the ambulance. I stood in the swirling snow and watched the lights of the ambulance fade away.

As I went back inside the theater I felt like I should have gone with Adam and I desperately wanted to run and grab my coat then chase after the ambulance. I guessed that the part of me that wanted to be with Adam was my growing feminine side. What remained of my masculine persona said that I was needed here to help clean up and make sure that things were going to be ready for the play next weekend and for the live remote broadcast next Friday morning. I stood for several minutes in a quiet out of the way area backstage pondering if I would ever get over the duality that seemed to inhabit my brain. Did I really want to shed the masculine aspects of my personality or was I stronger because of my unique outlook on life? I didn't get much time to think about it.

A pair or arms wrapped around me and lifted me off the floor as I heard a male voice. "WOW! You sure DID change a lot!" I was placed back on the floor and twirled around to face my attacker.

"Barneveldt Brewster! You miserable old rascal! It's been a year at least since the last time I saw you!" I tossed my arms around him and hugged him tightly then planted a huge kiss on his cheek. "Let me look at you!" I stood back a couple of steps and looked the huge man over. "Yup, you look like you've aged about ten years since the last time I saw you." I smiled and winked at him.

"Well, living with my wife does that to a man." He shrugged and smiled. "I see you got some miles taken off the odometer and the body has been re-built."

I twirled around slowly to give him a good look. "Like it? It was designed by Mother Nature, you know."

"If I wasn't married already you'd be right at the top of my list." He hugged me tightly again. "WHEW! You smell like soot!"

"The whole place smells like soot, Barney. That's why I called you. Wanna start in the basement?"

"That's where the furnace is isn't it? Before you can clean up the place we've got to get the heat back on again."

"That's good cause I'm freezing my buns off, Barney. Follow me!"

He reached over and pinched my bottom. "Nope, not frozen yet but getting close." I turned and walked toward the stairs to the basement. "Well, with a view like this I sure won't get lost."

I blushed several different shades of red as I worked my way down the stairs into the basement trying to wiggle my butt as little as possible. Considering how I was built now and the fact that I was going down a set of stairs I lost the battle. Everything bounced much to Barney's entertainment and amusement.

Soot covered everything as we neared the now dormant furnace. "WOW! It sure did a good job making a mess didn't it?" The soot covered everything within ten feet of the now subdued monster.

"Yup. I figure this thing hasn't been tended to in about fifteen years or so, Barney. Work whatever magic you can on this old beast and get us some heat going if you can."

He poked around for a few minutes then stood up again holding an old faded paper tag. "Looks like one of your Dad's units to me."

I looked at the tag to see that "R. D. Stevens" had assembled the furnace at the factory almost thirty years earlier. "Yup, Dad built this one. He did know how to build 'em to make 'em last." I flashed back briefly to my days as a young boy watching my dad put these things together when I went with him on one of the rare family days at the plant.

"Things are going to get even messier down here. I suggest you go up and have the crew start bringing in the clean-up stuff out of the trailer. Here's the key to the van." He tossed a large ring full of keys at me. "You comfortable backing it up to the door?"

"Of course, Barney. I still drive the pickup you know." He smiled at me and waved as I walked away from the furnace toward the stairs.

"HEY! Bring me down the small shop-type vacuum cleaner. Maybe I can get some of this cleaned up so it doesn't wind up in the ventilation system again."

"You got it, Barney! Be right back…" I hurried up the stairway to get my coat.

I managed to get the trailer backed up close to the stage door and the cast-and-crew-turned-cleaning crew started to unload the supplies. Several large vacuum cleaners, cleaning supplies and a few "bunny suits" were being transferred into the theater while I took the small vacuum down into the basement.

"Here you go, Barney. I think I saw an outlet next to the furnace on a support post for this thing."

He pointed to the filter on the fuel tank. "Water in the filter turned into ice with the colder temperatures down here. There's a vent in one of the heating ducts that should have been open to add a little heat to the basement. It was closed."

"Figures! You almost ready to fire that thing up again?"

"Nope. Was waiting for this little baby." He patted the vacuum cleaner. "I think I can get a bit more out of the ductwork so the cloud of soot when I turn this puppy on again won't be as bad as it might be." He plugged in the cleaner and hit the power switch. It roared to life drawing in the soot from the ductwork. Ten minutes later he turned the whining machine off and reached over to hit the reset switch on the burner. The furnace came to life with a small "WHUMP" then settled into a low rumble as I watched Barney make a few adjustments to the burner.

"There, that's got it. They should be getting lots of heat up there right now."

"I'll go up and check, Barney. Come on up when you're done down here. I might not be able to get back down here easily."

"Gotcha, Bob… err… Jennifer. Sorry about that. I still remember the old you."

"No problem, Barney. It's like that for me and I have to live in here." I pointed to my female body. "It hasn't been easy sometimes."

"When we have time to get together I'd like to talk about that, Jennifer."

"I don't know when that'll be, Barney but I'll see if I can make some time. I have to get back up there now and sign autographs since we're canceling the performance today."

"Go do what you have to do, I've never known you to do anything else. Now SCOOT!" He poked my ample backside and pushed me toward the stairs. Reluctantly I left the growing warmth of the basement for the colder areas of the theater. Hopefully the heat wouldn't take to long and things would warm up quickly.

The next three hours I spent meeting and talking to the people that had tickets for tonight's cancelled performance. A few people were rather upset that the play was cancelled for the evening but once they saw the mess from the furnace explosion they settled down. A few even grabbed some cleaning supplies and pitched up to clean up the place. I must have signed hundreds of autographs and had at least a hundred pictures taken of me with various people despite the soot streaks in my hair and all over my clothes. Most people commented that this was going to be a story their friends wouldn't believe and they wanted a picture to prove it to them. I suppose years from now pictures of me all dirty and bedraggled are going to turn up in some supermarket tabloid with some outrageous made-up headline proclaiming I'd finally become a street person when my popularity had finally slipped.

Everyone stayed and cleaned until the theater sparkled again. It must have been nine PM when the last of the cleaning supplies was loaded on board the trailer. I caught up with Barney as he was taking the last load of used rags out to the trailer.

"Thanks for coming, Barney. You're a lifesaver. Just send me the bill and I'll see it gets paid." I pressed one of my business cards into the palm of his hand.

"No problem, Bo…. Err… Jennifer. I'm just glad I could help out the group. Do you suppose I could get a set of tickets for me and the missus to come and see you?"

"Why sure, Barney. You just go and see the folks in the box office and tell them Jennifer said to give you a pair of tickets for the best seats in the house any day you want 'em. Just don't wait too long. I think we're going to sell out on the remaining performances."

"I'll do that as soon as I can talk to my wife and find out a night when we can both come. You take good care of yourself, Jennifer, much better than you did before I hope!" He tossed his arms around me and gave me a huge bear hug that forced all the air out of my lungs. I felt a little light-headed when he released me and swayed a little. "Easy there girl! You all right?"

"I am now, Barney. I think you forgot I'm not as big as I used to be old friend. I almost fainted from that big hug."

"OOPS! Sorry about that. Well, it's time I got home." He turned toward the door.

"Barney?" He turned back toward me again.

"Yes?" I gave him a tight hug then planted a big kiss on his lips. Now it was HIS turn to sway a little as I broke the kiss.

"WOW! Now I'm out of breath. I know someone's going to get lucky tonight!"

I was a little uncertain I wanted to ask this next question. "Oh, really? Who?

"My wife. I haven't felt like this in about a year or so and I want to share the feeling with her."

I smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Glad I could help get you started, Barney. Now go home to that lovely wife of yours and have a night to remember."

He waved as he disappeared out the stage door into the howling wind. I went to find Greg and finally located him and Tammy in my dressing room.

"Strange night, eh, Greg?"

"It's certainly been one of the more memorable disasters, Jen."

Tammy handed me my coat and purse. "Going home, Jen?"

"Not right away, Tammy. I was going to go see Adam in the hospital. That is if they'll let me in. It's past visiting time."

"Well, try it anyway, Jen. Let me know in the morning how Adam's doing, okay?"

Greg chimed in. "Me too please. I may need to call in his understudy for some rehearsals if he can't make it this weekend."

"What about the live broadcast on Friday? Do we need him then, Greg?"

"No, I was only going to do the two musical numbers and we don't need him for those."

"Good. I'm going to make sure he gets all the rest he needs to recover for the weekend." I put my coat on and started for the door.

"Umm… Jen?"

"Yes, Tammy?"

"If he comes to stay with you for the week just go easy on him, all right?" She winked as she said it and I blushed quite a bit.

I put my hand over my heart. "I promise, Tammy. No stressful activities of ANY kind! Unless HE starts it that is."

"Good. Now go see that guy of yours if you can get in." She pushed me out of the door of the dressing room then walked with me to the stage door.

"I'd say you handled this disaster pretty well, Jen. I thought you were going to go with Adam to the hospital though?"

We stopped at the old couch and I sat down then patted the couch for Tammy to sit down beside me. "I almost did, Tammy. Maybe I should have but this little male voice inside me said I could do more good here than being with Adam. I sometimes wonder if I should try to drive out the last of the old 'male me'. I think I might be happier that way."

"DON'T YOU DARE! Do you hear me?" I tilted my head to the side and raised my eyebrows in a questioning look. "Look, that last spark of male behavior that surfaces when it's needed is what makes you unique. Don't ever loose it. You wouldn't be the same person without it, Jen."

"But there are times I feel like its tearing me in half, Tammy. I don't know how much longer I want to go on like this. One moment I'm scared out of my senses then my male persona kicks in and I go from fear-filled to fearless in a few microseconds. It scares hell out of me sometimes especially when the emergency is over and I realize what I just did."

"How can I put this… Jen, have you talked to a fireman, policeman or a nurse or ambulance crew person about how they feel in an emergency?"

"No."

"They feel almost exactly the same, Jen. There's that initial rush of fear and doubt that they're inadequate to the task. Then the adrenalin rush kicks in and they take charge of the situation and get the job done to the best of their ability. What you're going through is a normal human response. Granted you have the dual personality problem but that only makes you stronger, Jen, not less capable. You have a great gift, not some kind of handicap. Stay just the way you are and NEVER change, okay?"

"I'll have to take your word on that, Tammy. From my perspective I'm just not certain."

"Well, come and see me first before you decide anything, all right"

"I will and thanks, Tammy. I'll call in the morning. Goodnight." I leaned over and hugged her tightly then stood up and walked to the stage door. I turned briefly and waved as I opened the door into the cold night air.

My truck rumbled to life and I waited a couple of minutes for the aging engine to even out. I promised myself that as soon as spring arrived I was going to replace the pickup with something new. Doing it right now wouldn't be productive since I was going to be in Florida more than I was at hone over the next six months.

I headed for the hospital about ten blocks away. The time on the clock in the dash said nine thirty as I walked through the emergency room door. The main nursing station was almost directly ahead. I waited patiently at the counter while the staff took care of the people ahead of me.

"Can I help you, miss?" The nurse stared at me with a funny look on her face.

"Yes, can you tell me were I can find Adam Tilton please?" The nurse looked at a chart on the desk.

"He's been admitted overnight for observation. Are you a relative?"

"No, I'm not. Can I see him for a few minutes?"

"I'm sorry, relatives only since visiting hours just ended."

"All right. Could you please tell Adam that Jennifer was here?"

The confused look changed to s huge smile. "Jennifer? I thought I recognized you! You're Jennifer Stevens! I went to see you in the play last weekend. You were great!"

"Thanks um…" I looked at her ID badge. "Molly. I'm pleased you liked my performance. Could you please pass the message along to Adam that I was here?"

"Oh there's no need for that, Miss Stevens. Just follow me!" Molly was positively beaming as I followed her into the elevator. "Mister Tilton is in room twelve on the sixth floor. I think we can bend the rules a little this time."

"Thanks. Molly and please call me Jennifer. I do appreciate this."

Molly chattered away about the play until the elevator doors opened on the sixth floor. She headed for the nursing station where a quick conversation ensued with everyone looking over in my direction and smiling. Molly hurried over to me moments later.

"I'm afraid he's sleeping right now, Jennifer. We gave him a sedative to get him to rest. Do you want to look in on him anyway?"

"I'd like that if it isn't a problem, Molly." She nodded then motioned for me to follow her after putting a finger to her lips telling me we needed to be quiet. She stopped in front of a door about halfway down the hallway and quietly pushed it open then motioned for me to go inside. I expected her to follow me into the room but the door just closed quietly behind me.

In the dim light in the room I saw that Adam was stretched out on his back in the bed and sleeping soundly. I walked over to him and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. An oxygen mask blocked any effort to kiss him on the lips. His eyes fluttered open briefly and he smiled up at me. I felt his hand take hold of mine and squeeze gently before he faded off to sleep again. I watched him for several minutes as I smiled to myself thinking how lucky I was to find someone like him to be with.

That thought came as quite a shock when I remembered that about six months ago I was just as much a man as he was now. How could my attitudes change so much in such a short time and why didn't it seem to bother me as much as it probably should have? I searched my memories for any shred of an answer to my questions.

I stood next to Adam holding his hand for what seemed like an eternity until I felt another hand on my shoulder. I turned slightly to find Molly standing beside me. She silently motioned for me to follow her out of the room.

"Jennifer, you were in there for about twenty minutes. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Molly. Just thinking about a lot of things and not finding any answers."

Not quite knowing what to say, Molly simply shrugged then smiled. "I have someone that wants to see you if you have a few minutes, Jennifer."

"Sure, lead the way!" Molly took me toward a small break room off to the side of the nursing station. As I entered the room I ran right into a large smiling man. I looked up into the face of Doctor William Abrams, the doctor that treated me during my change.

"Doctor Abrams!" I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly then planted a kiss on his cheek. It was the first time I saw him blush.

"I see you've recovered nicely, Jennifer. I hope to say the same for your young man in there."

"You're Adam's doctor? How is he doing?" We got comfortable seated next to each other on the couch.

"He'll be able to leave tomorrow. I hear he has you to thank for saving his sight. Nice work on getting his eyes flushed out. It could have scarred his eyes permanently if you hadn't acted so quickly."

"I thought that might have been the case, Doctor. I know that soot makes a mild acid when it gets moist. I've seen what it does to aluminum antennas mounted on a fuel oil furnace chimney. Will Adam have any other problems?"

"His voice is going to be a little rough for a few more days. He doesn't have a singing part in the play both of you are doing does he?"

"No, just the lead male role, no singing."

"Then he should be able to perform this coming weekend. That's good because I have tickets for Sunday."

"How did YOU get tickets? We just started selling them tonight."

"My wife got them at the theater tonight. I couldn't go because of another emergency here. That's why I was here when Adam arrived. She called me on her cell phone and told me what happened."

"Thanks, Doctor. Adam means a lot to me but if you asked me why I couldn't tell you."

"Still making the adjustment?"

"Yes and there are times it absolutely scares or confuses me. I'm doing fine though. I think I'm finally getting used to all of this." I pointed at my body.

"And are you getting used to your newfound fame too?"

"Well, that's been a little harder. I never expected that to happen at all."

"You seem to be handling it so far. You're even flourishing since your change. I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks, Doctor. By the way, how is Peggy? I sort of lost touch with her when this all started."

"Peggy is doing fine and misses the time she spent with you. Why don't you give her a call sometime? I'm sure that you have lots to share with her."

"I will, Doctor. Now I think I had better get home and get some sleep. I have a busy day tomorrow to get ready for another trip to Orlando on Tuesday."

He nodded then reached over to hug me tightly and this time he gave me a kiss on the cheek. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will!" I left the break room then made my way back down to the parking garage. The pickup grumbled to life again and I was soon headed for home.

The driveway had a light dusting of snow as I pulled in then shut down the engine. The icy wind took my breath away before I got the front door open. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a tiny fur ball make a mad dash inside the house just as the door closed.

It was Maggie again. I picked up the tiny kitten and carried her with me to the living room. I placed her on the couch as I wriggled my feet out of the boots and tossed my coat on the couch as well. Maggie jumped off the couch onto the floor and batted at my wiggling toes with her tiny paws. She followed me into the kitchen and danced around my feet as I got out the milk, a glass for me and a small bowl for her. She jumped up onto my lap moments after I sat down at the table then jumped again to get onto the table.

"I see you've been practicing your jumping, Maggie." I scratched the kitten under the chin while she purred loudly. When I pulled my hand away a tiny paw shot out to try to stop it and pull it back under her chin again. "There'll be time for that later, little one. Right now I need to eat something and so do you!" I pulled some of the meat out of the turkey sub I bought and placed it beside the inquisitive kitten. A quick sniff was all she needed to decide that it was edible.

The pile of turkey disappeared in a few gulps then Maggie started looking for more. I pulled another chunk of the meat out of the sub and watched in wonder as she polished that off too. A bowl of milk followed the turkey into the little tummy of the hungry kitten. I knew Maggie had eaten enough when she started the mandatory paw and face-cleaning thing again.

About a third of the sub went into the refrigerator along with the milk jug. I was full and I didn't want to make Maggie sick by giving her any more right away. I put Maggie on the floor then headed for my bedroom.

Maggie followed me into the bathroom and immediately used the litter box under the sink. I stripped out of my clothes as the bathtub was filling. Maggie seemed enchanted by the splashing water so I carefully placed her on the end of the tub near the faucet. She playfully batted at the water streaming into the tub with both paws. She leaned a little too far out and tumbled into the tub.

The water was only an inch or so deep but it was enough to completely drench the sputtering kitten. I giggled as I watched her walk around the bottom of the tub trying to shake the water out of her fur. She finally gave up and stood at the far end of the tub yowling loudly at me.

"All right little one. I got ya." I scooped to kitten out of the rapidly filling tub and dried the squirming mass of wet fur off as best I could with a small hand towel. I placed the slightly miffed kitten on the bathroom floor and watched as she instantly went into cleaning mode to straighten out her matted fur.

The tub had filled by the time Maggie curled up on the floor and started to purr. I stepped into the tub and stretched out letting the warm water sooth the tensions of the day away. The warm water and the sent of lilacs floating in the air nearly had me falling asleep right there in the tub. I decided that the bed was probably a much better place to fall asleep and finished cleaning myself but not before taking care of an urge I had been feeling since I visited Adam in the hospital. There was one highly important thing I had learned about my "new" body and that was that the urges were a normal part of life. I could try to ignore them and be miserable or I could take care of them and be much more relaxed in everything I did. The orgasm spread outward from my lower regions sending a wave of pleasure to every cell of my body. The only way this experience would have been any better would have been having Adam there making wild, passionate love to me.

I popped the cork draining the water in the tub then stood up to towel myself dry. I tossed the towel into the hamper then padded quietly into the bedroom. In less than two minutes I was snuggled in bed with the lights turned out. I felt the bed move slightly as Maggie climbed up the side and settled into her usual spot on my pillow. I reached out and stroked the purring kitten as I drifted off to sleep.

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The crew of men and trucks worked their way down the street on the city's north side. In fact, the street was the same one that Jennifer Stevens lived on. It seemed rather odd for a tree clearing crew to be working on a cold winter day but then the residents of the street had been asking the power company to clear the branches away from the power lines in the area for almost a year. Nobody paid attention as the truck stopped at a tree across from a house three doors away from Jennifer's.

It looked to people on the ground like the crew was clearing away branches that would be in danger of falling on the power lines if a storm knocked them down. Not a single resident of the area saw one crewmember move the bucket of the boom truck closer to the tree and mount a small box high in the top of the tree. He quietly spoke into a small radio.

"How's the picture look, Becky?"

In a van parked a few streets away Rebecca Stewart tweaked the image on the monitor and tried the controls that let her remotely move the camera inside the small box. "The picture looks good. Is the solar panel to charge the battery mounted? I don't know how long this is going to take."

"Yup. It shouldn't be visible from the street level. Let me know when it's okay to move on."

"Go ahead Ronnie. Everything looks fine here."

"Right, boss lady. See you back at the shop."

Rebecca muttered to herself. "I hope this damn thing works. I could have just set in the van across the street. I spent a fortune for the tree crew." She adjusted the controls to focus on the house across the street from the tree.

The house was the address that the bank had been given as Jennifer's residence on the pirated bank account. Becky found out that the bank would be sending a statement shortly so that meant that someone was going to have to pick up the mail at the house. A thorough background check of the home's residents turned up absolutely no connection with the activities going on in the bank records. Becky felt that the address was merely a mail drop and that the owners of the house didn't know that the abuse of their address was going on. Simple surveillance of the house had shown that it was usually unoccupied when the mail arrived but no one was seen checking the mailbox. Becky decided a little more devious method of watching the home was needed and that led to the tree crew's work today.

She watched as the mailman put the mail into the mailbox next to the front door. "Now we settle back and wait." Becky pushed a button on a tape deck and started a video capture of the scene every five seconds. A computer would compare the previous video capture with the current one and sound an alarm if the differences were too great indicating that someone had entered the picture.

After nearly two hours the alarm sounded and the video recorder went into standard video recording mode. Becky watched as someone with Jennifer's hairstyle walked up onto the porch of the house and reached up to the mailbox. The woman went through the mail selecting at least three of the letters and then returned the others to the mailbox.

The woman then turned around revealing her face to the camera. The resemblance to Jennifer was quite striking but Becky was certain that it wasn't her client. Jennifer was out of town at the moment on another trip to Orlando. Becky herself had discreetly watched Jennifer board the corporate jet then watched as it lifted off for Florida.

"I got ya now!" She pressed a few keys on the computer to start taking digital stills from the video as the woman walked toward a waiting car. Becky's hands flew to the zoom and pan controls for the camera to zero in on the license plate. She managed to get a slightly blurry image of the plate, but one that was good enough to read the letters and numbers as the car pulled away from the curb. Pictures of the mystery woman and the view of the car's license plate were coming out of the printer as Becky reached for her cell phone.

>>>>> To be continued in Chapter 14 of Zapped. <<<<<

  

  

  

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