Perfect Matron

by Dave Hicks

 

Chapter 8

1

      

"Why does he have to be in with us?" Casey, our horrific burns victim, called to me from her bed, as I entered the slave ward. "He's a man. And not a very nice one either."

"He won't be a man for much longer," I informed her, with a smile.

"He's really a horrible person," our resident anorexic Olivia informed me. "He keeps calling me nasty names."

"Just try to ignore him dear," I advised her. "He's got a lot more to worry about than you have."

I went to Andrew's bed. Hanna had used strong bandages to secure his wrists and ankles to the rails surrounding him. I approved of her choice. The bandages would minimize the possibility of bruising, should he fight against his restraints. He was awake and glaring at me.

"So you're part of this freak show too," he stated, with an ironic laugh.

"I'm the Matron of this hospital," I corrected him. "Do you remember me from the church?"

"Sure, you silly slut. Who could forget you? So what are you going to do with me?"

I sat in the chair next to his bed.

"The Director's had a meeting with your wife," I informed him. "She's made a number of requests regarding the changes we're to make to you. However, it's for the Director to decide whether or not she'll act on your wife's recommendations. As you may know; she's required to follow the directives of the Synod - not those of your wife."

"Don't do anything to me that vindictive cow wants."

"While you're here Andrew," I continued. "My staff and I will do our best to make you as comfortable as possible. As far as the hospital is concerned, you're entitled to all the care and attention we would normally give any patient. I'd like you to try and be courteous to the other patients and to my staff."

"Your Staff?" he laughed. "They're not your staff. They're just a bunch of slaves - you silly bitch."

"Who is he calling; just a slave?" Casey called out.

"Yeah," Olivia agreed. "Who does he think he is? At least we don't have to be tied to the bed."

I turned to them and put a finger to my lips, to ask them to remain silent.

"In this hospital, they are referred to as staff," I corrected him. "And in you case - patient. We don't refer to people as slaves here."

"You make me sick," he laughed. "You're all slave lovers. You're disgusting."

I looked at him for a second with mixed feelings. I saw a man, about to be turned into a woman or something resembling one. It hadn't been so long ago since the same thing had happened to me, in a way. I felt I should have some sympathy for him - but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"How do you feel about being turned into a woman?" I asked him.

"Do I get to look like you - you stupid bitch?" he replied mockingly. "That wouldn't be so bad."

"No, Andrew. That's not possible."

"Then how am I supposed to feel - you bubble-headed slut?" he asked. "What an idiotic question. You're just like the rest of them. Just a slit with no brains."

I rose from my chair.

"We'll talk again, I expect," I said, coolly.

"You do that," he sneered.

Even after our conversation, I still didn't like him any more than I had before. I hoped my nurses and the other patients could manage.

I drove into the city alone, to pick up my new slaves; Queenie and Fiona. It would give the hospital and an extra cook and another nurse. They would help with the increased workload, caused by an increasing number of Karalan patients we were treating. I didn't want too many patients at the moment. However, they do provide us with the perfect cover for our other activities.

 

2

 

"I need more room," Katherine informed me. "Although I hate to admit it - the lab's not going to be big enough, anymore. Ellen's doing work down here now. And Paula enjoys helping out as a lab tech. She's got quite a flair for the work."

I realized it was time to tell her about all the other underground rooms, connected to the lab.

"I can solve your problem," I said, leading her to a section of wall.

I pressed against a ceramic tile and the section of wall started to slowly open. It revealed a broad passageway.

"What?" she cried, staring into the darkness.

I pressed switch just inside the opening and a row of lights activated in the ceiling.

"Come on," I smiled, taking her hand. "I'll show you the rest of the place."

We walked along the corridor until we emerged into a large vacant room, as large as the lab. Katherine looked about.

"This is perfect," she smiled.

"This is only part of it," I told her. "There are more rooms like this. It's a real labyrinth."

She looked at me for a moment.

"Lab?" she asked, with a smile. "Labyrinth? My - aren't we so witty today, David."

"Come on," I said, as we walked into the room. "Plenty more to see yet."

I opened a large solid door on another wall, which lead to another passage. We emerged into an even larger area. There was row upon row of shelving, containing countless items of various sizes.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Part of the archive," I replied.

"What's it for?"

"My parents believed the world was eventually going to destroy itself," I explained. "They spent most of their life collecting things. All sorts of things. Any number of things. And some very strange things too. Most museums would kill for a fraction of what's here."

"It's amazing," she said, gazing around her.

"This room is only a small part of it," I laughed.

"I'm getting lost," she said "Where are we now?"

"Under the lake."

"You did say - under the lake," looking up nervously

"Sure," I smiled. "Thirty meters under the lake. Don't worry, it's solid rock above us."

"Are you sure," she asked.

"Sure," I smiled. "Except for the parts than aren't."

"Thanks," she responded doubtfully.

"Don't worry. They used a good quality mud to plug the leaks."

 

3

 

"Where are we now?" Katherine asked, as we entered another room. "It's amazing. So many different rooms, everywhere. I'm completely lost. I've counted about seven rooms we've been through. Or was that eight?"

I thought for a moment.

"We're under the hospital. The slave's ward in fact."

"Was that accidental?"

"What do you think?" I laughed.

"No," she shook her head. "I don't think it would've been. You've got it all worked out, haven't you?"

"I always try to think ahead," I smiled. "You never know when something like that might come in handy. All I need to do is get Angela and her crew to start digging, without attracting too much attention. They could easily install an elevator from the ward to down to here. After all, fifty meters of hard rock shouldn't take them anymore than a day - or so."

Katherine gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"How did your parents manage to dig such an extensive network of rooms and tunnels on the own," she asked. "Or did they have help?"

"They had help," I laughed. "The best automated mining equipment available. It's still here, if it's ever needed again. And they had plenty of time. You'd be amazed how much those machines can excavate, over a period of years."

"Where did all the rock go? Or is that a silly question?"

"It went to make one of the hills beside the lake you so greatly admire."

"Are there more rooms?" Katherine asked.

"Sure. One's flooded. Another has an inert gas in it to preserve whatever's inside."

"It's an amazing achievement," she remarked admiringly. "They were amazing people."

"They collected all sorts of things," I smiled. "Anything they thought the survivors of a holocaust would need to regain their culture – and that meant just about everything. They were that kind of people. They believed absolutely in what they were doing and they had the money to do it."

 

4

 

Andrew's transformation began. Katherine moved him underground, where she'd set up a ward in a vacant room near to the lab. Angela started working on the elevator shaft to connect the slave's ward with the underground network.

"How's the digging going," I asked Angela, a week later.

"It's all done," smiled Angela happily. "Those machines of yours are wonderful. I can do so much with them. We've just finished putting the last touches to the elevator. It works rather well."

"Did Katherine ask you where you put all the rock you took out?" I laughed.

"Yes she did," Angela replied. "How did you know she'd ask me that?"

"It's just the sort of thing she would ask," I smiled. "It's the way her mind works."

"We've got two new and very attractive raised garden areas and surrounding areas, outside the restaurant now," Angela smiled. "Yvonne already planted things in them and now she wants an ornamental lake put in, between there and the administration block. I've also put a lot of it on the shoreline of the big lake in front of the slave housing. It should make a rather nice recreation area."

"What did Katherine say?"

"She said to ask you."

"Yeah - do it," I laughed. "We can't stand in the way of creativity, can we?"

"Exactly," she grinned.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you love playing around with the excavators, would it?"

"Me?" she asked cheekily, in mock innocence. "I love it. Maybe I have a little bit of mole in me."

I searched around the ward for quite a while for the entrance to the elevator. Angela watched my attempts but said nothing, smiling to herself. The two girls giggling conspiratorially, from their beds.

"Okay," I said at last. "I give up. Where's the entrance to the shaft?"

"Shall I shut and lock the doors to the ward?" asked Casey, slipping from her bed.

Angela nodded, taking a small remote control device from her pocket.

"Well, Matron," Angela asked me. "Have you found the entrance yet?"

"No," I said, looking once more about me. "You know damn well I haven't. It's not under one of the beds, is it?"

"It's like the game of twenty questions, I used to play as a kid," Olivia laughed.

"Show her Angela," Casey said. "You know Matron will never work it out. Not in a million years. She has the looks but when it comes to being devious, she's not in the race."

"I don't think our sexy Matron has looked hard enough," Angela laughed. "It's right under her nose and she still can't see it."

Both girls erupted in laughter.

"Okay," said Angela. "We've had our fun."

She pressed a button on the remote she held. Slowly, the floor at center of the ward started to descend.

"Angela - you're a genius," I grinned.

"Aren't I," she smiled proudly.

"See," Casey called, leaning over the edge of her bed and looking down at us. "It was right under your nose - all the time."

 

5

 

A large freight container arrived by road, full of equipment for the lab. Under Angela's direction, members of the staff moved the contents into the underground complex. I found out about it later that evening over dinner.

"What's it for?" I asked Katherine.

"It's from Bennita," she replied.

"What's the Pope sending you a great load of equipment for?"

She looked at me cautiously.

"I have to tell you? Don't I?"

"Well," I laughed. "You know I never want to force you. However, I would like to know what's going on in this place - at least some of the time. I do own it. Although I'm starting to have doubts even about that lately."

"And you won't be angry with me?"

"Have you got a printing press for money down there?" I smiled. "We don't need one."

"It's nothing like that," she said reluctantly.

I waited.

"It's a slave machine," she said. "The same one they use on people, to make them slaves - just like they did to me and the others."

"How the hell did Bennita manage to get hold of one of those?" I asked in amazement. "You'd have more chance of getting hold of a fully armed nuclear warhead. They're totally restricted. But you can't use one to undo slave conditioning. That's impossible. If that's her idea."

"Yes, I know that," Katherine nodded. "But what if you made it reversible when you put it in? Then it would be, wouldn't it."

I considered for a while.

"I know what you're going to do with it," I announced.

"What?"

"You're going to start turning people into slaves."

"Oh brilliant," she replied, her face breaking into a hesitant smile. "That's what I love so much about you, David; you've got a mind like a bear trap. You don't miss a thing, do you? What else would you use a slave-making machine for?"

"Should I ask who you're going to use it on?" I inquired.

She looked at me sheepishly. "Are you sure you really want to know – right at this moment?" she said, a little sheepishly.

"Would it be better if I didn't know – right at this moment?"

She nodded then shook her head, with a broad grin.

"In that case," I sighed. "I don't want to know at this moment - do I?"

She kissed me on the cheek. "Good," she smiled.

"Sure it is," I nodded doubtfully.

 

6

 

Later that day, a new slave called Zoe arrived. Katherine brought her to my office to meet me.

"This is Zoe," she smiled, as they took their chairs.

"Hello Zoe," I greeted her. "Welcome to the hospital."

"Thank you, Matron," Zoe replied, a little nervously.

"You don't have to be afraid of the Matron," Katherine assured her.

"But she's my owner," Zoe said.

"But everyone thinks she's just the Matron," Katherine explained, with a trace of humor. "Most people think I'm the one who runs this place."

"I'm sure you do," I added, with a wry smile.

"I've arranged with Bennita to have Zoe transferred to your ownership," Katherine told me. "She was Zoe's previous owner."

"Fine," I nodded. "What will Zoe do? Not that more help isn't welcome."

"Zoe will be maintaining a particular piece of our more specialized medical equipment," she replied.

I thought for a while. It wasn't hard to work out. The slave machine was a complicated and sophisticated piece of machinery. Bennita had given me Harriet to make sure it was installed, maintained and operated correctly. I tried to imagine what Katherine and Bennita had been planning, since Bennita's visit to the hospital. I decided not to ask - I had to trust Katherine's good sense. Still – I was curious. I didn't want things getting too far out of hand, without me having overall control. I had my own plans with my task group to consider.

"I'm very glad you're here, Zoe," I told her amicably. "I won't interfere with your work. Please do whatever you need to do, without having to consult me, unless you feel you need to. I'm certain you'll like it here. I'm a good owner. Once you get to know your way around and the other people here, you'll soon feel at home."

I could see Zoe start to relax. Katherine rose from her seat and gave me a kiss.

"Thank you, David," she whispered in my ear.

"Sure," I smiled. "But I hope you and your aunt know what you're doing."

"Oh, yes," she replied, her mouth setting firmly. "We know well enough."

I watched them leave my office, feeling of disquiet. I knew Katherine was a very determined woman, when she chose to be. I suspected she was planning something which would make someone very unhappy.

 

7

 

"How did Bennita get a slave machine?" I asked Katherine over lunch at the restaurant.

"Spare parts."

"Spare parts," I repeated thoughtfully.

"Sure," she laughed. "Most parts of the machine are not restricted – it's just bits and pieces used in lots of different things. The parts that are controlled, Bennita obtained were prototypes which were purposely shown to be failures and subsequently scrapped. Actually they worked very well."

"Only they weren't destroyed."

"That's right," she smiled.

"And Zoe?" I asked. "How did Bennita manage to get hold of her?"

"That was the lucky part," Katherine said brightly. "Zoe did a lot of the research on the machines, when they were designing them. She moved into other fields but knows more than enough to keep ours working. She's already talking about improving it. Officially, she'll be our radiographer, working with our normal imaging machines. Just to keep the records straight for our friends in the government. Which reminds me; I have to talk to them again shortly. They do so love their paperwork."

"Okay," I smiled. "How's Andrew? Any problems?"

"Andrew's coming along quite nicely."

"That's it?"

"Actually, he's coming along very nicely," she smiled.

"Okay," I shrugged. "When will I get him back in my ward?"

"I'll let you know when she's ready, Matron," she answered, with fake formality. "But I doubt he'll need to return to your ward when I've finished with him. The necessary work will be completed."

"Fine." I nodded. "Thank you, Director. As always, you've been most helpful."

"You're very welcome, Matron," she laughed. "As I'm sure you're fully aware, we unappreciated pen-pushers do all we can, to assist the nursing staff in their wonderful efforts in making this the hospital the way it is."

"Of course, Director," I responded thoughtfully.

 

8

 

Later Katherine called me to meet her in her office.

"Are you worried the Karalan are going to ask us to keep turning males into females?" she asked, handing me a cup of coffee.

"The thought had crossed my mind," I admitted reluctantly.

"There aren't that many males in the Karalan religion anyway."

"Even so, it's not the reason why I started all this."

"I do understand," she smiled. "Perhaps, after they see what I've done to Andrew, they'll be less inclined to send anyone else."

"What have you done?"

"It's a surprise," she grinned mischievously." And I'm not going to spoil it. You'll just have to wait and see."

"Okay," I sighed.

I knew I wouldn't change her mind. Katherine could be quite firm, when she put her mind to it. What did Bennita call her? Oh yes – willful. Yes. That pretty well describes Katherine. She gazed at me curiously for a few moments.

"What?" I asked.

"I know so very little about you David."

"I'm just your average spaceman who turns into the most beautiful woman in the Universe. And I don't have to wear that silly nose ring. What's there to know?"

"Who can cut a big tree down with one kick," she smiled.

"You know about that, do you?"

She nodded.

"Where's all the money coming from? Hospitals are not cheap to run. And this one no different. There are eighteen of us now. We don't charge anything, for what we do here. The Karalan won't pay us; they expect us to do it for nothing, as good members of the church. Would you like to read the list of the requests I have to come here? It would take days to get through them all. They're not just from Karalan people either, I might add. The majority of them are from other people. Word has got out. This is the most advanced research clinic anywhere in the Federation. I have letters from some very smart people who want to work here."

"Tell them no."

"I have."

"Good."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Which one was that?"

"About your past David."

"Maybe we could talk about it tonight."

"Okay," she nodded firmly. "But I won't forget."

Grace showed Zelda into the office. She sat grumpily and glared at Katherine.

"I hope this won't take long Director," she stated. "I don't want to stay in the chamber of horrors any longer than I have to."

"No. I won't take long at all," Katherine smiled. "Now I want you to sit quietly and say nothing for a while."

Zelda didn't respond but continued to glare at her. I looked curiously at Katherine.

"It's okay David," she smiled. "You can say anything you like in front of her."

"What?"

"Say whatever you like. Andrew doesn't care – do you Andrew? You're just waiting for your wife Zelda to arrive, to take you home."

 

9

 

"I don't believe it," I laughed. "You've made Andrew look just like Zelda."

"More than that," she grinned. "She even has the same personality now. Not that it took much work. She was already disagreeable to start off with. And she calls herself Zelda now. The new Zelda, that's Andrew, is an accurate copy of the original."

"That's brilliant."

"What's more, there is nothing anyone can do about it. I complied with the Synod's rulings to the letter. I've broken no church laws. And Zelda got exactly what she wanted - someone ugly. Karalan women stay married for life. The two of them are stuck together for as long as they live."

"Can you imagine what it will be like?" I smiled. "Having to live with herself. They'll be at each other's throats in no time. They'll drive each other insane."

"Oh, I do hope so," Katherine smiled mischievously.

"You're amazing sweetheart. No wonder you wanted it to be a surprise. I'm really impressed."

"Somehow, I don't think the Synod will want to send any more males here for feminization, do you?"

"I think you might be right. What if you kept doing the same thing?"

"That's right. It means we can concentrate on the main reason why you set up this hospital, instead of having to worry about them."

I thought for a moment. "Does Bennita know?"

"Not yet. But it won't take long before she does, I imagine. I'm looking forward to her call."

"You will let me know what she says."

"I will."

 

10

 

When the original Zelda arrived to take her husband home, everything went just as Katherine had predicted. After the screaming, fits of rage, crying and threats, she finally admitted she was beaten. There was absolutely nothing she could do about it. The two Zelda's were hardly out of the office before they started arguing and insulting each other.

"You have a wonderful sense of humor," I laughed.

"Thank you my love."

Grace entered the office and sat. "I got all of it," she told Katherine, with a broad grin.

"Wonderful Grace. I'm sure it's going to make interesting viewing, at some time in the future. The real Zelda's reaction will give a few people a good laugh."

"How?" I asked.

Grace waved her hand around the walls. "I planted six cameras in here ages ago. I recorded all of it. Right from when I brought the first Zelda in here. I didn't record your conversation with Katherine before that, of course. That was private."

"Thanks," I nodded.

Grace trotted happily back to her office.

"There goes a happy little worker," Katherine smiled. "I do so love to see my staff enjoying their job. Don't you Matron?"

I rose from my chair. "Well, I guess that covers just about everything Director," I laughed. "It's so nice to see a patient going home happy and well."

"It's really what makes it all worth it, I always think," she grinned.

"Of course Director."

 

11

 

I decided the task group needed a more suitable training area. Somewhere away from the hospital where our activities would go unnoticed. We couldn't go on pretending we were simply martial arts training for much longer. Not with the equipment we were now using. Angela, our engineer, wanted to start experimenting using explosives. And using firearms isn't really something we should be doing only a short distance from the Intensive Care Unit. Visitors might get a little suspicious seeing the angelic Matron running around in camouflage gear and a heavy assault rifle.

I selected an area about a quarter the way around the lake from the hospital. Directly across the lake would not have been a good idea. Sound tends to carry well over water in still air. The area I picked had a lot of foliage, two rather large swamps, complete with poisonous vines and quicksand, a deep river gorge and a hill between it and the hospital.

It soon became apparent; all the members of my group had particular skills. I already knew there wasn't a computer system Grace could worm her way into, given time. But with zeng knives, she had no equal. Paula was an excellent sniper with a rifle over great distances. Her accuracy was uncanny, as was Paula with her poison dart blow gun. Apart from explosives, Angela, our engineer, had a flare for electronics and communications. Ellen, our doctor, with her high martial arts ability was highly proficient at hand-to-hand combat and using a knife.

"It's the best of all weapons," Ellen told the group. "Its always ready, silent, works underwater and never misfires. And you don't have to put new batteries in it all the time."

"I heard that," Grace remarked. "My zeng knives go through a lot more people in a shorter time than that silly little thing you've got."

"And they're good for cutting firewood," Paula added, with a grin.

"You shut up," Grace responded. "I hope you swallow one of your poison darts."

"Just be careful you don't cut your legs off again Grace," Yvonne laughed.

"I hope your lights come back on," Grace poked her tongue at her, "and electrocute yourself. What's everyone picking on me for? What did I do?"

"You're just too popular and their all jealous of you," Ellen consoled her.

"Yeah. That has to be the reason. Of course it is."

Yvonne, our seemingly placid housekeeper with lights in her skin, surprised us all. From the large range of weapons I had provided, she selected twin light machine pistols and a heavy multi-gun. The effect of the multi-gun was devastating. Its six sealed motor driven barrels rotating at 10,000 revolutions per minute were capable of raining 1,000 high-velocity hardened steel alloy needles a second at a target, ripping it apart. Nothing, not even armor plating, can withstand its onslaught for long.

"You never told us where you got all this stuff from David," Ellen remarked.

"My parents hid it when they thought civilization was coming to an end. It's been packed away for ages, in perfect condition. All I had to do was open the boxes and put it together."

I now had an effective well-balanced task group, with a wide rang of abilities. A few further months of training and practice and I could seriously start looking what I had in mind.

 

12

 

After dinner that evening, Katherine and I sat and relaxed in the living room.

"Will you tell me now?" she asked.

"What would you like to know?"

"Oh no," she shook her head. "I'm not going to play some guessing game with you. It's too easy for you to wriggle out of telling me the really interesting bits. You've learnt the way Karalan far too quickly. I want to know everything."

I thought for a few moments. "My parents aren't my real parents. I don't remember who my real parents were."

"Okay," she nodded slowly. "We'll come back to that later. But before we go on, I'd like to tell you something I've discovered recently about you."

"Fine."

"I had a very detailed look at the treatment you received when you had the radiation accident."

"And what did you find?"

"Nothing they did could've changed your DNA to the way it is now. Sure, it would've changed it, but not the degree is has been. You must've had a weird genetic makeup even before the accident. In fact, if it wasn't for that, I believe you never would've survived it anyway. I had a good look at the dosage you received. It was certainly fatal, many times over."

"True."

"So what's the answer?"

"I'm a genetic mutation," I replied. "Not just a mutation. Maybe a step in human evolution. I don't know. What I do know is, I'm probably the only one there is. I haven't been able to find anyone else like me and I've spent a very long time looking."

"Good heavens."

"So - your amazing speed and strength is only part of it."

"True."

"What else?"

"I can consciously manipulate my own DNA. I can be a male or a female and look like whoever I want. It takes a little time to change but I can look like anyone I please."

"I did say I wanted to hear the interesting parts, didn't I?"

I nodded knowingly.

  

  

  

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