Con, Chapter 6

“Let me go!” Chris was very much awake, the whole of his body wrestling with the chains that were presently keeping him strapped to a bed in some foreign place. “I'll kill all of you!”

Tim, being the limelight lover so much, took the moment to speak up. “Hey man,” he pointed to Mitchell with a hitch hikers thumb. “He's already dead.” His hands motioned towards the group of kids. “And these high school friends of yours are undead.” Tim then pointed to Lone Wolf. “I don't know much about him, but something tells me he could mess you up pretty quick,” and then he pointed to himself. “And you already know I landed you here, so shut the hell up and listen to what they have to say.”

Chris' struggle died down as the truth of his situation struck his brain like a lead balloon falling on his head. “Alright,” he said, shedding a tear. “I'm a horrible person anyway, so if you're going to kill me, get it over with.”

Mitchell stepped up to bat. “We're not going to kill you, we're going to exercise you.” Mitchell turned towards Lone Wolf with a nod.

Lone Wolf began to don a red robe with gold fringes. With the best he could muster he kissed a cross and placed it upon Chris' body who immediately screamed in pain. Lone Wolf began to chant something in some Latin form, while the group watched intently at Chris' now quaking body.

“A wolf man priest? I guess God really is an equal opportunity employer,” Tim said, as he found himself a wall to lean on. His smirk lessened as Mitchell shot him a disapproving glance.

Minute after minute Chris struggled with the chains, the cross doing much harm, his flesh beginning to char underneath it through his clothes. Finally, after nearly an hour of chanting and prayer Chris' struggling stopped. His tear shed was more frequent as the evil within him left. “I'm so sorry God, I wish I could turn back time.” Chris closed his eyes, more hot tears welling up.

The doorbell then rang. Lone Wolf had cosigned himself to a lotus position on the floor, his fur matted thick with sweat. Josh shrugged his shoulders, wondering who would come calling. “I guess I'll get it,” he said.

He disappeared out of the room and came back minutes later with Jesus and an unknown female in tow. Tim smiled at Jesus showing up at this point in the game. “Well if it isn't my favorite plot transitioning device,” he said, holding out a hand to the dreadlocked man. They shook.

The girl was terrified at what she saw, but was more interested in the person chained to the bed. “Chris! What have they done to you?!” Chris' eyes snapped open at the sound of his sister's voice.

“Nothing they shouldn't have,” he said meekly. “I'm a terrible person Tara, I killed those kids in that detention hall the other day.”

Tara furrowed her brow, she would not have believed such a statement but seeing a tall wolf creature in the midst of the room silently meditating in a lotus position challenged her disbelief.

Jesus looked amongst the kids. “Hey Wolfie,” he said in his Jamaican accent. “Can you undo the chains? We're gonna take Chris up to see the boss.”

Wolfie nodded, his eyes still closed. He stood up, his eyes opening, and stuck his large hand into his pocket. With one nail he fished out a key chain and tossed it towards Jesus. Easily catching it in mid flight, he undid the padlock slewn across Chris' chest. With a little help from Tim they had Chris up off the bed and walking, albeit shakily towards the door out. Tara again in tow. “Mitchell,” Jesus said. “Go ahead and do your thing. Tim's coming for debriefing, the boss wants you to check out a new corporation in Nevada. New Agro-Tech Appointment Securities. They're building some theme park or what-not, called Dante's Inferno.”

Mitchell nodded and ripped a hole in space, disappearing through it without so much as a good bye.

“Where are you taking Chris,” Stacy asked, as she followed the group down the hallway.

Jesus paused for a moment. “Like I said, to see the boss.” He cocked his head as Stacy rounded the group.

“What boss? What do you mean?” She barred the group from exiting the hallway, her arms crossed at her chest.

Lone Wolf appeared out of the doorway of the room Chris had just occupied. “Let them go Stacy,” he said, his baritone voice reverberating off the walls. “There are some things I am not privy to share with you. But I assure you no harm will be done to Chris.”

Stacy huffed and moved aside, watching the group disappear out the door and enter a yellow lifted late model Volkswagen beetle.

Once inside, Tara coddled her brother who was still regaining his strength in the back seat. Tim strapped himself in as Jesus started the car.

“Hey, so, how much gas does it take to get to Heaven in this thing?” Tim asked, glancing over to the fuel tank which always seemed to read full.

Jesus shrugged. “I wouldn't know, it doesn't use gas, even on the road. Your car doesn't, either anymore. I never have to fill up.”

“Huh,” Tim said as the tye dye brilliance washed over them.

* * *

Tara was a bit frightened at the prospect of meeting anyones boss. Anyone who employed a giant wolf thing, anyway. But she found herself in the company of a charming man named Lou. Lou smiled at her and then turned towards Chris.

“Chris,” Lou said, his hands behind his back neatly. “You made a deal with Satan. Thats not a very good idea, you know.” They were in a meeting room, much like a board room. At the end of the board room Lou sat down with a slight frown. Tim was in the middle of the mostly empty chairs, his feet propped up on the table, whistling a tune. As Lou looked through some papers a cloud passed with a cherub on it in the window behind him, it was strumming a harp. “Its almost as bad as making a deal with Microsoft.”

Tara, who sat next to him, slapped him upside the head and raised her voice. “What were you thinking?! You could've had a V8!”

Chris looked down, saying nothing. Tim chuckled a bit.

“However,” Lou said, raising his voice slightly. “I am not above giving you another chance. In some twisted legal fashion I am unfortunately not obligated, or able for that matter, to recover the souls you sent to Hell. I can, though, help you lose those dark thoughts you have.” Lou stood up and put his hands on Chris' shoulders. His hand moved under Chris' chin, raising his head towards Lou's eyes. “Don't worry my son, Satan is a trickster above all else. He is able to turn anyone against anyone, and I cannot be troubled to believe your honest intentions would have lead you to kill those kids.” Lou smiled warmly as Chris nodded, crying again.

“I'm really sorry,” Chris said. “I feel so sick, I wish I had never done it.” Chris' tears flowed more freely, he began to heave a bit.

“Shhh,” Lou said, patting his head. He sat back down at the end of the table and put some documents through a shredder, breaking the near-silence in the room. “Those were your permanent records. You now have a clean slate.”

Chris looked up in disbelief, with a broad smile. “Really?!”

Lou nodded. “Now, I wish to grant you less pain, I will answer a prayer of yours.”

Chris furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

Tara stole a glance at Lou as well. “Yeah, what do you mean?”

Lou chuckled. “Chris here thinks that I condemned him to a life of pain and torture because he likes boys, right?” Chris nodded. “Well, I don't have time to write out a life plan for you and everyone else making up humanity; its called free will. Love is a gift bestowed upon us since day one, and love is something I've never been one to delude, deny, or condemn. Whether it be between man and woman, woman and woman, man and man..just so long as it harms no child or animal, its all love.”

Chris' tears began to dry up. “Well, tell that to the rest of humanity.”

Lou chuckled. “If I did that I wouldn't have given the greatest gift of all: free will.”

Chris nodded. “So, are you going to make me straight?”

Lou smiled from pointed ear to pointed ear. “Well, lets see here...you like boys, yes?”

Chris shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

Lou tapped a finger on the desk, putting his other hand down on the table he cradled his face in it looking somewhat bored. “And as I just said, my best gift upon humanity is free will, no?”

Chris nodded. “Yeah, but-”

Lou repositioned himself quickly and waved his hands in the air towards Chris. “No buts, mister. I can't change the fact you like guys, it would not be a very noble action on my part.”

Chris sighed. “Okay.”

“However,” Lou said, cleared his throat. “I can do something else for you. And no, you won't know what its going to be until you wake up tomorrow.”

Chris looked up with his head cocked slightly to the left. “Why not?”

Lou smiled. “Free will my boy, if I told you, you might object. And I can't allow that to happen. So go to bed like its Christmas eve and be ready for a gift tomorrow morning.”

Tara sat in silence, wondering just what this Lou guy had in mind.

Chris pondered “Will I remember everything?”

Lou nodded. “Long enough to adjust to a new situation, yes. After that it will be put in the back of your mind. You need not worry about the terrible events that have transpired lately. Just go home, get some sleep, and enjoy a clean slate.”

The door to the boardroom swung open, Jesus stood in the doorway and motioned towards Tara and Chris. “Come, I will take you home.”

Chris stood up, then ran towards Lou, giving him a big hug. “Thank you, Lou.”

Lou smiled. “You're welcome, child.”

Tara hugged Lou as well. “I hope whatever gift you have for him is good.”

Lou cupped his hand over her ear and whispered into it. Tara's eyes widened, but then she smiled fiendishly. “Yeah,” Tara said. “That'll definitely work.”

Chris looked at both of them. “What will work?”

Tara rounded the table and pushed Chris towards the door. “You'll find out tomorrow.”

They exited the room, following Jesus back towards a parking garage. The door closed and Lou folded his hands and cleared his throat, his eyes squarely on Tim. “Enjoying the tune?”

Tim shrugged and slid his feet off the table, the chair landing with a thump. “So whats next?”

Lou shook his head. “Such a motivated young man.”

Tim nodded. “Hey, so, what are you going to do for Chris?”

Lou smiled. “Now, now, no reason for me to say. Its time for your next case, you know.” He threw another manila envelope toward Chris. “This should be a walk in the park. And no, Mitchell will not be joining you for now. You're back working alone.”

Tim shrugged and opened the envelope, noting that a house in Michigan was experiencing objects flying, bed rattling, dog molesting, child terror inducing, and whatever else you might consider a poltergeist to be into. “So what, you want me to kick this thing out and back into the ether?”

Lou nodded. “Bingo, kiddo. The man who is terrorizing this family has done so for the last six occupants. I'm tired of his tricks, just as much as that family is, too. I know you'll be able to convince him, one way or another, to get him to move on.”

Tim stood up and moved towards the doorway. “Ya got it.”

Lou stood up, as well. “Hey, by the way..”

Tim looked back. “Yeah?”

Lou took on a face of graven disappointment. “You've thus far acted recklessly, using your talents to joke with some jocks, met up with some vampire kids with little concern, asked out one of our agent's daughters, and took the lead every which way you could.”

Tim frowned. “Sorry.”

Lou broke out in absolute laughter. “You acted the way I predicted you would, Tim. Don't worry about it--I didn't hire you without forethought. And as much as Mitchell wanted to believe that he was your teacher, I had the opposite in mind. Hopefully you rubbed off enough.”

Tim grinned and nodded. “I do my best, ya know.”

Lou nodded back. “Now get out of here and get that guy to go.”

Without another word Tim was out the door and moving towards the parking garage, hoping that his Honda Accord would be there in waiting.

* * *

Dawn broke and Chris' mother began to make demands for him to get up. “Chrissy, wake up! Its time for school! You're going to be late!”

Chris stirred, wondering why his mother had taken to calling him Chrissy. He opened his eyes and stared down at his chest, now larger than before. He was wearing a soft fleece night gown. The realization of Lou's words struck through him like electric, he shot up out of bed quicker than a bullet leaving a gun barrel. “Okay,” he said, still sleepily. His voice now was devoid of any testosterone, instead it exuded a cool feminine tone. He walked towards his mirror, which was now lined with a feminine outline of black and white flowers. Starring into the mirror he saw his face as a soft ovoid one, his hair long and silky. He looked at this face and realized it didn't feel quite alien at all, in fact, for the first time, he felt normal for once.

He positioned himself in front of the mirror in different ways, making kissy faces and the likes.

“Wow, you're hot,” Tara said as she entered her sister's room.

Chrissy smiled widely and hugged Tara. “Thanks, I feel like a million dollars, too.”

“Well, that Lou guy said he'd make it easier on you for liking boys,” Tara said. She opened up Chrissy's closet and stared at a foreign and feminine wardrobe. “I'll show you the ropes, too, 'cause girlhood ain't easy.”

Chrissy sat down on her bed in deep thought, their mother re-entered the scene. “Are you two just going to talk all morning?”

Tara turned towards their mother and sighed. “Sorry, I was just wondering why she wasn't waking up. I wanted to borrow a cute top,” she then pointed towards Chrissy. “I think she's not feeling too well today.”

Their mother furrowed her brow and ticked her tongue. “Okay Chrissy, well get back in bed, then. I'll call the school. No getting on your computer.”

Chrissy nodded, her mother exiting the doorway. “Thanks,” she said.

Tara removed a green halter from the closet with a smile. “No problem. I figure you could use a mental health day....get in touch with your feminine side and all that. After all, you've got a long road ahead of you.”

Chrissy nodded, laid back in bed, and begin to swim in thoughts of what her life was going to be like for now on. Whoever Lou was, however he had done this, his mother seemed to have no clue he was once a boy. His room, toys, wardrobe, photos..all of it showed nothing of his past male life. He was well and truly Chrissy, since day one, he guessed. Now he just needed to catch up on her history and fill out the mary janes.

Use of the word Gay: Too many.

Knowing the one gay character's act is finished: Priceless.

(2 more uses of 'gay' right there)

(Whoops, now three....)

On, we go...

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