Synopsis:

Another BigCloset TopShelf story by Carol Anne. Sibling rivalry goes a step further than intended and in the end only the MIBD can solve the mystery of Shaun's disappearance.

Story:

Hi, you already know if you shouldn't be here, so hopefully you'll have the common sense to leave quietly. And please don't slam the door as the cats are sleeping. No sex here, boys and girls. Just a mystery that's not so mysterious and of course a happy ending . I only post completed stories and I hope you enjoy this latest offering. And someday, perhaps a Mr. Weldon will invent an MP3. We can only hope. He would have saved me a lot of time and money.

Hugs, Carol Anne

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ShaunA by Carol Anne
Edited by Steve Zink

I sat glumly and pulled out the mandatory pink book I had been issued at the start of summer camp, it seemed so long ago. Of all things, I had thought back then, a diary! Trembling terribly, I knew I had to document everything that was going to happen to me today. A steady stream of tears traced a path down my left cheek and rested on my lip. I was looking around for a tissue when my right eye let loose and that was all it took, all at once I found myself sobbing. It was going to be a long, emotionally charged day.

* * *

But before we begin .....

Let me introduce myself and give you a little background information on how I got into this mess. My father is Ralph Weldon, CEO of Weldon Industries and inventor of the Medi-Pro 2 system. I'm not quite sure what it is or does but every pediatrician's office has one along with a specially trained technician to operate it. Basically, my dad is a genius; my mom on the other hand is sort of a fruit loop. I mean she's nice and all and hugs me when I need it and takes care of us. Her name is Bobbi Sue and as nice as she is, well, she's not dealing with a full deck. Oh, US. Well, I have an older brother by four years who unfortunately shares more of my mom's side of the gene pool and hates my guts. My brother is Robert but everyone calls him Bobby and the year is 2062.

Things haven't changed much in the past 100 years according to my grandmother Amanda. The teacher's union members still had their two and a half months off in the summer and kids still had to learn their ABC's. The major differences for the adults of course were in the ever advancing technology and the demise of the gasoline engine with the depletion of the world's oil reserves. The old gasoline driven cars were seen only in parades these days and rarely then. Who wanted to pay to have twenty gallons of gasoline freighted in along with the special permits? I did hear there were some places back in the sticks where they still used them for transportation but electrification would get there sooner or later or their little back yard oil wells would run dry.

The amenities now available to the average person meant that the cities had been revived and many of those sprawling rural housing developments had been returned to farmland or forest. As a result, the warming trend which had spawned the terrible weather at the beginning of the 21st century had slowly reversed itself. Last year we only had seven hurricanes and none greater than a cat 3. Life was good, if you were an adult. If you hadn't reached your 18th birthday it was another story. Years ago, as the suburbs began to return to the cities, President Arnold Shwarzenegger decided that there would be government sponsored camps to keep "our children" fit and out of trouble during the hot summer months. Hmm, for those seventy-five days while the teachers froliced on the beaches? The teachers of course wanted nothing to do with this and so the powers that be created another part time government position. It was staffed mostly by college students who had outstanding student loans and aging bureauocrats trying to pad their pensions. A less than enthusiastic staff at best.

Chapter 1 A history of sibling abuse

Bobby was always the apple of mom’s eye while I took after my dad. Bobby was rough and tumble like mom who could always be counted on to shoot baskets or play touch football while dad and I loved to play chess, do puzzles or watch science fiction movies. Bobby was tall and stocky with a crew cut, I was short and slightly built with blonde hair almost to my shoulders. Therein lies the root of much of my troubles. Bobby always was picking on me but it was manageable until one day when mom was sitting at the computer filling out some registration forms for school. Dad usually took care of all the paperwork but was out of town for some seminar on a new development for his pride and joy, what was later to be named the Medi-Pro 3. Anyway, mom was fussing and fuming but filled out the forms and without so much as a howdy-do or a quick proofread sent it off into cyberspace. It turned out that mom misread the instructions and where it said “First name and middle initial” she put down “ShaunA”. I am Shaun A, simple mistake, right? Well, maybe 100 years ago.

Next thing I know, two email school registration packets arrive, Robert and Shauna Weldon! My brother couldn’t stop laughing and this little blunder on mom’s part was to haunt me in the years ahead. When dad got home he managed to get the whole episode straightened out, but the relationship between my brother and I would never be the same. And government data bases never forget. The same mistake had to be corrected every year. Our income tithe forms arrived in the email each year with Shauna once again alive and well and already embedded in the form. Shaun had disappeared in the eyes of the government. I don’t know how or if dad ever fixed that.

Bobby took every opportunity in the ensuing years to always refer to me in front of his buddies as his little sister and I think some of his friends were convinced I really was. One of my few ways of really aggravating him was to keep my hair long, but I guess this also was not the smartest thing to do when you don’t want to be mistaken for a girl. Bobby even subscribed to all kinds of girls e-zines in Shauna’s name and had my parents convinced it was a government screwup. I was never so emabrrassed when the introductory menstruation kit arrived in the mail addressed to Shauna Weldon. Bobby had everyone except me buffaloed, I suffered in silence hoping someday to get even.

Chapter 2 Mischief afoot

It was in April of this year that my current troubles began, Bobby and his friends had been over playing some mindless Playstation 12 game when they got bored and hacked into mom and dad’s email and intercepted the mandatory summer camp enrollment forms. They filled them out and sent them in. As you can guess, mom never missed them, dad thought mom had taken care of them, and then the camp assignments arrived in the mail. Robert was going to Camp Tammarack and I was going to Camp Shangrala. The only problem was my misspelled name again. Dad got on the phone and ironed things out but no new forms arrived. The investigation later would show that Bobby and friends had intercepted it and “corrected” it. Bobby somehow had my parents convinced that we were going to different camps because of our age difference. I stayed out of it, reading in my room, unaware of the nightmare that was approaching. Parents were supposed to take care of their children and protect them, right? I honestly thought I was safe.

Camp was rapidly approaching and I was looking forward to a summer away from Bobby. The fact that we were at different camps this summer was a dream come true. There was no longer any need to shop for clothes or pack a trunk like they did in grandma’s day, you went to camp and were issued clothes. Everyone wore the same thing and liked it. Boys wore short pants, t-shirts with the camp name and high top sneakers. The morning camp started, Bobby had been pretty smug at breakfast. I was doing a good job of ignoring him as I ate my stale cereal. Funny, I thought mom just bought this? I had on shorts and a t-shirt and sneakers and dad gave us both a big hug and left for work. He waved from the tube stop outside and I felt a tear run down my cheek. I would miss him the most. Mom looked at the time and shooed us both off to brush our teeth.

Within the hour Bobby’s tube car had arrived, mom walked down with him, I didn’t watch him go. I hugged mom and called for my tube car. I turned around in the car to wave goodbye, I saw she didn’t wait to wave but no more tears were forthcoming. What a family I thought as I took my seat and the car accelerated. After about thirty minutes the car began to slow and I could see a station up ahead. The car door opened and I went to the nearest exit. I inserted my thumb into a reader and held up my E-pad to upload directions to my next connection. Within ten minutes I was on my way in a ten car multi seating unit and an hour or so later we pulled into a similar but much smaller station. I had to wait in line for a reader and downloaded again.

This time I was assigned to an eight seater, one of the older models. I wasn’t paying any attention, the car was empty and I took a seat and promptly fell asleep. Some time later I was awakened by the car slowing down and as I sat up in the seat was surprised to see the car was full of girls my age. I didn’t fully realize at first the significance of this. The car slowed and stopped and I sat and waited as all the girls got off, finally an adult stuck her head in and called “come on, sleepy head, last stop, all off for Camp Shangrala”. I almost brought up my breakfast. At that point I realized why Bobby had been so smug at breakfast, I had been had, BIG time.

I slowly rose from my seat and walked out into the sunlight, the fresh air smell was intoxicating. The woman standing by the door closed it and the car pulled away, she introduced herself as Tracy, put her arm around me and led me away, chatting nonstop about what a wonderful time I was going to have. I didn’t say a word, my mind was racing but my lips wouldn’t move, what was wrong with me?

Chapter 3 Welcome to Camp Shangrala

I was numb, I had been shipped off to a girl’s camp and taken to a building where my summer uniform was to be issued. No one here knew who I really was and no one at home knew the situation I was in. I just couldn’t focus, I had felt lethargic since I was brushing my teeth. The nice woman who was escorting me gently pushed me into a room and turned on the monitor. “Here you go, dear, just follow the directions and I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She closed the door and I was alone. The monitor said, “Please insert thumb in reader.” I mindlessly stuck it in, “Hello, Shauna, welcome to Camp Shangrala. Please remove all of your clothing and deposit it in chute A, these will be cleaned and returned for you to wear when you return home at the end of camp.”

I stood there for I don’t know how long, finally a tone sounded and the message repeated. I mindlessly sat and disrobed, putting everything into chute A. I was so in a fog that without thinking I also put in my E-pad and all my personal effects. A tone sounded again, “Please stand in the pink circle with arms extended and hold still.” I did as told and after a few seconds the monitor announced, “Uniform issued, clean uniforms will be exchanged for dirty ones at uniform kiosk as needed, campers are required to hand launder panties and bras.” With that, a pile of clothing, pink shower slippers and pink sneakers slid down a chute. “Please remove your clothing issue and get dressed, then report to the nurse's office at the infirmary for check in. Your other panties and bras have been delivered to Butterfly cabin, bunk 4. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy your stay at camp Shangrala.”

I dressed and went to leave, but left the underwear on the bench, no way was I wearing panties and a bra. When I grasped the door handle, it didn't turn. I got the ominous tone again, “Please put on the undergarments provided as they are required by the sanitary laws of this state.” My face was on fire as I drew the panties up my legs. No way was I wearing the bra, I stuck it on my pocket. I tried the door again, “Failure to wear required undergarments has been so noted and well be reported to proper authorities, appropriate demerits have been recorded.” With that the door handle released and I walked out into the arms of Tracy who was monitoring a viewscreen.

“There, wasn’t so bad was it? Just let me check something here.” She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a stern motherly look, “You go right back in there missy and put on your bra!” I turned beet red and did an about face. Back in the room I was again instructed to insert my thumb and was welcomed back. I removed my t-shirt and was struggling with the bra when the monitor intoned,”The proper way to put on your bra...“ I tried to block it out and finally after a few tries got the bra fastened. I put my t-shirt back on but noticed all of a sudden that I had breasts! The bra was padded! The tone followed by, “Compliance noted, demerits have been adjusted, thank you, Shauna, and I hope you enjoy your stay at Camp Shangrala.”

I went back out to Tracy who inspected me again and was now all smiles. “Come on, Shauna, time to get you checked in at the nurse.”

We walked down the path toward the infirmary building which looked brand new and rather large for a relatively small camp like this. She knocked as we entered and she had me take a seat while she went to find the nurse. As I sat there, I was trying to figure out what was missing but nothing registered. I couldn't think in more than one complete sentence at a time. Tracy finally returned and I was introduced to nurse Susan. She was the typical “I’m here because they made me” girl. She had graduated nursing school a year ago and was destined to spend the next few summers at some government camp taking care of bloody noses and skinned knees. Tracy left and Susan did something at her computer terminal, had me insert my thumb and pronounced me checked in. “Shauna, I just want to get a baseline reading for you, come with me."

I stood and followed her like some automaton and we went down the hallway and into a large room. I was stunned by the sight of none other than a brand new Medi-Pro 3. My dad had shown me a picture of the prototype and it was much more massive than it appeared in the photo, being at least twice the size of the previous MP2 model. Susan led me over to the patient bed and helped me lie down. Alarm bells were going off in my head, where was the technician? She told me to be still and I obeyed as she fastened restraints. I heard the gentle hum as the unit started up. The bed slid into the center of the unit and a door closed. It was dimly lit and I could see mirrors moving and hear all sorts of noises, I felt so miserable that I fell asleep.

After some period of time, I was awakened by the brighter light of the room and Susan removing all the restraints. She must have noticed the drop of blood on my arm and put a band-aid on it. "Just sit here and the results will be out shortly.” And with that I passed out.

The next thing I knew I was in bed trying to dodge a smelling salts bottle and not doing a good job of it. “I am going to keep you here overnight, something showed up in your system and the MP3 compensated for it but I don’t know how to interpret it. Just relax while I give you something to help you sleep.” And with that she covered me with a blanket and gave me a shot.

I slept like I never had before.

Chapter 4 How embarrassing

I awoke sometime in mid morning and discovered I had wet myself. At least my brain was functioning again. I must have been asleep for about eighteen hours. Susan heard me stirring and came in to see how I was feeling. “You’ll be happy to know that we isolated the drugs that you put into your system and the Medi-Pro 3 is successfully treating you. You were so tired that you slept through the entire procedure. Because of the drug problem, I had the system do a more thorough scan and it corrected some minor problems but I am not sure what they are. Patient confidentiality, of course. When the doctor gets here next week I will have him discuss them with you. I see you have wet yourself, law requires us to maintain strict sanitary standards and so until you can exhibit control I am adding disposable diapers to your required uniform. Seventy two hours dry and I will rescind the order. You may shower while I have them send over a clean uniform. If you hurry you can still meet your cabin mates for lunch.”

With that she pointed down the hall to a bathroom with a shower. I closed the door, undressed and showered. I noticed two more band-aids and wondered what it was they had given me. But I did feel a lot better than yesterday and I was sure that everything could be ironed out. It was their mistake, not mine.

I heard the bathroom door open. “Here’s your clean uniform including panty and bra, don’t forget to do your hair and use the conditioner. The girls from you cabin will be here in twenty minutes to collect you for lunch. Oh, I almost forgot.” I heard the door close and her retreating footsteps. A moment later the door opened again and I heard, “I almost forgot these, now hurry it along.”

I showered and did my hair, discovering a larger band-aid on my rear end and wondering what the heck the stupid machine had done to me. I peeked out to make sure the coast was clear and found a pink fluffy towel hanging on the towel bar. I dried quickly and went to put on the uniform only to hear Susan calling through the door, “Do you need a hand putting on your diaper, dear?”

“No, I can manage it,” I squeaked in embarrassment. I had seen enough babies being diapered to know what had to be done; being on the receiving end was another story. I quickly got dressed and just as I was tying my sneakers Susan burst into the room.

“Stand up, and let’s see how you look. Just a sec, we don’t want to advertise that fact you’re wearing diapers, do we now, hun?” She pulled down my shorts, expertly retaped the diaper and pulled my shorts back up before I could think about it. It did fit better, but it made me look completely smooth and girlish. My hips were now wider and with my padded bra and long hair I would fit right in as a prepubescent teen. “Take a look in the mirror, doesn’t that look much better, dear?”

She spun me around and I found myself staring at a pretty girl, I felt the world start to spin and the next thing I knew I was out cold again.

Chapter 5 Tests and more tests

“Yes, doctor, the full scan found a number of things and I had the MP3 initiate the necessary correction which it says will require a full seventy days of treatment. Yes, I know, but this new unit is so easy to operate. By the end of the summer she’ll be a new person! But Shauna feels anxious and afraid, is there something I can give her? Really? Well, the MP3 strongly recommends that drug but says that it may make her a bit catatonic. Okay, if you think it’s best. I will use an implant as it will be easier on her. Thank you, doctor.”

She slid Shauna once again into the MP3, thinking what did we do before we had these wonderful diagnostic tools? The system performed flawlessly and then printed out a change of bunk assignment and a mandatory diapering requirement until Shauna's treatment was completed. The nurse was impressed. She called two aids to have her things moved and then they carried her by stretcher over to her cabin. Best she would awaken in her own bed. Finally Susan's day was done and she patted herself on the back for a job well done. It was odd that the MP3 could force assign a camper to a bunk? But, there must be a reason and she was too tired to worry about it. She had other things on her mind.

Shaun awoke in Butterfly 7 the following morning with his only bunkmate sleeping soundly. He couldn't remember how he got there. He laid quietly, taking inventory of the situation. His arm was still sore, his butt throbbed on and off and now there was a band-aid over a tiny lump on his thigh. And yet, he no longer cared. He felt as though the weight of all his troubles had been lifted from his shoulders and cast aside. He sat up quietly and looked around.

“I thought I had three bunkmates,” he whispered softly to himself. The dresser next to his bunk was piled with his things. It was then he realized that he was wearing a night shirt, a training bra and a disposable diaper but just shrugged it off. The implant was working well, indeed.

Chapter 6 Bobby covers his tracks

Bobby had arrived at Camp Tammarack and immediately hooked up with his buddies. They howled over the situation they had put ShaunA into, but then had second thoughts that they might get into a lot of trouble over it. Now Bobby wasn’t that bright so he and his buddies stole into the camp computer room the next night and changed all the records to show that ShaunA had been sent to and arrived at Camp Tammarack. No one at camp would be the wiser, mom and dad would be relieved and they were all in the clear. Then they went into Shaun's school records and changed his sex and his name. Their intrusion was discovered the next day and a secure lock was put on the door.

The damage was done.

Chapter 7 LaLa land

Shaun rummaged through the pile on his dresser and located a towel and washcloth. He had the presence of mind to take a clean bra and diaper into the bathroom. He locked the door and removed the diaper to find that not only was it wet but also had some sort of liquid greenish brown gunk absorbed into the fabric. ‘Hey, good thing I was wearing a diaper,’ he thought. He wasn't even worried about why he was diapered or what was in it, pharmacuticals are a wonderful thing. He tried to pee but didn’t have the urge and besides, the little rascal was playing hard to get this morning. It was so stubby that he had to laugh. After a nice long shower he rediapered himself without a second thought and was blow drying his hair when he heard a soft knock on the door. He unlocked and opened the door to be face to face with one of the cutest girls he had ever seen in a pink night shirt with ‘GIRL POWER’ emblazoned across the front.

“Hi, I really have to go, do you mind?” she said as she brushed by him.

“I’m finished, come on in,” Shaun replied, then grabbed his clothes to leave and closed the door behind him. Wow, he thought, this might not be such a bad summer after all. After putting on a clean uniform and looking through the pile, he decided to put everything away and was just finishing this when his cabin mate came flouncing out of the bathroom wrapped only in a towel. She grabbed some clothing and went back into the bathroom, reappearing a few moments later in her bra and diaper. She took one look at Shaun's bemused expression and started to laugh.

“I guess if you're in Butterfly 7 we’re in the same boat; my name is Stacy and it’s just the two of us." He hadn’t noticed it until now but her diaper had little babies in pink with “it’s a girl!” all over them. How cute is that! Oh, come to think of it, he was wearing the same ones, really, how funny. They hugged each other and Shaun thought, wow, I could get to like this!

“Let’s do each other's hair and get to breakfast early before all the little boxes of Sugar Pops are gone, I just love them, don’t you?” She didn’t stop talking until Shaun knew her like he knew his own self. She was such a sweet girl and every young boy’s fantasy. 'Thank you, Bobby, if only you knew, maybe I won’t get even after all.' Shaun didn’t know what he was doing but they both had hair down to their shoulders and after he finished drying her hair she stood in front of the mirror and fastened some cute clips which made it very cute. Shaun's hair was almost dry but she finished it and when he went to pull it back into a ponytail she brushed his hands away.

“Try these, they’ll make all the difference.” She added some of her hair clips and he had to admit they looked nice but a bit girlish. Hey, no sweat, man; who cares if she likes them, Shaun liked them. He had a fleeting thought in the back of his mind that something was wrong but the thought quickly evaporated. Something felt wrong but it wasn’t worth worrying about. They were about to leave for the dining hall when Stacy gave his shorts a gentle squeeze.

“I think they forgot to issue you plastic panties, Shauna; here, we’re the same size. Borrow a pair of mine until we can stop and get yours, okay?" Shaun nodded his head slowly, he must have forgotten he had to wear them. He took the pair she offered and put them on. It was then he realized that there were three or four pairs of them hanging to dry in the bathroom. Shaun had noticed them and thought nothing of them when he was showering.

“Those will be fine, you don’t want an embarrassing leak in public, it’s bad enough we will need to wear diapers for the whole summer. The last thing we need is to be ridiculed. But the results are what’s important, right?”

Had he heard her right? So what! Hey, to spend the summer with her Shaun would give his right arm, let alone wear diapers. They went to breakfast and did score our Sugar Pops; Shaun was introduced around and was surprised at how easily he was assimilated into the group. He was just another girl and for some reason it didn’t bother him in the least.

Chapter 8 Where’s Shaun?

It had been over a week since the boys were off to camp. Ralph Denton had returned from his trip and things were quiet at home. Too quiet. They had received an email from Bobby when he arrived at camp and another from Shaun the following day. Something didn’t seem right. Shaun should have been hounding him for their weekly game of chess but his epad was unavailable. Ralph did a trace on the email Shaun had originally sent and it was from Camp Tammarack but not from Shaun’s epad. Something was up and his wife was no help where Shaun was concerned, he called the camp. As it was late, the call was forwarded to the duty nurse's office.

“Hello, this is Mr. Ralph Denton and I am worried about my son Shaun, I usually hear from him every day and have been unable to reach him by epad. Can you please put me through to him? I want to be sure he’s okay.”

“Hi, Mr. Denton, this is the duty nurse, just let me check the camp roster. Hmm, strange. I show a Robert and a Shaun Denton enrolled here but don’t show Shaun as having been here for his check in physical. Hold on one second, nope, let me call you right back.” Robert put down the phone and felt a knot growing in his stomach. 'Who could I call?' he thought. There was that senator who was having a problem with a constituent. He had gone out on a limb to help him after his pleas, perhaps he could help. He put in an urgent call and was put right through.

“Senator, I don’t mean to disturb you at this hour but there seems to be a problem and you are the only one I can think of to turn to.” With that, Ralph began to cry.

“Ralph, please call me Doug, after all you have done for my family. I don’t know how to thank you. Now, what seems to be the problem?” They talked for an hour about how Shaun had somehow gotten lost in the system. Doug promised a full preliminary report in 24 hours and Ralph knew he had made the right call.

“Mr. Denton, Mrs. Wilson from Camp Tammarack. I am the camp director and there seems to be a problem. I have just finished talking with the nurse. Even though your son Shaun is registered here, we have done a full bed check and he is unaccounted for. He seems to have been partially checked in but the nurse doesn't remember him. His cabin mates have never seen him and your son Robert doesn’t know his whereabouts. I don’t know how this could have happened but somehow he was never really checked in. We have notified the authorities and consider this a possible abduction.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Wilson, I am holding you personally responsible for my son's well being and safety. I want the camp searched from top to bottom, if necessary with cadaver dogs and I will notify the authorities as soon as I am off the phone. Good day, Mrs. Wilson.” And with that Ralph dropped the connection. In the meantime, Mrs. Wilson had a strange daydream of her government pension going up in smoke.

Chapter 9 The lost and found

For a week now the expensive epad discovered in the laundry had gone unclaimed. Even after charging the batteries last night, it was password protected and no identification on it. The screen had been cracked and a good part of it was unreadable. The label on the back had the ‘If found return to epad repair service, PO Box 8080, Atlanta, GA’ and the clerk dropped it off in the mail room. The owner would be so happy to get it back, after all, it was useless the way it was. As she was walking back to the office she didn’t hear the tone announcing incoming mail. Even if she had, she couldn’t read it. Later in the day, the mail car arrived and the outgoing mail pouch went on its journey.

Chapter 10 Time marches on

“Hi, Ralph, Doug. I have some good news but I don’t know where it will lead us. I called in a few chips and have a satelite skip trace going out on Shaun’s epad and it's getting a response. The problem is, it’s moving. He may have been kidnapped or he may be on the run. From what you have told me he’s not the type to be a runaway so we must assume the worst. I have initiated an Amber alert with his picture and his face will be on milk cartons tomorrow morning. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

“Thanks, Doug, you don’t know what this means to me. I also thought of something. I had to check my emails but somehow they got deleted. I seem to remember some confusion and him being sent to a different camp than Bobby.”

“Never happen, Ralph, they always keep siblings together. But I’ll look into it.”

“Just find my son, Doug, please find my son.”

“Hang in there, Ralph, we’re on the trail. I’ll call you this evening.”

Ralph sat there with the phone cradled in his hands, tears streaming down his face. If anyone has harmed my son I won’t be responsible for my actions. Ralph stayed home from work, waiting for a phone call.

“Ralph, Doug here. We had him traced to Memphis and were coordinating a police raid when he was on the move again. As near as we can tell he’s heading toward Atlanta.”

“Doug, I’m on my way. I want to be there for him when he needs me.”

“Ralph, I’m not so sure Atlanta is the final destination but I know I can’t stop you any more than you could stop me. I have people working on all the information we’ve collected so far but we’ve had trouble with your email server and it could take us a while to rebuild what actually happened. I’ll get back to you.”

Meanwhile, in a mail bag enroute to Atlanta, the short circuit in the cracked epad screen prematurely drained the last of the battery and the unit went silent once again.

Chapter 11 Camp Tammarack computer center

A very rare event indeed when you see a black two seater speedster pull in the Camp Tammarack siding. Indeed, not many people had ever seen one of these models in the light of day, let alone knew that they existed. The passenger door slid open very slowly and with not much more than a whisper, the interior was dark, lights extinguished. A tall woman in a black dress exited and sealed the door, carrying a rather large bulky, black handbag and looking blacker than night itself. She drew a mask over her head and pulled on black gloves. She entered a code into the access panel on the side of the car and an antenna array rose from the roof and began to rotate. Cursing silently to herself as she negotiated the woods in heels, she finally arrived at the camp perimeter. She dodged between the buildings until she arrived at the computer center whereupon she noticed the secure lock and snickered to herself. A short time later, the gentle acceleration of the car was never heard over the sounds of the night time forest. A priority routing to Washington, DC meant she would be back home within three hours. She kicked off her muddy heels and reclined her seat as the car accelerated ever more rapidly. Then the real work would begin she thought. Damn, I should have remembered unscented mosquito repellant she thought as she scratched the angry welts on her stockinged legs. How will I ever get these shoes clean?

Chapter 12 Camp Tammarack, Bobby

“So, Bobby, you haven’t seen or talked to your brother. How about epad communication?”

“No sir, I just thought he was having a good time here at camp.”

“Well, if he contacts you please tell him we are concerned for his safety and to please get in touch with us. You may return to your activity.”

Bobby left the room on trembling legs although he tried his darndest not to show it. Should he tell them where Shaun was? That would only implicate him and his life would come crashing down around his ears. He knew what his buddies did to a rat. Better to keep quiet, Shaun was safe where he was and eventually would be found, too embarrassed and too stupid to figure out what had happened to him. He broke into a smile, ‘Serves the little pansy right,’ he thought. At lunch time he asked one of his buddies to pass the milk, he reached for it but then sat staring at the container. Bobby stood up and reached for it, making a fresh remark, then he saw his brother's picture. Neither of them said a word.

Chapter 13 The investigation crawls along

“Ralph, Doug here. We’re making some progress but it turns out your mail server was compromised. In laymen's terms, hacked. I’m sorry that we lost him in Atlanta but you might as well go home. I’ll call you if we get anything at all. Hold on a sec, Doug, we have a fresh trace on the epad down in the commercial district. The police will get you at your hotel in three minutes, good luck buddy.”

Ralph dropped the connection and bolted for the elevator, the police unit waiting for him as he stepped into the lobby. An hour later he was back in his room, more frustrated than ever. The phone rang and he ran to answer it. “Hello, Ralph here.”

“Ralph, Doug. I heard what happened down there. Unfortunately, the shipping container had been destroyed and we have no idea where it was shipped from. They are repairing his epad and a special unit is standing by at their lab. We should know something by this evening." It turned out the memory had been corrupted and the unit reinitialized itself from a cold boot. Another dead end.

Chapter 14 Time to call home

It had been almost three weeks since Shaun arrived at camp. He was having such a good time and making so many new friends that he felt like he had finally found himself. He was so spaced out that he hadn’t missed his epad until he thought about calling his dad. For the life of him he couldn’t remember what he had done with it, his dad would kill him if he had misplaced it and Bobby would never let him hear the end of it.

On a positive note, he and Stacy had hit it off from the start and could be seen wandering the camp holding hands like true girlfriends. Shaun also had it in his mind that eventually he would have to tell her. Meanwhile he also had a more personal problem on his mind, it seemed that his privates had actually become flat against his body and the only way he could urinate was to sit. Although that was a moot point because all he did was dribble from both ends all day long. He and Stacy were not allowed to swim because of their diapers and instead spent their swim period being checked by the MP3 and replenishing their diaper supply.

Apparently whatever was wrong with Stacy also was bothering him. On more than one occasion, when he complained about the diapers, Tracy hugged him and told him that it would be over before they knew it. While he was being checked today, he asked the nurse if he could call home and talk to his dad.

“Sure, dear, just pick up the phone and insert your thumb, you know the drill.”

Shaun picked up the phone and his thumb prompted a message. “Please hold for instructions.” After a few seconds, a recorded message announced that because of outstanding demerits, Shauna’s phone privileges had been suspended. He was shocked. He turned to the nurse with tears running down his face. What had he done? The nurse interpreted this otherwise and back into the MP3 he went. When he awoke later that afternoon, his right thigh had a band-aid covering a small bump and he felt much better.

Chapter 14 Phase 2

“Well, it’s three weeks today and time for our next step, sweetie.”

Shaun was reading a brides magazine and looked up. “What are you talking about, Stacy?”

“Oh, you kidder you. Only seven more weeks and it will all be over.”

He assumed she meant they would be going home from camp. The pair went to breakfast and Shaun even had scrambled eggs and bacon that morning. The dribbling from his rear end had lessened in the last couple of days and the diapers were now second nature. He was actually starved that morning and apparently so was Stacy. They dropped their trays off and he was heading over to the crafts building when Stacy grabbed his arm.

“Come on, silly, let’s get it over with." Shaun let her take his hand and they skipped over to the infirmary. The nurse was already making notes and she ushered Stacy in. About twenty minutes later Stacy came skipping out. “There, all better! Your turn, Shauna.”

The nurse led him into the back and for about his twenty-fifth time Shaun slid into the MP3. This time he don’t remember anything until he heard the nurse calling his name. He sat up while she put another band-aid on his arm.

“Now remember, Shauna, a power bar mid-morning, mid-afternoon and just before bed. Whatever is bothering you two must eat up a lot of energy. But the MP3 says your prognosis is good and in less than seven weeks your treatment will be completed and you will be like new.”

That brought smiles to all their faces and the kids were both laughing as they ran from her office to play. 'I wonder,' Susan thought, 'what could be so seriously wrong with these two sweet little girls that required ten weeks of treatment. But, at least they caugth it early.' Later that afternoon, the technician arrived to treat Stacy. He was very upset with what he found in the MP3 log. He had words with the nurse and went outside and made a secure call from his satellite phone.

“Hello, Mike, this is Steve. I have a protocol breach on our special project and it needs your immediate undivided attention. I’m uploading it as we speak to our secure site, call me back when you get it. Okay, right, thanks.” Steve went to find some coffee, this could be a long day. A few minutes later his phone rang. “Steve here, yeah, Mike, good. The camp nurse must have watched over my shoulder and decided she was trained. So today she took it upon herself to administer phase two to our project child and I find a second record of treatment almost identical to that one. The second record is one initiated by the MP3 itself after some kind of tests. I'm going to analyze all the logs while you see if what she did was okay. Secondary to all this is our second patient. I still don’t know why they let a beta test unit out into the field. Okay, call me if you find out anything.” The line went dead.

“Heaven help us all if anything has happened to the senator’s child.”

Chapter 15 Breakthrough, but camp ends tomorrow?

Doug felt very good about the call he was about to make, it had cost a small fortune in manpower and almost the entire summer but the mystery of Shaun’s disappearance had finally been unraveled. He had his own close shave with disaster earlier this summer when an untrained nurse had almost ruined his son’s chance for a normal life. He thought what it would mean to have lost his son. A long tear ran off the end of his chin. It was 4am and he was very tired but he put through the necessary call.

“Hi, Ralph, I’m so sorry to disturb you but I have wonderful news. It would seem that your older son, Bobby, and his talented, delinquent friends have been the source of all the mischief regarding Shaun. Yes, you heard me, everything. Yes, Shaun is fine. It seems that they hacked your emails, rehacked them to cover their tracks, turned in forms with altered names and somehow used your wife’s login. As far as we can tell she wasn’t involved. Anyway, we know who they are and the authorities have been alerted. They'll be brought in for questioning. We expect charges to be filed. Some of the details are sketchy and some small pieces are still missing but we will have it all put together soon. Anyway, we are only a few hours away from locating him. I have a priority car leaving shortly, we can be in the general area when they locate him. Okay, I’ll pick you up at your home in less than ten minutes and I’ll give you all the details.”

Eight minutes and a few seconds later, a sleek black six seater slid silently to a stop outside Ralph’s home. He and his wife had been having serious problems since Shaun disappeared and now that Bobby had been implicated he just didn’t know where their marriage was headed. A tall woman with shoulder length blonde hair, dressed all in black with five-inch high heels, stepped from the car.

“Welcome, Mr. Weldon, please step in quickly, we must be going as they are holding a priority traffic pattern open for us.”

She ushered Ralph inside and before he could sit the car door slid shut and they began a steep acceleration. He grabbed for a pole and sat down next to Doug and grabbed his one hand and hugged him with the other. He began to weep.

“Beth, please get my friend a double scotch, three rocks. I’ll have a double black Russian on the rocks and please help yourself.” Ralph finally sat upright when Beth offered his drink.

"Doug, I know it's a bit early for a drink but I'm afraid I need it. I haven't seen my son all summer and like you, I've been worried sick about him, I've really missed him. Doug, I don’t know how to thank you for all you’ve done.”

“No, my friend, if it wasn’t for you I would have truly lost my own son. It’s me who should thank you with all my heart. My wife is so anxious to meet you and express her gratitude for all you've done for us.”

“Oh, I thought Beth was your wife.”

“No, she is some kind of special operative assigned to me this summer, assigned to be my bodyguard as it were. It seems there is some intelligence concerning a kidnap attempt on me and my family. She can't and won't say who she works for, sort of strange that in this day and age we can still keep a secret.”

“Doug, pray that this has a happy ending.”

"I pray that it does Ralph, I really do. A toast, to our children!”

"Skol, to our boys!"

Ralph didn't notice the scowl momentarily cross Beth's face as he was too busy taking a long and apparently well needed swig from his glass.

Chapter 16 The game is afoot

The car had been traveling for some time when all at once the ride wasn’t quite as smooth and the speed slowed just a bit. Ralph and Doug had both drifted off after their second drink and Beth had cleaned everything and freshened her makeup. Beth knew what was about to transpire, she had read the faxed transcript of Shaun’s diary. She had slipped a very mild sedative into both of their second drinks and was mentally preparing herself for the senator to be reunited with his son. Since the episode with the MP3 back in July, an agent had been assigned to the kitchen and had the inglorious job of washing dishes during the day and keeping the area secure by night. She was available if needed and had been alerted for possible trouble. The car slowed and Beth guided it manually into the camp siding, the sun was just coming up.

Beth decided to let them sleep just a little longer while she steeled herself for what was about to unfold. She slipped quietly out into the woods and found the area was reasonably secure. The senator’s son had been living under an assumed name so the chance of his discovery was unlikely, but the threat was real. She and her contact shadowed each other, playing a game of cat and mouse for twenty minutes until finally Beth had the upper hand and caught her off guard. They shook hands without a word being exchanged and after exchanging greetings in sign language Beth returned to the car feeling comfortable but still cautious.

Time passed slowly and finally her two guests began to stir. Beth mixed them both her personal version of ‘hair of the dog’ and after making a few funny faces over the taste and a trip to the bathroom they both looked half human again. “Gentlemen, it’s time to get the show on the road. Senator, I would like to accomplish our mission and be out of here as soon as possible and before the camp is awake. For security purposes I would like Mr. Weldon to come with us, I can't protect him unless he's with me. Let’s make this as painless as possible." Beth shut off the interior lights and they exited into the chilly dawn air.

The threesome quietly made their way to cabin Butterfly 7 and Beth made sure the coast was clear. She listened for any stirrings but the camp and the cabin were quiet. She opened the door and motioned the men in, guarding their rear. Ralph stood aside while Doug went to the bunk labeled “Stacy” and gently shook the sleeping occupant. Ralph was mystified, why were they at a girl’s camp? He thought they were looking for Doug’s son? He was confused for only a split second as the sleepy girl opened her eyes and squealed, “Daddy!” Now he was even more confused. He turned to Beth with a look of ‘what gives?’ when Doug turned his head.

“Ralph, I would like to introduce you to my new daughter, Stacy.”

A wave of recognition washed over Ralph, why the senator wanted a beta version of the new MP3 sent to some remote site. He realized now just how much he had done for the senator on a personal level. He started to well up but then he thought of his own son. Was he safe, had he been harmed in any way? Beth tapped Ralph on the arm, as he looked in her direction he saw her eyes glistening in the light.

“Mr. Weldon, I have something to tell you. Please come with me.” She took the few steps to the adjoining bunk and, gently grasping his arm, pulled him down to look at the sleeping occupant. She gently pulled back the blankets partially obscuring its occupant's face.

“Mr. Weldon," she whispered, "I would like you to say hello to your son.”

Ralph went into shock as he knelt by the bunk, the senator and his daughter had stopped talking, and a very sleepy eleven-year-old opened her eyes, rubbed them, and exclaimed, “Daddy?” and broke down into tears as she and her father embraced. The senator was trying to figure out why his son was sharing a cabin with Doug's son. It didn't make sense.

Chapter 17 End Game

They both wept openly, joined by the senator and Stacy. Beth was so overcome by the emotions of the moment that her concentration must have wavered and she slumped to the floor clutching her neck, unconscious.

“Well, how touching. It looks like we have some more to bargain with. The four of you, outside and down to the infirmary building, stat, I’m not afraid to use this.” Nurse Susan waved the gun in a cavalier yet menacing fashion and herded the four of them into the infirmary.

“So, senator, that was your gimmick, hiding your son in a girls camp while getting him treated. I was completely duped. I was assigned to track the MP3 knowing that something was up according to our source at Weldon Industries; never did I dream that I would be the lucky one to hit pay dirt. I’m sure a promotion will be in order for me. Just what was it he was being treated for? Okay, don’t tell me, I’ll just upload a copy of his records and we’ll figure it out. I am sure we can demand in the neighborhood of one hundred million for securing the release of the four of you. Please, have a seat, all of you. The floor looks rather comfortable.”

The four of them slumped to the floor and our ever efficient nurse Susan took a black box out of her desk and held it to the MP3 IR upload port. She had just propped the unit up and was setting the parameters when she heard a shop popping noise and felt a series of sharp pinches. She reached around to find three stun darts embedded in her rear end and two women dressed in black. One of them was holding a dripping syringe. She slowly slumped to the floor.

Beth stepped forward and injected her in the thigh, Susan looked at her with this ‘But I took care of you?’ expression and closed her eyes. It was a few short minutes later that found everyone in the car and nurse Susan bound and gagged and sleeping peacefully on the floor. The agent at the camp stayed behind to clean up any loose ends and accompany the MP3 back to the factory. At least they let her wear sneakers while washing dishes and camp was over tomorrow. The four of them started talking non-stop but Beth raised her hand to silence everyone.

“Let me explain what has just happened. First of all, none of you were in any danger in the cabin. I was used as bait to make sure we got all of them out in the open. We strongly suspected an operative was here and I had backup. Other than a slight headache I’ll be fine. Senator, perhaps you should explain in laymen’s terms what exactly the MP3 does so that Shaun will understand what has happened here."

“Hey, as it was explained to me by Ralph, it’s a chromosome analyzer and repair system. Kind of like an MP2 on steroids. But in our case it was used for something a bit more drastic.” Stacy hugged him harder and tears were streaming down her face.

Ralph interrupted, “After exhaustive field trials in San Fransisco, our engineers also learned that we could not only repair defective DNA sequences but actually change the gender of a male to a female. Sadly, it doesn’t work the other way around but we’re working on it. Word had gotten out into the scientific community about some of the possible uses for our system and shortly thereafter I was contacted by the senator's office.”

The senator then told the story about his son and how he always knew he was really a girl. How he had been diagnosed with GID at the age of four and been so depressed that they nearly lost him several times in the ensuing years. No one had ever treated anyone with confirmed GID at such an early age and they thought for sure there would be a phone call one day that would destroy their lives. But then Doug got that confidential call from a friend on the House Appropriations Committee. Someone was always looking for a favor with a privileged piece of information. And so it was that Ralph and Doug met. Shaun took all this in, so many questions were answered without him so much as moving his lips.

Finally, Beth broke into the conversation. “Hey, you two, come with me. In all the excitement I almost forgot something.” The children reluctantly separated from their fathers and followed her into the galley and she closed the door. “There isn’t a lot of room in here but here is a clothing carrier with a selection of clothes, perhaps you’d like to be more comfortable.” The two children looked at each other and grabbed for the carrier at the same time.

Beth stood back so as not to get stomped and turned to the liquor cabinet and made each of the adults a large, stiff drink. The kids were still looking at all the clothing when she stepped into the main compartment with her tray of drinks and snacks. Doug was sitting next to Ralph with his arm around his shoulders. Ralph was still in a daze, no wonder they couldn’t find his son. Living in a girls camp under a different name, at least he was safe and sound. And wait until he got his hands on Bobby.

Meanwhile, the kids had found that the carrier contained a half dozen dresses ranging from girly to almost bordering on gag me with a spoon feminine. They both selected the most feminine dresses they could find and found a makeup kit with a comb to straighten their hair. After primping and fussing with each other's clothes, they looked at each other and started bawling. Beth, like a cat, leaped into the galley to find them hugging each other and she joined them in a three way hug. She helped settle them down and dried their eyes, then gently pushed them into the cabin for their anxiously waiting fathers.

She watched for their reactions and while Doug looked very happy, Ralph looked very confused.

“Uh, Shaun, you look very nice but...uh, weren’t there any boy’s clothes back there? And why are you wearing a bra? Is somebody not telling me something here?”

Shauna sat on her father’s knee, grasped her father’s hand and pulled it close. “Daddy, I think it’s finally my turn to tell you about my strange summer at Camp Shangrala. A lot of it is sort of fuzzy and hard to remember, but I wrote it all down in my diary. Stacy and I had such a nice time, she's my new best friend. You see, Bobby and his buddies really had all of us fooled...”

* * * * * *

"Finally, let's get back to me, Shauna. My 'zombie' implant was removed when I got home and within 48 hours my mental shroud was lifted and I returned to the planet of the living. I read my diary over and over and couldn't believe an entire summer had passed. Two boys, turned into girls, hidden away at a girls camp in the mountains of New Hampshire. I now spend 45 minutes every day with a special counselor, funny thing, she always wears a black dress with high heels. Funnier still, when I told her my story, she didn't even blink an eye. She's been a tremendous help in my adjustment. Mom and dad have been wonderful about excepting me and that has made all the difference in the world. I feel so wonderful, I believe this was the real me all along.

"I lost some of my old friends and my dad had me switch schools where I'm making lots of new ones. Bobby didn't show his face at home for a couple of weeks. And when he finally did, he wouldn't tell me where he'd been. In fact school had already started. Meanwhile, dad had moved Bobby's things to my smaller room and decorated Bobby's large bedroom for me in a pink motif that I picked out. Mom and I picked out a white four poster bed with pink sheets and a vanity with a large lighted mirror. Dad and I repainted my old dresser white and put floral decals all over it. Bobby didn't complain once, not to me, anyway. It's the end of September and once again I'm in a nurse's office but my circumstances have changed quite a bit. Not that I want to be here. The sweet and understanding nurse had stayed with me long enough for me to put on a paper gown and assist me onto the examination table, then she left. Well, that's my story, all of it. I'm sorry if I'm not in a good mood so let's pick things up in the nurse's office where we started."

Shauna delicately extracted the pink pen with her gorgeous pink nails and admired the Barbie decals. They were her mom's idea, but she loved them. She began her entry.

'Dear diary, today I am going for my first ob/gyn visit and I am so scared. I spotted last week and mom is afraid I am getting my first period soon. I met a boy at school during lunch yesterday and he tried to grab my hand, gross...."

Chapter 18 Closure

Nurse Susan was sentenced to life in solitary for her crimes by special tribunal. They were able to glean enough information from her to locate the mole at Weldon Industries who strangely had an industrial accident just before he was to be arrested.

Agent Beth took two aspirins and went home to bed, she left town the next day on a two week furlough with pay. There were no shoes with more than a one-inch heel in her suitcase. The agency presented her with a $5000 debit card for the extraordinary completion of a tough case. She was spotted at Nordstrom's during a shoe sale just last week jabbing some woman in the ribs.

Ralph reconciled with his wife after seeing all the evidence and he can frequently be seen with his young daughter Shauna playing tennis at the Weldon Park courts.

Grandma gleefully took her new granddaughter on a shopping spree for a new wardrobe and she's got a new lease on life.

Bobbi Sue embraced her new daughter and Bobby took a back seat, way back. She hired a nanny to look after him that favored very strict discipline. Bobbi and Shauna can sometimes be seen prowling the malls in the Washington suburbs, holding hands and giggling like schoolgirls.

Doug went on to become Senate majority leader and an advocate for transgender rights. His new daughter was truly a daddy’s girl.

The agent at the camp received a commendation and two weeks paid vacation at a nude beach. She successfully oversaw the return of the MP3 to a secure facilty.

Shauna adjusted nicely, finally having found herself as a girly girl. She went on to marry a Weldon Industries junior vice president and had three daughters.

Stacy, the senator’s new daughter, went on to marry a future Supreme Court justice, she and Shauna remained the closest and best of friends for the rest of their lives. She and her husband had seven children.

Bobby and his friends were sentenced to community service, lots of it. And loss of all computer rights until age 21. He washed dishes and cleaned the house until he turned 18, appropriately wearing a maid’s uniform by court order. His nanny saw to it that he complied.

Mrs. Wilson did live to collect her well padded government pension, although she had to work an extra year to make up for her demerits.

Lastly, the people of San Fransisco erected a plaque in Mr. Weldon’s honor in Golden Gate Park, making him an honorary citizen and bestowing upon him the key to the city.

* * * * *

FINI

Notes:

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