325 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
325 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
Archive-name: Changes/abfh1d.txt
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Archive-author:
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Archive-title: Anderson's Training
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Keywords: trans
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Sherry went to the pharmacy and had the prescription filled.
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The prescription called for taking Premarin and Provera on a 25-
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day cycle. She realized that she'd have to make a schedule of some
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kind to keep track of what day to take what. The pills had to be
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taken with food and had to be taken at approximately the same time
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each day. The pharmacist gave her a lengthy brochure about what
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to expect while taking hormones.
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She read that once she got back to the townhouse. Mood
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swings, weepiness, long-term risks of cancer; it was heartening to
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realize that no women in her family had ever developed breast
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cancer. No time like the present, so she fixed a sandwich and took
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her first pill. It was almost a disappointment that nothing
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happened right away.
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The ringing of the telephone startled her. In over two
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months, she hadn't had one incoming phone call. She picked up the
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handset and said hello.
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"Sherry, it's Doris. Change into jeans, a sweatshirt, and
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sneakers. I'll be over in twenty minutes to pick you up." The
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line went dead as Doris hung up without awaiting a reply.
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`Christ, what a bitch!' Sherry thought as she went upstairs
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to change. It can't be a flying day, there's no need to drive to
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the field. Well, going with the flow has worked so far. She was
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ready at the appointed time.
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Doris drove up in a Jeep, a real gasoline-powered one. Sherry
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hopped in and asked what's up.
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"Another phase of your training," she replied. "You start gun
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class today." Doris drove to a site several miles away, it was a
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rectangular building with a large earthen berm behind it. Doris
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handed Sherry the keys to the Jeep. "I'll catch a ride back, drive
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back when you're done. Go to the office and tell them your name,
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they'll take it from there."
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Sherry did as Doris told her to. The office had three men
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lounging around who looked like midwestern "good-ole boys,"
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complete with flannel shirts and yellow work boots. When she said
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her name, a tall man in his late 40s stood up and said: "Yeah,
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I've been waiting for you. My name's Keith. Let's go." Sherry
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followed him out of the office. He led the way down the corridor
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to a set of stairs, then dwon a flight to the basement. They went
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to a heavy door, he opened it and threw a set of wall switches.
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The front of the room lit up and the whine of a powerful
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ventilation fan started. They were in an indoor range. It had
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three firing points and appeared to be a 25-yard range. Each
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firing point had a target holder that moved back and forth by an
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electric motor.
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"You ever do any handgun shooting," Keith asked.
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"Some."
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"What do you shoot?"
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".45 Colt auto."
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Keith grunted, then went to a wall cabinet. He pulled out
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some targets, tape, shooting glasses, and two pairs of large ear
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protectors. Then he unlocked another cabinet and handed Sherry a
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Colt Gold Cup .45. Sherry immediately pulled the slide back and
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locked it. "Ok, so you may know what you're doing," Keith
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admitted. He hung a 25-yard rapid-fire target on the frame and ran
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it down to the far end of the range. Then he handed Sherry a box
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of cartridges, two empty magazines, and waved her to the firing
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point.
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Sherry stepped up to the position. She dry-fired the pistol
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several times to get a feel for the trigger; it was a lot lighter
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and crisper than an issue service weapon. She locked the slide
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back, set the pistol on the counter, and loaded five rounds into
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a magazine.
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Sherry said: "Put on your hearing protection, please." She
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then put the glasses on and the earmuffs over them. She shifted
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her body as she picked up the pistol and magazine so her left foot
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was ahead of her right one. She inserted the magazine into the
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well of the pistol and slipped off the slide release, which allowed
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the slide to run forward and chamber a round.
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She held the pistol in her right hand, with her left hand
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forming a cup in which the right hand rested as if she was catching
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it. Her left elbow was bent almost 90 degrees, the right elbow was
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straight. Breath deep, let a little out, squeeeeezeee...BLAM!
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Sherry fired four more times, then Keith stepped up and brought the
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target up.
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"Not bad," he said. Sherry had hit the x-ring once, the ten
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ring twice, the nine once, and the seven ring. 46x1. She felt
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pretty good about it.
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Keith poured cold water all over her joy. "But that means
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nothing. Nobody's going to allow you to settle into a Weaver
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stance and calmly snap off five rounds at them. And for damn sure
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you won't find a Gold Cup lying around. But at least you know
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which end of a pistol does what."
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So Sherry started practical pistol training. That was a nice
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euphemism for learning how to kill someone with a pistol. "First
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thing is this," Keith said: "A pistol's a defensive weapon. It's
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what you use to stop someone from doing harm to you or someone
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else. If you're going to set out to kill someone, then use a
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better weapon with more killing power and range."
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Over the next few weeks, Sherry learned how to shoot
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competently with almost every conceivable handgun. The training
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took place on a firing range that was a mock-town with pop-up or
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swinging targets. She had to learn to shoot with one hand, the
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wrong hand, and both hands. Keith taught her how to draw from
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waist, shoulder, and leg holsters. For one phase of the schooling,
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she had to wear a suit, heels, and draw from a purse. It sure felt
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strange to Sherry to walk though the training range in a navy
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pinstripe "dress for success" suit, career pumps, and whip oet a
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.380 automatic to drill a scumbag.
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Combat training was held using guns firing paintballs. These
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were often painful as the paint pellets were fired from regular
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firearms (rather than the paintball guns), but the training impact
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of being shot was of value.
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The flying continues as before. Sherry passed her multi-
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engine flight test. She was put on the roster for the air-charter
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outfit based at the airport; soon she was flying the Twin Beech and
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the Navajo on cargo runs. To her amusement, she even flew some men
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to the same southern airport where she had been taken for her
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medical examination. When the schedule called for her to make a
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night run, her other training was adjusted to accomodate the
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flight. She was building time in the classic method used by
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aspiring commercial pilots.
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The therapy continued, too. Janet acted more like a close
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confidant than a professional, which resulted in Sherry's opening
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up completely. Janet also reviewed the surveillance reports on
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Sherry for any discrepancies. She was coming along fine.
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Sherry had continuing appointments with the electrolysis team,
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normally once a week. They went after follicles that were dormant
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during the initial process along with the ones that had survived.
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The sessions didn't take very long, but they were nothing that she
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regarded as fun.
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The ground training shifted focus somewhat. The curriculum
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moved from handguns to shoulder weapons: rifles and shotguns.
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Sherry found she had a talent with a rifle, she could "dope" the
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wind and normally hit a target at six hundred yards. The shotgun
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was easy for her, it was a reactive weapon where the rifle was
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normally a deliberate one. Sherry really didn't like the high-
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powered rifles too much, they kicked fiercely. But anything
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smaller than a .30-06 was fun.
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As firearms training tapered off, they started her on unarmed
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training. This had little in common with the theology of martial
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arts, it was raw street survival training. A few sessions were
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held with Sherry wearing "street clothes," dresses, skirts, heels.
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Those sessions often resulted in the clothes being totalled, but
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they were replaceable.
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One session was nighttime training. Sherry had to walk down
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the street. Most of the people would pass her by, but one was
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supposed to attack. When the attack came, Sherry spun out of the
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attacker's grip and pulled a snub-nosed .38 from under her jacket.
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She levelled the pistol at the attacker and fired three times, the
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instructor staggered back in shock as three paint pellets smashed
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into his chest. The lights came on as the two looked at each
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other, the other people on the street had all dived for cover when
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the shots rang out. The trainer rubbed the impact sites and said:
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"Very good. If you have a weapon, the hand-to-hand moves are for
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fools. But that's not the goal of this training, so don't bring
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it again." His voice sounded harsh, but he was trying hard not to
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smile.
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Sherry had a medical appoinment the next day. Dr Trotti and
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one of his parters, Dr. Pamela Levinson, gave her another complete
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physical. It lasted most of the day, Sherry just put up with the
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routine. She hated being poked and prodded, but that was the way
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the medical profession worked.
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The two doctors saw her after the exam. "How are you doing,
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my dear," Trotti asked.
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"Fine."
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"Any complaints?"
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"No."
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"Are you noticing any soreness around your nipples," asked
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Levinson.
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"Some," admitted Sherry. "The literature the pharmacy gave
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me said to expect that."
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Both doctors nodded, then Trotti shifted gears. "I want you
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to go to the blood bank and have them extract a pint of blood, then
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another one in four weeks. That will provide a ready source in
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case we need it."
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"For what?"
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"Surgery," he said. "In two months, we're going to take you
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in and reshape your face to a more feminine appearance. At the
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same time, the day before actually, Dr. Levinson will do the vocal
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surgery. You'll be out of action for a while after that, but we'll
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make sure you're still learning something."
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Sherry nodded, not wanting to speak. Her mind was filled with
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a conflict; she wanted to have the facial surgery, but she also
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didn't want anybody cutting her with a sharp object. The doctors
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asked some other questions, but Sherry answered them rather
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abruptly. When the interview ended, she went to the blood bank and
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they drew a pint for deposit on her account. They told her to
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drink plenty of fluids and not to fly for 24 hours. She called
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the field and had them take her off the schedule.
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Janet had noticed Sherry's hesitancy at the pre-surgery
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meeting, she dropped by after work with a bottle of white wine and
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some munchies. Sherry was a little amazed and a little peeved that
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Janet hadn't called; the townhouse looked like an exercise in
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"Living With Chaos." But she found a couple of semi-clean glasses
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and a plate for the food. After the bottle was opened, Sherry
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opened the discussion: "I assume you didn't stop by just for a
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visit."
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"Why do you say that?"
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"Oh, I don't know," Sherry said with sarcasm dripping like
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molten steel. "You've never said anything like `let's do lunch,'
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but two hours after a discussion about surgery, here you are, booze
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in hand."
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"In some way's you're still a man," Janet said with a wry
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smile. "Most women wouldn't go that quickly to the heart of the
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matter. They'd have opened with some pleasantries and eventually
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worked around to the point."
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"Or they might try altering the subject. Answer the
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question."
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"All right," Janet sighed. "You seemed uncomfortable with the
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idea of surgery. What bothers you, the idea of changing your
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appearance?"
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"No," Sherry said emphatically. "Nothing like that. It's
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more like I don't like the idea of being operated on."
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"Have you ever had an operation?"
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"Nope, nothing more serious than removing wisdom teeth. I've
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never been knocked out, not even accidentally."
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"And the idea bothers you?"
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"People sometimes don't wake up afterwards."
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Janet smiled. At least it wasn't a matter of Sherry not being
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convinced that the operation wasn't necessary. She spent a lot of
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time trying to calm Sherry's jitters.
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She wasn't too convinced, but she was reassured that there
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were other things in life more risky that she had done. Then
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Sherry asked a question Janet wasn't prepared for: "When are you
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going to remove my testicles?"
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"Why?"
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"I did some reading on hormones in the database. The writers
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all seem to believe that female hormones work better if they're not
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fighting male hormones. You could also lower the dosage level and
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reduce the risks from side effects."
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Janet looked very serious. "But if that's done, you'd never
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be able to father a child. And there is no way to reverse that
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operation, even superglue wouldn't work."
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Sherry stood up and stripped to the waist. "Do I look like
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a man? I am a woman-" she said that with considerable emphasis "-
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but I still have some extra parts. I want that taken care of as
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soon as I can."
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Janet motioned to Sherry to put her clothes back on; Sherry
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complied. Sherry's breasts were starting to bud, her body looked
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like one that might belong to a six-foot tall twelve year old. "We
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can't do all that, not right away."
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"Why not?"
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"You know about the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care?" Sherry
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nodded. "Well," Janet continued, "we are really violating them
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somewhat in your case. There is an overriding interest that
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classifies as `national security,' we've compressed a lot of the
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time factors. But we still won't do the final reassignment surgery
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without some form of Real Life Test.
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"You are going to have to live and work as a woman for a while
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before we consider you for final surgery. When it comes time, we
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will have you operated on by the best there is."
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"You mean-" Sherry held her tongue when Janet held her finger
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to her lips.
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"I think we know who that is. There are people who help out
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the Government on a volunteer basis, but under the strictest
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security. You won't meet the surgeon, at least not when you're
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concious. But we have to satisfy a minimum of the Standards before
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you can undergo SRS."
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"Hmm. And I don't suppose you have any specifics in mind for
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a Real Life Test?"
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"As a matter of fact, yes. You'll get a job with an air cargo
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service, flying night runs for a check-delivery service. That'll
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also build your logbook up. It's really a double-barreled test:
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we'll see if you can survive on your own as a woman and if you can
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be a competent professional pilot."
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Sherry nodded. By this time the wine was gone and they both
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were feeling tired. Janet made her exit, Sherry washed up and went
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to bed.
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Doris called Sherry at 5am and told her to be ready for flying
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at six and to bring changes of clothing for three days. Sherry
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grunted something unintelligible into the phone and got up. She
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went over to the field at six; to her surprise she was handed a
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completed flight plan to Mojave, California and the keys to the
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Twin Beech. Go with the flow, she figured, she was airborne by
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6:30.
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The plan had her overnighting in Cheyenne, then on to
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California. The FBO at the Cheyenne airport gave her a ride to a
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local Holiday Inn. Sherry had dinner in the restaurant and wnet
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to bed. She grabbed a cab to the airport the next morning and
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completed the trip to Mojave.
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Of all the possibilities that she anticipated, what happened
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didn't occur to her. She was met at the airport and immediately
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loaded onto a Marine C-12 en route to the Twenty-Nine Palms Marine
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base. Four instructors met her for a course in desert survival.
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Over the next seven days, they showed her how to survive in the
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desert with the materials and equipment she'd likely have if she
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had to crash-land in one. Water was the key, they emphasised.
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without water, you die. With water, then one might survive.
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The detail that convinced her that someone was really
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planning her training ahead was that the instructors had a week's
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supply of her hormone pills.
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Sherry really enjoyed the hot shower she took after the week
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was over. But they didn't keep her at 29 Palms; she was flown to
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San Diego and put onto a C-141 to Panama. Once there, she got to
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repeat the whole process in a jungle. The struggle there was
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almost the opposite; too much water and trying to keep dry. There
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were more poisonous snakes in the jungle than she ever dreamed of,
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and bugs galore. Sherry wasn't too sure which she hated more, bugs
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or snakes.
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Week three found her in Colorado, this time the focus was on
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mountain survival. By this time Sherry was wondering if she'd
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survive survival training. The survival trainig was followed up
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by a cram course in land navigation; the final exam was a three-
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day trek to a pickup point. They made it clear to her that they
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would only look for her at the pickup point, she had to get there
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or reach civilization on her own. She made it to the pickup point
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with three hours to spare.
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After she showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes,
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one of the instructors took her to a restaurant for a graduation
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dinner. Sherry had no trouble finishing a 16-oz prime rib, the
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largest steak she had eated in years. It was about the best she
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ever remembered, too. The night was memorable if only for the fact
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that it was the first time since she passed through Cheyenne that
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she slept indoors in a bed with clean sheets.
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Sherry caught a commercial flight to Madison, Wisconsin the
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next day. Craig met her at the airport, the two flew back to the
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home base in the Bonanza. The Twin Beech was on the field when
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they arrived. She had no idea who retrieved it, but she knew
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better than to ask.
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Doris had left a note on her door; Sherry was glad to learn
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she had the next two days off. She slept for most of it. When
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she stepped on the bathroom scale, she was shocked to learn that
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she had lost 25 pounds during the rigouroes training. None of her
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new wardrobe fit, she wore sweats and pulled the drawstring tight.
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It would probably be a temporary loss.
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--
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