Chapter 46
After loading several huge trunks, Katie boarded her brand new LS-909 luxury sub, the Splendor of the Sea. She was gorgeous, even if she was just a cover—plush carpeting, comfortable lounge seats, real wood tables and cabinets, marble floors and counters in the galley and head, and four expansive staterooms that looked like they'd come from a five-star hotel. Katie was already thinking she might keep the little beaut even after all this was over.
"I'll drive," Ben said.
"No way. She's mine. You know I'm a better driver."
"When you've had time to sleep, of course you're better than me," he said smoothly.
When did he learn how to disarm her by flattering her for her abilities instead of her appearance? She didn't know how to argue with that.
"You're exhausted, Katie. So please let me drive or we'll wait while you take a nap."
She'd flown the jet copter from Honolulu to New York, found Helga, gone with her on a nine-hour shopping marathon, and then only slept six hours before flying from New York to Cape Town. Ben knew how much this sub had cost and he knew how critical this mission was to Lucas; he wasn't going to do anything stupid. She'd certified him in submersibles herself when they were both on seaQuest. He could handle this. And sleep did sound very tempting. "You're right. You drive."
Rendezvous with seaQuest was four hours away. Splendor would only be covering one-fifth of the distance, since she didn't have near the speed of the larger submarine. Katie leaned back in one of the first-class lounge seats. Helga made herself comfortable in the seat beside her. Katie intended to rest for just a few minutes and then go back to one of the staterooms, but once she closed her eyes, she crashed hard.
"Katie?" Ben's soft voice interrupted a particularly disturbing dream. His hand was on her shoulder. He'd been shaking pretty firmly.
She bolted to alertness. Her military training kicked in and her mind started gathering information. She could tell immediately that the engines were dead. "What's wrong?" she asked Ben.
"Nothing. We're docked with seaQuest. I didn't scratch the paint or anything."
A few years ago, she would have brought up how many other sea-crabs and shuttles he'd damaged in his career, but her heart was too heavy to dredge up old wounds. "Thanks. You were right. I needed sleep."
"You know, there're beds in the staterooms."
"I know. I only meant to close my eyes and I was out like a light."
Katie reached over and roused Helga. "We're here," she told her friend in hushed tones even as she forced herself to standing.
Helga yawned. "Already?" she said in a heavy German accent. She stood and stretched too.
Ben carried Helga's suitcase, but they left the big trunks alone. Katie was going to suggest they bring the team onto her sub so that no one would be seen on seaQuest in their costumes. Two doctors, four officers, and Lucas's NCO roommate had volunteered to join them. She'd bought enough clothes that they'd have a little choice in what they wore, but Helga would be in charge of dressing everyone. She was the expert and she not only had to decide what fit well, but how each team member would create a believable persona that blended with the rest of the team and wasn't too hard to fake. As far as Katie was aware, no one, including her, knew enough about this lifestyle to pull this off without help.
Captain Bridger, Dr. Westphalen, and Commander Ford met them at one of the docking collars, since Splendor was too big to park inside the launch bay. Katie introduced Helga to them. Bridger was his usual charming self and thanked her for agreeing to help them out.
"Where should I take her bag?" Ben asked.
"We've prepared guest quarters on B-deck."
Ben looked around hesitantly. "I've never been on this seaQuest. Are the decks the same as the old one?"
"I'll take you down," Dr. Westphalen offered.
"Helga, is fifteen minutes enough?" Katie asked.
She nodded to Katie as she followed Ben down the corridor towards the mag-lev.
"Captain, we were thinking of having everyone meet on the Splendor, so no one has to be seen." She didn't outright ask permission, but it was implied in the tentative way she'd told him. Katie considered them equal partners in their business, but he was fully in charge on seaQuest and she wouldn't dream of trying to run anything on his boat, even if it was a secret civilian rescue mission.
"Good idea. Is it okay if I sit in?"
"Of course, sir. You want to have a look at the LS-909 while Helga gets settled?"
He grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that." He turned to his XO. "Commander, tell the others to report here in fifteen minutes. Discreetly, please."
"Aye, sir." He turned and left. Katie thought he looked a little disappointed for not being invited on the tour, but he would have plenty of time to explore Splendor on the trip to Juno.
Bridger was mildly impressed with the luxurious accommodations, but he practically drooled over the navigation compartment. "They've made it so anyone could pilot this!"
Katie chuckled. "I know. I let Ben drive so I could sleep."
"Oh, he's not that bad. We let him dock manually and he hit it dead-on the first time."
"And you'd never have let him hear the end of it if he hadn't."
"Hell no. But not just me. You both still have friends here."
"I know. I can't believe you got five guys willing to go along with this."
"I don't think they're doing it for me." Of course they were doing it for Lucas. But that didn't mean they wouldn't have done it for someone else on Bridger's request.
"Maybe. But you're giving them leave and keeping seaQuest close in case of trouble. That's more than I could have asked."
He laid his hand on her shoulder. "As far as I'm concerned, this doesn't even count towards what we already owe you. I don't know what I'd do if you hadn't come."
"We'll get him back, sir. I swear I won't leave that colony without him."
"I know you will. And I'd tell you not to take any chances or put anyone at risk, but you'd just disobey me."
She smiled. He knew her pretty well for someone who'd only served one tour with her. "Then you also know it would kill me to ever disobey a direct order from you, sir."
"That's why I'm not giving you one." He lowered his voice and spoke in a solemn tone. "Although if you die in there, I'm telling Noyce that I called in your Reserve clause and you acted in the line of duty. Ben was right. Lucas is a huge asset to the UEO. Getting him back is just as much political as personal."
"Not for us."
"Me either. But I will protect their interests despite themselves."
"Anything I should know about Piccolo and Brody?"
Bridger gazed out the front window at the open water with seaQuest's great hull taking up a good deal of the side view. "Brody would probably be a SEAL right now if I hadn't sidetracked him. He'll carry out any order you give, and he can probably find a way out when no one else can, but he's more a doer than a thinker. Tell him what you want and he'll make things happen. Piccolo… well, he's sort of in a class all by himself. Six months ago, I wouldn't have let him come with you at all. About the best thing I think he has to offer is that he actually finds women in leather attractive."
Katie regarded him with a single arched brow. "Are you saying you don't?"
He smirked. "I'm saying I know Kristin will look great no matter what she wears, as will you and Wendy, but I'm more interested in what a woman has up here." He tapped her temple lightly. "Piccolo won't have to fake a sassy mouth to give one of you an excuse to smack him. He does it quite naturally."
"But does he enjoy being smacked?"
"Not exactly, but while the rest of you probably see this mission as a necessary evil to be endured, he's going to enjoy it. He'll understand the Juno women on a level you and I never will, and that should be to everyone's advantage. Just don't let his wisecracks fool you. He does have a heart and he cares about Lucas more than he'd ever admit."
"I could tell by the way Lucas talks about him that they're pretty close."
"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if all other things are equal, you should consider teaming Brody and Piccolo with Dr. Smith. Neither of them know you at all and they've only known Kristin since the wedding. If they've got to sign their rights away, I'd think they'd rather sign themselves over to someone they've known a little longer."
Katie nodded. "I'll tell Helga. She's going to help us all come up with good covers."
"Well, I'm glad to hear you're not just going to put on costumes and think that's good enough. I've been on the vid-link with the colony's governor, a Ms. Diana Nelson." He spat out her name like it was distasteful. "And I can tell you she's quite adept at legalistic double-speak and rigid tunnel vision."
Katie took a deep breath and threw her shoulders back. "Then she is on my official list of people whose butts I want kicked."
He chuckled and shook his head. "I won't discourage it. No one said Piccolo is the only one entitled to fun, just that he's the only one likely to find it. If everyone gets out all right, then the UEO had nothing to do with this and any butt-kicking is your own business. You may have to flip Kristin over who gets first punch though."
Katie grinned. "We'll share."
They heard footsteps near the docking collar. "Anybody there? Permission to come aboard?" Kristin's voice called.
"Come on in, Doc," Katie called. She and the captain both left the navigation compartment and headed back to the passenger area.
"Whoa, this is some little puddle-hopper you've got here."
"With nine of us, it's no longer a cozy little excursion, is it? This is the party model."
Kristin smiled warmly and opened her arms for an embrace. Katie accepted the gesture. If anyone knew how she felt right now, it had to be the woman who loved Lucas like a son and had the same penchant for stubbornness as she did. "This new toy of yours is beautiful, Katie, but you look like hell. How much sleep have you had?"
She shook her head. "Not enough. But as the captain has pointed out, anybody could drive this baby, so I can sleep once we're done briefing."
"Anybody? Even me?" Her face was all innocence, but very interested.
"I bet you could. In fact, when we get close to Juno, we should shoo the men out and take command. Makes them less suspicious of our uh… pets that way."
"I'm liking this more by the minute. You hear that, Nathan? I not only get to own fawning pets, but I get to drive with no one down here to give me a hard time about which side of the street is proper to drive on."
Bridger snorted playfully. "I send the four best submersible pilots in the Navy, but you put my CMO in the driver's seat of your luxury liner."
Katie shrugged. "Only if she wants to. Otherwise, I say we relax and let the men do all the work until the colony tries to hail us. Then we take credit."
"Oh yes, much better idea." Kristin's eyes sparkled mischievously. Katie wasn't going to tell the captain this, but she had a feeling that his wife might enjoy this trip more than he would know.
Wendy arrived at the circular opening. "Is this where the superior gender checks in?"
Katie laughed. "Yep, you're in the right place. Pick a stateroom to leave your bag. I hope you didn't bring clothes. Helga is going to dress you."
She raised her hands. "Just toiletries and underwear. Promise."
On her heels were O'Neill and Shan, both in civvies and without any kind of luggage. They both gawked at the interior of the Splendor with mouths agape. "Nice sub, Commander," Shan said.
"Oh, don't you 'Commander' me, Ensign," Katie mock-scolded. "I haven't seen you in years!" She opened her arms in invitation. She and Will hadn't been very close on the first tour, but a lot had changed since then. He'd been to OCS and she'd only recently joined the Reserves. Besides, none of them were supposed to be on duty now. Will looked a little skeptical for a second before he broke a smile and hugged her briefly. She whispered a quick "Thanks for coming," in his ear before releasing him.
"All right," a loud, swaggering voice with a Philly accent rang out, "don't all you dames fight too hard over who gets to own me, but I hear the loser gets O'Neill here." The short braggart—wearing a psychedelic shirt and sunglasses so dark he probably couldn't see—slapped Tim on the back. Katie knew Tony's voice from Lucas's birthday party even though they hadn't formally met.
The captain was hidden from view behind Dr. Westphalen, but he spoke in a loud yet mostly harmless tone, "Piccolo!"
The little man jumped. "Cap, I didn't know you was comin' with us."
"I'm not. But I'm going to listen in on the briefing, if that's all right with you."
"Yes, sir," he said contritely.
"I've seen you around," Katie said, "but I don't think we've ever been introduced."
"Allow me," Bridger said. "Lieutenant Commander Katherine Hitchcock, this is Petty Officer Anthony Piccolo."
"You can call me Tony, ma'am." Well, at least he's polite.
"Not just yet, Mr. Piccolo. Tell me, did anyone explain the documents you've got to sign to go with us?" She gave Bridger a covert wink. She knew he would have covered this, but a question was the best way to introduce the subject.
"Yes, ma'am. If Lucas already signed them for some stranger, the least I can do is sign them for you or one of the docs." Katie was impressed that despite what Bridger had suggested, this guy was willing to trust her that much.
"And if something happens, and we're killed or incarcerated, you could end up property of a stranger, just like Lucas."
"Yeah, well, I got a way out that he don't got." Katie looked at him quizzically, but he was looking at the captain. "Don'tcha think she oughtta know, sir?"
Bridger shrugged. "Mr. Piccolo has gills, Commander." Katie remembered seeing an email address somewhere that said 'gilledstud' but she'd never taken it seriously. She'd always thought it was just another way of declaring a fondness for swimming. She stared at the stocky little guy with piqued interest. Bridger spoke again. "But there's something you should know, Piccolo. Juno Colony is too deep for you. You try to swim out of there and the pressure will crush your skull."
The look on his face betrayed that he hadn't realized this before. Katie cringed. She still had nightmares about Colonel Shraeder's imploding shuttle. She'd tried to warn him, but he'd assumed she was lying. She hated the guy for what he'd done to her and what he'd tried to get away with, but she still couldn't forget his pained screams over the radio, when his eardrums probably burst, right before his sub was crushed by water pressure. She leaned in and spoke softly to Tony. "No one will blame you if you change your mind. We're not leaving seaQuest until we're ready with our costumes and cover roles. You've got a while to think about it."
"Thank you, ma'am, but I ain't changin' my mind. I got less to lose than most of the other guys who're goin', gills or no gills. If you'll take me, I'm goin'."
The captain was right; Tony probably would understand the colonists better than any of them. Yes, he had an irreverent side, but he also knew how to put people at ease. That was very valuable when undercover. Katie extended her hand. "Welcome aboard, Tony."
He shook her hand and grinned, but he didn't try to call her Kate, Katie, or even Katherine. He didn't say anything. Katie could see in his eyes that somewhere along the line, someone had taught him respect for a certain class of women—a sister, a mother, or maybe a grandmother—but he had a handle on this. He could show respect when it was called for. She was more worried what Ben might say than what Tony might.
By the time they were done chatting, Ben, Helga, and Jonathan had returned. She also saw Brody and O'Neill conversing quietly on the other side of the room.
"If everyone wants to get comfortable, I think we're all here." Katie pressed the button to close Splendor's docking hatch. She left the clamps on so they were still connected to seaQuest by the collar, and seaQuest's matching hatch would stay open, but this way they had privacy. "Helga, it's all yours."
Everyone had taken seats in the lounge area, so Helga walked around among the chairs. That woman never could stand still. She was tall and shapely, with flaxen blonde hair. She wore plain black slacks and a red blouse. Although Katie had seen her friend in quite a few fantasy costumes, she'd always looked most natural in lederhosen and braids. That was the image that came to her mind whenever she thought of Helga.
"You are all here of your own free will, ja?" Her German accent was noticeable, but not so thick as to be distracting.
A smattering of affirmative responses and head-nods met her.
"Gut. I used to visit Juno until they changed the laws. We are all agreed it is not right your dear Lucas is there against his will, but we must play parts that are not the same as ourselves, ja? Is everyone ready for the training?"
Everyone nodded.
"Then we begin jetzt."
By the way people looked around, it was apparent that last bit of German was over their heads. O'Neill whispered a quick translation, "Now."
Without warning, Helga slapped Tim's cheek soundly. Everyone gasped. Tim looked absolutely stunned. Kristin moved forward in her seat like she was about to go defend him, but the captain held her back.
"You were all shocked, no?" Helga asked. "This is lesson one. You cannot be shocked over such a thing. A man does not correct a woman. Or interrupt her. And men on Juno will be slapped for even less offense than this. You must think it normal and blasé, not worthy of attention. You gasp like you all just did, and everyone there will know you for frauds." She paused for effect. "But perhaps this will be easier if we dress you for the part first. I am thinking the boys need to stand." Her sentence didn't sound like a request; it sounded like she was tossing out ideas to Katie and the others.
Tim and Tony sprang out of their seats. Shan followed their example, but the rest just looked confused.
"Jetzt!" Helga yelled. It didn't need translation to understand her intent.
Brody, Jonathan, and Ben stood then, but they had that deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces.
Helga shook her head as she paced and talked. "You did not expect to be called boys, I am assuming. You will be called 'boy' and 'idiot' and worse names I will not speak in front of your captain." She gave a polite dip of her head to Bridger, perhaps to prove that she was not a misandrist. He nodded back in kind. He'd gasped at the slap, but he had figured out what Helga was doing faster than Katie did.
"I don't think they understood your statement was an order either," Wendy said.
Helga nodded and looked at Wendy with softer eyes. "For purposes of helping us learn, I thank you for your insight." Her voice was different when speaking with Wendy, too—respectful and patient. "But also for purposes of learning, you must never defend a man's stupidity. Women are above this. We are the queens and the goddesses. We do not concern ourselves with what the peasants and peons," and without skipping a beat in her speech, she smacked Brody on the butt, "want to hear. If we go to the trouble of expressing a whim or desire, then it is their duty to fulfill it." She waved her hands at the men now standing. "You have chosen this lifestyle because you think this same way. You adore and worship women. Their spoken wish is your command, no matter how it is worded."
The men nodded silently. Katie felt a little sorry for them, but not much. This was good practice and if any of them couldn't hack the simulation, they may as well back out now.
"Take off your clothes," Helga ordered.
"You mean right here?" Ben asked.
Helga backhanded Ben in the face and Katie was surprised how badly she felt for him. Helga kept a stern tone: "Of course I mean right here, you insolent moron. You must lose these silly inhibitions of yours. If a woman says sit, you sit, if she says take off all your clothes, then you do not regard her as if she did not know what her words meant. You do as you are told—without question, without hesitation."
All of them were moving now, unbuckling belts, pulling off shoes, unbuttoning their shirts.
Katie cleared her throat. "Helga, I wouldn't mind getting a free peek at all the goods, and the doctors have both seen everyone before, but we shouldn't subject Captain Bridger to this. Tell them to keep their underwear on."
Helga smiled as if she'd been hoping Katie would say that.
"If I'm hindering you, I could leave," Bridger offered.
Helga raised her hand. "No, Captain. Please stay. I did not wish to uncover them completely, but I did wish them to know that any woman on Juno could ask this." She shifted her gaze from the captain to the standing men. "You will each have an owner and it is considered impolite to ask something of this nature without consulting the owner first."
Several of the men breathed deep sighs of relief.
"But…" She raised a finger and spoke in a warning tone. "…if your owner is not present, any woman may appropriate you to do her bidding. All women are considered your superior."
Helga turned from the men and looked at the seated women. "Ladies, you must be very careful in what you prohibit if you are asked. You should regard your males as toys and trinkets. If a woman with whom you have shared lunch and good conversation asked to borrow your new purse, you would not hesitate, ja? It is the same with slaves. You should agree if all they ask is to humiliate the male, or to cause him minor pain. These people play with pain, for fun. It is kicks. It is jollies. You must only refuse if you can think of a good reason, like to stand up for your rights. You paid good money for your toy, or perhaps you have spent much time training him to serve you. Katie, if a woman you have just met asked to take Splendor out for a spin, would you allow it?"
"Hell no."
"It is like that. You let them play with your toys while you watch and this is fun for all. But you would stand out just as much if you regarded the toy as worthless. You would not let someone else damage or steal what is yours."
She walked around, appraising the men, now in their underwear. Katie really felt sorry for them, all trying to maintain some sense of dignity. Jonathan's jaw was set and he stared at the wall. "You, Nubian, and the helpful translator, what are these scars you have?"
Jonathan answered through his teeth, "Souvenirs from a previous mission."
"Turn and let the ladies see, please." Please? Katie couldn't imagine what had caused Helga to suddenly talk so nicely. But then Tim and Jonathan turned around and showed their backs.
Katie and Kristin gasped. Will and Ben both took a curious peek and cringed. Katie heard Will mutter, "Well, now I know why Tim wouldn't do his martial arts lessons without his shirt."
"Tim, your back looks worse than Nathan's!" Kristin cried.
Wendy explained, "Beauregard thought Tim wasn't bleeding enough, so he ordered his thugs to use all their strength. Jim and Lucas both had scars like Jonathan's, but they had them removed. That doesn't mean they suffered any less."
"Lucas was beaten like that?" Ben asked, aghast. Katie had thought the same thing. Between looking at Tim's back and imagining Jonathan's scars on Lucas, she was getting sick to her stomach.
Wendy nodded. "And he was just starting to get over it."
Helga spoke again, her training voice absent. "It speaks very highly that you who have been so abused would go to this place for your friend. I am humbled in your presence."
Jonathan finally broke his stiff stance. "It's because we've all suffered like this that we can't let it happen to Lucas. Not again. We're clearly out of our league here, and we need your help, so thank you for helping us."
Everyone nodded.
"All right," Helga said, trying to work herself back into character. "Let's see what we can do with this. You," she pointed at Tim, "will need to cover that up." She opened one of the trunks and started moving things around while she talked. "A lifestyle domme abused you and your present mistress finds these scars repulsive. She rescued you from the abusive mistress and you feel indebted to her for this." Tim nodded as she rattled off his cover story.
"Ah, yes, this is it." She handed Tim a sleeveless black shirt. Katie remembered buying it. It was slinky lycra in the back while the front was just strips of fabric here and there that suggested a lopsided lattice. She'd thought at the time that it was sexy and didn't care whether they used it or not on the operation. She had plans to see Ben in it. Tim slipped the shirt-vest over his head and then pulled at the strips. Evidently, he was trying to make the asymmetrical garment conform symmetrically, or maybe he was trying to spread out the fabric so it covered more. Neither goal was attainable.
Helga chuckled, but she covered her mouth. She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "You just let it hang how it falls."
"Oh. Thanks."
"Next lesson: how to properly address women. The default address is Lady. Unless I have told you to call me something else, you would automatically call me Lady Helga."
"Thank you, Lady Helga," Tim amended.
She pinched his cheek. "And aren't you just the cutest thing?"
"He's engaged, Helga," Katie warned.
"Then someone ought to get a picture for his lucky girl."
"Um, I'm still in my underwear," Tim pointed out.
"I could fix that," Helga said with an evil grin.
Tim eyes grew wide under his glasses, but he kept his mouth shut. He probably didn't want his face smacked again. Helga grabbed some leather pants and tossed them to him. Katie was glad she didn't have to point out how white and knobby his legs were. He wouldn't look good in the Speedo style. "Go change," Helga commanded. "And do not try to wear your underwear with it. It is like swimwear. You wear nothing underneath."
Tim practically ran out with the pants.
"These ain't exactly scars, but what d'ya wanna do about these?" Tony canted his head over his own shoulder and made sure Helga saw his lower back.
"What are those?"
"Gills. They're kinda hard to explain."
She shuddered. "Disgusting. You must cover too. Never have I seen so many men needing the covering. Katie did we get any other shirts?"
Katie thought a moment. "Didn't we get a jacket-thing? It was purple and black."
"Oh yes." Helga rummaged deep in the trunk and pulled out another sleeveless garment, this one in a thin vinyl material. It was not as shiny as a rain slicker, but not matte either. Katie thought it looked like a shower curtain. Helga tossed it to Tony.
He looked at it and smiled as he put it on. The front part of the 'jacket' ended close to the sides, so it left his chest bare. He started strutting around in his underwear and the purple plastic thing. "Hey, I look cool in this."
Katie tried not to laugh and it appeared several of the others were trying not to as well. "You can keep it, Tony," she told him.
He looked at Katie, excitement playing on his face. "Thanks, Commander!"
Helga shook her head and tossed him a pair of leather Speedos. She thumbed in the direction of the staterooms. Tony took off and met Tim returning.
Wendy held up a pocket PDA and a light flashed on Tim.
"Hey now, we came in here for privacy," Bridger reminded her. "No pictures."
"It's for Mary. No one else will see. You can watch me erase it."
Tim didn't look like he liked the idea, but he didn't argue. "May as well let her, Captain. She can show Mary anything she's seen when they mindlink. At least this way, I'm wearing pants."
Bridger shrugged and relented. After all, who was he to talk when he was sitting there, watching everyone? Wendy emailed the picture and then she let Tim watch as she deleted it. Katie was thinking it might be fun to get some pictures of Ben, but he'd insist on reciprocity and she already knew what her costume looked like. She didn't want photographs in existence for even a second.
Helga turned to Jonathan. "You, my dear Nubian, we will not cover you up. You are proud of this and we will say that your mistress gave you this as a birthday gift."
He scoffed. "A gift? You're joking."
"Not at all. You are hard-core masochist with high tolerance for pain. You loved every minute. You are quite proud of these scars."
"I was screaming my head off," Jonathan muttered.
"You were not," Wendy said.
Helga scoffed. "Forget the truth. We are making up the story now. A sadist does not mind screaming anyway. This was not abuse. You could have stopped this at any time with a safe word or a gesture like dropping a small ball."
"Safe word?"
"Something agreed in advance that is out of the ordinary, like 'bubblegum' or 'linoleum'. It is signal to stop. Some submissives enjoy saying 'no' or screaming to heighten the drama, to further the illusion that the woman is in charge."
"But the women are in charge," Shan said.
"Some of them are," Helga allowed. "But many of the relationships are consensual behind the closed doors. It is actually the men who originally pushed for the law to be changed. The illusion wasn't enough and they wanted to burn their bridges. They thought that would turn their fantasy into reality." She shook her head sorrowfully. "But all it did was create a situation ripe for abuse, as your captured friend will attest."
She appeared to be in deep thought for a moment and then shook it off. "So some women are the kind who create illusions, and some are sadistic bitches who hate men and take out their frustrations on them. They have created a place where they can get away with this. These men haters have been the most vocal and powerful in recent years. They keep the others afraid to admit it publicly."
"You're saying some of the population would be sympathetic to our cause?" Kristin asked.
"Easily half," Helga said. "The problem is telling which half is which, when these people thrive on illusions and theater."
"Yeah, just what we need, another Theater of Suffering," Wendy said darkly. Katie had the feeling that this was an inside joke, probably something to do with the scars on Jonathan and Tim.
"You will not know who you can trust, so trust no one."
"Shouldn't we decide our teams before we go any further?" Katie asked. "I need to know if I am the type who rescued Tim from a big bad mistress, or if I am the kind who could beat Jonathan to a pulp for his birthday."
"You are right, Katie. We should get this settled first."
Author's Note: Well, looks like the votes are in. I lost a lot of readers going this direction. Since those who dumped me (and visitor counts indicate it's at least 30 people) aren't going to read this, there's very little point in apologizing. My muse doesn't always give me good material to work with. I wish I could trade my muse in, but I can't. I'll try to wrap it up without a lot of filler and fluff and get back to the more normal storyline. Thank you to all of you who did follow me into this little side trip into the bizarre. I'll try not to let you down in my haste to get back on track.
