Andersonville 11: The God Slayer free porn video

There we were, two girls having lunch on a cool, April day - only that wasn't the case at all. Neither of us was who we really once were and only one of us was a girl. At least that's what I kept telling myself. As I began my second year as a citizen of Andersonville, there were times I regretted my decision to be turned back into Linda Anderson. It wasn't that I hated my life; I just didn't feel natural living as a woman. In all fairness, I most likely would have felt as uncomfortable living as Tom McClain if I had taken Judge Herns offer to remain as him. My escape from Andersonville, followed by my return, hadn't been easy on me. Judge Herns was demanding that I act more like a young woman and less like Tom McClain. At least as Linda, I had Mr. and Mrs. Anderson in my life. That made things bearable. Across the table sat my brother's girlfriend, Sally Rider. Steve wasn't my biological brother even though I was closer to him than most brothers are. A lifetime ago, and I guess it really was a lifetime ago, Steve had been Al Parker, my best friend and business partner. Sally had been his fianc?e and a dear friend of mine. Both were considered dead to the outside world, one murdered and the other killed in a car crash. On the other hand, while I was stuck in Andersonville pretending to be Linda Anderson, someone else was running around on the outside pretending to be me. It confused me why Dennis Butz kept up this charade, instead of allowing my old character to die or simply disappear. That seemed to be the usual practice here in Andersonville I stared over at Sally who was looking as lovely as any 17-year old cheerleader could look. Judge Jasper had blessed her with long blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a killer body. She was a junior in High School, whilst my brother was still a 15-year-old freshman. I almost had to laugh at the thought, since both were actually in their mid-twenty's and had graduated from high school years ago. However, reality faded when you lived in Andersonville. Unlike me, Sally was allowed to wear pants to the office since she was going there straight from school. I felt it was a little unfair, and even pointed that out to June Herns, but my protest fell on deaf ears. The judge explained Sally had worn more dresses in her lifetime than I could imagine, so I didn't have room to complain. Besides, most teenage girls didn't have lots of different dresses to wear to school each day - and there was a sort- of social status attached to High School girls. I grumbled a little but realized Judge Herns had a valid point. Over the past two weeks Sally had been showing up after school so I could teach her everything I knew about how to run the office. Today she wasn't in school due to a parent/teacher conference. The irony of teaching her my job was that Sally was a much better officer manager than I could ever hope to be. She was constantly showing me how to do things differently - and better. "My assignment!" I said to myself. I tried not to think too much about my assignment; the reason why I had to teach Sally my job. Why did I have to be Ashlee Gang's replacement in Peace River? And why did she need 6 months of maternity leave instead of the usual 6 weeks like normal mothers? Apparently Judge Jasper was more generous to those he liked; and more of a prick to those he didn't. "Damn you, Dennis," I cursed silently. I was still highly pissed that he hadn't even discussed the matter with me first. I was just expected to go on his command. Well, I had given him an earful after he told me; not that it had done any good. If I didn't go Sally would have to be, for lack of a better term, returned to Judge Jasper like an unpaid item. What I couldn't understand was why Judge Jasper had picked me? Why didn't he have someone else fill in for Ashlee? Surely there had to be someone else who took Ashlee's place whenever she was on vacation! "Something on your mind?" Sally asked, interrupting my thoughts. "Peace River," I sighed while taking a stab at the salad in front of me. Another one of those little curses of being a woman. I had to watch my weight more carefully now. I had gained a few pounds recently, and Judge Herns was on my back to take it off. "Sally, what's it really like there?" "You mean the town or Judge Jasper?" she asked. I gave her a strange look and she continued. "I talked to Stephanie Hall before I left. She told me about your little run-in with the Judge." "More like a major collision," I frowned. "Let's start with the town." "It's a very nice town, quiet peaceful. I guess you could say it's about 30 or 40 years behind the times. Heck, a number of people still have 8-track players in their cars. The business district is made up of a number of Ma and Pop type stores, so you won't find a McDonalds or K-Mart there. It's a slower type of life-style there, but it's not boring. In fact, there are plenty of things you can do there. You can bowl, fish, see a movie, go for a walk in the park, or go swimming at the lake. And the people take a lot of pride in the community they've created there. It's strange, but the spirit of Peace River is as much a part of their efforts as it is Judge Jasper's and his people's, probably more so." "What about Judge Jasper?" I asked crisply. "He's not a bad fellow if that's what you're asking. Oh, he's very secretive about certain things. For instance, he wouldn't tell me how I got to Peace River. One minute I was in my car as it flipped over the guardrail, the next minute I woke up in his courtroom." "Was Officer Merrick there?" "Yes, right beside me as a matter of fact. How did you know?" "A lucky guess," I told the puzzled girl but didn't elaborate. For some reason, I didn't feel totally comfortable telling Sally everything I knew about them. "Anyway Linda, he's not a bad guy," she continued. "I talked with him twice, and both times he was polite and generally concerned about how I was feeling. In fact, he even let me decide if I wanted to come to Andersonville to be with Al - I mean Steve. Don't get me wrong Linda. I love Steve with all my heart. But Judge Jasper is like a caring father. His town has a certain atmosphere that makes you want to stay. Even now I feel like my soul is being tugged back there. I hope to go back to Peace River one day." "Maybe you will," I observed while taking a half-hearted stab at my food. I found Sally's answers troubling to me but I wasn't sure why. Was it because I wanted to hear Peace River was a horrible place where Judge Jasper was a cold, heartless beast who ruled the town with an iron fist? Or was it because Sally had been sorry to leave, and that made me suspicious of her being in Andersonville? Was she really an Andersonville citizen, or someone sent by Judge Jasper to spy on us? If the latter was true, then being in my old position was certainly the place to be. But then, what was there to tell Judge Jasper that Judge Herns probably didn't tell him? I popped a small piece of tomato in my mouth and chewed on it as I thought about it some more. Fade out... *** Voice of Judge Jasper: We are the Roman gods, who fell to your world long ago when your people were still learning how to crawl. We have guided you through the years, rewarded you for good deeds, and punished you when needed. With our leadership, we helped you defeat the Titans in a terrible but glorious war. Once your path was set, we went to sleep, waiting for the day you would reach for the stars and take us home. But the Titans interfered, and turned you away from your destiny. When we awoke, we found much work to do; so we established a base and called it Peace River. The Titans, with our help, established their own base later on. It's a town where we can work together, a last ditch effort to avoid another war that may destroy the human race forever. Some would like to see the town and your people destroyed, others would like to see it work - to have peace at last. There is much hatred between our people, and the road ahead won't be easy but the rewards if we do are great. The name of this last chance for peace is called Andersonville. *** Andersonville 11 - The God Slayer Written by Kelly Davidson Edited by Geoff Special thanks to Genni Smith and Koos for help with this story. This story is dedicated to the victims, families, and rescuers of September 11, 2001. You will never be forgotten. Fade in... Ashlee Gang had just gotten back from using the bathroom for the tenth time that afternoon. She was tired and fat - her belly bulging from the baby due in just two weeks. That didn't give her much time to get everything ready for her replacement, Linda Anderson, who was supposed to show up next week for training. Ashlee was surprised to see Vickie Marshall waiting in her office so late in the day. Normally Vickie and the others made their visits in the morning. "Good afternoon, Ashlee," Vickie said happily while peering at her belly. "How are you feeling today?" "Fat," Ashlee laughed. "I can't wait for this baby to come." "All in good time," Vickie said cheerfully. "But I know how you feel." Ashlee figured if anyone did know it had to be Venus, the goddess of love. She knew Vickie/Venus had had at least 7 children since the creation of Peace River, and probably lots more before then. Her latest child, Tammy, was almost 16 years old, and Ashlee wouldn't have been surprised if Vickie were planning on having another baby soon. As beautiful a woman as she was, Venus seemed to value motherhood over anything else. "So, what brings you here today," Ashlee asked while having a good idea. "John Stillwell," she answered pleasantly. "I have some information I need to pass on to you, but first, I would like to see his file. Do you feel up to it, Ashlee? I could come back tomorrow if you don't." "No, I'm feeling okay. Where would you like to do this?" "Why don't I just close the door and we can do it here," she offered. Ashlee nodded and sat down in a comfortable chair while Vickie Marshall did the rest. Once the door was locked, Vickie took a seat next to the pregnant woman and extended her feminine hands. Ashlee took them with her own hands and suddenly everything started to change around them. *** I was hunched over a furry lab rat that was trying to get away from me. I carefully picked him up in my thick gloves and observed him carefully. "It's okay little fellow," I tried to reassure the rat, "this won't hurt a bit." I carefully strapped the small, thin harness interwoven with electrical sensors, around its head and body. Once secured, I plugged the cable end into the PC on the table. "Okay, let's see what you can do," I said to the small, furry rodent. The computer screen began displaying data from the rat brainwaves. I typed in a few adjustments to help clean them up and looked hopefully at the speakers. There was nothing. A wave of frustration came over me, and I adjusted the program some more. Still there was nothing. "Come on little fellow, talk to me." I urged. The last thing I wanted to do was start all over again with a new rat. One important fact I had learned over the months was that no two lab rats were the same. "Earrrrra!" the computer speakers rang out, followed by some unrecognizable garble. "What?" I responded in slight shock. It had sounded like the word "ear". I made some more adjustments, changing the constants in the real-time analysis program and hoping I wasn't screwing up the signal more. If I could match the interpretation program with the impulses on the rat's brain waves, things would get interesting real fast. I continued playing with the signal and moments later was rewarded for my efforts. "Fear, fear!" the rat kept repeating in a squeaky tone. I let out a loud hoot of victory that caused the rat to cower even more. Today I had made history. Today I had found a way to transform thoughts of non-speaking animals into words. "Don't be afraid, little fellow," I spoke while softly stroking its back. "You just helped me become a millionaire. Here, have a treat." I stuck a small cube of cheese down in front of the rat. "Food - food," the rat responded excitedly. It quickly picked it up in its paws started nibbling on one corner. I sat back in my chair in complete delight. Two years of hard, backbreaking work had finally paid off. Sure, there was still plenty more for me to do, but now that I had cracked the secret of thought processes, the fun could begin. In another year or so I would perhaps be able to sell my research findings to a major corporation and retire in style. After that I could sit around the house and watch my kids grow up. Speaking of which, I looked at the clock and frowned. My wife should have been home almost an hour ago. Well, maybe she had gotten stuck in traffic or sidetracked at the mall. Being seven months pregnant with our first child didn't help matters either; my wife Nancy tired fast these days. Perhaps she had decided to take her time to save her strength instead of rushing to get what she needed. I looked down at the rat busy chewing on a piece of cheese. Nancy would be so excited when she heard the news. It was too late for my mother-in-law, who had passed away last month silently after having suffered a stroke the year before. The stroke had left her unable to communicate with anyone. My research had the potential to help thousands of stroke victims who had lost their ability to speak. I knew such a breakthrough would lessen the blow on my wife. In a few short years these poor victims would be able to speak with their loved ones again. A knock on the door brought me out of my daydream, and I carefully placed the rat back in its cage. When I opened the door there were two police officers looking back at me grimly. "Are you Mr. Stillwell?" one of the officers asked. "Yes, I'm John Stillwell," I answered in a shaky voice. Their faces told me it wasn't good news. *** 3 months later... It was in the middle of the afternoon yet the room I was in was as dark as a cave. I was lying on the couch and staring up at the ceiling. My life, at least the one I had once known, was over. My wife and future child, a son the doctor had told me, were dead - victims of a hit and run driver. I had also died that day, emotionally that is. Since the accident I had been unable to work, sleep, or do any of my normal outdoor activities. I had fallen into a deep depression. There was a sharp rap on the front door, and it brought me out of the trance of self-pity I was feeling. I looked at the clock and grumbled. It was only two in the afternoon. Since my wife's death, I found I had better luck sleeping during the day than at night. I tried to ignore the person at the front door but they kept knocking louder and harder. I cursed and got off the couch that had been my bed over the past three months. I couldn't force myself to sleep in the same bed that I had once shared with my lovely wife. Annoyed, I flung open the door angrily to see who the asshole was that had disrupted my nap. The asshole turned out to be my boss, Donny Mabble. He returned my rudeness with a warm smile. "Good afternoon, mate," he greeted me pleasantly in his Aussie tone. "What do you want, Donny?" I asked discourteously. It was sunny outside today, and I had to squint my eyes to see him. "Why don't I come in so we can talk," he suggested. I was about to refuse, but remembered the man had come a long way to see me and was paying my bills. I opened the door and he walked in carrying a covered cage. "You need to open the curtains and let some light into this room," he observed. "It's so dark and depressing." "It matches my mood," I told him. "What's in the cage?" "Something that might interest you." Donny removed the cover and a gray rat looked carefully around the room. "I figured a conversation with a wild rat might be more entertaining than the ones you gave back to me." "I'm not interested. I - I can't. I think you know why, Donny." "It's been three months, mate," Donny pointed out. "It's time you moved on with your life now. Nancy would've wanted it that way." "How would you know?" I snorted back disrespectfully. "You only met my wife twice." "It was enough to know what kind of woman she was," Donny observed. He focused his eyes right on me. "It's time to get on with your life, Johnny. More important, it's time you go back to work. I can't keep supporting you like this." "Then fire me," I told him crossly. "I'm telling you, I'm not ready." "No, you owe me," he pointed out. "I paid for your services in advance, and have been more than patient these past few months. Besides, this isn't about the money; it's about you. You're one of the top experimental biologists in the country, Johnny, on the verge of a breakthrough that will help thousands of people. I know you're in pain mate, but you can't let Nancy's death ruin your life. It's time to get back to the job of living again. If not for you, for her then. She would've wanted it that way." "It's not that easy." "Nothing in life is," he explained while glancing around the room. "Look at this place, it's like a tomb in here." He walked over to a window and lifted up a curtain, lighting the room with sunshine. "Look at your skin. From how pale you look, I would say you haven't been out in the sun in over a month." He dropped the curtain and the room went dark again. "Closer to two months," I admitted gloomily. "That's what I mean mate, you need to change your routine. That's why I brought you a present." "An ugly rat, how wonderful." "I knew you'd be thrilled," Donny smiled while recognizing the sarcasm in my voice. "Where did you find it?" I asked, more out of making polite conversation than curiosity. "Interesting you should ask me that. I was setting my trap in an alley when this fellow comes out of his hiding place and scurries up to me. At first I thought he was looking around for food, but when I placed the cage down he climbed right into it. I didn't even have to bait it first." "Doesn't look like a domesticated rat," I observed. "No, he doesn't," Donny agreed. "Maybe you'll have an interesting conversation with him. From his scares, it looks like he's been through a lot. Anyway, I'd best be off. I have a long drive ahead of me. I'll drop off some more lab rats next week. G'day mate." Donny let himself out, not waiting for me to say goodbye, which I didn't intend to do anyway. I thought about it after he left. I really wasn't being very fair to him. As bosses went, Donny was a kind hearted and understanding guy. I also knew he had my best interests at heart. Well, I would make it up to him when I completed the project. I gazed down and the rat stared back with beady, black, steady eyes. If I didn't know better, I would've sworn he was checking me out. I dismissed the idea and lay back down on the couch to sleep. *** It was after midnight when I finally awoke and fixed myself something to eat. While I had managed to sleep almost ten hours straight I felt neither rested nor awake. I knew it was my depressed state that was causing this. I ran my hands through my hair and logged onto the computer, hoping today would be the day I would get an email message from my two lost friends. Except for a few Spam emails, there was nothing waiting in my account. My friends, Angie and Anne, had both done a disappearing act around the same time my wife had been killed. Email messages I sent to them were ignored, and after about a month started bouncing back to me, indicating their accounts were now closed. Messages to friends of theirs indicated they had left in the middle of the night without a word as to where they were going. The rumor was that they were behind in their bills and had skipped town. I really didn't want to believe that, they both seemed like responsible people. Even if that was the case, why break contact with me? They didn't owe me any money. In fact I knew Angie had over $20,000 dollars saved up for her operation, so money really wasn't an issue. Like her roommate, Angie was a MTF transsexual who I had met through at a TG support group. For Angie and Anne to leave their friends without saying goodbye didn't make sense. I knew they would contact me one day, so I waited in hope. Like previous nights, there was nothing from them. Sighing, I brought up the computer program I had written that hopefully would allow me to communicate with this lab animal. More than three- quarters of my research had been dedicated to the creation of this program, and I felt like I could recite all the lines of code in my sleep. After putting on my thick gloves, I opened the cage door and stuck my hand inside. To my surprise, the rat didn't try to scurry away. Instead it calmly climbed into my hand. I sat him down on the table and he waited patiently while I hooked up the harness. "Okay, little guy," I said while plugging the harness connector into the computer port. "Let's see what your waves look like." The computer did a scan of the brain waves and to my surprise; they were totally different from any of the other lab rats I had scanned earlier. In fact they appeared to be more complex, almost human. "Impossible," I thought, but there was the proof in front of me. I made some major adjustments, resetting all my default settings of the program to see if it would rectify the situation; however, the readouts remained the same. "Can you hear me?" the computer speakers blared out. "Can you understand me?" "My God! You're talking in complete sentences," I said in astonishment. I knew rats were intelligent creatures however; I didn't think they had the ability to speak more than a few words. "Can, can you understand what I'm saying?" "Yes, I understand you," the speakers blared out. "You don't know how long I've waited to talk to another human being." "You've wanted to talk to us? Why?" "Because I used to be a man!" I looked down at the rat with a great deal of mistrust. This had to be some kind of trick being played on me. Yes, that was it. Donny was playing a joke on me. But then I noticed the rat was looking right at me, no, making eye contact with me as it spoke. I realized this wasn't a joke. "Used to be!" I stated. "How did you get to be this way?" "It's a long story, you'd better sit down." I did as the rat suggested and he began at once. "My name is Klein Walker, and I was once a high-profile businessman living in Seattle, Washington. One night a business- rival named Tom McClain, kidnapped me and took me to a place called Peace River. He was in cahoots with the man running that town who went by the name of Judge Jasper. This Judge, if you want to call him that, brought me up on a bunch of trumped up charges and found me guilty. Then he sentenced me to live the rest of my life as a rat. That's when he modified me!" "Modified you, how did he do that?" "How much do you know about the Roman gods?" "Very little," I admitted. "Same here until recently. It turns out this Judge Jasper is really the Roman god, Jupiter. To make matters worse, all his friends live there with him." "You can't be serious," I blurted out. His story had stretched my imagination to the breaking point. "Look at me, do I look like I'm kidding?" the rat countered rather testy that the computer picked up. "I'm living proof they do exist." "You're taking about the Roman gods, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and so on." "And others you may not have heard of," the rat added. "Look, I know this sounds crazy but how else can you explain me standing here talking to you?" I thought about it. The rat made a good point. "What state is this town in?" I asked while grabbing for my map. The rat moved his head from side to side. "You won't find it there, I already looked. According to the rest of the world, this town doesn't exist. I heard they have another town in Montana called Andersonville. My guess is you won't find that town on the map either." "But why?" I asked, intrigued by his story. "I mean, what's the purpose of these towns?" "It's an evil purpose," the rat hissed. "They kidnap people and force them to live there against their will. If someone tries to leave, Judge Jasper, that's what Jupiter calls himself there, punishes them so severely that they never try to leave again." "He doesn't call himself Jupiter in this town?" "No, he uses a regular name to create some kind of normalcy in a un-normal situation. All of the gods go by common names there. However, you learn very quickly who they are if you know where to look." "You still didn't answer my question, why does this town exist?" "I don't know for sure," the rat admitted, "but they need us, or rather, something we have, to survive. That's why they surround themselves with certain people. I ran a pharmaceutical lab and my guess is a new drug we were developing threatened their existence somehow. I was the project manager of the drug, so they had me kidnapped to stop its development." "But why have a business rival kidnap you, why not one of them?" "How in the hell do I know," the rat snarled. "Maybe their power only works in their town. All I know is, they're holding others against their will, including your friends." "My friends?" I blinked hard. "Yes, your friends Angie and Anne. I was there when one of his cohorts brought them in. Jupiter transformed both of them into teenage girls and told them they would never leave his town. Both of them were crying, begging to be released and get back to their real lives, but Jupiter ignored their pleas." "My God, Angie and Anne," I whispered softly with compassion. "We have to do something, tell someone." "Who?" the rat asked directly, "Who do you suggest we tell? The FBI or CIA? How do we know they aren't involved in all this? Maybe they're letting these entities operate in exchanged for something. If you go to them, you may disappear from life just like I did. As for doing something about this, I have a plan." "What is it?" I asked. "On the surface the Roman gods look powerful, but in reality they have several weaknesses. Their power for instance, is centered on an orb device they have hidden away somewhere inside their courthouse. They need this orb to control everything and keep the people in line. If we could get our hands on it, we could free everyone from their tyranny, then I could be changed back into what I once was." "How do you know so much?" I asked with interest. "You seem to be awfully well informed about them." "That's because I lived in Peace River for almost a month after they changed me, so I took advantage of the situation and started sneaking around, listening in on them. Finally they got wise to me and I was transported to a dirty alley in LA. I had a couple of close calls with some cats, so when your boss showed up, I saw my chance to escape certain death. He didn't seem to be the type of person who would kill me. At least he was setting out live traps. I figured going with him was a better situation than the one I was in. I didn't know I would end up here." "Lucky for you," I told him. "So how do you suggest we steal this orb of theirs?" "Very simple. You drive me back to Peace River and I'll search for it. Once I find out where it's located, you can take it from them." "You mean steal it," I pointed out. "If you want to call it that," the rat countered. "I prefer to think that we're liberating the people from their oppression." "Maybe some of them want to be there," I replied. "Maybe, but I bet most of them don't, and not in the new bodies they were given. Oh, I didn't tell you that part, did I? Most of the people brought to Peace River are changed into the opposite sex." "What? No way." "I'm not joking about this." "Why, are they transsexuals?" "Some might be, but most aren't. So you see, it's not just a matter of being kidnapped. Most of the people are being forced to live the remainder of their lives as the opposite sex. It appears this has a purpose somehow. I heard one of them say something about increasing the flow from the person." "So, it has something to do with people feeling unhappy." "No, the people are happy enough. A man by the name of Mr. Cupler sees to that - and Venus of course. They put some kind of spell over the people that makes them forget their troubles, and forces them to feel more comfortable with their new bodies. However, I noticed it doesn't always work on everyone. There's some kind of movement going on inside the town. I heard one of them taking about it behind closed doors." "Can you get me in touch with them? Maybe we could use their help in stealing this orb of theirs." "No, it's too risky," the rat explained. "These gods seem to know the movements of those they transform, except for me. I don't understand why. Maybe it's because I'm no longer a human anymore. However, they won't be watching you." "If I drive into town they will. How do you propose I sneak into Peace River without them knowing about it?" "That's not a problem, they have people popping into their town from time to time. As long as you're not someone the Roman gods want, they won't bother with you." "Great, and what happens if I am someone they want?" "No problem, I got a way around that too. One of the things we were working on at my office was something along the line of a mini-jammer. Its purpose was to help stop radiation from penetrating into the body, so people working with nuclear waste would be better protected. I found out by accident that it blocks their abilities to read minds, and some of the other magic they may throw at you. If they can't read your emotions, they can't be sure if you're right for them." "And this won't throw up a red flag?" "Of course it will," the rat explained. "But this condition, while rare, is real and something they've dealt with before. Normally anyone they're not interested in will have his or her memories of Peace River wiped out before they leave. The person is also given a suggestion to never come back that way again. You on the other hand will be handled differently. One of them will come up and talk to you directly, to find out why you're here and see if it's safe to let you go. Apparently, keeping someone in their town who doesn't fit their needs takes power away from them. So as long as you give them the right answers, they won't bother you. All you have to do is drop me off near the courthouse and come back in a week to pick me up. You can check in at a place called the Pioneer motel, I'll meet you there. After that we'll wing it based on what I find out." "What about the jammer? Do you still know how to make one?" "Yes, I'm blessed with a photographic memory. With your hands and my brains, we should be able to make several of them within a few days." I thought about his plan carefully. The odds were against us, but I didn't really have anything to lose. And what about my friends trapped in a hellish situation. I couldn't leave them there without any hope of rescue. "Lets get started," I told the rat. *** "That looks good," Klein the rat commented to me. "No one will suspect it to be anything but a ball-point pen." "Are you sure it's powerful enough?" I asked. "It seems awful small." The jammer was placed inside an oversize pen that fit into my shirt pocket. I had also created two more jammers to fit underneath the front and rear of my car. Klein the rat said it would prevent them from putting a dimensional spin on the car, what ever that was. "It'll work fine," the rat said and then explained. "It doesn't take a lot to block their powers, just a small electric disturbance. They can't increase their own mental powers to get past it." "That's good to know." I yawned and looked at my watch. It was almost two in the afternoon. "We should get some sleep and work out the final details when our minds are fresh." "Not a bad idea," my new friend agreed while stretching out his body on the table. "Do you think you can go to McDonalds tonight when you get up. I could really go for some French fries." "I'll set the alarm to get up in time," I offered while removing the harness. "Goodnight." The rat scampered back to his box and curled up on a pile of tissues. In a matter of minutes he was sound asleep. I frowned slightly; there was something not right about this situation. I couldn't put my finger on it, but for some reason this rat's story just didn't add up. Placing that thought out of my mind for the moment, I went to the garage and turned on the light. In front of me sat the outline of a car underneath a gray cover. My pride and joy and strangely, the only family member I had left now. Could a car be like a family member? Common sense told me no, but my heart told me something else. With great care I removed the cover and admired it's beauty. It was a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda, or just 'Cuda' as they were more commonly called. My Cuda was painted bright orange with a black interior and the word 'Hemi' painted on the door. Also painted black was the front scoop, the rear spoiler, and rear quarter panels. I ran my hand over the finely polished metal that felt warm to the touch. Like most car jocks, I had given my car a name - Betty. To me she wasn't just a hunk of metal on wheels; this car had a soul. Of course that was ridiculous, but I couldn't deny a certain bond I had with this car. I continued rubbing my hand over the car's body, moving from the hood to the trunk and then up the other side. I thought about the first day I had seen her, and what a horrible shape she was in. The previous owner had ragged her out, and she was literally one oil change away from the junkyard. But I had salvaged her, restoring her back to her original showroom glory. She would do 130 mph off the floor, but I had made some major modifications and her top speed was much higher now. I debated for a moment about taking her to Peace River, since she was sure to stick out like a sore thumb. However, I knew one of the gods, Mercury, was suppose to be some kind of messenger to the other gods and was pretty fast. How fast I didn't know, but I figured he couldn't keep up with Betty on the long straight- aways. Besides, I would need her quickness if anything went wrong. Tomorrow I would change the gear ratios to give me all the top speed she had. Over in the corner I spotted my old computer that I sometimes used to order parts on-line. I walked over to the power bar and turned it on so I could connect to the Internet. It was time to see if I could find out anything useful about Mr. Klein Walker in the next room. "How much farther?" I asked as we drove toward the early morning sunrise. "Another mile," the rat squeaked over the computer speakers. "Better pull over and get me out of this harness. Just remember to drop me off near the courthouse when we get in town." "Right," I said to him. I pulled over in the middle of nowhere, noticing I hadn't seen a house or another car in the last 30 minutes. When I removed the harness, I pushed Klein back into the cage and closed the door. The rat looked up and squeaked at me in furious protest. I opened up my driver's door and explained. "I read about you on the Internet, Mr. Walker. It seems you were less than honest with me. First of all, you weren't the honest businessman that you told me you were. From the way the newspapers tell it, you were more like a gangster out of the 'Godfather' movies. Blackmail, extortion, and in-direct involvement in the murder of five people, including an 11-year old boy. It seems Judge Jasper turned you into a fitting form. This is where we part company, Mr. Klein Walker. And if you try to come back and bite me, I'll stomp on you with my boot." I dumped the gray rat on the side of the road, and he looked up at me with his evil, beady eyes before scampering away. But I didn't feel any sympathies for him; he had ordered the murder of a child. How much bravery did that require? I closed the car door and drove off toward Peace River. *** What surprised me about the town was how normal everything looked. From its outward appearance, there was nothing sinister looking about Peace River. In fact, there was a peaceful, appealing look to it. Downtown was made up of a number of small, family businesses that had a charming aspect to them. The residential areas contained wide, quiet streets, filled with rather modest homes. Nearby I spotted a family park with a jungle gym and a couple of baseball fields. On the way in, I had spied a small lake with a mother duck gliding gracefully over the water followed by her five ducklings. It looked so normal - so darn normal. Not like the hellhole Klein had described to me. So where were all the prisoners screaming to get out? I shrugged off the feeling and got the address of where Angie and Anne lived from a phone book. There was also a map of the town that I tore off the page and studied carefully. It seemed that Peace River had three parks and two libraries in it. That's when I took a double take and noticed the first odd thing about the town. There were only two ways into Peace River, both requiring you to cross over a wide river. Oddly enough, there was water on all sides of the town: a huge dam and lake to the north and another lake to the south. Well, I shouldn't have been too surprise, Klein had told me Peace River was surrounded by water and guarded by flesh-eating monsters. As I was pulling up to the house where my friends were suppose to be staying, I noticed two teenage girls coming out the side door. I got out of my car and stepped in front, waiting for them to pass by. I couldn't be sure if it was them since they didn't look anything like my friends; and I didn't want to risk running up and frightening them if they weren't who I though they were. The last thing I needed was for the Peace River police to show up and start asking me questions. When they got to the sidewalk I noticed one of them stop and gasp as if they were seeing a ghost. "Oh my God, John, how did you find us?" one of them asked. "Angie?" I blinked hard at the stranger. "Yes, it's me," she smiled then hugged me tightly. Anne, who was always a little bit shy, stood there silently and waited. I turned and gave her a tight embrace. "What are you doing here?" Angie asked. "Get in the car and I'll tell you." Anne got in back while Angie sat down in the front next to me. I started up the car and drove innocently away. "I'm here to rescue you," I explained. "Rescue us?" Angie repeated as if the idea was foreign to her. "Yes," I replied while looking in the mirrors to see if anyone was following us. "I figured a way to get you out of Peace River and I'm taking you back to LA with me. After that we can..." Angie's hand touched mine causing me to stop talking. When I looked over she who had tears in her eyes, but I wasn't sure if they were out of gratitude or sadness. To be honest, it seemed to be a little of both. I turned back and saw that Anne had a similar expression etched on her face. "John, I don't know what you think is going on, but we don't want to leave." "What!" I expressed in both anger and shook. "How can you say that? Both of you were kidnapped and brought here against your will. Neither of you can leave this place. Why would you want to stay in this jail one more minute?" "First of all," Angie explained sadly, "we weren't brought here against our will. We came to Peace River by our own choice. The mailman explained what would happen if we came here, and we agreed to come anyway. Both Anne and I understood we wouldn't be able to leave Peace River unless Judge Jasper allows it." "But why?" I asked while pulling my car over to face them. "Why would you become willing prisoners here?" "I think you know why, John. Outside I was just as much a 'prisoner' as I am here, perhaps even more so. I was trapped in a male body that only expensive, painful surgery could begin to fix. Even then there were many things I would never experience that other woman do. And even if one day I could afford to have my surgery, my life wouldn't be easy due to my size. Some people would still see me as a man dressed as a woman, and then the taunts would start. You don't know how much those taunts and snide remarks can hurt some days?" Angie paused for a moment to wipe a tear from her eye. "When the mailman approached us and told us the terms, a life of growing up as young, normal woman without the possibility of leaving or having contact with people we once knew, we both jumped at the chance. I know that may sound selfish, John, leaving without saying goodbye; but when someone offers you your life, it isn't much of a choice. For what it's worth, leaving without telling you goodbye has been the hardest thing both Anne and I have ever done." "But that's the point," I argued, "you don't have to stay any more. I've found a way to get you out of here without them knowing about it. You can be free to live out your lives as young ladies wherever you want. Heck, I'll even pretend that you're my daughters." Angie looked at me with tears of gratitude. "You're a good friend, John. You don't know how much it means to me, to us, seeing you here. You risked everything to save us, but we don't want to be saved. We're happy here - it's the life we've always dreamed of having. We have a family, friends, and people who only know us as Angie and Anne. We don't want to leave that behind! We can't leave it behind no matter what you offer us in return." I looked back at Anne who was sitting there silently. "Anne, does that go for you too?" She nodded. "It does, John. I can't imagine leaving Peace River with you." "John," Angie said softly, "you need to leave now before they find out why you're here. Your life is on the outside, with your wife and new baby." A look of hurt and anger flashed on my face when she said that. "John, what's wrong?" "My wife was killed in a car crash three months ago, Angie. It happened around the same time you disappeared. I wasn't sure if you had read my email until now." Tears welled up in my eyes but I stopped myself from crying. "Oh, John, I'm so sorry," Angie said hugging me. Anne reached over and put her hands on my shoulder to show her support. "John, why not stay here, with us?" Anne threw out. "We can drive over to the courthouse and talk..." I held up my hand to stop her. "I'm not staying here," I told her directly. "This 'place' may be appealing, but it's nothing more than a prison meant to keep people locked away from the rest of the world. Can't you two understand that? Look around you, what do you see? Sure, it's charming and appealing on the outside, but on the inside it's not so appealing. Damn it, you're both prisoners here. The rest of the world doesn't exist. "The rest of the world is cold and frightening," Angie answered. "For every fault you can name about Peace River, I can name three faults for the outside world and you know it! Here people are friendly, considerate, and nice to each other. Intolerance, anger, and being self-center aren't tolerated. People treat each other the way they want to be treated, the way we should treat each other." "And if they don't, they get punished for it - isn't that right?" I pointed out. "Yes, but so what?" Angie shot back. "Isn't that how we try to fix bad behavior in our society? John, I no longer have to worry about being stabbed in the back by some bigot because he sees me as being different from him! Those problems don't exist here. You talk like I'm missing something by staying here! Well maybe I am, but it's not all bad. Everything the mailman promised us has come true." "Who is this mailman you keep talking about?" I asked. "Is he some kind of recruiter for this town?" Both Anne and Angie giggled. "In a matter of speaking," reported Angie. "I don't know who he is, and Judge Jasper would love to get his hands on him if he could. The mailman is sort of a rogue individual who brings people here without Judge Jasper's approval. They don't know who he is and we weren't much help to the judge I'm afraid. However, if it weren't for him we wouldn't be here today. Stephanie Hall, the lawyer who represented us, said he's been a real thorn in Judge Jasper's side." Angie looked down at her watch. "John, we really need to get going to school. Go down to the traffic light ahead and make a right." "Are you sure you want to stay?" I asked sadly as I pulled away from the curb. I debated about taking them out of town against their will but nixed that idea. This was their life, not mine. "It's what we both want," Anne answered for them. "I only wish you would consider staying, John. We're supposed to have an older brother in our family, maybe Judge Jasper will let you have his place." "And maybe he'd turn me into your family cat," I shot back. "Guys, challenges are what makes us strong enough to face the unexpected. Jupiter and his people have taken those challenges away from you. In its place he's given you an ideal world that doesn't really exist. Damn it, can't you see this is all a fantasy!" "You...you said his name," gasped Angie. "But you shouldn't be able to do that, at least not in Peace River. They don't allow that to happen." "One of the simple tricks I learned to beat their powers," I told her forcefully to make my point. "Does that make me more of a god than they are? Jupiter and his pals are not as powerful as you think they are. You can beat them if you put your mind to it!" "John, don't talk like that," Anne warned me. "If you think living in Peace River isn't a challenge for us you're wrong. Relearning and getting rid of all your bad habits - it's one of the most challenging things you'll ever have to do. Add to that the challenge of trying to make a major life change as a member of the opposite sex and well, I think you can see what some people are up against. But the rewards from these challenges are all worth it." "And if you fail?" I asked sternly while pulling up in front of the school. "What happens to you then? What do these 'gods' do if you can't cut the mustard?" "No one fails, John," Angie replied, but I could tell she was a little uncertain about that. "They pick their people very carefully before bringing them here. In exchange they give you a great life." "In exchange for what, Angie?" "I - I don't really know, John, that's never come up." "Then perhaps you should find out," I told her directly, "because somehow I can't believe the Roman gods are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. Somewhere along the line there's a price to pay for this wonderful life they're giving you - otherwise they wouldn't keep you a prisoner here." Both girls looked at each other but neither said a word. As they slowly got out of the car I sat there in a sulking mood, feeling miserable that they weren't going with me. I debated about telling them the truth, but for what purpose? To ruin the rest of their lives? Both of my friends were happy here, I couldn't do that to them. Angie stuck her head back inside the car and said softly, "John." "Yes, Angie?" "Thank you for thinking about us. You've always been a good friend to us, to me." "As you two have been to me," I answered truthfully with heartfelt emotion. "I know you may not believe this," she continued, "but we're happy living here. John, if you decided to stay, I think you would be too. It's not as evil and sinister as you were led to believe. We have nice parents, good friends, and a great life here. Please, I want you to consider staying with us. You can't be very happy on the outside, not with what has happened to your family." I closed my eyes to pray. Why in the hell was Angie's offer to stay so tempting? Yes, my life was in shambles, but I knew that would change one day. If I did decide to stay, I would be running away from my problems, not facing up to them. "I think this life is good for you, Angie. But if I stay, I fear in time I would find myself feeling trapped. Maybe that's why only certain people are picked to come here. I promise, Angie, I won't tell anyone about Peace River. I won't do anything to ruin this new and wonderful life you and Anne now have. I think you're making a mistake by not leaving, but I do wish you the best of luck." Angie looked at me with loving eyes. Even though her appearance was completely different now, I saw the same old Angie in that loving smile. "Goodbye old friend," she told me with tears in her eyes. "Goodbye - old friend," I repeated before pulling away. "That's that," I thought to myself as I headed out of town in a westerly direction. I couldn't help but feel sad and a little angry over how things had turned out. I was going to miss my friends a lot; and it was those damn, Roman gods who caused this to happen. They had interfered directly with my life just as much as they had with Angie and Anne's life. At a red traffic light I looked over and saw two women talking on a bench. No, not just talking, laughing. How could someone be so happy in a place so horrible? I wanted to shout to them and remind them they were prisoners here, unlike me. They had to follow the rules set down by their captors while I was free to do whatever I wanted. I noticed more people walking down the street as I drove by - and they seemed content like the two women on the bench. What was wrong with everyone? It wasn't right - it wasn't FAIR! My anger got the best of me, and I pulled into the parking lot facing a small lake. "It's not FAIR!" I yelled, gripping the steering wheel tightly out of anger and jealousy. I was the one who was free to walk out of here anytime I wanted. I should be the one happy, not them. Damn it - it wasn't fair! I stepped out of my car and walked over to a bench near the lake. I knew I was tempting fate by not leaving right away. The smart thing would've been to get back into my car and drive out of here as fast as I could. But somehow leaving didn't matter to me anymore. A part of me wanted to stay. "This is crazy," I argued with myself. "I could never be happy trapped in one place for the rest of my life." It was true. I was an adventurer by nature and I loved to travel. Being tied down to one place would be a death sentence to me. And what would I do if I stayed? I doubt if the Roman gods needed a top experimental biologist who had the ability to defeat their power. No, they would want to keep me as far away from everyone else as they could, or make sure I couldn't talk to anyone about this. I shuddered to think at what they would do to me if I did stay. "Nice car," I heard someone say. "Huh?" I replied while snapping out of the daydream I was in. When I turned I saw two cops standing nearby. The one closest to me was tall and lanky, with big blue eyes and a friendly smile. He acted as if he were the welcoming committee for Peace River and seemed generally happy to see me here. The other cop stood next to his police car and looked at me with suspicion. I couldn't see his eyes because he wore mirror sunglasses. He was the opposite of his partner, he felt cold to me. "I said, nice car," the friendlier looking officer repeated while pointing to my Cuda. "Um, thanks. You should have seen her when I first got her. She was a mess. I spent over $11,000 rebuilding her." "You're not John Stillwell by chance, are you?" "Yes, I'm him." As I stood up to greet him. I felt my knees knocking. "You have me at a disadvantage Officer," I looked at his nametag, "Merrick." That's when I realized it was he, the god Mercury. "Call me, Mark," he smiled in a friendly way. "I thought I recognized the car. I saw you race a friend of mine at Riverside 3 years ago." "Did I beat him?" I asked trying to remember. I hadn't finished in the top 5 that day. "Creamed him," he laughed. "But don't worry, he needed to be brought down a peg or two. I don't know if you remember him or not, he was driving a blue, GTO Mustang." "I'm sorry, I can't say I do. It was a long time ago and a lot has happened since then." "Yes, I'm sorry about your wife," he answered grimly. "I heard she was pregnant at the time. I understand they never found the driver who hit her." "How do you know so much about me?" I asked in an almost panicked state. Did they know why I was here? "I followed your racing career, such as it was, with great interest. In fact, I watched you race on a few other occasions, including the time you won at Lakewood strip." "Yes," I smiled with some pleasure. "I went up against a 65 corvette in the finals and beat him by less then a half a second. It was a satisfying victory. So you held an interest in me because I beat your friend in a race?" Officer Merrick's expression changed to a more serious tone. "No, that wasn't the reason why. There was an 11-year old boy in the crowd who was dying of cancer. He loved cars, but I think he knew he would never live to drive one. After the race his father asked, even begged, some of the drivers to let him just sit in their car. They all told him 'no' - and one owner got rather rude to him in front of his son. You overheard the conversation and offered to let his son sit in your car. In fact, you did him one better; you worked it out with the track officials so you could take him down the track a couple of times." "Well, I held back of course," I explained. "But the smile on the boy's face made my day." I remembered the sickly looking boy named Tommy Foster, whose dark skin looked pale even for an African-American. But how his mood changed when I sat him behind the wheel of my car and let him start it up, then rev the motor. And how he laughed with joy as we peeled off the start line and raced down the track at almost 80mph. "You made him very happy that day," the officer pointed out. "I wish I knew what happened to him, if he got better." The officer gave me a grim look. "He died three weeks later. They buried Tommy with the picture his father took of him sitting in your car." "Oh," I said softly as my mood quickly changed. The officer looked at me closely, as if he was trying to sense how I was feeling. A slight look of frustration appeared on his face that turned quickly back into a smile. "You shouldn't be sad, Mr. Stillwell. You were the only one to take the time to fulfill his wish. He left that night feeling happy. You should feel good about that." "I am - I did at the time." I stopped for a moment not knowing what to say. This officer seemed like a likable person, not the cruel, hard nose jailer I had been expecting to show up. On the other hand, the officer with him didn't seem that sociable. "Well, Officer Deimos and I need to get back on patrol here. It was nice talking to you again, Mr. Stillwell. I hope to see you on the track one day." "If you do, come up and say hello to me; and make sure you call me John." I offered him my hand, which he took. "I'll do that - John. Drive safely now." He gave me a parting grin and both officers drove away in the same car. I stood there dazed and confused. Nothing about Peace River was like I had been told. Had everything Klein the rat told me about this town been a lie? If so, maybe this wasn't a bad place to live. Maybe Angie and Anne had been right, that I should consider seeing if they would let me stay here. I shook my head a few times to clear that thought away. Even if I was willing to entertain the idea of staying, I didn't belong here. After all, I had come here on a mission to break people out of this town. How happy would this Judge Jasper be when he found that out? I couldn't stay - even if I wanted to - even if I felt there was nothing left for me on the outside. I pulled my car out on to the main road and headed for the bridge in the distance. In just a few more minutes I would be across it and away from Peace River for good. Maybe I would return in a couple of years, to check up on my friends and find out if they were still happy and wanted to stay. But the closer I got to the bridge the more I realized how unhappy I was becoming. I stopped at a red light and looked at the woman in the next car getting something from her purse. She looked over at me and smiled, then proceeded to apply some lipstick. "Had she been a guy before?" I wondered. "If so, how could she, or rather he, be so happy. Was this place truly that wonderful to live in? " The closer I got to the bridge, the harder it became to continue driving. I couldn't get the question out of my mind; would I be happy if I stayed? Than I realized the more important question that needed to be answered was, would I be allowed to stay here? I knew that if I didn't find out the answer I would never be happy. I stopped my car and thought about what to do. Angie had mentioned a lawyer, what was her name. I parked my car and walked over to a phone booth. In the yellow pages I spotted her, Stephanie Hall, attorney at law. The address indicated she was less than a block away. I thought about it long and hard then locked my car and headed off in the direction of her office. *** "What can I do for you, Mr. Stillwell?" Stephanie Hall asked with a welcoming smile. She took a seat behind her desk and pulled out a pad of paper to take some notes. I eyed her carefully. She was young, maybe in her late twenty's, but her eyes showed great wisdom. It was clear she was a fighter and someone you wanted on your side. "I need your help in a matter, Ms. Hall." I laid two, 100-dollar bills on her desk to show I was serious. "Before we begin, I want to make sure that anything I tell you will be kept confidential." "Of course it will," she assured me. "And we don't have to be so formal here, you can call me Stephanie. Now, what can I do for you John?" "That's fine," I told her. I took a breath and blurted out the truth. "I know about your town, Stephanie. I know that Judge Jasper is really the Roman God Jupiter, and that there are other Roman gods here helping him run Peace River. In fact, I ran into Mercury less then an hour ago." The female attorney put down her pen and raised her eyebrows slightly. One of the rules about Peace River was that no one could talk about the gods so openly. Oh, people found ways around that rule but to mention their names directly, that was suppose to be impossible. "Who are you?" Stephanie asked in a suspicious tone, causing me to chuckle. I knew what she was really asking me. "I'm just a man, Stephanie, nothing more." "Then how can you talk about the judge and his people so freely? "Perhaps I should start at the beginning," I offered. "Perhaps you should," she agreed with interest. I took a drink of water from a glass in front of me and began. "It's like this, Stephanie. I'm an inventor working out of my home. A few days ago my boss brought me a rat that he had picked up in an alley. I was working on a device that interprets impulses from the brain waves. This would allow stroke or accident victims who couldn't talk normally anymore to communicate with their doctors or love ones again. Of course first I had to test it out on lab rats, as Federal Laws demands, before I could test it out on humans." "I take it you were successful," she summarized. "Yes," I answered. "My invention consisted of a harness that fit over the head and body of the test animal. When I hooked it up to this rat, it turned out to be someone by the name of Klein Walker. He told me his story, at least part of it anyway, and about my two friends, Angie and Anne Davis. He said they were being held captive here against their will. That turned out to be a lie." Stephanie nodded her head. "I don't know who this Klein Walker character is, other than he was someone brought in from Andersonville and left rather quickly. My friend at the courthouse, Ashlee Gang, could fill me in on him. However, I do remember your two friends quite well. I can assure you, John, both were happy to be here when they were dropped off at my door." "I know that now. But you see, Klein told me some pretty horrible stories about Peace River. Things like man-eating mermaids, one- eye monsters, and the reason why this place exists. It all sounded pretty sinister." "Really," Stephanie faked a smile while knowing there was more truth to the story. Even she didn't know the real purpose of the town, and it was tempting to find out what that reason was. However, Stephanie thought the better of it. The only way to prove to Judge Jasper that she should be allowed to travel freely beyond Peace River was to show she could be trusted. Only those few people he felt could be relied on not to interfere with his plans, whatever they might be, were permitted to visit the outside world. Finding out what they were up to would most likely jeopardize her chances. "It was some pretty wild stuff," I went on. "So when I found this town filled with normal, happy people, it was like a slap in the face." "How were you planning on getting your friends out of Peace River?" Stephanie asked, now intrigued with my story. "You must've known that if your friends tried to cross over the river with you, all of you would find yourself driving back into town from the other side." "Klein showed me how to make a jammer that would stop this from happening," I explained. "All I had to do was pick them up and drive away. The only problem was, they didn't want to leave. And now, after seeing Angie and Anne again and knowing how happy they are here, I find myself wanting to stay." I swallowed hard then asked, "Is living in Peace River worth giving up your freedom, Stephanie?" My attorney observed me carefully for a moment. "John, I've been in your shoes once before. Living in Peace River is like living in your own little world. You have to believe that nothing else exists outside the town boundaries. That was the hard part for me, because I missed visiting places in Chicago, St. Louis, and a dozen other cities. It's not easy, but you gain other things in return; things you didn't even know you were missing. So it's not like you're giving up your freedom, you're simply trading one form of freedom for another." "What form of freedom is that?" I asked directly. "Freedom from violence and intolerance. Freedom from serious illnesses, like cancer. Freedom from old age. No one in Peace River ages once they reach 30. When you die, you die looking and feeling young. Judge Jasper gives you a healthy, beautiful new body to live in. However, I don't want you to think it's a cakewalk living here. You will have to work five days a week just like everyone else. Judge Jasper usually assigns people to jobs they're good at, and will be happy doing. And people do die from accidents, just like they do in the outside world. I lost a good friend less then a month ago in a swimming accident. Peace River isn't any different from the rest of the world you're used to. We just live under a different set of standards." My attorney stopped talking for a moment to let that sink in. "John, I think you should know something else," she cautioned. "Most of the men brought here get changed into women. I don't know why