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MELODY - LOST FROM HOME [ part 23 ] Rachael was waiting in the classroom again; I looked at her she smiled back at me. "Good morning Rachael, I'm sorry to ask this but which one are you?" She took this in her stride. "It's me the original, it was fun looking around with the eyes of a child again, but I'm still me and she's still her, if you know what I mean." She told me, and in a convoluted way I understood. "How was the mental examination?" I asked her, she shook her head. "I haven't had one." She told me, Elizabeth phoned me early this morning and release me for duty." Her manner changed slightly, "Yeah and I'm supposed to stay in the background!" obviously her younger form was also present, she changed back, "I'm sorry," She said, "But she seems to pop up at times, when I least expect her to." I smiled at her, "Well I suppose she wants to stretch her legs now and then." She smiled and agreed, I then started to think, why had Elizabeth allowed her to return? What was I expected to do about it, and then I remembered Elizabeth's reaction on the phone yesterday. I studied Rachael, I could see that her eyes were following me - I hadn't noticed this before, and then I realised why! "Rachael, answer this question honestly - if your fellow officers came into this room to kill me at the commander's orders, what would you do?" She started to look worried, "Why would commander Evans order such a thing?" She asked, without trying to answer my question. I shook my head, "I don't know, but if it was for the good of Ropeville -what would you do?" She was getting confused; I then knew that she was under my control as well, it seems they were right - no female was safe when I was around, I sat down and asked Rachael to sit as well. I started into her eyes and concentrated, I could tell Rachael was beginning to get nervous, "Rachael." I said, "relax, you're safe and I'm not going to hurt you." I looked up to the camera that monitored the room - should I ask them to cut the feed? No, it would be better that this was watched and recorded. "Rachael, I'm sorry but I wasn't aware of what was happening." I started, she tried to answer, but I held up my hand. "No, don't speak, I want both Rachael's to listen to me." I waited for a moment, "Without knowing I have turned you from the safety and security of Ropeville, I'm sorry. But now I'm going to change that." I stared into her eyes, "Rachael listen to me, you are a good police officer, you follow the laws of Ropeville and uphold them to the best of your abilities, you do not owe any allegiance to me, in fact my words mean nothing against any orders you may receive from the Commander or his authorised deputy - remember the laws of Ropeville county comes above any single person, and that includes myself, do you and all of those within you understand?" There was a hiss of indrawn air as Rachael listens to my words, then in a soft voice she said, "Yes!" I smiled and then said, "Thank you Rachael, and remember what I have said." and then I relaxed. Rachael closed her eyes and shuddered, and then she looked at me. "What did you do to me?" she asked me; I shook my head. "I'm not sure, I think I've made some changes in you, to reduce your attachment to me." Now for the last! "Would you hand me your gun please Rachael?" I asked her. "ARE YOU KIDDING?" She exclaimed, "Nobody takes my gun from me, just what do you think you're asking?" I just sat there smiling at her, "Testing you, just consider your reaction then and your feeling 10 minutes ago, then see what has changed." I watched her face as she relived the time, and then she looked at me. "Well I'll be darned. You know I would have handed you my gun, no questions asked." Then she looked sharply at me, "So how long does this last?" She asked, "Until the next time you order me to do something?" I shook my head, "No, because I'm not your Commander or his deputy, I'm a civilian, and you don't accept orders from them do you?" I said, and at her shake of her head I nodded, "There you are then, you're cured!" From her face I could see she wasn't sure about that, but I didn't press the point. So I decided to set up the classroom for the first lesson, I still had number 3's orders in my mind, and I knew that the girls wouldn't have started on the project just yet. ----- Rachael was back to her efficient self when the girls arrived for the first lesson, they filed in and all said good morning to me. "Good morning girls," I acknowledge them, "Before we start I have to change the assignment I gave you yesterday," At their look I smiled, "Oh don't get your hopes up, I haven't given up on the idea, I just want to modify it, it's still a difficult one, but now all of you will be involved in the investigation, instead of separate teams on different aspects, I'm going to suggest that you concentrate on one company - I think Microsoft, they've been in the news in the last few years. What I want you to do is to check on their history, how they've got to their present position, and what the likely outcome in the future." At the look on their faces I couldn't resist laughing, then I took pity on them. "I don't expect to receive the results of this, in fact I believe that you're being treated as a test case, to see if you can create a report for the council that is informative and accurate. You will find that it will take more than your normal school year to complete so you will have special dispensations for this in your later classes." I now realised that they would have to concentrate their classes on financial details, and have a background in history, this class would have to have specialists to give lectures on businesses, most of which put me to sleep when I tried to listen to them, I began to seriously wonder if this was right for the girls. "Sir?" I looked up to see that the girls were all watching me closely. Jessica was holding her hand up. "Yes, Jessica?" I asked. "You seemed to just stop sir, I wondered if you were still with us?" She said, the other girls giggled. "I am still here, I was just thinking about your lessons ahead - I think we're going to have to split the class slightly." I went to the class records and checked on the computer classes, there was one group of girls who seemed to merit the name 'geeks'. I read out their names and asked them to stand, "From the records you girls seem to be the best in the class for getting data out of computers," at their nods I continued, "You are going to be the most important people in the class," at the looks of the other girls I nodded, "That's right, these girls here are going to be our main gophers -by this I mean they will be getting data from the web about company history and information." I allowed them to sit down, "Now how many of you have access to books on company law?" I asked, a couple of girls raised their hands. "Good, you are the basis of our legal team - The rest of you girls will have to sort out some more members for that group." This time there was a few hands being raised; I fielded the questions by just saying, "This is more than is expected from a group such as ours, as I said earlier this is an experiment, I don't think you're going to be left to your own devices on this, you will be provided with experts to guide you -but then remember this, experts are just that - they've been told that such-and-such will mean the correct answer - This isn't always so! If you need help just ask and it will be provided." I hoped this part was correct. At the very least the girls would get a good grounding in company law and procedures, at the very most Ropeville would gain an expert team of investigators able to tackle and comment on problems. I hoped I'd be able to watch them develop. ---- We then started the first period properly, which was mathematics, this gave me a chance to see how advanced they could get, I tried to include some unusual sums to confuse them, and was glad to see that some of the girls could approach the answer - although one, Susan, surprised me by having the answer correct, when I checked on her background it appeared that her grandfather was a finance director and had encourage her to study using his old books. (But when I asked her later it appeared that the old boy had also taught her to suck his cock whenever he wanted - she enjoyed my lessons and had learnt a few extra tricks which she was dying to try on him). I asked her to get him to talk to the class one day, with the attraction of several young girls to concentrate on. During the first period break I picked up the phone and spoke to the admin office, Kris was at the end again. "Hello Paul, what's the problem this time?" she asked me, sounding serious. "I need to arrange some special classes for my girls, concentrating on improved computer skills and business acumen, I think somebody should have contacted the Principal about this?" I asked her. "Yes, we've been informed of the change, you've stirred a few hornets with this, did you realise that?" she said. "No, I didn't." I replied, which was true, but Kris didn't give me chance to explain. "Well you have, we've had a list of lecturers who will be talking to your class from next week onwards, all we're waiting for was the name of the company the girls are going to report on, by the way which one is it?" she finished and asked me, when I told her she whistled, "Nothing too small then!" she said, "Ok then, I'll pass that on and arrange for the first talk." "Hold on Kris," I said, "You will let these people know the age of their students, because they'll have to change their normal approach to their work." Kris's voice showed some surprise, "Oh! I don't think they considered that. I'll pass that on to the powers that be." her voice soften, "Paul you realise that you're being released soon don't you?" she asked me. "Kris, you're not allowed to tell me anything! You're a confidential assistant, you know what that means don't you. Information you have should not be allowed to be passed on!" there was a pause at Kris's end, something I was becoming used to when I spoke to the women here, well when I suggested a command to the women anyway. Then she spoke again, "Paul, what did I say just now?" she asked me. I played it straight, "You said something about my being released soon, or did I get that wrong?" There was a sudden hiss of indrawn breath and then Kris said, "Paul please forget I said anything, I think I've been guilty of some breach of conduct or something." I smiled at the handset, which was a pity since she couldn't see it, "Kris, I think you should report that to the Principal, you're find she's already aware of this, but it isn't your fault, you've been under an unscrupulous mind control, but don't worry - you will never accept the commands again, you are your own person, remember that Kris, the only person controlling you is yourself" It didn't hurt to enforce Kris's immunity to my actions. Again the pause, and then Kris said, "Thank you Paul, Elizabeth said you would do this for me when she phoned yesterday." So I'd been psyched out again, apparently I'm being too honest with this community. "I'm going to have to talk to Elizabeth again soon." I said in a mock growl, Kris laughed. "I wouldn't be too annoyed with her, she's doing a good job! Oh Paul, I've got to go, but I'll pass on the information." and we hung up Rachael was watching me. "What was that about Elizabeth?" She said guardedly, her hand hovering over her holster, I shook my head "It's just that I'd influenced Kris as well as yourself, Elizabeth had informed her of that and that I would reverse the effect when I realised it, she was right again!" Rachael's hand moved away from her gun, she relaxed. "Well she's the best psychologist we have in the county - there's nothing she doesn't know about people, if she says you're not a threat, then she should know." I didn't try to change her mind, not even subconsciously. The girls returned from their recess ready for the next period, which was sex ed. intercourse (theory only) the county had provided films for the pupils to watch and discuss about - although I thought with some of them this was a bit too late, but you'd never know with others. The girls were ready for this lesson, apparently it had all be arranged the previous week, so that they had a prior talk by a female teacher, when I asked what she told them, they giggled and started to chatter away, it seemed the person talking to them was a teenager who was almost as shy about sex as a twelve-year old virgin - a surprising thing in this town. I ran the video and sat back watching the reactions of the girls, it began with a wedding scene, the bride and groom getting married, there were some girls calling out, 'Booring, can't we get to the best bits?' I paused the tape and spoke up. "Girls, remember this is a tape issued by the government for the education of fifteen year olds, the outside world has a different code of ethics than Ropeville - not better just different, they see the world as getting married, having sex, bringing up children, and living together until they die. You'll have to keep an open mind to what is being said, after all it's not the content that's important but the message." The girls quietened down and I continued the film. The rest of the video ran without further, audible, comments from the girls, although there were several occasions where giggling rumbled in the group. This was when the groom had carried his wife over the threshold of their house and then took her upstairs. They were still dressed in their wedding clothes, as several of the girls pointed out they would have changed beforehand. On arriving at the bedroom the pair undressed (to the sound of girls humming 'the stripper' tune) I looked at Rachael who was trying to suppress a smile on her lips. I shook my head at her; this did make her smile. Once undressed the groom positioned himself on top of the bride and - then the picture moved to her face as he entered her, her grimace as penetration occurred I heard a few whispered, 'Yeah, go for it girl - feel the pain". And a few assorted giggles, after a while I could hear a few more girls start chanting 'boring, boring' - I must admit the people did have a very limited idea of sex. Finally the man got up from his bride, showing a remarkable lack of fluids on his member, which I found completely false, if she had been a virgin bride there would have been at least some blood showing, a fact reflected by the faces of several of the girls watching. The video showed a clock with it's hand flying by - to signify the change of time, the pair are now seen at a doctors office where they smile at the news of her pregnancy, again the clock and this time they are at the hospital, again she was on her back and her feet being in stirrups but as the camera went behind the sheet covering her it was easy to spot that it was a much older woman. The birth was shown from the emergence of the baby's head up to the final severing of the umbilical cord, during which the original woman was show sweating and screaming out as if she was actually delivering the baby, I could hear the girls whispering again, I overheard the word 'gross' several times. There were a couple of shots of the woman breastfeeding the baby, although her breast weren't developed enough to give milk. There were a few final minutes showing the child growing up, developing into a young woman and then ended with the scene of a wedding, thus completing the cycle. Just as the video ended the bell rang to signify the end of the morning classes, the girls looked around and then they looked at me. "Okay girls, we'll have a question and answer session about the video after lunch, try to remember any questions you may have until then." I told them. I started to rewind the tape as the girls left, Rachael position herself by the door, just in case I suppose, I smiled at her, "Don't worry Rachael," I said, "I'm not going to run, you see I trust Ropeville to deal with Victor, and you don't need my help on this!" Rachael nodded, "That may be true, but I still have my orders, and I will carry them out!" And then her body changed again and her younger self spoke, "That's right boss, she will as well, she won't like it but you can depend on it!" I smiled at her, "I do Rachael, now you'd better go back and let your older self keep control, don't stop her at all, understood?" I shouldn't be able to control the younger personality, and so I didn't understand why she surfaced like that. Rachael shook her head, trying to focus on me, it seems that there was a brief gap following the changes, I suppose it was a bit of a shock to the system. I remained in my position, when she saw me just sitting there she looked slightly shocked. "I do mean what I said," I told her, "I'm not going to waste my life on trash like Victor Jones," I smiled, "I value my life much more than that!" She smiled at my words, there was a knock at the door, I looked at her, "I wonder what's for lunch?" I asked her. |