Breaking Point Ch.11-16 free porn video

11. Accelerated Reform "Your mental make-ups are the contents of your everyday thinking; they carry a charge that can either transform, reform or destroy you. Watch your thoughts, they determine your life!" -- Israelmore Ayivor, The Great Hand Book of Quotes ***** Rodriguez made his way to Ray's rooms. He half expected Barker to be dressed in feminine clothes but was not completely disappointed to find his captive in another feminine track-suit. "Good morning Miss Barker." "Is it Colonel?" Ray replied, facing him. As Juanita had suggested Ray's face was still showing red from crying. Indeed, it looked as though she had been crying before he arrived. "Are you unwell?" Rodriguez was all concern. "No. Just tired." "We can give you a sleeping pill if you have difficulty sleeping." "No thank you." "What would you like?" "How about my life back? How about not ingesting masses of female hormones? How about you tell me what is happening to Juan Alvarez?" "Nothing is happening." "I'll let that lie pass. What do you really want of me? You know I'm not going to betray anyone, I don't know anyone to betray them...I'm a mechanic Paulo, I blow things up and knock them down, So really..." He looked pleadingly into Rodriguez' eyes. "What do you want?" Rodriguez was dumbfounded for a moment, because, although he seemed unaware of it, Ray had behaved in a totally feminine way, adding on a layer of dependence and humility, finishing with an almost doe-eyed appeal. He gathered his wits together. "Tell me what you do know." "I can't. That's the irony. I knew there was a chance of being caught, so I was pre-conditioned to resist." Rodriguez looked at Ray, trying to judge the truth of what he was saying, and had to agree that Ray believed it. "Let me talk to the General." Ray smiled as if something had suddenly occurred to him. He slipped into a soft feminine Boston Irish accent. "Alright talk and talk fast and he'd better like your story." "That's a bit obscure...But I love the accent." "Go consult your boss." Rodriguez nodded and left. Almost as soon as he was alone Ray buried his head in his hands, trying to figure out why, more importantly how, he had used 'womanly wiles' to persuade Rodriguez to believe him. Carmelita entered, followed by Juanita with his pills. "Are you alright Miss Barker." Ray lifted his head and looked at the two women. He knew he was close to crying again and they seemed to know it too. Juanita spoke first. "Why will you not answer any of the Colonel's questions Senorita? Surely it would be better." Ray shook his head. "I can't afford to. The outside world thinks I'm dead. Once I talk I'm really dead." "With Colonel Alvarez yes, but Colonel Rodriguez has a different outlook. You were rewarded after he was given charge." "What has happened to Alvarez?" "I am not permitted to speak of that." "And the room is monitored. Okay." "So, what is the routine for today?" "You take your pills, we go to the gym and let you exercise for an hour. Then an hour of electrolysis," Juanita explained. Carmelita then added, "Si, time to trim hair too, and do nails." Ray nodded acceptance and took the little pill cup and the glass of water from Juanita. He visually checked the pills, no changes, then swallowed the drugs. He followed them out, happy to have gained a better reign on his emotions in the meantime. ***** Heinmann had finished his breakfast and then gone to the observation point. He watched the interaction between Barker and Rodriguez and the women. He then asked for the tape of the last encounter between Barker and Alvarez. He glanced at the monitor of Alvarez's quarters. Ortega was talking to Alvarez. Unlike Barker, there was no audio feed, so he couldn't hear what was happening, but from the body language he knew that there was a rapport growing between them. He compressed his lips, a sure sign of his disapproval. The archivist produced the tape he had requested and offered to play it for him. He shook his head and left via the 'staff' entrance, taking the lift up to his office where he had a playback machine and monitor. It took quite a while to find the right part of the tape, during which time Heinmann's mood seemed to darken. Finally, he found the clip. He donned the headphones, the usual radio- operators set, and listened to the conversation playback. In all he played the encounter twelve times, listening more intently each time. Eventually he slammed the earphones onto the desk and stopped the tape, furious at his inability to hear or lip-read what Barker had whispered to Alvarez. He was sure it was significant. He was about to storm down to the bunker when the telephone rang. "Ja. Dr Heinmann. What has Major Hernandez found? I will inform Colonel Rodriguez." He put the phone down and went back to the tape. He ran it through once more and then came to a decision. Rewound the tape and put it into its box then neatly stacked it squarely amongst the collection he was accruing in the office. He opened the safe and checked that his pilot bag was safe within, then locked it again and went back down to the bunker, to find Rodriguez. ***** Colonel Rodriguez was talking with the electricians who maintained the bunker. Whatever he was arranging the electrician was arguing about how long it would take. Rodriguez simply snapped his fingers and two guards came along and grabbed the chief electrician. Rodriguez leant forward, his expression threatening and took the electricians wallet from his pocket. From inside the wallet he took a photo of the man's family. He made as if to tear up the photo, flourished his hand and the photo vanished. "Do not make the mistake of thinking I am soft Enrique. Would you have argued this with Alvarez before I took over? No, so you will do this for me, for that same reason. I have that power now, never forget it! Never doubt it! If you love your family!" He clapped his hands and the photo reappeared in his hand. He replaced it within the wallet and put the wallet back. "Don't fail me Enrique. The survival of your family depends on it." The guards let go and a very frightened electrician left, hurriedly. Rodriguez then realised that Heinmann was there and noticed the look of delight on the man's face, the most animation he'd seen in it since he'd known him. "An interesting display Colonel." "It serves. Can I help you Herr Doctor?" "They need you at Headquarters, Hernandez has a report." "And they told you?" "Apparently no one could answer a telephone." "Thank you for acting as my secretary Herr Doctor." Rodriguez exulted in the way the scowl returned to Heinmann's face. Pleased, he made his way out of the bunker to find out what Hernandez had discovered. Heinmann bit his lip momentarily, then went along to the barracks. Two guards stood outside Alvarez' quarters. "How is Alvarez?" he asked. "Finally sleeping Dr Heinmann," Carlos Ortega said behind him. Heinmann slowly turned and gave Ortega a disapproving look. "Finally?" "It was not a restful night. There are too many changes to absorb quickly. To go from a very powerful position, to a helpless prisoner is not something I would like to go through, would you Doctor?" "Such changes give us information." "You know all that Alvarez knows Doctor. Indeed, I suspect a great deal more." "There is one thing Alvarez knows that I don't, what Barker said to him just before we ..." "Broke in and performed an arrest?" "I need to find out what Barker said." "I doubt the Colonel even remembers the conversation at the moment, having retreated into childhood as a defence." "Oh. And you?" "At the moment I am a father figure." "I will need the information." "Not today Doctor. I will contact you when we are ready." Heinmann knew he was baulked at this point, but he had influence he could use. He opted for a strategic withdrawal. "How long?" About a week if current progress continues... Perhaps never." "That is not an option. I will give you a week, then I will take over fully." He turned on his heel and returned to his office. There were other things he could do while Ortega stopped him playing with his new toy. ***** Hernandez, Rodriguez was finding out, had discovered a cache of explosives and primer-cord. He had been following Alvarez' last orders to search the abandoned villages when he had come across the cache hidden under the floor of an old cantina. Rodriguez realised that this was quite important. Important enough to ask some serious questions of his captive, rapport or no. He returned to the bunker and found Ray undergoing electrolysis in the salon. He indicated for Carmelita to stop while he asked his questions. "You've been quite busy, before we caught you... What else did you leave at El Manete?" "What on earth are you doing there?" "Checking out your little storehouses." "Storehouses?" "El Manete, Carabela, Santa Maria, "Sounds like a city tour." "Where else have you stored equipment?" "I have no idea what you are talking about? By the way, since Alvarez disappeared no one has mentioned the refinery. Is everything working alright?" "Fine," Rodriguez lied. "Not for long then..." Ray said enigmatically. "Made it Ma, Top of the world." He grinned. "What do you mean?" "Work it out, you claim you now films." "You always have a very smooth explanation..." "What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?" "Thanks Sam." Rodriguez this time he knew he'd given a feed line. "The refinery is safe as long as no-one messes with my devices. Oh, and don't make the assumption that the input and output are the only ones. I doubt your people were as thorough as I was. But I had five days." "Five days...? You arrived three days before we arrested you." "Did I?" Ray smiled, a knowing smile. Rodriguez looked stricken and walked out, Carmelita carried on with the electrolysis. Ray quickly noticed that she was no longer being gentle about the work. "Whoa ah oww. What are you doing?" "You not nice to Colonel, but he be nice to you. You be sorry to him, he nice man, like you pretty well." The electrolysis continued, a little less violently now that Carmelita had had her say, leaving Ray to ponder what she meant by 'like you pretty well'. After lunch she checked Rays face, then took him over to the salon chair, slipped a rubberised cap over his head and then began to pull his hair through the holes in the cap. She was far from gentle about that procedure, delighting in the pull of the stands of hair. When she was satisfied that all the holes had been filled she smeared the hair and cap with a paste. "Now you sit still." She then called for Rosaria and the pair of them set about cleaning and shaping his nails again. Then they washed off the paste and pulled off the cap. Ray felt that half his hair had been pulled out with the cap, but there was little actual hair in the cap. They washed and conditioned his hair, then trimmed it into the same page-boy style bob, but longer. Rosaria then finished off the session by painting Ray's nails a bright red colour. This was then followed by two hours of exercise and then supper and pills. Ray fell asleep that night highly aware that the reflection in the toilet mirror had been almost all woman. ***** Ray's comment festered as Rodriguez rode in the staff car to headquarters. How had Ray managed to have five days in the country under the noses of the security police. He almost ran up to his inherited office and ordered the waiting aide to bring all the details of the search of the refinery, the visitors log and the details of all maintenance activity for the three weeks before Barker was arrested. He found another aide, confirmed the General was in and then sent him to bring Hernandez to the office. Then he braced himself to visit Cortez. Cortez was busy with reports, something that slightly amused Rodriguez, but he wiped the smile from his face with the thought of how the General might react to this new revelation. He explained what had happened and what Ray had said and waited for the General's temper to erupt. To his relief Cortez leant back in his chair and tapped his teeth with his pen while he thought. "How many men have you got on the refinery now?" "About two hundred General, three shifts, groups of four in the patrols." "Radio contact to headquarters?" "No sir. Barker told us in the early interrogations that the devices are radio linked." "Ah. Right. Send what you feel appropriate for a full scale forensic search of the refinery." "Yes sir. May I also have our entire main infrastructure checked?" "All?" "Yes sir. We were watching the refinery for Barker while he was busy mining the electrical substations around the refinery. This may be more misdirection." "Not immediately. That would strip the capital of security and army staff coming up to the festive season. The Christmas and the Three Kings celebrations have to go off well to quiet the rising discontent in the populous. Not having the refinery working is undermining the word of the President and as to Vice Admiral Marco, it's bad enough to him that we have security and army people all over his ministry, without causing him more problems by cutting off the electricity or petrol supplies. Not that I mind upsetting the navy." He grinned. "But he has the President's ear, worse, his wife has the First Lady's confidence. So I don't want him upset any more than this refinery thing already has." "I understand sir." Cortez shifted his position in his chair and waved Rodriguez to the chair. "Tell me Colonel, what do you really think of Heinmann's plan for Barker?" "Something is happening sir. I doubt the little slip this morning would have occurred had Barker been fully in possession of his abilities. I also think that it is right, in as much that pain seems to have no real effect on him and Alvarez was a bit of a blunt instrument." "I think I referred to him as a hammer," Cortez admitted. "But do you think there is something beyond the breaking of Barker?" "Quite definitely Heinmann has a deeper intention." "Can you figure what he is after. Even I have not been able to gain any knowledge of what his plans are, although it obviously involves Barker as a woman." "That would be my interpretation. May I assume Sir, that Heinmann also has the ear of the President?" "Regrettably you may. Much to the annoyance of General Araya. Apparently, the vice president was feeling unappreciated." "Part of the life of a politician Sir," Rodriguez said grinning. "Well, as to that, part of your new duties, Lieutenant-Colonel, is administration of the day-to-day work of the security force. You and Alvarez have been neglecting this since Barker was arrested. I suggest you catch-up, before you spend more time with 'Miss Barker'. Understood?" Rodriguez had stood up to attention as the tone had changed. "Yes Sir!" He was about to leave when Heinmann burst into the room, he was highly agitated and as white as a sheet. "I need to go back to Europe for a short while. Please let everything continue as now." He was so agitated that he straightened the pens on the side of the desk three times while he waited for General Cortez to respond. "Very well Dr Heinmann. If it is that urgent." "Stupid people messing with state secrets ... Now this." "Dr Heinmann!? Yes, we will not press anything. We have things to check anyway." "Danke, auf Wiedersehen." With that he left, almost as quickly as he had arrived. Rodriguez lifted an eyebrow at his superior in question. "German unification?" "Can't say for certain... Probably something to do with the Wall." Rodriguez nodded and took his leave. He had eight weeks of administration to catch up on. Things at the bunker remained basically routine. The daily reports confirmed that Barker was 'developing' in the right way, Barker because of the long exposure and the double hormone assault was blossoming with his chest now sporting firm, soft skinned 'B' cup breasts. The searches at the three named villages continued and additional equipment and explosive storage areas were found, but empty except for small traces. Rodriguez only managed to get to the bunker effectively once in the three weeks that Heinmann was away. However, the work he had ordered had been done. The new look to the observation room had reflected the improved the security of the whole complex. With new cameras feeding into a multi-windowed screen, enabling simpler monitoring of the private areas. However, Heinmann did return, and his manner was even more controlled than ever. Rodriguez knew something was really troubling the master manipulator. Especially as they approached the festive season. He figured that Heinmann had a particularly nasty Christmas present for someone. He had already heard from Cortez that Heinmann would be given a chance to break Barker, since their primary captive was now highly feminized and would, in the Presidents' opinion, be more susceptible to Heinmann's methods now. Rodriguez knew a subtle order when he heard it, so he prepared himself for the worst the next time he got to the bunker. What he hadn't expected was the changes in Barker when he got to the observation station. Ray was fitter than earlier, and the manipulations had accentuated the feminine shape. But there was still defiance in every step, resistance in every gesture and a challenge in every glance. If anything, the resistance was even stronger now. Rodriguez decided it was time to try his ploy, before Heinmann got official authority to take over. His plan was quite simple and extremely risky if it went wrong. But first he needed to see just how feminine Barker had become. He had noticed that one of the other nurses was attending Barker. Ray was quite surprised when Rodriguez walked into the salon after so long away. He realised that he had been missing him, which also worried him. However, he knew he had to find out what had happened after his 'indiscretion' three weeks before. He was being weighed when the Colonel entered, just in time to overhear Carmelita comment "74.4 Kg Se?orita. Very good." "Been busy Colonel?" Ray asked as he looked up. "Someone has to do the paperwork," Rodriguez replied. "You didn't find them then." "There cannot be anything there since you were not in the country before." Ray sighed. "Have it your way. Have you tried taking my devices off yet?" "No. they are too interlinked." Ray smiled. "I'll help you if you stop making a girl of me." "Ah, but I need a show of good faith before any form of reward can be offered." "Got to clear it with Heinmann? Where is that pervert? I know he's got something to do with this." "You are getting paranoid Miss Barker. Rewards are the gift of General Cortez." "Well, what do I have to do to stop these from getting bigger?" Ray lifted the track-suit top to reveal near 'b-cup' breast pointing perkily from his chest. "Miss Barker, modesty!" the nurse cried. "Tell me where these other devices are, that would give me a very persuasive argument to stop the hormones." "If I tell you where to look..." Ray began, then bent double as if in pain. Rodriguez started but the nurse was quicker, helping Ray to a chair. "What was that?" "I told you I was pre-conditioned, you asked a direct question," Ray replied. "That has happened before. Captain Constantine was 'looking after me' in your absence and triggered it." "I see. I will talk with the General about what we can do." Ray gave a wan smile and nodded slowly. "I will see you later." Rodriguez went back to the barracks to look in on Alvarez. Before he could reach him, however, he heard a terse conversation between Heinmann and Ortega. "I don't feel that is necessary." "And I am telling you, you are to worm your way into Barker's affections again. This is not a discussion Major. Unless you fancy returning to the ranks?" "No! You don't have the authority!" Heinmann almost whispered, "Try me." Rodriguez decided to interrupt so he noisily opened the door behind him and then walked around the corner. "Ah Ortega, I need a report on how Alvarez is doing. Herr Doctor. I trust your trip to Europe was successful?" Heinmann glared at him. "Excuse us please." Rodriguez walked away with Ortega, leaving Heinmann to his frustration. Once they were clear Rodriguez spoke quietly to his subordinate. "What was Heinmann pushing?" "He wants to question Alvarez, something about when the Colonel confronted Barker." "What does he expect to discover?" "He's mad. I have no idea what he is obsessing about. Something about a whispered answer." "It is possible that Barker said something to Alvarez before we arrested him. But even if she did, it wouldn't be significant." "Heinmann insists it is, and he seems obsessed by it. If he pulls me off this detail it will plunge Alvarez back into the broken childhood again, I know this in my heart," He looked back at the corner. "I should get back... in case." "Leave that with me, go and check the recordings if you can." Ortega nodded and carried on to the control point while Rodriguez continued his walk to Alvarez' quarters. As Ortega had feared, Heinmann had gone in to Alvarez' room. Rodriguez listened at the door. Heinmann was speaking "...aware of your pitiful efforts. You are a failure in every way, as an interrogator you were brutal and clumsy. As a policeman, you missed every clue. As to how you fared as a man... that is a most revealing blouse you are wearing Colonel Alvarez." Heinmann's tone was scathing, but his voice was level, almost conversational. "Not that you even fill that role properly. How long have you been on hormones? Oh yes, you don't know because you didn't even realise you were taking hormones, did you?" Alvarez gave a soft sob and a pained breath. "You are a mess Colonel. A miss-match of male and female. A caricature of a cross-dresser. So tell me, what did Barker whisper to you when you lost it? When you had your melt down, when you found out you really were a worm-eaten piece of trash?" The sobbing became louder and more consistent. "Crying won't help Colonel; I want to know what he said?" "Go to hell." "That is not polite Colonel, what did he say?" "That's what Barker said, 'Go To Hell'. He repeated it." Alvarez was crying heavily now and, from the sound, rocking in a chair. "If you lie to me Colonel, I will have you taken to a special brothel in Thailand, they would love to play with a lady-boy like you, even if you are 'over the hill'." Rodriguez ducked away from the door and waited until Heinmann had left before he entered the room of his predecessor. Alvarez was wearing a cheese cloth blue skirt and a peasant blouse. Her hair was now shoulder length and curled. Finger and toe nails trimmed, shaped and painted, dangling earrings tapped against her reddened face. Rodriguez had let Heinmann finish for many reasons. But when he entered, and Alvarez looked up in fear, he knew that something in what had been said wasn't all that happened. "Are you alright Maria?" Rodriguez asked. "Yes. Now that inhuman machine has gone." Alvarez seemed to recover her composure. "Was he violent?" "Heinmann? No... no. Vicious, insulting but nothing physical." "How are you coping?" "I...I am getting through each day. Carlos is a great friend, but that man..," She started sobbing again. "...he's going to take him away from me. I hate him!" "I'll see what I can do. But as you know, he has pull above even Cortez." She nodded and contemplated her fingers. "Do you want some help to freshen-up?" "No, thank you. I can manage, now." Rodriguez left, deep in thought. He had to find a way of getting information out of Barker, it looked like he was going to have to protect his former boss from Heinmann and he had to run the security police. All in all, he was surprised he felt so chirpy. ***** In an equally chirpy mood was Ambassadorial Aide Sir Paul Reeves as he waited for Gary Flanders and Jesus Martinez to arrive. He dunked his digestive in his tea and munched happily. The two Americans arrived and he offered them some tea. They declined so he ordered coffee for them and invited them to sit down. "You have news Mr Reeves?" Gary Flanders asked. "Indeed. Captain Barker is still alive and well. He is being held in the presidential bunker under armed guard. The new head of Security police, Lieutenant-Colonel Paulo Rodriguez is now in charge of his imprisonment and his interrogation. Colonel Alvarez is said to have had a nervous breakdown and is being treated for some kind of mental disorder, he is also being kept in the bunker. Dr Heinmann is still involved and I believe you have new orders with regard to him?" "Langley wants him. Something to do with information being discovered in East Germany," Flanders confirmed. "He has a couple of weaknesses we can exploit," Reeves said, grinning. He pressed the intercom. "Miss Sanders, could you invite my guest in." "Yes Sir Paul." They all stood as the door opened and a young man wearing a well-cut suit and crisp white shirt entered, he walked carefully, moving his right leg with a kicking motion. He also carried, but was not using, a walking stick. "Gentlemen, May I present Johan Kepler. Mr Kepler, this is Lieutenant Flanders and Sergeant Martinez." The introductions over all four men sat down and Flanders turned back to Reeves. "You said two weaknesses?" "I did. Mr Kepler can explain." They turned to face the newcomer and waited while he composed himself. He spoke in good English with a mid-European accent. "There are two distinct areas which my father obsesses over. The one that concerns you at the moment is the second, the 'man that got away'. "Your Father?" Martinez asked. "Yes Mr Martinez, I regret to say that Karl Fredrick Heinmann is my progenitor. We have not spoken in about four years. Your Captain Barker is his one interrogation failure and my father does not accept failure. He does not accept many things, love and affection, honour, responsibility." "You think that he is holding him all this time to prove a point?" "No, he intends to totally crush your Captain, rip him apart mentally and physically. It will be as a punishment for getting away from him in Libya." "We got him out of Tripoli. That was a very bloody mission." "I am fully aware of that Mr Martinez." He tapped his right leg and they heard the sound of leather. "I was part of the 'collateral damage' that ensued." "Good grief!" Flanders looked at Martinez at the outburst, his face impassive but his eyes told Reeves something more. "My last visit to my Father ended in hospital," Johan confirmed. "Unfortunately, my sister was not so lucky. That is the second weakness. Although I don't think he ever loved either of us, he was very possessive of Alfreida, so much so that she didn't like being with him. I am sure he obsesses over her. I know he tries to track my every move." Reeves explained, "Mr Kepler arrived in the diplomatic pouch, well the diplomatic crate really. I hope we didn't inconvenience you too much?" "I have known worse," Johan replied. "Johan's 'disappearance was part of the reason Heinmann returned to Europe briefly." "Why Kepler?" Flanders asked. "My Mother's maiden name. I have also dropped the forename my father gave me as well." "Karl?" Flanders guessed. Johan nodded. "Well, let's sort something out then." ***** Cortez had heard of the clash over Alvarez. He spoke with Rodriguez and then with Juanita. Rodriguez had outlined his plan to put different pressure on Barker and Cortez had signed off on it, but it would take a couple of days to set everything up. Strangely, it would also take a couple of days to prepare Alvarez for what Cortez had also given the green light on. 12. A Way Out? "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality." -- Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House ***** Two days later Ray was 'enjoying' another session of electrolysis when he saw Rodriguez again. Rodriguez, entered carrying a suit bag and a pair of Oxford brogues. "I have a reward for you MR Barker." He placed the suit bag on the table, the shoes beneath. "What did I do?" "We found twelve of your little presents in the fabric of the refinery and four in the main distribution substation for our electricity." "Busy boy... " "I said that we would stop the hormones and acknowledge you as a male if you provided information. Although you have not told us what we want to know about the people who hired you, you have given us information that we have verified." "Okay. So how much of this." Ray swept his hand down to indicate his whole body. "Are you going to be able to undo?" "Nothing immediately, but I have bought your suit from the property office. I'm sure that you can do the necessary." Ray grinned with victory. Rodriguez left, a smug grin of satisfaction appeared on his face as he went out to the cross corridor and along to the observation room. Twenty minutes later Ray wasn't smiling. He was in the boudoir looking at the reflection of this woman in a man's suit that was at least a size too big, possibly two. He removed the clothes and put the track suit back on. This was a body-blow. Or was that what Rodriguez planned? Or even Heinmann. It had Heinmann's trademark schadenfreude to it. It irked him immensely not knowing if the German was involved. It was certainly making him appear paranoid. Rodriguez watched Ray dress, then strip, on the monitor. Okay so it had achieved one aim, but it didn't go far enough. He decided he would have to use his second option. First, he had to check with Juanita. He made his way to the medical suite where Juanita was checking through the medications and instruments. "Good afternoon Sister. Have you made the substitutions I requested?" "Good afternoon Colonel. I have used appropriate placebos. If his body has recovered from stopping the anti-androgens..." "We will see. Have you chosen a volunteer?" "Carmelita asked to have the duty." "I'll tell her she's on." He went to the salon and found Carmelita cleaning the electrolysis machine. "Carmelita You know what we need you to do now. You are to spend half an hour playing with him. Under no circumstances is he to have intercourse, but you may 'toy' with him as you wish. He is to enjoy his masculinity. For the duration of this, reward, he is to be treated in all ways as a man. Understood?" "Yes Colonel." "At the end of half-an-hour, a guard will fetch you out. Once this is over, you will return to the attitude that our guest is a woman. That is all." "Very good Colonel." Rodriguez nodded and left Carmelita to her preparations. Ray was looking at the clothes he had discarded when the door opened. He was expecting Rodriguez to return, gloating, but instead Carmelita entered the room, smiling sexily at him. "Buenos nanches Se?or," she said. "Whatever you say dear!" Ray said nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. "My name is Carmelita," she said. "You forget?" She looked very sexy the way that she was standing in the doorway and Ray wondered what she was there for, it didn't look to be another massage and they wouldn't be letting him have sex... Or would they? Carmelita moved seductively across to him. To his surprise her left hand then, slowly and gently moved down his side and abdomen to his thigh. There she gently fondled the inside of his thigh causing Ray to almost jump out of the chair with shock. She then released the genital restraint before her right hand snaked in, past the waistband of the tracksuit, and tenderly stroked his abdomen at the base of his penis. Urging him onto the sofa without letting go of his limp manhood, Carmelita used her left hand to ease the turquoise tracksuit trousers down to give her better direct access. Ray groaned as she gently rubbed between his thighs and behind his scrotum. Despite the sensations that assailed him, Ray's manhood remained determinedly unresponsive. He was so confused by this sudden seduction that he wasn't sure what to think. If he encouraged a response, would it work? Had they effectively castrated him already? That thought seemed to get through and his lethargic manhood stirred to life. Carmelita smiled, as life seemed to return to the one-eyed monster between the fingers of her right hand, while her left began to explore his upper body. A momentary contact between her long fingernail and his right nipple sent an even more exciting shiver through him and raised an erection in response. Naturally, Carmelita used this to drive Ray wild with passion, even though she tempered her actions so that it took almost the entire half-hour before she allowed him to climax. Unable to resist the sensations that engulfed him, Ray was moaning, "Make me come, please..." long before Carmelita obliged. Not used to such seductions, Ray almost fainted with pleasure as he gained release. Rodriguez watched the first few minutes, then went and had a rest himself. He had a camp bed set up in the observation room. He was sure that everything was ready, all it needed was Ray to be himself. It was about three hours later that he stirred from his rest and looked around the room. As expected only a guard was monitoring the prisoner and the screen showed that Barker was waking up from his little 'reward'. Panther like, Rodriguez was up and moving across to the monitor. His hand rested on a rotary switch, which he then turned a couple of clicks. The image on the screen changed to one of the other cameras that he had had installed, in this instance showing the main corridor and the exit. He switched back to Barker, who was making his way, cautiously, to the bathroom. "Should I send in a guard?" the guard asked "Have all of my orders been carried out?" asked Rodriguez. "Yes sir." "Then monitor the corridor. It does not matter what Barker does in the room." Ray was somewhat surprised to find he was still alone when he had completed his toilet. He was also surprised to find he had been cleaned up and the 'gaff' replaced. He was also aware of the fact that his dinner had not been delivered. He then noticed, for the first time that the 'active' light on the camera in the boudoir was out. Retrieving the tracksuit bottoms from the floor, he quickly covered his nether regions and scouted around for some shoes. All he could find was a pair of feather trimmed ladies' mules, with a solid, two-inch heel. In disgust he kicked them away and walked purposefully into the walk-in wardrobe. He ignored the hanging clothes, looking only for the shoe-rack in the hope of finding some kind of sensible footwear. However, he was disappointed to discover that there were no other shoes in the room. He had been asleep when the guards had quietly entered and removed all but the slippers from the room. The light was still out on the camera when he stepped back into the room. Deciding that perhaps something must have happened to deplete the regular guard, he reluctantly put the slippers on and moved to the door. As Rodriguez looked on he pressed his ear tightly to the door, he listened for a full minute before gently turning the doorknob. There was a loud heart-stopping click as the catch cleared the locking plate and Ray stood back. His breathing was very controlled while he waited for the guards to rush in, but nothing happened. Reassured, he opened the door a few inches and looked out into the corridor to find no one there. Ray took a deep breath and stepped out into the dark corridor. Looking both ways, he checked for guards. The exit was a dash to his right, but he was sure that it would either be locked, or guarded, regardless of any other consideration. Besides which, he needed some clothing that would fit, and he thought that liberating some of the president's clothes would be appropriate. He took a few steps in the mules before kicking them off because they were noisy on the concrete floor and he moved as quickly as he could barefoot to the next door along from his suite. He was disappointed to find that the door was locked. Then he remembered that the president was an obese man and all that would be available were likely to be even bigger than his own clothes. Ray decided that he would be better off looking for a guard's uniform. All the while, as he moved down the corridor, listening and looking about him, a little voice in the back of his mind was commenting: 'Careful, you know this is a trap. They wouldn't pull the guards on you. You're too valuable. Watch your back!' He consciously tried to suppress this little voice, and tried the door to the salon, this too was locked. He thought that unusual, which increased the paranoia and pumped even more adrenaline into his bloodstream. The doors to the cinema and projection room were also locked, but the Gym was open. Ray ducked into the gym quickly, technically he would have been accompanied there, but he could argue being there legitimately. Checking round he found a pair of bright pink gym shoes and a pair of socks. He also picked up a skipping rope. The door into the cross-corridor, where the infirmary and canteen were, was probably going to be locked. He had collected a plastic cup from the gym and he pressed it against the door. There was some distant sound, but not clear. Taking a deep breath and holding it, Ray turned the door handle and tested the lock. It was unlocked. He opened the door a little and poked his head into the corridor for a quick look both ways. The corridor was also empty. Ahead of him was the entrance to the infirmary, and from within came some strange noises. Testing the door, it flipped open easily and Ray became very aware of the music coming from the rooms beyond the infirmary. 'Four times I've been in this room and I've never seen what's behind those doors.' he thought. A quick check confirmed that there was no one in the area, so he made his way over to the door. As he got closer he recognized the tune as one of the arias from Carmen. Watching where he was moving, Ray stood on tiptoe and glanced in through the doors. It was an operating theatre, that was obvious, and it was in use. There seemed to be a whole army of people in the room and it was difficult to see who was doing what. Two people moved, and Ray caught a good look of two legs placed into stirrups. Another eddy of theatre staff gave him a clear view of Heinmann in an observation booth with General Cortez. He almost screamed, but managed to sotto voce "I bloody Knew it!" then the teams moved again, hiding Heinmann and Cortez and he saw a man, his face covered with a mask, take hold of a wobbly bag of clear fluid. 'What the bloody hell is going on?' thought Ray. The man, Ray thought he looked like Mendez, turned and carried the shaped bag to the table. A nurse lifted a flap of skin on the patient's chest, and he eased the breast implant into the pre-made pocket. It was as the doctor moved back to pick up the second implant that Ray caught sight of the head of the patient. Even with the blue theatre cap, the drips, and gas tube entering his mouth, Ray could still recognise the unconscious form of his old tormentor Colonel Alvarez. "Fuck me!" The shock of seeing his one-time tormentor being operated on, especially taking into account the significance of the breast implant being stitched inside his chest, scared Ray deeply. However, the scare did not make him frightened, instead it made him very, very angry. Furious, he made a quick scan of the room, but there was nothing else available for him to wear. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'perhaps I can find something to use as a weapon?' He looked around and his quick search netted him four scalpels and two packets of blades, a pair of scissors and a large roll of crepe bandage. He then made his way back to the corridor. Pumped-up now, Ray made straight for what he thought would be the main entrance. If there were guards the other side, he would have just a couple of seconds of advantage. He wished he could remember more of his arrival. He remembered the lifts, and there was a barrier that separated the bunker from the lifts. Or was that at ground level? He was tall enough to look through the glass panels, so he took a quick look and confirmed what was ahead, He spotted two guards and noticed that they seemed very relaxed. Did they know who was being held, or why? He would just have to chance it, he had the scalpels, the skipping rope and the bandage. He decided to use subterfuge and so he wrapped some of the bandage around his arm, then held a scalpel in his fingers so he could hide it with the bandage. Cradling his left arm in his right he braced himself and stepped through the door, moaning slightly and shuffling as if sedated. Muttering in a very unsteady feminine voice. "Nurse, Nurse, where's the nurse?" One of the guards came over to try and shepherd Ray back inside the bunker. As the guard moved to put his arm around her shoulders Ray pulled the scalpel from the bandage and stabbed the guard in the stomach, yanking the blade out again and grabbing the rifle before he could drop it to the floor. The second guard looked up at the commotion to find Ray pointing the scalpel at him. Ray's look told him he shouldn't, but he went for the alarm. Ray's aim was accurate as the blade hit the guard's neck, the guard fell back, away from the Alarm trying to stem the blood from his throat. An instinct made Ray turn just before the first guard, his left hand pressed against his stomach, stood to make a grab. He received the bayonet end of the rifle across the face, which sent him flying to the ground with blood gushing from the wound. Ray followed up by smashing the butt of the rifle into the guard's jaw. He then crossed and used another scalpel to make sure of the second guard. "Two down two hundred to go," said Ray quietly. Ray now had two choices, stop and strip one of the guards so that he could leave undetected, or just run and risk being caught. Still running on adrenaline, he dressed in one of the uniform greatcoats as quickly as he could. He tried to move the bodies, but found that his treatment over the last few months had weakened him considerably. He grabbed the second guard's rifle, all their spare ammunition and the gate key, before he made his way towards the main exit. He was about to open the gate when he heard a chuckle. "An excellent attempt!" Paulo Rodriguez's voice echoed around the room but there was no sign of the man. "Almost successful too but you were always going to lose. But you are not going to get away, after all, you cannot hope to succeed against a real man!" Ray tried to find out where the voice was coming from, but it seemed to be all around as he clutched the rifle securely. "Show yourself." Laughter echoed all around and Ray opened the gate and went towards the exit stairs, hoping to outrun the laughter. A very calm, commanding Rodriguez simply said, "Goodnight dear lady." Ray didn't see or hear the gun that fired the hypo, all he knew was a tranquilliser dart suddenly struck him in the upper thigh. As he clutched at it to remove it blackness took over. ***** The first thing that Ray heard when the blackness cleared was Rodriguez's voice, speaking in a soothing, reassuring tone. "You really ought to know better than that my dear," he said. "You haven't given us anything worth having in the away of information, not to mention the fact that your body is nowhere near ready yet..." A hand stroked Ray's hair and it felt very soothing through the hazy sound and the blurred vision that had to be drug induced. 'So they're going to use the old methods after all...' he thought. '...well I've beaten that before.' The voice continued, through his thoughts, and the 'drugged' feeling eased. "So now we have to restrain you. Stop you from running way again, which was so silly," said Rodriguez. "Say what you like," whispered Ray, "because I know differently." Rodriguez's tone and manner was grating on Ray's nerves, not to mention insulting his prowess. Then he realised something, they intended it to do just that. At last he had a means of saving his pride, he could ignore their demeaning comments because he knew he was the best and nothing would alter that. The changes to his body he could fix later, he just had to sit tight... What he really wanted to know was how long had he been unconscious? Have they done to me what they were doing to Alvarez? And finally, 'Where's that little shit Heinmann?' He realised he was wrapped in a blanket and on a Gurney. And was suddenly very scared that he was heading for the operating theatre. A familiar door opened and he realised that they were putting him into the tank. Only this time there was a nurse there and she injected something into him. He could feel a tingling sensation as the drug entered his arm. Then the blanket was removed, and he was lifted into the tank. The liquid inside was warm and buoyant, but what would the drug do? The lid was shut and Ray realised that it was opaque Perspex or glass as he could still see the light, but as a diffused glow. His eyes blurred over and made the light even more diffuse. Then he heard a strange noise. The noises were then joined by psychedelic colour patterns across the top of the tank. Ray concentrated and then the Langley conditioning kicked in and he relaxed. He was able to take in what was being done, but it was disassociated, like it was happening to someone else. This action had been anticipated and so part of Ray's conditioning had been to activate the misinformation Ray was to give in such a way that he could be believed to have broken. While his mind was split, his body was still responding to the effects that were meant to hypnotise and condition him. All he could do is hope that he had been conditioned properly. ***** Six hours later Ray was extricated from the tank and taken to his room. There a nurse gave him another injection and then left. This time Ray was bombarded with questions from several people. His responses were incoherent, garbled and ridiculous., once he nearly fell off the settee that he had been placed on. This went on for another hour. It was only after all this that the room went quiet. Ray was still happily segmented., so when a familiar voice spoke it kept him from jumping up, screaming and trying to kill an old man. "Good morning, Miss, how are you?" "No better for you asking, Copper." "Never liked that you did Alfreida?" "I'm not Alfredia, who are you? " "Your father, of course, Alfreida my dearest daughter." The separation switched off and Ray dropped off into unconsciousness. Heinmann looked on in frustration and then left, leaving Ray in a deep, drug induced, trance. ***** In the observation room Rodriguez looked at Ortega in confusion. "What was that about?" "I have no idea. He spoke German and Barker replied in the same language." Rodriguez left the centre and headed off towards the rooms, hoping to intercept Heinmann before he left. But it was too late, he saw the doors at the end of the corridor swing shut as he went through the doors at the barracks end and figured that by the time he got to the gate Heinmann would be in the lift. So instead he went off to find Juanita to find out what Heinmann had fed to Barker. He found her in the operating theatre, checking all the equipment which had now been autoclaved after being used on Alvarez. "He's using psychotropic's and narco-hypnosis on Barker. I don't like it. He could wipe out what we want to know." "Heinmann's father was part of the SS in the concentration camps. He was part of a team looking at programming people with alternate personalities." "What!" "Don't know how successful they were, all the results disappeared." "How do you know this?" "My mentor at Johns Hopkins was a Holocaust survivor who knew the family; he was saved from the experiment because young Karl liked tormenting him. Seems he hasn't changed." "Why on earth do you work with him?" "I work for our President; he has been persuaded by his deputy that Heinmann has all the answers. I do as I'm told. Want to help me check on Alvarez?" Rodriguez shook his head. "What can I do to bring Barker back to his senses?" "Keep Heinmann away from him until the drugs have worn off, hopefully." She left him in the operating theatre and went off to examine her patient. Rodriguez made his way to the room and looked at Barker. Although wrinkled from the long exposure to the fluid in the tank, Rodriguez had to admit Barker was becoming an attractive woman. Now he had to make Barker acknowledge it. He also needed to slow down Heinmann it would seem. ***** Ray surfaced from the stupor of the drugs feeling sick and hung-over. He had a vague idea that he had seen Heinmann, in the flesh, but he wasn't sure. Weakened by the immersion he made his way to the toilet on all fours, he was very aware of the weight and impact of the breasts he had developed as he moved. Once he had recovered his wits after, emptying his stomach. He sat on the floor in the bathroom and tried to think his way through what had happened. The heels of both hands had small cuts in them and he had broken at least three of the nails. Hearing movement in the bedroom he grabbed a towel and wrapped it over his shoulders before coming back into the bedroom. "Oh Miss Barker, look what you have done to your nails," Carmelita said as she noticed Ray's hands. "Come, sit. We go fix," She pulled the wheelchair out of the corner and helped Ray to stagger into it. She then wheeled him back to the salon and, with Rosaria's help, sat him in the hairdresser's chair. They helped him to put on a nightdress to cover his modesty and then set about repairing the damaged nails. Ray was feeling very thirsty, so he asked for some water, only to be greeted with looks of confusion from the two women. It dawned on him that he was still thinking in German and had said 'Kann ich etwas Wasser bitte?" That he found really troubling. "Can I have some water please." This time it came out in English. They provided him with the much-needed water and then spent another hour washing and trimming his hair into the familiar bob style. Rodriguez entered a few minutes later and sat in the wheelchair to talk to Ray. "How do you feel?" "Sick. Disoriented, abused, grossly mutilated and fed up with it." "Heinmann wants you under the knife soon." "Oh my god! Alvarez! That was Alvarez I saw in the operating theatre?" "Yes." "And he's..." "She is surprisingly okay with the situation." "Heinmann's mad. You've got to keep him away from me." "Why are you so frightened of him?" "I'm not frightened I'm scared, he's absolutely mad." "What makes you so sure?" "Can't I have a conversation with someone without it being an inquisition?" "Of course not. You are here to give us information." "Please? I need to know if your announcement that I'm dead has cancelled my mission." "How would we know?" "If I give you a message and a dead-drop, you cannot arrest the person who picks it up. For one thing this has nothing to do with your patriots." "I'm listening." "Also, you can't edit what I write. If you do it will negate the message." "I'll only have your word." "I can't run away, you've proved that." "But you can 'disappear'. Tripoli, Tehran and Mombasa." "I don't think so. Not this time." "How did you do those disappearing acts?" "Trade secret." "Okay, I'll do it." "No, Carmelita must do it. You're a policeman Colonel, you will do it wrong." Ray wasn't smiling, which persuaded Rodrigues that he was 'on the up' He authorised the attempt on his own authority and Ray wrote his note and gave Carmelita specific instructions. She went off to deliver the message. Rodriguez stayed in the Salon with Ray, not even speaking to the guards to arrange for Carmelita to be followed. She returned an hour later and reported that she had left the message as required. ***** Reeves looked at the note that had arrived on his desk late in the afternoon. Gary and Jesus were just settling themselves down. "Well gentlemen. We have a situation. This note is from Ray Barker, although the writing is a little off. I'm sure you can make your own determination. The note is quite explicit." Flanders flattened the paper and read the note. 'Charlie Croker, I am dead. - You just lost him his insurance bonus. - These chinless wonders will get you out of Turin faster than anyone else on four wheels. - Camp Freddie you all know. - Now load the gold into the minis. - Charming to the last, you don't know how hard I found it, signing the order to terminate your life.' "There's a lot in there..." Flanders said, looking at Reeves. "They are capable of really breaking him, He needs to be extricated. He can complete the mission, if we are ready. Kill the dead drop once the reply is given. I don't get the Camp Freddie reference." "It means that Heinmann is playing with his drugs and lights. We put that in when we discovered that he has his Fathers research," Flanders replied. "Ah. And the Star Wars quote?" "Verification, but it's only supposed to be the last bit. The first bit on its own is a red flag. What it's saying is that someone is using the verifications, sending him notes. Who, apart from us, knows the code?" "Well the codename is Daffodil. That's all I can tell you. I don't know any more than that." "Well, advise Daffodil to explain why the contact is only one way and not to use the dead-drop this message came through." "Good point. I'll set that up, what are you going to do?" "Sharpen our knives and clean the Glocks'." "Okay." "Skipper, the verification, I think he means he wants a reply using the drop." "What makes you think that Jesus?" "He's been out of comms for a long time, we know the protocol, all missions are considered compromised, all intel classed as suspect. The only reason we are even talking about this is that he was supposed to have been captured. What went wrong was losing the team in the mountains and Ray being declared dead. Otherwise Mr Reeves here would be demanding the return of his diplomat." Both men nodded agreement. "I suggest we send back in the clear. Disavowing the situation. But the phrase 'regulation 46a' has to be included." "Bit obvious." "Not if we bury it in a load of regulations. We basically say, 'we don't know who you are, if you are who you claim you are aware of the protocols, regulations 12, 35, 46a and rule 37 apply'." "And the verification phrase?" Flanders asked. "'The more you tighten you grip, the more solar systems will slip from your grasp'," Martinez looked at his companion. "You need to write this skipper, something Ray can recognise." "Let's get it done then." ***** Next day Carmelita came in with a note in reply. She carried it down the bunker and waited for the opportunity to hand it to Barker. 13. Reprisal A bizarre sensation pervades a relationship of pretence. No truth seems true. A simple morning's greeting and response appear loaded with innuendo and fraught with implications. Each nicety becomes more sterile and each withdrawal more permanent. -- Maya Angelou ***** In his room the next morning, Ray was wondering what new torments his captors would come up with. He was also worried in case the notes had had been receiving were a false trail and that his 'team' had been withdrawn. He was still feeling weak from the sickness and the immersion in the tank, so he slid himself to the end of the bed to shorten the walk to the toilet and used the wheelchair like a Zimmer-frame to get into the room. His morning ablutions completed, Ray sat in the chair and gradually wheeled himself into the boudoir. While he disliked being that vulnerable, he knew it was important to save some energy. Looking at the very clean area of the carpet around the settee reminded him of the events after the experience in the tank, and that reminded him of the view of Alvarez being operated on and Heinmann watching. Then he remembered the conversation while under the influence. "What the hell was he playing at? He's insane, I'm not his daughter and he is, most definitely, not a father figure I'd like to encounter," Yet he knew that it was the little weasel that was behind all these changes in his life and he knew why... "Good morning." The feminine voice took Ray by surprise and he turned towards it. "Huh... um, good morning," He replied, looking at Juanita, who stood behind the orderly bringing his breakfast. "May I join you?" she asked. "Eh, sure." The orderly laid out muesli breakfast for two and then left. Juanita move one of the chairs aside and wheeled Ray up to the table before seating herself opposite. "Why the visit?" Ray asked, quite mildly. "It's very hard, to go through what you are going through, even if you want to. It would be horrible to do it unwillingly." Ray looked at her, not trusting himself to comment yet. He raised his eyebrows in a question. "Any trauma recovery takes time Miss Barker. But you have to want to recover. For you there are other factors too." "Really?" This time the irony was in full force. "Miss Barker, I am desperately trying to be polite and make normal conversation. Let us eat our breakfast and then we can talk." Conversation over breakfast was very one-sided, as Juanita did almost all of the talking. It mostly revolved around how the doctors thought that she should talk to her. Ray's comment was: "Oh well, a small price to pay for company I suppose." "They want to know what you saw when you tried to escape. They know you went into the infirmary and the Gym." "That was it." "Did you see anything in the infirmary?" "I saw Karl Heinmann and Colonel Alvarez. I think I also saw Dr Mendez. He seemed to be giving Colonel Alvarez breasts." "He was. Colonel Alvarez has been reassigned, completely." "Good God. That's..." "What could happen to you if you don't answer their questions?" "Lovely. What do you think I should do?" "Not for me to say, it's your body. You have all of today to contemplate your future, "There is another, um, condition. If you continue to speak in such a low voice, I'm sorry I have to tell you this.... But they will stop feeding you." "Oh I was expecting that," Ray replied, pitching his voice nearer to the level of Juanita herself. "That's much better. Less threatening..." 'That's a good one,' Ray thought, He knew that objecting to the voice thing was expected. So he was left with the same choice as before, bide his time until something came up or try to fight. He wasn't too sure how he would get around the catwalk 'wiggle' of a walk he now possessed, but de-programming his legs should be just as easy as programming them, surely. As he finished his breakfast, so he finished his consideration of his new status. Now that the conversation could be more interactive, Juanita changed the subject completely. "I love the d?cor in here," she said looking around. "It's okay. I'm sort of used to it now." "Why don't you personalise it a bit more?" she asked. "I'm not planning on living here permanently," he laughed. "Same time tomorrow?" she asked, when she rose. "I will join you for breakfast." "That would be nice," Ray said absently. He looked at his arm. If his friends in the DEA ever saw an arm like that they'd 'know' what the person was. That set him thinking. 'What had possessed him to take this job in this tin-pot little South American banana republic? He could have been having fun with napalm in the jungles of Columbia instead. The DEA would have appreciated that.' His contemplation was ended by the realisation that Juanita had left. What about the massage and manipulation? He was about to call out when Carmelita entered the room. "Miss Barker, your reply." She handed over the note. Ray looked at thee note. "Rodriguez seen this?" He was still using his 'feminine' voice. "No Miss." Ray cautiously opened the note and looked at the message inside. "We don't know if you are who you claim/ If you are aware of the protocols, regulations 12, 35, 46a apply' Reply within 12 days, that's by the book. I like 'em Big you understand, BIG. - The more you tighten you grip, the more solar systems will slip from your grasp" "Is it important?" she asked. "Can you drop a reply by lunchtime?" "Si." Ray immediately wrote out a new note and handed it to Carmelita. It was very short. 'You're only supposed... - You wish to suggest another target... then name the system.' "Please don't let anyone take this from you, lives are at risk." "Si. I go now." "Won't that be suspicious?" "I just been told you not have any work today. So I go home." "Convenient," Ray said, suspiciously. "I was told before come here. You not worry," With that she turned and left. Ray watched the door close and then looked at the two cereal bowls and thought about the conversation with Juanita. ***** In the control room, Rodriguez smiled. Carmelita would tell him later what was written on the note, even if she could not understand it... It suited him to let Barker think he was getting away with something. ***** In the General's office, Heinmann was discussing Alvarez. He was dispassionate in his comments, but there was an interested animation in his eyes. "The surgery seems to have taken well, your surgeon assures me that once the convalescent period is over and we have 'trained' our new girl, she will be quite able to provide many of the services expected of a woman." Heinmann imagining the same process on Barker and what would follow. "I must admit that aesthetically the surgery is excellent," Cortez admitted. "And Luis' excellent restructuring is producing a most attractive result. Even so I will not be availing myself of the services provided." "I have no interest in her except as a means to an end." Heinmann pursed his lips after he spoke. "So when do you think Barker will break?" Cortez asked directly. "Very soon. The wastage of her muscles has removed her strength and allowed us to feminise her walk and movements. He has already shown a movement towards social acclimatisation. We are encouraging her feminine interactive skills. Both Carmelita and Juanita are helping with this. It will soon be time to confront her with the total change. That should precipitate total collapse of resistance and enough personality fragmentation to get past the conditioning." "And then you want the remains?" "Alive. Yes. Then we complete the gender change and I can work on her," His expression reflected anticipation and pleasure at the thought. ***** Ray's lunch was delivered by the orderly, accompanied by the three guards, which didn't please him. The salad with grilled sardines was perfectly edible, but he found he was losing his appetite under the gaze of the three soldiers. It was as he finally gave up on eating that he realised what was upsetting him. The guards were ogling him; they were openly staring at his feminine movements and appearance. He thought. 'This is getting too much." He pushed the plate away and went to wheel himself over to the settee. One of the guards quickly came over and pushed him the eight feet between the furniture. He was smiling at Ray as if he, Ray, should be thankful for the assist. Without a word the soldier then 'helped' Ray onto the settee, his hands briefly resting on Ray's breasts. Then he went back to his position near the door. A short time later the orderly returned and took the plate of half- eaten food away, and the guards left with him, much to Ray's relief. Sitting there, he knew it was time to examine