This story has previously published here in a slightly different format. It has been re-edited for this edition.

When Marlon Hillier opened his apartment door, he found three men standing there, dressed in black. The man in front had a purple stripe on each cuff, indicating that he was a Proctor. Surprised by the unexpected visit, Marlon took a deep breath.

"Service, citizens. How may I help you?"

"Service, citizen. We understand this is the registered dwelling-place of Marion Allen Hillier. We have business with her. Is she in?"

"I'm sorry, Proctor, no-one of that name lives here, only me. But my name sounds very similar to that, I'm Marlon Allen Hillier. Are you sure that it's not me that you have business with?"

Confused, the Proctor consulted his datapad. "No, it's very definitely a woman that we want. Do you recognise this picture?"

He held his datapad up so that Marlon could see the display. It showed the face of a young, blonde woman, probably in her mid-twenties, attractive enough if you were into blondes.

"Never seen her before," replied Marlon. "Perhaps you gentlemen would like to step inside, so that we can sort this out."

He stood back, and waved his arm to invite them in. The Proctor motioned him back from the door, and the three stepped inside, one of the accompanying Enforcers closing the door before standing in front of it as if to prevent Marlon from escaping. He knew better than to try any such thing, of course.

"Check the rooms," the Proctor instructed, and the other heavy moved past Marlon, to inspect the three rooms that made up his small living space. It didn't take long.

"Clear, sir," reported the Enforcer.

"Right," said the Proctor. "I am Proctor Julian, by the way. I think we'd better see your ID card first."

Marlon fished it out of his pocket and handed it to the official, who inserted it into a slot at the top of his datapad. The Proctor checked the data, then handed it back.

"Seems to be in order," he said. "This is an apartment designated for couples, isn't it? How is it you're living here alone, then?"

"My partner died six months ago in a traffic accident," Marlon replied, "I've been on the list for a single apartment for a while, but there's too much demand for them, and while there are a lot of couples apartments empty in this block the Housing Authority is quite happy for me to stay here until the demand for the singles goes down."

Proctor Julian nodded. "Much as I thought. Now, can I check your partner's details? I'd better make sure she wasn't the one we're looking for."

"Uh, yes. If we can go into the living area, I'll give you her death certificate."

Julian motioned Marlon into the living area, closely followed by the Enforcer. Marlon went to the small sideboard, but the Enforcer got there first, and opened all the cupboards and drawers to ensure there were no weapons hidden there. Marlon dug out a cardboard box and retrieved a black card the same size and shape as an ID card, which he handed to Julian. Julian inspected the card using his datapad and handed it back.

"What's this woman supposed to have done, anyway?" asked Marlon as he put the card away. "Assuming you're allowed to tell me, of course."

Julian shrugged. "Fraud. We have a positive video ID on her collecting the proceeds from a cash dispenser. Her record led us back here." He frowned. "I have a problem here, Citizen Hillier. You obviously can't be the person we're looking for, but your name is sufficiently similar that it raises some questions in my mind, questions I don't want to ask. The State does not make mistakes, and that's my problem. There must have been some kind of goof-up when they back-tracked the ID, and I can't see how that could happen. I can't solve this from here, so I'm going to ask you to come back to the station with us, so I can work through the data and see what's happening."

"Of course, Citizen Proctor. Happy to be of service." Marlon's heart sank. While it was the duty of every citizen to stay out of trouble, staying out of the way of the Proctors and their Enforcers was an even greater imperative. Enforcers were not known for their social skills.

"Can I get my coat?" he asked. Although they would take him to the station, once this mess was straightened out he would most likely have to find his own way home. The Enforcer lifted it off the coat rack and handed it to him, and he put it on.

The Enforcer spoke. "Hands behind, citizen."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, but we have to cuff you if you are going in our vehicle," said Julian, "It's the regulations, no exceptions."

Julian switched off everything in the apartment, and, hands locked behind him, the Enforcer walked Marlon outside. In the parking area at the front of the building, they loaded Marlon into a cage in the windowless back part of the enforcement vehicle. The three climbed in the front, and the vehicle set off into the city. Finally, Marlon was removed and marched directly into another building, obviously the station Proctor Julian operated from. The man himself was talking to another official when the Enforcer approached with Marlon.

"There you are," Julian said. "You can remove the cuffs, we shouldn't need them here. Citizen Hillier is not under arrest as yet, only investigation." He turned to Marlon. "This is the Custody Officer. I'm going to leave you in his care while I go upstairs and dig into this case. I may come down later and ask you some questions, okay?"

The Custody officer smiled at Marlon. "Can I ask you to empty all your pockets, citizen? I'll seal them in this bag, and we'll sign the seal. I'll keep all your belongings safe until you leave here."

Marlon put the few items in his pockets into the proffered bag, and the seal was signed. He retained only his ID card.

"If you'll just come with me, citizen." He escorted Marlon - accompanied by one of the Enforcers - along several corridors and through locked doors until they arrived at the detention area. He used his ID card to open the door of one of the holding rooms.

"In you go, citizen. I've no idea how long Proctor Julian is going to be, so you may have a long wait. I'll bring you a drink later on."

The door banged shut behind Marlon. He sat down upon the bed moulded into the side of the room and wondered how long it was going to take. Eventually, realising that speculation was fruitless, he took off his coat, rolled it to make a pillow, and lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

He was woken up by the opening of the door. The Custody Officer came in, holding a steaming mug.

"A drink as promised," he said, adding apologetically, "I'm sorry, it looks like your stay here is going to be longer than we thought. Proctor Julian and his men have been called out to an incident. You may end up here staying overnight. I'll keep you informed, citizen."

The evening came, and with it the Custody Officer bearing a meal tray. When he returned to collect the tray, he brought some blankets with him.

"Looks like you will be here overnight," the man said. "I'll leave full notes on your file so that the duty Custody Officer tomorrow morning knows what's happening. Good night, Citizen."

In the morning, the new Custody Officer brought his breakfast tray, but refused to answer any of his questions about Proctor Julian. Lunch came, and Marlon was beginning to get concerned, partly because there was no news, and partly because the small room offered little in the way of mental stimulation. He slumped on the bed, half asleep and half in a daydream. It was therefore a complete shock when the door opened and an Enforcer stepped in and said, "Hands behind, citizen."

"Where are you taking me?" he asked, standing up and turning around. "Where's Proctor Julian?"

"You're going to the court," the man replied, applying the cuffs. "No more questions."

He was marched out of the detention area, along corridors, into and out of a lift, and into a different part of the building. Eventually, he and his guard stood in a waiting area for a few minutes before he was led into what was obviously the dock of a court. Marlon assumed so, anyway. He had never been anywhere near the justice system before in his life.

In front of him, seated at a desk set much higher than his level, sat a woman who was apparently running the proceedings. She did a double-take as Marlon was lead to a seat and his cuffs removed.

"There appears to be some mistake here. Is Proctor Julian present?" she asked.

One of the other people present, a court official by his uniform, replied. "No, ma'am, Proctor Julian was allocated to an important incident that occurred yesterday afternoon."

"Oh, yes. I know what you refer to. I shall have to conduct this case from the record, then. There seems to be a problem. The accused in this case is a woman, and I have a man in front of me."

The clerk responded. "This person was brought in yesterday by Proctor Julian. I don't think he would have brought someone in if he hadn't been certain of his identification."

The woman frowned, and then looked at Marlon. "Would you give the court your name, citizen?"

"I'm Marlon Allen Hillier, learned citizen. Proctor Julian noticed the discrepancy when he came to my apartment," he added.

"Noted," the woman said, "but next time, only answer the question you've been asked. Understood?"

She busied herself with the case record, displayed upon her terminal, looking thoughtful. She turned to Marlon.

"Do you deny the charge made against you?"

"Learned citizen, I don't think anyone has made a charge against me. Leastways, not that they have told me about."

She turned back to the terminal, using it to consult other information. Then she beckoned the clerk up to her, and they held a long, quiet discussion before she turned back to the courtroom to pronounce her verdict.

"The State does not make mistakes, so I think I see my way clear in this matter. In the case of the State versus Marion Allen Hillier, I find the accused guilty of fraudulently obtaining money on the thirteenth of last month. I find the accused guilty of tampering with identification data. I also find the accused guilty of unauthorised gender reassignment. Because the accused denies her guilt, I double the sentence to five years detention for the first offence. I give sentence of five years detention for the second offence, to run concurrently with that for the first offence, and for the third offence, for regression therapy to be administered. Case closed, take her away."

"But I'm a man, not a woman!" shouted Marlon. He got a punch in the small of his back for his protestations. The Justiciar waved her hand, and the Enforcer, together with a courtroom official, dragged him away. Hands again locked behind him, he was led away down a different route, to end up in a holding room somewhere else in the complex of buildings. The escorting Enforcer had made it plain that any attempt to speak would be met with physical force, so the journey was made in silence.

After an hour, he was collected from the holding room, still cuffed, by a different Enforcer and led away through the labyrinth of passages. Finally, he ended up at a door where a transfer van had been backed right up. He was led into the interior of this and pushed into one of a number of tiny cubicles lining the sides. The cuffs were released, and refastened with his hands in front.

"Hang on to the handle," advised a man in a different uniform, possibly the driver. "We're not going far, but I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Marlon sat down. The cubicle had been moulded from a single sheet of plastic, with a seat at the rear and a grab handle on the front surface. There was no window. When the door was shut, he saw that it had no handle, only small ventilation slots at the top and bottom. The only light came through the translucent roof of the vehicle. He could hear other people being loaded onto the vehicle, and then a period of silence before the van was started and driven away.

The vehicle drove for only a short while, most of it on good quality roads, but at the end it rocked quite violently over what Marlon decided must be a speed prevention device of some sort. Finally after some manoeuvring it stopped, and there were sounds of the cargo being unloaded. Marlon's door was opened, and he emerged to find that the vehicle had been reversed up to a doorway as before, so that he stepped directly into another building.

His escort this time was a woman in a grey uniform he didn't recognise. She looked big and fit enough to handle Marlon, so he did exactly what she wanted him to.

"Hey! Joe! You sure you brought this one to the right place?" she asked the driver.

"Yep. I queried that when he got loaded. This is the correct place, all right. The State doesn't make mistakes, does it?" he replied.

His escort led him into a waiting area where several other cuffed citizens and their escorts were standing. It eventually struck Marlon that every single other person in the room was a woman, and that they were all staring curiously at him.

A woman wearing different collar tabs on her uniform entered the room, and she raised an eyebrow when she saw Marlon.

"What's he doing here?" she asked.

"The driver says he should be here," replied his escort. The other women in the room began to get interested.

The newcomer said, "He'd better come with me to see the Facility Controller. We need to find out what's going on. The rest of you, someone will be along shortly to induct you into the facility. Bring him."

His escort followed the other woman through some corridors and into a lift, emerging at a much higher level. They were shown into an ante-room that held a table and several chairs. After a wait, an older woman emerged from an inner office and motioned Marlon to sit at the table opposite her. The two escorts stood to one side, watching.

"Well, this is unexpected. This place is Female Offender Containment Facility Five, and I am Facility Controller Brand. Do you have your ID card, citizen?"

"Citizen." Marlon got his ID card out and presented it to the Controller. She inserted it into a slot in the personal terminal on the table in front of her.

"That's odd, there's nothing in this that indicates you should be anywhere near this place. You came here through the court system?" Marlon nodded, but remembered to keep his mouth shut. "Let me see if I can find the relevant record dealing with your transfer, since it appears you were supposed to come here. Ah, here we are. That's odd," she said again. She looked at him.

"There seems to be two records for you, one as a man and the other as a woman. It's the woman who has done the crime, so that's why you - someone - has been sent here. Let me see."

She played with the terminal until she had the two records up, side by side, then she swung the display around so that Marlon could see it. He saw his face, and the blonde's face, and the detail below. His he recognised, the other's was all new to him.

"May I speak?" he ventured. The Controller assented. "I've noticed that there is a single letter different between her name and mine. There's also a single digit different between our ID numbers. See, here I've got a three while she has a nine. Perhaps there was a transcription error when the case was being investigated."

The Controller said, "The offences you are said to have committed are fraud, also that you tampered with ID data, and unauthorised gender reassignment. That indicates to me that you are a woman who has tried to become a man to hide her tracks. What do you say to that?"

"I'm a man! I was born a man, I grew up a man, and I've always been a man. I've never done anything criminal. This Marion woman is the criminal, not me. She's managed to confuse the data so that I got mixed up with her somehow. You have to believe me."

"The problem I have with your statement is that practically every woman who comes through those doors protests their innocence to me. Of course they're not, since the State makes very, very few mistakes. In this case, if it's mistaken identity, we can settle it quickly."

She pressed a button on the communicator on the table. "Ask the doctor to come to meeting room two. I need a blood sample tested."

The doctor arrived, found a vein, took her sample and departed. The woman who had brought Marlon up to the Controller's suite departed, and so did the Controller, leaving just his original escort. Time passed, and presently another woman brought a trolley with two trays of food, for himself and for his escort. He ate his under the watchful eye of his escort, still cuffed, and then his escort ate while the new woman watched the prisoner. Finally the Controller reappeared.

"I've had the result of the blood test, and you match both records," she said. "There is obviously an error, and the State does not make errors. I'm inclined to give the court the benefit of the doubt, so you will be joining our facility for the length of your sentence."

"But I'm a man! I can't stay here!"

The Controller held up her hand. "You're under our rules now, and those state that you do not speak unless spoken to." She relented. "The situation you find yourself in is nowhere near as bad as that you'd be in if you had gone to a male facility," she said. "There are twenty times as many male detainees as female, and their facilities can be extremely rough. Oh, we have our hard cases here, but in general we get along quite well. Try to follow the regulations, and your time here will be quite comfortable. You'll find that our Shepherds are a lot less rough than the Enforcers you have encountered up to now." She paused, thinking.

"We have had two cases similar to yours that I can remember. Does that equipment between your legs work?" she asked him.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, "My partner and I had received permission for a child but she died before we could start one."

"I can't put you on an open Deck, as the Queens would have you strapped to a bed and you'd be screwed to death within a week," she said, matter-of-factly. "If you didn't get beaten to death first. Some of those who are in here are here for murdering their partners." Marlon paled.

"You'll have to go on E Deck," she said, raising her eyes to the Shepherd who had escorted him. "That's the deck we keep the suicide cases, the mental cases, and those at danger from the other detainees. It'll mean solitary confinement, at least to start with, until we work out what to do with you."

As the Shepherd raised him to his feet, he asked, "Isn't there any way I can appeal against this? This has all been a ghastly mistake."

"An appeal automatically gets lodged on every conviction," the Controller replied, "Didn't you know that?" She turned to the Shepherd. "Take him to be inducted. I think the area will be clear now, so there will be less chance of gossip. I'll have a room allocated on E Deck by the time you've got him kitted out and up there."

The Shepherd led him back to the lift, and they travelled back to the bottom level. She took him along to a large room labelled "Stores".

"Marge! It's a bit late. Where did you find this one from?" asked the woman behind the counter.

"He's a different shape to us, so the Controller wanted to make sure he's been brought to the right place," his Shepherd replied. "So far as she's concerned, he has, so he needs inducting."

The woman behind the counter shrugged. "It's all the same to me," she said. "Right, you, I need you to go through to the room at the end and strip off. There's a shower there, don't take too long, I've a home to go to. Come out through the other door when you're dry, and I'll measure you for your uniform. The clothes you arrived in will go in one of these boxes," she waved her hands at the laden racks behind her, "and you'll collect them when you leave here. Assuming they still fit, of course. Marge, the shackles, if you please."

The Shepherd took off the cuffs and Marlon opened the door. On the other side he found a small room with a shower stall in the corner, and a shelf with a cardboard box on it. He stripped slowly and folded his clothes, placing them in the box. Then he climbed into the shower and gave himself a thorough going over.

His brain had well-nigh seized up as the extent of the nightmare unfolding over him increased. He was now just letting things wash over him, reacting at a surface level to whatever was asked of him. He had heard of workmates who had suffered breakdowns, and he wondered if this was happening to him. Indeed, he wondered whether he had suffered a breakdown, and how much of what had happened in the last two days was actually real. Zombie-like, he soaped himself down and rinsed, then allowed the blowers to dry his skin. Totally naked, he walked out through the other door.

He was in a black room. "Stand still there, with your arms down but away from your sides," he was instructed. From several directions and levels, lasers played over his body for a few seconds, then the lights came up. "Walk on through the far door."

The stores woman had had trouble with the scan, enough that she'd had to override some of the suggested measurements. By the time Marlon arrived at the new counter, she had already started picking out clothing for him.

"You can start with those," she said, giving him a pair of briefs. He looked at them incuriously, and then put them on.

"Stand there a minute." She continued collecting clothes, making two piles in front of him. "Seems a bit silly giving you a bra when you're that flat," she said. "But the regulations say you must have them so what I'm going to do is issue you two sports bras. Here, put this on." She held one out to him, but Marlon just stood there.

"Marge, help him out, or we'll be here all night." The Shepherd took his arms and threaded the sports bra onto them, then pulled the garment over his head and down to cover his upper chest.

"Since women's breasts can change size during the month, you will always be able to call me if something doesn't fit," the stores woman said to Marlon. "That applies to all of your clothing. Put this on next," she added, handing a slip to Marge, who pulled it over Marlon's head. This was followed by a seamless short-sleeved light green shift, which was similarly pulled onto Marlon's body. Finally, a pair of simple sandals, consisting of soft plastic soles with one canvas strap over the base of the toes and another over the bridge of the foot completed the outfit.

"Right. You listening?" Marlon nodded, dully. "You have a fresh pair of briefs each day. You have two slips and two bras a week, and one smock or dress a week. Dirty clothing goes down a chute in your wash closet. I give everyone two week's clothing, so you wear one week's worth while the other week's worth gets washed. Understand?" Marlon nodded again.

"Next, what have you done with your ID card? Is it in the box with the rest of your stuff?"

Another nod. Marge walked back through the rooms and returned bearing the box. After some searching the card was discovered and fed into a machine on the counter. This produced a small silver disc which dropped into a cup. The stores officer took the disc and attached it to a length of metal braid, which was then placed round Marlon's neck. The excess was cut off, and the free end fused to the disc, giving him a non-removable necklace. Next she took a wand attached to the machine, and waved it both over Marlon and the pile of spare clothing on the counter. Checking her display, she removed the ID card and placed it back in the box, closing it.

"Good. That disc round your neck is all the ID you'll need while you're inside, and all your clothing has been tagged as belonging to you, as well, which takes care of the laundry problem. I think you're all done here. Marge, she's all yours."

A faint remnant inside Marlon wanted to protest, "But I'm a he, not a she," but he was numb, past caring. Under instruction, he picked up the bundle of clothes and followed the Shepherd out to the lift. They rode up a long way, and then got out to see a corridor facing them. One side was composed of glass bricks between the support pillars, so that there was plenty of light, but no view. On the other side, a row of blank doors. Halfway along the corridor seemed to be some kind of watch station, where two women sat behind desks and watched displays. The Shepherd took Marlon down to the watch station. As they approached the desk, the two women looked up, curious.

"New recruit?" one of them asked.

"Yes, special case," Marge replied.

"Of course, she wouldn't be up here if not a special case." The woman looked at Marlon quizzically, and then said, "that's not a she, that's a he. How did that happen?"

"I don't know the full details," replied Marge, "Just that he's to be kept away from the crowd down below for his own safety."

"Damn right there," the other replied. "Man-meat wouldn't last five minutes on B Deck, and probably not much longer on some of the other decks. We'll keep him safe up here. Ah, he's registered. He's going in E16. Need a hand?"

"No, don't think so. I think he's shocked by what's happening to him."

"Just like most of them, first time inside. Takes them a while to settle down. I'll remote the door for you."

Marge walked Marlon down to the indicated cell and opened the door. He walked inside and put the clothing down on the bed.

Marge said, "If you need anything, or need to know anything, use the personal terminal to call the desk. Right. I'll leave you to get settled in." She closed the cell door, and Marlon was alone.

Fifteen minutes later, and the door opened to admit one of the two Shepherds who had been sitting at the watch desk. Marlon had sat down on the bed, and hadn't moved since Marge left. The Shepherd walked over and sat down on the bed beside him.

"You're finding it hard to come to terms with, aren't you, honey?" she said softly. Marlon's expression didn't change, but his head turned slightly away from her. "Look," she said, "we don't make the rules, our job is to look after you and keep you from harm. We're not particularly interested in why you're in here, but now you are here, we make sure you don't stray from the regulations, and we keep you safe. That's why we're called Shepherds, after all."

Marlon turned his face towards her, but there was little expression on it still. His eyes flickered towards her face, but they were still dull. The Shepherd managed to think of an angle that might get a response from her charge.

"How did you come to end up in a woman's facility, anyway?"

Marlon's face finally showed animation. "I'm a man," he whispered. "I don't know what I'm doing here at all."

The Shepherd had briefly read through his file, but she persisted with her questions.

"There must have been a court session that sent you here. What were you charged with, to get you sent here? And why here, and not a men's facility?"

Marlon looked at her, suspicion plain upon his face. "I thought you just said you weren't interested. Why are you asking me all these questions, then?"

"I'm just trying to get a conversation going," the Shepherd replied. "Look, even if your appeal gets heard immediately, and you get exonerated, you'll be here a few days, so it's in my interest to get to know those who I have to look after. None of this is official, by the way. Sometimes, particularly on E Deck, we have to treat the regulations as guidelines rather than strict by-the-book rules. So, what happened, then?"

"I don't know," replied Marlon. Then, in a rush, his whole story came out, from the knock on the door to the unexpected trial and being sent to the Women's Facility. "So you see," he concluded, "everyone agrees that the fraud was done by a young, blonde-haired woman. Do I look like a young, blonde woman?"

"But the trial record suggested that you are a woman who is pretending to be a man," the Shepherd objected. "How do you explain that?"

"I can't," Marlon said. "When I arrived I got taken straight up to the Controller and had a blood test taken. My DNA matched both my own record and that of the blonde woman. I'm not a woman, I've never been a woman. I've ended up in a living nightmare. What's happening to me?"

Marlon's face began to break, and the Shepherd gathered him to her, lowering his head on to her bosom, comforting him. Marlon wasn't in a state able to shed tears, but he clutched the woman and something passed from her to him, giving him some strength. After a while he straightened up and composed himself.

"Thank you. It's been a while since I've been able to hold anyone like that."

"How so?"

"My partner died six months ago in a traffic accident. I still haven't really got over her death."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Had you been together long?"

"Five years and seven months. We had just been given permission for our first child, too."

"Oh, no! You haven't had a good time of it recently, have you?"

Marlon's face twitched into a wry grimace. "No. That's one way to describe it, anyway."

"Look," the Shepherd said, "I can't do anything about the past, but my colleagues and I can help you survive the future. I'm Alex, by the way, and my mate outside is Sandy. Yes, we're both named Alexandra, only she spells hers with a KS instead of an X. You can call all Shepherds, at least on E Deck, by our first names. You can see them on our name tags, anyway. I can't imagine, given the circumstances, that you're going to be anywhere but E Deck, so you'll get to know all of us. We're the evening shift, Donna and Carla are the night shift, and Belle, Linda, Elena and Kristina do the daytimes. The shifts do change around sometimes, and you may see other faces up here occasionally, but it's mostly us eight because we've had special training. Now, are you in a fit enough state for me to show you round your spacious apartment?"

The attempt at humour got through to Marlon, and he rallied.

"Yes, um, Alex, I suppose I'd better find out how this all works."

"Good. There's not much to tell, so it won't take long, and then I'll leave you in peace."

The room was L-shaped, with the wash room filling out the rectangle. The bed was moulded along one side wall, and the foot of the bed was moulded into a seat. Sitting here, one could access the detainee's personal terminal, which was moulded into the inside wall. Marlon was surprised to find such a thing in a detention room.

"Not at all," replied Alex. "It means that you can call us up, or Sick Bay, or Stores, without anyone having to walk you through the facility. There's also access to several large knowledge bases, you can look at news files, or even take training courses. While you're in here, we don't expect your brain to vegetate. There's a facility library you can access. You use the terminal to choose a book, and it will be made available to you. You can also keep a personal journal, which will be transferred to your outside personal file on release. I will warn you that everything you write will be read by someone on the facility staff, so make sure you keep it clean. Whatever you write won't be censored, though. "

It turned out that the Personal Terminal also served as a video display, so that he could watch certain selected broadcasts even as he lay in bed.

"There's twelve channels," Alex explained, "although not all of them run all the time. You can get news, soaps, sports events, and other programs of interest. Three of the channels are music channels, one of which plays classical music. Channel twelve is special, it runs a keep fit regime every day for detainees, with exercises specially designed for you to do in your room."

Next to the personal terminal, on the inside wall, was the door. This had an inside handle, and a tell-tale to indicate whether or not the door was locked. On the wall on the other side of the door was the feeding station. This was a shelf moulded into the wall, with a matching hatch through the wall, and a transparent cover over it. To use it, you sat on a seat moulded into the end of the wash room. Alex explained how the system worked.

"At meal times, a tray with your food will be pushed through the hatch, and along these guides. Once it slides all the way in, the hatch closes and the cover is released. You lift the cover and eat. If the meal requires eating utensils, they are provided sealed in a slot in the tray. Once you break the seals, the air will activate the plastic in the fork or spoon and they will become soft after a while, maybe twenty minutes to half an hour. Once you've finished, you must put the utensils back on the tray and close the cover. This will lock it and release the hatch. If you haven't closed the cover after half an hour or so, someone will open the door to see if you have a problem."

"Sounds unnecessarily complicated to me," remarked Marlon.

"Ah, but we have people up here on suicide watch," came the reply. "Although I don't think you fit into that category at the moment, we use the same system for everyone, so don't let it worry you. Now, the wash room."

Alex led Marlon into the cubicle which occupied a quarter of his room. There was shower, a washbasin, and a toilet, as he had expected. There was no door. Marlon looked around, and noticed a discrepancy.

"Uh, I don't see any toilet paper," he said.

"No, we've had trouble in the past with people misusing toilet paper, so some money was spent and we have these automatic bowls now. Once you've finished, remain seated while you wave your hand over the sensor and your various orifices will get washed and dried for you. Much more hygienic, in my opinion."

Marlon regarded her unhappily. "I stand up to pee."

"Oh! I suppose you do. It wouldn't hurt you to sit down, would it?" she asked.

"That might work, but it may cause a mess. I'll just have to try it and see."

"Um," Alex said, "Thinking about it, I suppose I should ask you to show me that you are actually male. Up to now, I've only had your word for it, after all."

Marlon flushed, but he realised that he had little choice responding to a "suggestion" from a Shepherd. He pulled up the front of the smock and slip with one hand, and then used the thumb of the other hand to pull his briefs down.

"Oh, my," Alex said, "That's fine, you can put them away now, I had to make sure. It'll help us decide what to do if we have to deal with anything that might come up in the future."

The outside wall of the cubicle, like that of the room, had an area of glass bricks which let light in, but prevented a view out. Below them were two flaps covering chutes.

"The larger one is for your dirty clothes. Push them down there, and they go all the way down and end up in the laundry processing area. The smaller chute is for sanitary towels and tampons." As she said it, she blushed red. "I don't think you're going to need that one, are you? You are also allowed to dispose of other non recyclables down there, although I don't expect there'll be much for you to throw away."

On the outside of the wash room, facing the bed, the cubicle wall had been moulded into a series of shelves.

"Keep all your things on these shelves," Alex instructed him. "You'll keep the room tidy and it will make it easy if we have to move you to another room. How are you feeling now?"

Marlon nodded. "Better now, thanks. I'm still a bit numb. It's a lot to have to take in all at once."

"I know," Alex replied, "Some women break down completely when they first arrive. You've managed quite well, for a first-timer. You're safe enough for me to leave you now?"

He managed a small smile. "Yes, thank you, Alex. I'll try not to let you down."

"That's my girl. Oh, sorry, you know what I mean." She headed for the door. "Oh, after breakfast tomorrow I expect someone will be along to take you to Sick Bay. Every new detainee gets checked over by the doc and her crew. There's so many people in here, it could be quite nasty if someone comes in with a disease, so we check everyone. Okay?"

"Yes, Alex. I'll be ready."

Alex pulled the door shut behind her, and the tell-tale turned from green to red. Marlon turned and examined the room in more detail, his senses now activated. He realised that everything in the room was moulded into the walls and floor. There were no sharp corners, no loose objects. Of course. If you had to make a room for someone in danger of committing suicide, you had to make it as difficult for them as possible. The keyboard of the personal terminal was moulded into the shelf in front of the display, and the keys didn't move when he pressed them. He had used similar terminals on the machine-shop floor of the factory where he worked, sealed and protected against dirt and industrial fluids. The lighting in the room was flush with the ceiling, and operated by touch pads beside the door and at the head of the bed. Apart from the clothing he'd brought with him, everything was fixed down.

He wondered how long he could survive in such a space.

With a sigh, he turned and started putting his clothing on the shelves beside his bed. He discovered that he had been given two nightdresses, presumably one per week. The only other unusual thing he found was a small towel. Given that the shower, toilet and washbasin all had blowers, he wondered what the towel was for. Deciding that he had had enough for the day, he undressed and put on one of the nightdresses, having already showered earlier. He climbed under the quilt on the bed, touched off the light, and lay there in the darkness wondering what else could possibly happen to him. Eventually, sleep came.

The thump as his breakfast tray was slid through the slot awoke him, and he sat up abruptly. He'd been so exhausted by the events of the previous two days that he'd slept deeply and without any dreams that he could recall having. He climbed out of bed and made his way to the feeding station, anxious to eat before the delay caused any investigation.

In the moulded depressions in the tray were a plastic cup full of tea, sealed with a layer of film presumably to stop it spilling, two slices of toast, and a blob of something that might be jam. A spoon was sealed in a slot by a thin film, and he broke this out and used it to scoop the jam onto the toast, spreading it with the back of the spoon. The meagre meal was consumed quickly, and then he turned his attentions to getting dressed as quickly as possible.

He remembered that his partner had changed her underwear first thing every morning, so the briefs he had worn since arrival went down the chute. A quick shower followed. He discovered that he could sit down to go to the toilet, provided he slid back a little to get behind the raised lip at the front of the bowl designed to catch a woman's flow. Activating the flush got his nether regions wet, but the mechanism seemed to dry it all off okay with minimal splashing on the floor. He pulled on a new pair of briefs, his slip and smock, ignoring the sports bra, which he folded and put back on a shelf. He put his feet into the beach slippers and made himself ready for any summons.

While he waited he decided to explore the personal terminal. When he thumbed the touch switch at the side of the display it lit up, to show him a canned lecture describing the rules and regulations of his new existence before dropping into a simple menu. He spent some time exploring the obviously limited facilities before the door opened and a Shepherd poked her head through.

"Service, citizen. I'm here to take you to Sick Bay for your admission check-up." It was a new Shepherd, whose blouse had red cuffs to the short sleeves. Her name plate said 'Sophia' and 'Sick Bay Supervisor'. She looked closely at Marlon as he stood up.

"You're a male!"

"I'm glad somebody recognises that fact, Shepherd," Marlon said. He stood before her and held out his wrists. Sophia fished a set of cuffs out of the back pocket of her trousers and secured him.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" she asked, as she led him out into the corridor.

"Long story," he replied.

Now that he had his wits about him, he could see that the section of corridor in which he stood had grills and gates separating it from the watch station at one end and the lifts at the other. Last night, he had been too depressed to notice his surroundings. Beyond the watch station, another set of gates led to the other half of the corridor, with further gates at the far end. He could not make out what was beyond them. Sophia led him to the lift end of his half and passed through the gate, but instead of calling a lift walked him down the stairs beside the shaft.

"I hope you don't mind," she said, "It's only one flight and the lifts can be busy at this time of morning."

They reached the Sick Bay area, which was identifiable by having dark red doors, and he was shown into an examination room.

"I'm going to have to ask you to take off all your clothes," the Shepherd said, removing the cuffs.

Marlon did so, and stood naked, having long decided that there was no point in getting embarrassed in the present circumstances. In the middle of the floor was a diagnostic seat, of the kind his local doctor used. Sophia motioned him to sit down on it.

"Lie back, citizen. I have to secure you to the chair."

"Shepherd?"

Sophia clicked a webbing strap round his waist and pulled it tight. "We get all sorts in here, and we have to protect ourselves, and our patients, of course. You don't look particularly dangerous, but one can never tell, particularly if the patient is someone we've never seen before. Now lie back, please."

Straps were fitted across his chest under his armpits, round wrists and upper arms, across thighs and round ankles, rendering him almost completely immobile except for his head. Once this had been completed, the Shepherd pushed a needle into a vein on the back of his left hand and began to take samples. Removing the needle, she took the samples to be tested, and then gave Marlon a thorough physical examination. She paid particular attention to his penis and testicles.

"You'll forgive me, citizen. We don't usually see these in Sick Bay, so I'm not familiar with any problems that might be associated with them."

"I don't think I have anything wrong with them, but there might be things I'm not aware of. Your examination seems extremely thorough. Can I ask what you're looking for?"

"The usual bacterial, viral and fungal infections, of course. The unusual, like degenerative diseases of your internal organs, including cancer, arthritis and diabetes. Also things like parasites, fleas, ticks, crabs, lice, worms, both internal and external. Basically anything we can find which might threaten either you or anyone else you come into contact with."

"Do you really get people with those kinds of things in here? Answering myself, I suppose you must do."

"Yes, unfortunately. You're from a fairly affluent area of the city, I can tell by your skin condition and tone. We get all sorts in here, and despite the State saying it doesn't happen, some of them are in pretty poor condition."

Sophia then unstrapped his thighs and ankles, restrapping them individually, before using the controls to adjust the seat. The lower portion divided, and then hinged under buttocks and behind knees to elevate his legs and separate them.

"Normally we give each detainee a gynaecological examination, but obviously there's no point with yourself. I'll use the opportunity to have a look at your anal passage while you're here, though. Now hold still. No, I want you to relax. There, I'm finished."

A chime sounded, and the Shepherd went to a terminal to get the results of the blood tests. Marlon squirmed in the chair from the after-effects of the unpleasant examination.

"Looks like you're clear, citizen. At least from the first tests. There are one or two diseases which will take longer to test for, so you'll be confined to your room for a week until we can clear you. You can get dressed now."

Sophia reset the chair and released Marlon, who pulled on his clothes. She re-secured him and then took him back to E Deck, but instead of returning him to his room, she took him through the next set of gates and to the two women sitting at the watch station.

"Your new - and unusual - resident has passed the first tests," Sophia said to the two. "Keep her, I mean him, isolated for the next seven days as usual. Any problems, I know you'll call me."

The two women smiled at Marlon in greeting. "Good morning. I'm Elena and she's Kristina. We've been going over your record and we're a bit confused. What do we call you?"

Marlon said, "It seems my DNA matches both my own ID record and that of a woman. She's the one who committed the offences, but the court seems to have got the details confused, although I know that's not supposed to happen. My name is Marlon. I'm not that keen on being called by the woman's name, because that might be seen as an admission of guilt."

"Or a denial of reality," responded Sophia. "We get a lot of people in here with delusions. Mostly that they're innocent, but it can go a lot deeper than that."

"Look, you examined my body," protested Marlon, "did it look at all like it could ever have been a female body?"

"Well, no," admitted Sophia, "but then again I'm not an expert on what's medically possible in that particular area of study. You might look, very convincingly I might add, like a man, but I don't know of any way I could test that would prove that you were not previously once a woman."

"That's all right, dear," said Kristina, "we don't really mind what you are in here, or what you're called. If we gave you a woman's name, it would be degrading, and being in the facility is degrading enough. We'll call you Marlon for now. It's not a problem for us, I'll just make a note on your record."

"You do realise that I'm dressed entirely in female clothes?" Marlon said, "Isn't that degrading enough for me?"

Kristina shrugged. "You're in a female facility. It's the standard issue clothing, we don't have any other sort. What do you expect us to do? Do you find it particularly uncomfortable?"

"I find the entire experience uncomfortable," he replied. "The clothes, well, for actual comfort and fit I've no complaints. It's the psychological angle that makes me uncomfortable."

Elena spoke. "Actually, dressing like the other detainees may give you a benefit, in that you won't stand out. If you don't do anything stupid while you're here, you will eventually be allowed to mix with some of the other detainees on the Deck. You may also come into contact with detainees from other Decks. Seriously, if it becomes generally known that a male is up here, you could be in some danger from some of the rougher elements downstairs. We don't want to have to keep you in solitary for your entire sentence."

Marlon hadn't thought of that, and he nodded understanding. "Good point. What do you suggest I do, then?"

"If you want to blend in, you've made a good start. Just keep blending in. Let your hair grow longer, and let the Facility hairdresser style it. Think seriously about using a female name, if only for your own safety. We'll know why you're doing it, and that's all that matters."

"Will you give me some time to think about this?" he asked, "I wasn't prepared for any of this, and I have yet to get my thoughts together."

The two seated Shepherds nodded. Marlon rubbed his chin, and he noticed an obvious stumbling block.

"Do you have anything like shaving equipment in this place?" he asked. "I don't think you have too many bearded women in here. I'd really stand out if I can't shave it off."

Sophia replied, "We don't allow shaving equipment in here, for safety reasons. Some women do suffer from facial hair, and there's a simple surgical procedure we do which permanently removes it."

She came close to Marlon and examined his face. "Funny, I never thought of your stubble when I was examining you. We can clear all your facial hair for you, but it will probably take a week or so of sessions, because there's so much of it, and I must warn you, once it's gone, it's gone for ever."

"Surgical procedure?" asked Marlon, concerned.

"Don't worry. It uses an intense pulse of light to kill the roots of the hairs. We don't cut you open, if that's what you're worried about."

Marlon said, "Can I think about that as well? It would be a big step to take, but I can see the problems I'd have if I allow - or indeed, if you allow - my facial hair to continue growing."

"Of course. I'll call you later on this afternoon to see what you've decided. Now, perhaps, you'd better return to your room."

Sophia escorted him back to his room, released his wrists, and locked him in. Marlon immediately lay down on the bed and began to try and collect his thoughts. His personal terminal chimed. He got up, sat in front of it, and activated the display. Elena's face looked at him.

"Service, Shepherd. What can I do for you?"

"I wondered if you realised that you can choose what you have for lunch. If you use the 'Services' menu and follow it down, you will find meal choices. You have just time to select something before they make up the trays. Otherwise you get whatever's left over."

"I didn't know that. I haven't had much time to find my way round the system. Thank you, Elena."

Marlon decided to spend some time investigating the system, discovering that while he could select what he ate for each meal, each choice affected what was offered for other meals that day. He supposed that made sure that everyone got a balanced diet, but it meant that he had to remember that fact when he decided what to have. Additionally, he found that the system provided a 'diary' function which enabled him to set an early morning alarm, amongst it's usual functions. He wasn't sure what use a diary would be to most detainees, since their day to day existence would mostly be the same. He was still investigating the system an hour later when his chosen lunch banged into the feeding station.

After lunch, he decided to sample any entertainment that might be available. There wasn't much, but he settled on a baseball match he could have on while he tried to make sense of what had happened to him. In fact, he had just got interested in the match when his communicator chimed again, and he got up to take the call. It was Sophia.

"Service, Shepherd."

"Service to you. I was discussing the problem of your facial hair with some of my colleagues and they reminded me that we do in fact have shavers in Sick Bay you could use. We use them to prepare detainees for minor procedures. I could let you use one for a limited period, assuming that you decide to go with the removal procedure. Have you decided yet?"

Marlon fingered his bristles. "I have, Shepherd. It's becoming apparent to me that I need to blend in here in order to accommodate myself to my new circumstances, so yes, if you're giving me the choice, I choose to have my facial hair removed."

Sophia nodded. "Good. I can't schedule anything for you until you've been cleared, and then you'll need at least five sessions. We need a gap after the first session to see if there are any problems, so it's going to take a while before it's completed. As for the shaver, it's battery operated and someone can bring it to your room. Because you're still quarantined, essentially, the shaver will have to be sterilized between uses, and I'll make it available for you to use every other day. Will that be all right?"

"Whatever you say, Shepherd."

"Very well. Someone will bring the shaver up later this afternoon, and it will be on a tray pushed into your feeding slot. The person who brings it will wait till you've finished and bring it directly back. Understand?"

"Yes, Shepherd. You mean I have to use it as soon as it arrives, so that the bringer doesn't have to hang around."

Sophia smiled at him. "I like your attitude. I think you're going to get along quite well in here."

The shaver duly arrived, and Marlon gratefully made his face smooth again. He placed the shaver back on the tray, closed the cover, and went back to his baseball match.

The next week went very slowly. Marlon realised that each day would soon end up much the same as the previous one, and he used his diary to note when he needed to change clothes. He worked at developing a routine to occupy his days. Eventually, Sophia called to tell him that he had been cleared, and that he would be collected the following day for his first facial hair removal treatment.

He was strapped into a diagnostic chair, and his eyes covered by opaque goggles to protect him from the light source. An area under his chin and down his neck was treated, the principle being that the skin there was more sensitive, and that would tell them if the machinery had been calibrated correctly. A soothing balm was applied, and he was returned to his room. By lunchtime the following day, the redness had disappeared and when Sophia arrived during the afternoon to check him over, she was satisfied that he could undergo the procedure without problems.

"We'll keep to a schedule of every other day, to allow your skin time to recover. I'll still have to send the shaver up, for the parts of your face we haven't done yet. Try not to let the shaver get near the areas that have just been treated, it'll probably make them sore." She looked him over.

"Your hair's a bit of a mess. Are the Shepherds not looking after it for you?"

"No, Sophia," replied Marlon, startled. "I didn't know they should be. What do they do?"

"They are supposed to come in every morning and brush it for you. I suppose they haven't done yours so far because it's so short compared to most of the detainees, but it's beginning to look a bit untidy. Do you wash it often?"

"Every second or third day, Sophia. I don't think it's going to get dirty enough for me to do it much more often."

"I'll mention it to them on my way out, so they can add it to their schedule. I'll also ask them to add you to the hairdresser's schedule. She does E Deck once a fortnight. You don't have a lot to play with, but it's a start. I think that's all for now. You'll be seeing me quite frequently since I check everyone on E Deck at least once a week, so do tell me if you have any problems, won't you."

As Sophia got up to leave, Marlon said, "Actually, there is one thing. I don't know if it's an allergic reaction to the material, or whatever the clothes get washed in, or maybe something else, but I'm getting irritation across my chest. Can you have a look, please?"

"Of course. Can you pull your things up for me?"

Marlon obliged, and Sophia inspected his chest. "I notice you're not wearing a bra. That allows the other garments to rub your nipples. It's commonly caused Jogger's Nipple, you might have heard of it."

"Now you mention it, Shepherd, I have. I haven't been wearing the bras because there didn't seem much point, but of course, if it's going to stop the rubbing, then I will."

Sophia nodded. "Anything else? Good. I'll be up to collect you for the next hair removal session some time tomorrow morning then."

The following morning, after his breakfast tray had been collected, he had a visit from one of the day shift Shepherds he hadn't yet met.

"Service, citizen, I'm Belle. I've come to brush your hair for you."

"Oh, yes. Service, Shepherd. What do you need me to do?"

"This can get a little awkward," she said, "because of the limited furniture arrangement in the rooms, so we've found that the best way to do it is if you sit cross-legged on the bed, facing the wall. That gets you at about the right height for brushing."

Marlon climbed on the bed and arranged himself with difficulty.

"Oh, I forgot," Belle said, "can you get comfortable? I'm used to dealing with women who have much more flexible hip joints."

"I can manage, Shepherd. I think I may have to practice to loosen my joints up a little more. How's that?"

"A little closer to the wall, please, then you can brace yourself with your hands on the edge of the bed. How do you want me to do it for you?"

"As you wish, Shepherd. I assume you've talked with the others about my position in here?"

"I have. You have a nasty tangle here. You haven't had your hair combed or brushed since you came here, have you?"

"No, Shepherd. I think I got away with it for a while because it was so short, but, as you say, it needs regular brushing now. Belle, is it? This seems an unnecessary thing for you to have to do, but I assume there's a good reason for it."

"Yes. You know that some of the people on this Deck are under suicide watch, don't you? Good. That means no loose objects in the rooms that might be turned into devices for self harming. On some of the other Decks detainees do have their own brushes and combs, but not up here. We don't mind doing it at all. It means we get to see everyone every day, and it also means that even detainees who are doing solitary aren't left without visitors all day."

She put a hand on his shoulder, and leaned forward. "You do realise that you are currently in solitary status, don't you? Most detainees usually are for the first month or so, so it's not a punishment or anything like that, it's just to give you a chance to settle in. Of course you're a special case, so you might be on your own for longer, I don't know."

"I didn't know that, Shepherd. I don't seem to know very much about what's going on at all."

"When I'm finished with your hair, I'll show you how to find your case file. You won't be able to change anything, and some of the file won't be visible to you, but you'll at least be able to find out what's happening to your status here, and how any appeal or parole hearing is progressing. Most detainees check their file every morning, just to see if anything has changed."

"I didn't know such a thing existed. Thank you, Shepherd."

His file contained very little, as he had suspected it would. The detainment order, the transfer order, his current status, and the number of days remaining were displayed. The link to his appeal did not function, so they assumed that it was still in some pending state.

Marlon thanked Belle, and after she had locked him in, he went and inspected himself in the bath cubicle, where a sheet of polished steel was securely fixed over the washbasin. She had brushed his hair into a style that could be either male or female. It wouldn't stay like that, of course. He decided to have a chat with her the following morning and see if he could arrange for her to do it while his hair was damp, to enable it to dry into a simple style.

He looked at his face. The shadow from the bristle darkened his cheeks and chin, and he wondered what his face would look like when it was all gone. At least he wouldn't have to shave for much longer. It was a morning chore, as for every man, but it wasn't something he would lose sleep over if he never had to do it again. Perhaps it would make him look younger.

The very last hair removal session was the worst, since it was the stiffest bristles on his top lip. By now he had become used to the discomfort, but this occasion was so painful that he had to be given a pain relief injection before he could be led back to E Deck.

After that, his life turned into a dull routine, enlivened only by the daily visits of the Shepherds who did his hair, and occasionally stayed to talk to him, and by visits from Sophia to check his health. He started doing the channel twelve exercises each morning, and in the afternoons he would read the news or a book from the library. All action on his appeal seemed to have stalled somewhere, not that he had much expectations on that score anyway.

The hairdresser came, one of a small team of Shepherds who did nothing else but circulate the facility trimming and styling the detainees' hair. She was accompanied by two detainees who apparently were some sort of trusty, their status being indicated by royal blue cuffs to the sleeves of their brown dresses. These were the first detainees Marlon had seen since the day he had arrived at the facility.

Some rooms nearest the watch station had been converted from residential purposes for other uses, and one of these had become a Treatment Room. It held a diagnostic chair which Marlon was strapped into. While the hairdresser trimmed him, her two assistants attended to his finger and toe nails, efficiently trimming and filing them into shape. The three assumed that Marlon was female, and he made no attempt to convince them otherwise. He was returned to his room feeling self-conscious about the attention that they had paid to him.

After about two months in the facility, he had to ask to be taken down to Stores and re-measured, since his smocks were getting tight at chest and hip. His new outfits were a little more shaped, and the dresses he was given had a back zip welded in to make them easier to put on or take off. He mentioned his changing shape at Sophia's next visit.

"I had to get new clothes from Stores, Sophia. I think I'm beginning to put on a little weight, and I feel quite flabby. Is there any chance I can do some real exercise somewhere? The channel twelve routines I do are keeping me flexible, but they don't seem to be getting any weight off."

Sophia grinned. "You could always try eating a little less. What exercise did you have in mind?"

"I used to do a little running," he replied, "I know you're not likely to let me go outside for a long run, so I wouldn't expect that. But what might you be able to offer me?"

"You're in luck, as it happens. There's an Exercise Room on each Deck, I'm surprised no-one's mentioned it to you. There's a couple of running treadmills and a rowing machine in yours. I'll ask the Shepherds to schedule you in some sessions. How long have you been here now? It seems like ages."

"Thank you for reminding me. It's been about two months. Why?"

"I'll ask them about your status. I don't think there's much need to keep you on your own any more." She held up a hand. "I can't promise anything, mind you, I can only offer a medical opinion, but I think it's about time you were able to interact with more people than just the E Deck watch." She paused. "Of course, there may be other reasons than those I've been told about why you're being kept separate, but if there aren't I shall certainly press for a change of status."

"I would appreciate it if you would, Shepherd. Life in here is getting a little boring."

"Not to mention, it's a sure-fire way for someone to get depressed," Sophia said. "As I said, I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise anything."

The following morning when Elena came to do his hair, she told him that his status would soon be changing.

"We're not going to do it all at once, though," she explained as she brushed his hair, which had been styled into a short bob with a fringe. "We want to introduce you to the others gradually, so what we'll do is to schedule sessions for you in the Exercise Room with one of the other detainees. Once you start doing that regularly, we'll rotate your partners and they'll all get to know you over a period of time. That also means you won't have to deal with everyone at once. When you've been shut away in here it can be a bit overwhelming."

"Thank you, Elena."

"You'll need to contact Stores and ask them to send up some running kit for you. You'll need shorts, a running top and a pair of running shoes if you're going to use the treadmill."

"Of course, Elena, I'll do that directly you've finished."

His running kit arrived that afternoon, and Elena brought it to him. The running top and shorts were in the same green as his dresses and had obvious feminine styling, but Marlon hadn't expected anything else. He looked with interest at the shoes. No laces, obviously, but touch-closure straps for a comfortable fit.

"I would keep those purely for your running," she advised. "There's nothing to stop you walking around in them at other times, but you'll wear them out if you do that. We've scheduled you for a slot later tomorrow morning. If you carry on as normal and do the channel twelve exercises like you've been doing, by the time someone fetches you, you'll be nicely warmed up."

When Linda, the fourth of the day Shepherd team, led him out the following morning, he was quite nervous. He had changed into the running kit, leaving his briefs and sports bra on underneath. She took him to the other half of the corridor, to a room corresponding to the Treatment Room, and opened the door. Inside was Belle and another woman, who was striding along on one of the two treadmills.

"Grace, this is Marion. She'll be joining you for your exercise today," introduced Linda. "I'll leave you both in Belle's capable hands," she said, and left the three of them in the room.

Marlon looked at the other detainee. She was a little shorter, much smaller in build, and fair against Marlon's dark colouration. She looked to be about forty years old or so. He climbed onto the other treadmill, and Belle came over.

"I suggest you start out real easy to begin with," she said, "since it's been a good while since you've done anything like this sort of exercise. You've put on a bit of weight, as well, so that's going to make it seem harder as well. I'll show you how to operate the controls."

Marlon decided that a fast walk was probably enough for his first session, and soon worked up quite a sweat. He recognised that if he did this regularly he would have to change his bathing habits.

"Is this your first time in here, then?" asked Grace after a while. Marlon glanced at Belle, but she just waved her hand. It appeared that talking was permitted.

"Yes," replied Marlon. Over the course of a conversation, he told her his story, but omitted the fact that he was a man. He found that he could answer most of the questions truthfully without that information being significant. In return, he discovered that Grace had been convicted of murdering her baby while suffering from post-natal depression. Though she seemed to have come to terms with it now, she was still under the close scrutiny of Sophia. All too soon the session came to an end and he was ushered back to his room.

That week he did four half-hour sessions, all of them with Grace. The following week, he was allowed hour sessions, part on the treadmill and part on the rowing machine. His time on the machines overlapped with that of other detainees, so from then on he was introduced to most of the remaining people who lived on E Deck, save two who were judged to be insane, and two more who were on close suicide watch. His fitness recovered, but curiously, his flabbiness didn't fade. His skin still remained soft, and the excess still remained on his chest and hips.

After four weeks his status was changed from "at risk, isolated" to "at risk", and he was allowed to leave his room during the day to visit the other detainees. Kristina explained how this worked.

"After the breakfast and lunch trays have been collected, and the catering trolleys have gone down in the lift, your door will be released. You'll get to recognise the click, no doubt. Whenever your tell-tale is green, that means you are free to leave your room. If you want to leave your room, just open the door and come out, you don't have to ask anyone. If you are happy to have someone visit you, then leave your door open. Similarly, you can visit anyone who has left theirs open. If you wish privacy, just close your door. The room next to the Treatment Room is a small lounge with a few chairs and a drinks dispenser, if several of you wish to have a chat. There's another one in the other half next to the Exercise Room, and you can visit that as well if you want to. Just remember not to neglect anything you have been doing, such as the channel twelve exercises or your treadmill sessions. A chime will sound when you have to go back to your rooms."

Marlon's new routine thus changed to include social visits during the afternoon. In his old life, he had not been that talkative, with anyone much except his partner and a couple of close friends at the factory where he had worked. He discovered that he quite liked talking to the motley selection of women who made up E Deck. He found that he could understand their problems and sympathise with them, recognising that many of them had had little choice in the actions that had led them to be sent to the facility.

He had to be careful in the reminiscences he told to them, in case they figured his secret out, but in the end a tiny mistake meant that they all learned what he was.

"What did you say you did again, before you came here?" asked Martha, a large woman who had stolen money, and who was on E Deck through risk of self-harming.

"I was a Machinist, First Class," he replied, absent-mindedly.

"What, you operated a sewing machine?" asked Jill, who had killed her partner before he could murder her, and who was consumed by guilt.

"No, I operated a milling machine."

"Flour, you mean?"

"No," he replied patiently, "I operated a fifty-tonne computer-operated milling machine, making industrial pumps from castings, and other parts for power stations and chemical works."

This information was greeted by the group of eight women in the lounge with dead silence. They all knew that, however much the State harped on about the equality of men and women, there were certain jobs which men did, and certain jobs which women did, and what he'd just told them wasn't one of the latter.

"That's a man's job," one of them said.

"That's right," Marlon said. "That's because that's what I am."

The women stared at him, some showing disbelief, others showing caution.

"You don't look much like a man," accused Martha. "Are you right in the head? If you was a man, you wouldn't be in here, now, would you?"

Marlon sighed, prepared to recount his story yet again, but before he could start, Belle appeared in the doorway. Marlon had realised long ago that all their conversations were monitored by the watch desk. She raised her eyebrow at Marlon.

"Belle," Marlon pleaded, "unless you were prepared to lock my room and throw away the key, there was always a good chance that the E Deck residents would find out what I was. I'd rather they were told the facts by me, rather than have some fantastic tale generated by the rumour factory. Please?"

Belle looked at the other women carefully. Finally, she came to a decision, and addressed them all.

"I'll let Marlon tell his own story -" it was the first time any of them had heard his real name "- but I must warn you all of this. The fact that Marlon is male, yes he is male, must must not be allowed to leave E Deck, for his own safety. I must also warn all of you to be on your best behaviour around him. We don't need any romantic entanglements or unwanted pregnancies up here. If word gets out, or if we get any trouble at all, we might just lock all of you in your rooms and throw away the keys. Understand me?"

There was a stunned silence. Finally a voice spoke.

"If he's really a male, what's he doing in here? Why does he look like a woman?"

"I look like a woman because I'm trying not to be noticed," Marlon answered. "As to why I'm here, you can be sure that it wasn't of my choosing. Belle, will you stay? Some of what I have to tell them may sound a bit fantastic, and I'd like some backup."

Belle assented, and he began his story, from the beginning. The women, who had initially seen him as a potentially destabilising influence, realised that he was the victim of circumstances and that he really had no control over what had happened to him. He was showered with sympathy and made an honorary member of the sisterhood. It seemed apparent that they would all stand together to protect him and his secret. Belle nodded to herself as she realised that Marlon had made the right decision, even though it had seemed shaky to her at the start.

There followed a slow and strange change of Marlon's status among the women of E Deck, Shepherds and detainees alike. He had previously spoken with nearly all of the detainees who were allowed out of their rooms, and the discussions had been on the basis of woman-to-woman talk. Now those same women recognised that as well as being sympathetic to them, Marlon also had a valuable extra viewpoint which they could use in their conversations. None of them considered him any kind of threat, but a rather valuable asset to the community, and someone who could consider their problems and needs in a way none of them could.

The problem with the Shepherds was the strangest of all. He noticed that one or two of them began discussing the problems of some of the other detainees with him. At first, he just offered an honest opinion, as he would normally do, but in the end he realised what was happening, and brought a stop to it.

"I mustn't give you advice," he told the four day Shepherds who happened to all be together at the Watch desk one day. "I'm just a detainee here. I'm quite willing to give you the benefit of my opinion here, if you ask me something, but I'm not sure you should be asking me. It's bad enough with all the detainees treating me as some kind of sage, but I certainly don't think the Shepherds ought to be doing it as well."

"That's a bit of a problem," said Elena, "since you do seem to be so good at it! We wouldn't take your advice unchecked, but when we have asked you for it you've been right much more often than not. Your point is taken, though. We'll try to keep ourselves in check. Regarding the detainees, now. Do you consider your situation to be likely to cause problems with the running of the Deck?"

Marlon realised that Elena had spoken formally. "Shepherd, I think I understand what you're asking. You want to know if my actions, or indeed the actions of the other detainees, now that they know I'm male, are likely to cause an unstable, or otherwise unwanted situation on the Deck. I think, now that I know what's happening, that the answer is no. I'll make sure that it doesn't get out of hand. You always have the final say, in any case. If any Shepherd tells me to stop, I'll stop. If you think what I'm doing is helpful, and you tell me to continue, I can do that as well. Just tell me what you want, and I'll do it. That's the rules, isn't it?"

Elena nodded. "We can agree to that, I think. I, personally, think you're doing a good job up here. We were talking before about how much more pleasant the Deck seems the last few weeks. I wouldn't wonder if you were the reason for that. Even before you told them your story, you seemed to have a way of engaging them we haven't seen for a long while. I think we'll have to check the regulations on exactly what Shepherds and detainees are allowed to discuss with one another, but E Deck has always had it's own interpretation of the rules in any case. Feel free to act a a sob sister to the other detainees if you wish to."

Some weeks later Marlon found it necessary to be taken to Stores once more, as his clothes had begun to get tight on him again. Aside from the tightness at chest and hips, the sports bras were becoming very uncomfortable. The stores keeper laser-measured him, and then changed all his clothes apart from his footwear. He got wider briefs, a better-shaped dress, new nightdresses, wider shorts and a larger sized slip and running top. The stores keeper said he needed different shaped sports bras, and also issued him two pairs of standard bras.

"I don't need these... do I?" he queried.

"If you look at your measurements, you'll see that you would benefit from properly shaped support, like most in here. If you've got those puppies hanging from your chest, you need to wear the right garments to make sure they're properly supported."

Marlon looked down at his chest, and realised that what he had thought was just 'flab' had in fact turned into something different.

"Uh, I suppose you're right. Should I put one on now?"

"Yes, we'd better check the fit. It will also make a difference to your dress fitting, so I want to see you dressed properly before you go back upstairs."

Belle, who had brought him down, helped him to put the bra on, and he was immediately impressed by how well the garment supported him. His breasts weren't clamped tightly to his chest, like the way that the sports bra had made them, but gently supported and held in place. He pulled on the slip and Belle zipped up his new dress.

"How do you feel?" asked the stores keeper.

"I should never have doubted you," said Marlon. "I'm sorry. This all fits so much better now."

"You look a lot better, too," said Belle. "Look in the mirror over there."

Marlon went and stood in front of the mirror. He would not have been able to recognise the person who had arrived six months previously. The person who looked back at him was all woman. Almost all, he checked himself. At least I still have those.

"Satisfied?" asked the stores keeper. "Then off you go. Remember to push all your old stuff down the laundry chute so you don't get it all mixed up."

Belle cuffed him, and then piled all his new clothes onto his outstretched arms before leading him back upstairs. As they went, he became ever more conscious of his new, proudly displayed bustline. By the time they had arrived back at E Deck, he had begun to understand why many women considered their breasts to be such an important part of their bodies.

"Gosh, look at you!" said Martha, after he had put his new clothes away and been let out. "You look great! Is that all really you?" she asked, "It's not just padding to keep up the disguise, is it?"

"No, it's actually all me," he replied. "I'm now wearing a properly sized and fitted bra, that's all. I hadn't realised just how far things had gone."

Martha put her arm round his waist, which he now realised was still quite slender. "Now you're really one of us! You'll appreciate our problems even more. Come on, let's have a drink in the lounge. I bet you can't wait to show yourself off to everyone."

"Well actually, this has come as a bit of a surprise to me," Marlon said, "although I can't say I dislike the effect, I didn't ask for this to happen to me. I'm not sure why it has."

"Don't ask me," replied Martha, "although there have been rumours that some facilities put things in the water. I wonder if something like that has happened here. It would affect you, but not the rest of us because we already have breasts."

"Don't start making any conspiracy theories yet," cautioned Marlon, "I think I need to make a few discreet enquiries and see if I can find out what's going on. Besides, they'd hardly medicate the water for the whole facility just to fix a single male detainee, would they?"

But though he showed off his new assets to the rest of the group, to general approval and much friendly laughter, a part of his mind was working on the question of what had been done to him and why. It was a thoughtful Marlon who was locked into his room that night.

The following morning, he got up and showered as usual, but after he had blown himself dry he stood naked in front of the steel mirror and examined himself. It had taken six months or so for his body to change the way it had, and it had all happened so slowly that he hadn't realised the full implications of what was happening to him. He noticed now for the first time that his nipples were much larger, and the dark area surrounding them was much bigger, as a woman's were. His breasts were not particularly large, as such things went, but they were undeniably female breasts.

He cupped his hands under them, just the same way that he had cupped those of Anna, his dead partner, and realised just how sensitive they were, and how Anna must have felt when he cupped hers. These breasts would look good on a woman, he thought. He looked at his smooth, soft, pale face, with it's feminine, shaped hair, his narrow waist, his broad hips, his tapering legs, his smooth calves. These breasts are on a woman. I am a woman. They've turned me into a woman.

The shock of the realisation nearly drove him to his knees. Somehow he recovered, and started dressing. Breakfast would be delivered soon. With muscles that threatened to turn to jelly, he pulled on briefs, bra, slip and dress, and zipping himself up he walked back into the bathroom and looked at himself again, seeing himself in his new clothes clearly for the first time. But I am a man. This is not right. I don't deserve to have this happen to me. The shock hit him again, but this time he was unable to resist, and he folded on to the floor, curling up into a ball.

The breakfast tray thumped unheeded into the feeding station slot. Five minutes later, Belle slammed the door open and rushed into the room. Marlon was wedged half in and half out of the cubicle entrance, and this made it difficult for Belle to determine whether or not there was some kind of medical problem. Finding that he was shaking, and crying uncontrollably, she relaxed slightly, although the situation could still be serious.

Moments later Kristina joined Belle, and the two of them gently got Marlon up and onto the bed, where he sat hunched up, still weeping.

"Talk to me, dear," Belle said softly. "What's happened to you? Why are you so upset?"

Kristina went to the feeding station and retrieved the cup of tea, which she brought over to the bed.

"Marlon," she said, "drink some of this. Come on. We want to help you. You've helped so many of the others, we want to do the same for you."

He accepted a sip of the now cooling tea, and sat there shuddering, his eyes wet. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely audible.

"I don't want to be like this. They've made me into a woman. I'm not a woman, I've never been a woman. Now I'm stuck like this for ever."

Belle wrapped her arm around him. "Oh, you poor thing. It must have come as such a shock to you when you realised. Look. Come and have your breakfast, and we'll look after you today. Keep your door closed, and we'll do some research and see what we can find out for you." She looked significantly at Kristina. "Something's plainly not right here."

The two Shepherds persisted, and eventually he was helped over to the feeding station where the women made him eat at least some of his breakfast. Then Kristina left, pulling the door closed behind her, leaving Belle with him. She made him sit on the bed, and she sat close to him, so that she could put her arm around him.

"Tell me all about it," she commanded.

"I didn't realise what was happening to my body," he began, haltingly. "I just thought I'd got fat in here because I wasn't exercising like I used to. Even when we went down to stores yesterday and I was given the bras it really didn't register. It was only when I saw myself this morning after my shower that I realised what they did to my body."

"We all thought you were supposed to be a woman who changed herself into a man. That's why you got sent to a female facility, after all. Perhaps someone decided that you ought to be turned back into a woman," Belle suggested.

"They turned me into a woman, all right," Marlon said, bitterly, "but they couldn't turn me back into one, because I was never one in the first place. Now I'm just a male mind in a female body."

"I can tell that," said Belle softly, "although you've looked female for quite a while there's a certain something about the way you acted and spoke that marked you out as not being typically female. There are certain of us Shepherds who were concerned about your placement here, although you've managed to fit in well."

"What do I do?" he said, tearfully.

"Like I said, we'll do some digging and find out what's going on. Once we've done that, we'll see what action is possible," she replied. "Our job is to guide and protect our charges, and we'll do that to the best of our ability, even if it means making waves. Leave that to us. Your first job is going to be to adapt to your new circumstances, I'm afraid. As you pointed out, you've got a female body now, you're going to have to learn to live with it."

He burst into tears again. Belle used his small towel to mop his face dry. She put her finger under his chin, and tilted his face up.

"Look, being a woman all my life hasn't done me any harm. I don't say you're going to find it easy, but you're probably in the best place to do it. Everyone on E Deck will rally round you, just you watch. Besides, you're not entirely female, are you?"

"No, that's true. But I don't know if I'm sterile now or not. It depends how they did it, I suppose."

"We'll have a look at how they did it. I'm not entirely sure how we'll manage that, but there's an authorised process for those who want to do gender reassignment, so we'll start there and find out how that works."

"Why do I feel so terrible?" he asked. "I never used to fall to pieces like this before."

Belle prodded his leg gently with her free hand. "To give you this body, I guess they pumped you full of chemicals and hormones," she said, "and by now you're probably making hormones of your own. Welcome to the world I live in, dear sister."

The tears flowed and Belle mopped again.

"As I said," she added, "being a woman hasn't harmed me. You'll soon learn how to recognise your emotions and how to adapt to them. There are many compensations to being female as well, you know."

Marlon eventually calmed down, and he and Belle spent the rest of the morning talking quietly. The rest of the day shift left them alone, as they understood how badly he had been shocked, even though it left them a person short. Lunch was delivered, and Belle had to use Marlon's terminal to be let out so that she could eat her own lunch. He had assured her that he could now be left on his own, and that he would call if he felt the need.

His tray had only been removed for about a minute when his door opened, and Elena stood in it.

"Marlon, I understand the shock you must be feeling. It's my opinion that you could do with a little bit of exercise. Come and walk up and down the corridor with me before we let the others out of their rooms, you can have a little bit of peace out here and get your breath." As she said this, she beckoned him with the fingers of one hand.

Curious, Marlon walked unsteadily out into the corridor. Elena put her arm round his waist.

"Now lean your head on my shoulder, and listen to me while we walk."

As they turned away from the watch station Marlon was surprised to see the trolley with the lunch trays being pushed through the open gate at the end of the corridor by a woman in a brown dress. Up till now, none of the detainees had ever seen the food trays being delivered or collected. He became aware that something unusual was happening.

He actually had to rest on her shoulder, and accept her support, because his legs were weak. He hadn't realised how much the revelation had affected him. In some respects he was glad that Elena had made him come out and walk off some of the effects, but that seemed to be only part of the reason for her actions.

"Firstly," she said quietly, "we're out here because it's safe to talk. There are video pickups out here, it's true, but no audio. In all the rooms, and round the watch station, everything is monitored all the time. I don't want what I say to you to be recorded. Now, you're tired, lean against this pillar a moment."

It was true, he had to stop. Marlon realised that they must have had a number of incidents up here for her to read his state so accurately.

"If you hadn't already worked it out, I'm the senior Shepherd for E Deck. That means I have responsibility for the smooth running of the Deck, and I'm also responsible for ensuring that my Shepherds also obey the rules and don't get tangled up with unusual occurrences. Kristina and Belle reported to me what happened this morning, and I also saw some of it on the monitors. All the other detainees on the Deck now know what happened, don't ask me how. Belle is convinced that your reactions this morning prove that the story you have been maintaining is true. Time to walk a bit more, I think."

She helped him down to the grille at the end of the corridor, and turned back.

"She's not the only one. I think it would be hard for most people to fake what happened to you this morning. But I have to consider all the rest of the detainees, as well. If things get out of hand, we could end up with a discipline problem here, and that could mean a lock-down, or at worst, you would all be split up and sent to other facilities. That might happen to the Shepherds as well."

Marlon looked at Elena unhappily. E Deck was a happy place, and he didn't want to be the trigger that caused it to be broken up.

"As I said before, Shepherd, tell me what I must do and I'll do it," he said quietly.

"Just keep things calm, will you? Try and play things down a little. We'll help you, sure. It's only natural that detainees get an interest in their case files, most of them are trying to look for a reason why they shouldn't be in here, after all. Most give up after a month or two once they've seen the evidence that got them sent here. Your case is a little different, and there is no reason why you shouldn't discuss that with any of the Shepherds or any of the other detainees. But if you occupy too much of the Shepherds' time, or you create a circus in here, someone up above may take steps."

"I understand, Shepherd."

"So we don't distract the Shepherds too much, I'm going to ask Belle to be your point of contact, as it were. She'll be quite happy to do that, and she's most closely connected with you at the moment in any case. The rules will allow me that much, I think. Further, although we have access to your file, we can't actually do much more with it than you can. We're not legal advocates, after all, just glorified minders. I wonder... I have a thought, I'll discuss it with Belle after I've helped you back to your room. Feel any better?"

They had reached the grille separating his half of E Deck from the watch station, and turned again.

"Actually, yes, Elena, I do. I hadn't realised how badly I'd been affected. I'm sorry if I worried any of you."

"And that is what inclines me to think you're telling the truth. However, officially, I have to believe that the court proceedings were valid, so the rules still apply to you and me. Understand?"

"I do understand. Can we go down the other end again, please? Then I'll go in and you can let everyone else out."

"We can manage that. I don't think anyone's going to object to a minute or two longer before we open up."

By the time he got back to the doorway of his room, the waves of weakness had stopped passing up and down his legs, and his breathing seemed steadier. He went inside, closed the door and lay down on his bed. He was asleep within seconds.

A knock on the door awoke him, and he slowly rolled to his feet and walked unsteadily to the door. When he opened it, Belle stood waiting.

"You look a bit better than you did this morning," she said. "I want you to come with me and meet someone, if you feel up to it."

Marlon brushed the creases out of his dress and joined her in the corridor. They walked towards the watch station, Belle wary in case his footsteps wobbled. They passed the watch station and walked through into the other half of the Deck.

"The person I want you to meet is a bit of a recluse, but I think we may be able to persuade her to help. You see, she used to be a court clerk."

"A court clerk? A detainee? What's she doing in here?"

"She fiddled some court records for her lover, and got found out. He was a major criminal. She's up here because she's associated with the system. If she got sent to a normal Deck, they'd kill her the same as if a Proctor or an Enforcer - or a Shepherd - ended up inside. She fears being attacked, so she keeps to her room unless she can't avoid it. But she knows the procedures, so she'll be useful."

"Will she let is in, if she's so scared?"

"I hope so. I don't want to have to lean on her if I can avoid it. If I do that, she might not co-operate. Here we are."

It was one of the rooms almost at the far end of the corridor. The door was closed, but the tell-tale was green. Marlon knocked on the door. After a short delay it was opened, and an older woman peered out, her face closed when she saw the green dress in front of her. She started to close the door.

"I don't want any visitors. That's why my door is closed."

Marlon said, quickly, "I'm a man."

The door stopped closing briefly. The woman looked at him a bit more closely, her eyes flicking over his face and down his body.

"Yeah, right. And I'm a banana." The door started closing again.

"I can prove it," said Marlon, desperately. He bent down, grabbed hold of the hem of his skirt and started to lift it.

"Delusional," said the woman. "Like most of the sad cases in here. Clear off, and leave me in peace."

Belle stepped into view.

"Shepherd," the woman acknowledged, but didn't say or do anything more, just stood there with the door half-closed. She didn't want to openly defy Belle by slamming the door in her face, but equally didn't care to have her peace disturbed.

"Do you want him to expose himself in the corridor, Talya?" Belle asked the woman. "Let us in. He needs your help."

Talya's eyes flicked at Belle's use of the word 'he', but the suspicion never left her face. Reluctantly, she opened the door and gestured for them to enter. They walked into the room and stood awkwardly, Talya's attitude clear that they were not welcome.

With a glance at the Shepherd for permission, Talya said, "Show me."

Marlon pulled up his skirt and, hooking a thumb in his underwear, pulled them down to show Talya his penis and testicles. Her eyebrows rose up and stayed up. Marlon pulled up his briefs and smoothed his skirt back down.

"What are you doing in this place, then?" Talya asked. "Are you a man who's been posing as a woman?"

"Quite the opposite," Marlon said, "they think I'm a woman who's been posing as a man."

Talya's eyebrows rose again, and she said, "You have my interest. I'm sorry for the poor welcome. Please come in and sit down."

Marlon sat on the bed beside Talya, while Belle perched on the end of the feeding station seat.

"I know you," Talya said. "You've been on the treadmill a couple of times when I've been there. What's your name?"

"Marlon," he said, "but there's reason to believe they also think I'm called Marion."

"Well, Marlon, or Marion, I'm Talya. Let's hear your story, then."

Marlon gave his oft-repeated story, without interruption from Talya. At the end, she frowned.

"You've only told me the overview. I need to hear everything."

Marlon shrugged. "I've told you everything I can remember that happened to me. I can't think of much I've left out."

Belle added, "That's the reason we came to you, Talya. Much of what happened to Marlon makes no sense."

Talya grunted. "I still find it hard to believe you're a man, despite the evidence. Outwardly, you look entirely female. Just a moment -" She held her hands up, one palm outwards, one palm inwards with thumbs extended, to make a frame. She framed Marlon's mouth, and then his eyes. "- that's interesting. Your mouth is typically feminine, but your eyes definitely aren't. You're not one of those intermediate gender people, are you? Born with both sets of characteristics?"

"Talya," Belle said, "When he came in here six months ago he was completely and properly male. He's been changed since then to look like he is now. One of the things we need to know is how it was done."

"I need to see your file," Talya said, rising. "With your permission, of course." She walked to the personal terminal and sat down, patting the seat beside her. "Sit here, you need to be close for this to work."

Marlon and Belle looked at each other. Marlon got up and sat beside Talya, who thumbed on the terminal. She logged in, and started doing things neither Marlon nor Belle recognised.

"That's strange," she said, "I've got your record up, and there's absolutely nothing on it. Oh, wait, there's a link at the bottom. Ah, the system thinks that the ID you have round your neck is an alias of another one -" her fingers danced over the keyboard, finally bringing up the female record.

"That's the one!" said Marlon. "That's the other record I told you about, that they showed me the day I arrived."

"The photo doesn't do you justice," Talya said. "In fact," she added, looking from the picture to Marlon and back again, "I don't see how the person pictured here could possibly be you without extensive cosmetic surgery." She frowned. "Okay, let's find the record of the offence you committed."

Marlon began to protest, but thought better of it, not wishing to distract Talya in full flow. She waded through the history, and eventually pulled up the sequence that concluded with Marlon arriving at the Facility.

"Five years," she said, "plus five years concurrent, plus 'regression therapy', whatever that is. I suspect that's what they did to you to turn you female. I'll see if I can find out anything on that in a minute. Looking back to the court proceedings, I can't find anything prior to that. When were you charged with this fraud you are supposed to have done?"

"Charged? I've never been charged. The Justiciar asked me, 'Do you deny the charges?' and I answered truthfully that I had never been charged with anything that I knew about. So because of that, they slapped an extra two and a half years on me."

"They would," Talya nodded. "If you refuse to accept responsibility for your crimes, they will give you extra. But, surely, when you were arrested, something must have been said to you. What were you arrested for?"

"I wasn't arrested," said Marlon. "I was taken to the station for investigation, because the Proctor had come looking for that woman and found me instead. He specifically told the Custody Officer that I was not under arrest. I wasn't read my rights, or anything like that."

Talya frowned again. "It sounds like there's been a serious failure of procedure here, and I can't think how that might have happened. What happened to the Proctor who brought you in? Wasn't he around to sort your status out?"

"No, he got sent out to a 'major incident' the first afternoon I was there. I never saw him again."

"Oh, wow. Shepherd, I'm sorry again about the way I acted. This person is definitely going to need my help. This sounds like one impossible mess. I just hope we can find a way to put Marlon here back the way he should be."

"Thank you, Talya," said Belle. "I was fairly certain we had a good case, I'm glad we asked you. I never realised that you could pull up so much information from a detainee's personal terminal. You will help us, then?"

"As much as I'm able, Shepherd, which probably won't be as much help as he needs. But it will be a start. Citizen," she turned to Marlon, "how long has that appeal status been there?"

"Since the day I arrived, I think," he replied, "I was told it was automatic. Nothing much seems to have happened since then, though."

"No, it can take some time, and if your Proctor isn't around, that will delay things even more. But the point I wish to make to you is that they shouldn't have been doing anything to you while you're in appeal status, since any appeal raises the theoretical possibility that you might be innocent. Especially doing something to you that's potentially irreversible. The system ensures that you get dealt with fairly, and changing your gender doesn't strike me as being fair treatment somehow."

Marlon and Belle looked at one another, thunderstruck.

"How could we have missed that one?" Belle asked. "The trouble is, it's all standard procedure, and we don't take a lot of notice of it. I'll talk to Elena about it. Maybe we have a problem at the facility, as well."

"Don't worry about what you can or can't do," Marlon said to Talya, "We came to you more because you'd be able to tell us how the procedure was supposed to operate. I'm delighted that you've managed to find out so much so quickly."

"Thank you. It's relatively easy when you are familiar with the system. I'll do what I can, this looks like one monumental screw up, and I'll be happy to help you navigate your way through what's here, and show you what's been done as well as what should have been done," Talya replied. She shifted her gaze to Belle. "It occurs to me, Shepherd, that the immediate pressing need is for someone to find the Proctor who was following this case."

Belle nodded. "I'll need his ID code. Now I know where to look, I can pull that up on the watch station terminals and try to contact him that way."

"Good. Meanwhile, I'll run through with Marlon what resources he has available to him."

"Talya? We're not keeping you from anything? You're happy with Marlon here in your room?"

Talya shrugged. "There's nothing I was doing that can't wait." She gave a wry grimace. "It's not as if I'm short of time, is it? In fact, Marlon's case is sufficiently... unusual, shall we say, that I consider the mental stimulation it will give me will be ample repayment for any disruption you have caused."

"That's all right then," said Belle with a straight face. "Is it okay if I leave Marlon here with you? There is other work I ought to be getting on with."

"Yes, I'm happy with that. You just find that Proctor."

Belle departed, and Talya went back to the beginning and showed Marlon how she accessed the areas of his records that she had shown them. Marlon, being essentially a skilled manual worker, had not developed much interest in the use of the personal terminals aside from that required for his basic needs. He resolved to put that deficiency right - now he had the time to do so, and a teacher who was willing to lead him through the complex procedures she found so easy to handle.

Eventually, he began to tire as a result of his incident-packed day, and had to go and lie down on Talya's bed for a while. He was forced to concede that he should probably make his way back to his own room and rest.

"You've probably done enough for today," Talya said, "I think you should return to your own room. Dinner will be in about half an hour, in any case. Come back tomorrow after lunch, I may have some further information for you."

"Would you consider coming to my room?" Marlon asked. "I'd like to return the hospitality."

Talya's eyes flickered. "I'm not sure that I could manage that," she said. "I have... issues."

"So I understand. Perhaps we could talk about that tomorrow then? I'm a good listener, so they all tell me."

Talya regarded Marlon warily as he stood and made his way to the door.

Marlon said, "Look, we've all got issues up here. It's the reason we're all on E Deck, after all. There are people out there with much worse problems than yours, I can assure you. I don't want to force you to do anything against your will, but I don't think you'll come to much harm just talking to me about it."

Talya stared at Marlon, and then nodded jerkily. "I can't promise much," she said, "but maybe you're right. I won't promise you much, tomorrow, but I will try and explain."

Marlon waved a hand, and then left, pulling the door shut behind him. Part way back along the corridor, he met Belle, who didn't look happy.

"I'll walk you back to your room," she said. "We've tried to get hold of the Proctor, but it's not possible to do so from the watch station terminals, we can only call internal locations from those. I might have a go this evening when I get home. You look tired."

"It's been a long day, and it didn't start out well," replied Marlon. "I should be a little better tomorrow. Talya wants me to visit her tomorrow afternoon."

After they passed the watch station, Martha came out of the lounge on her way back to her own room. She stopped when she saw Marlon and came over to him, her arms open. Marlon accepted the invitation and went into a hug with the big woman.

"Heard you had problems, honey," Martha said quietly in his ear. "Just let us know what you need, we'll do what we can."

"I'm touched," said Marlon, as indeed he was. "Thank you for your kind words, Martha. I'll talk it over with the crowd tomorrow morning, but for now, just keep it low key. The Shepherds, most of them anyway, are supportive, but we have to be careful not to cause a fuss."

"Whatever you say, sister - or should that be brother?"

Marlon smiled as he released his grip. "Sister will do fine. And thank you again. See you tomorrow."

With a wave, Martha let him go and walked off towards her own door. Belle followed Marlon down to his room.

"Hold me please, Belle," he said as they entered the room. With only the slightest hesitation, Belle gathered him into her arms. Marlon was about the same height as Belle, but he managed to lay his head on her shoulder.

After a while he said, "I didn't know I had such friends in this place. You've all been so good to me."

Belle murmured, "You seem to bring out the best in us. Even Talya. You've got more out of Talya than any of us have in nearly a year. And Martha's as hard as nails, usually. Of course we're all going to rally round you."

"I'm sorry, Belle," he said after a pause, and began to disentangle himself from her. "Am I being too familiar with the staff?" He looked at her, his eyes wet.

"Not at all," she replied. "You forget, this is a women's facility. As I said earlier today, you're in my world now, and the rules are different. We do get closer to the detainees, and the hormones can run a bit high at times. While hugs are not commonplace, they are not that rare, either, especially when someone has a problem."

"Oh. I'm glad to hear that. I found it comforting today to have some physical contact. I just wondered whether it would be considered inappropriate."

Belle shook her head, found Marlon's towel, and handed it to him. "No, not in this case. You needed support, and we gave it, and we'll keep giving it when you need it again." The evening chime sounded. "I've got to go. If you get any problems this evening, call the watch station as usual. Okay?"

"Okay, Belle," Marlon replied as she headed for the door. "Thank you for what you've done today."

"No problem. Good night," Belle said, and she walked out of Marlon's room and pulled the door shut.

The following morning, immediately after the breakfast trays were collected, Belle came in to brush Marlon's hair. She was anxious to bring Marlon up to date while he sat cross-legged on the bed for her.

"I couldn't make contact with your Proctor," she said directly. "Do you know which station he operates out of?"

Marlon shook his head. "No. I was in the back of a closed van, so I've no idea. However, it's in the same building complex as the court I was taken to. Perhaps you can locate it that way."

"Good idea. Now, do you want to come out, today? What's your exercise schedule?"

"I've got treadmill a little later on. I did promise Martha I'd go and tell the girls all about it. I can't say I'm looking forward to that, but it needs doing. And," he caught Belle's eye, "I'll be careful."

When the doors were released, Marlon walked down to the lounge and entered. At once a babble of questions erupted, but it quietened down almost immediately when they saw the look on his face. Marlon told them what had happened the previous day, and there was universal sympathy for his predicament, and not a few wet eyes. He promised to keep them updated about the progress of their investigations and he made them promise not to cause a fuss over his circumstances.

Several of the women felt fairly strongly about what had happened to him, and he had to make them see that almost anything they thought to do to support him might have unfortunate consequences for all of them. It was with some relief that he went back to his room to change into his sports gear for the treadmill session.

After lunch, he went along to Talya's room. He was surprised to find the door slightly ajar - not actually closed, but not wide open either. He still decided to knock on the door and wait for her.

"Do come in," she said, opening the door. "I've been waiting for you."

"Have you any further news?" he asked, as he sat on the seat beside her.

"Not really," she replied, shaking her head. "I've been looking for this procedure they carried out on you, this 'regression therapy', but I've not been able to find out much. Your medical history is of course locked."

"Would Sophia be able to get into it?" Marlon suggested.

"Maybe. She might not be permitted, or willing, to tell us what we want to know, though. Patient records are confidential, even from the patient, especially in a place like this."

"Have you tried to contact her?" he asked.

"I did, but she was out on the Decks when I tried. I left a note asking her to call."

"When I saw 'regression therapy' in my file," Marlon said, "I assumed that it would involve sessions with a shrink, not wholesale body modification. Is there anything else we can do to find out what it is? What about the reference databases?"

Talya nodded. "Possible. I did have a quick search this morning without finding very much."

"What about just looking for 'gender reassignment'? That should give us the basics, surely?"

"Good point." Talya turned to her keyboard, and the two spent the afternoon learning about things they never knew existed, and didn't particularly want to know about. By the time the evening chime went, their heads were spinning with the information overload, but Marlon at least had a vague idea what had been done to him. He went back to his room satisfied with the progress, if not happy with what they'd discovered.

The following morning, Marlon was surprised when his door wasn't released after breakfast. He had considered contacting the watch station, but before he could set up the call his door was opened and Sophia came in.

"Service, Sophia."

"Service, Marlon. I hope you are well?" she asked.

"As to that, have you spoken to any of the Shepherds recently?"

"No, you're nearer the entrance than they are, so I haven't got to them yet. Why, is something up?"

Marlon went and sat on the bed, and patted beside him for Sophia to sit down.

"I had a, don't know what I might call it, perhaps a 'moment of truth' would come quite close, day before yesterday," he explained. Sophia looked at him curiously. "Notice anything different about me?" he asked her.

"No, why?"

Marlon stood up, and stood by the door so she could see him full length properly. He turned to the side.

"You're looking better," Sophia said, finally. "I can't see any other differences. What do you want me to see?"

"I had to go down to Stores three days ago, because my clothes wouldn't fit me - again. They gave me all new outfits to wear, including bras. I need bras because I've got breasts. I've got breasts because I now have the body of a woman - mostly. I shouldn't have the body of a woman, or breasts, because I'm not a woman. I've never been a woman. Why have you done this to me? What's 'regression therapy'? We tried to find out what was going on yesterday, but we can't get at the information because it's medical. What's going on, Sophia?"

Sophia was taken aback by this blast. "I-I don't know," she said quickly. "I don't know the exact details of each detainees' treatment, I just go round and make sure everything is all right. Are you saying this shouldn't have been done? That you're not supposed to be having this treatment?"

Marlon calmed down. "We just don't know, Sophia, because we can't get at the information to make a judgement. But we thought you might be able to do the research for us. Even if you can't tell us much, because it's confidential, you might be able to confirm or deny our suspicions."

"I, well, possibly, I don't know. Who is this 'we' you keep referring to?"

"The Shepherds have taken an interest. And I've been spending time with Talya, who knows a bit about court procedure."

"Talya? Talya? You mean you've been in her room? How did you manage that?"

"She seemed interested in miscarriages of justice."

"You got Talya to open up? I'm impressed." Sophia got very still. "But if you are making an allegation then you must be very careful. The State does not make mistakes in matters like these."

"I'll withdraw or press any allegations when I have enough data to make a decision with," replied Marlon. "Will you help me find out more? It's my own body we're talking about, here."

"Maybe. You'll have to let me be the judge of what I can tell you, though. What's that therapy you mentioned?"

"Regression therapy. It's mentioned as one of the sentences I received. What exactly is it, and am I undergoing it?"

"Will you let me look for you?" she asked.

"Certainly. That was the object of the exercise."

Sophia stood and seated herself in front of the personal terminal. She found his record, and drilled down to the medical detail.

"Yes, you are receiving regression therapy. I didn't know you were. I've no idea what it is. I'm sorry, I'll have to go back to the office and find out for you. I won't be able to do that until this afternoon, as I'm on my rounds until lunchtime." She looked at Marlon. "In fact, this may delay me a little."

"Would this therapy involve drugs, and hormones, do you think?" he asked.

"I don't know. Possibly. If what I see in front of me is the result of this therapy, then almost certainly. But it is on your sentence sheet, you know. If it's been prescribed by the court, we have to do it."

"Even if my case is still in appeal status?"

Sophia swung round to face the still-standing Marlon, her expression one of astonishment.

"Are you serious?"

She swung back to the terminal and worked her way back to the top of his file, checking his status.

"You are serious." She shook her head. "This should definitely not have happened."

Sophia let out a long breath, and at that moment Elena opened the door.

"Sophia, could I have a word, please? Out in the corridor."

"Why, yes, Shepherd." She got up and joined Elena outside, closing the door behind her. After about ten minutes she reappeared, her expression hard.

"Citizen? Elena has explained much to me. I can't spend any more time with you, unfortunately, because my time on any Deck is limited, but it looks like you may have a case - several cases, in fact. When I get back to Sick Bay I will spend some time finding out for you what I can. This might be tricky, as it appears a superior of mine might be involved, so it may take time. Rest assured, I'll tell you what I can, as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Sophia," Marlon answered.

"Right. Now I have to go and rapidly check everyone else on E Deck. If you'll excuse me, citizen?"

"By all means. Am I free to leave my room now?"

"Elena's here, I'll ask her." She turned in the doorway and spoke to Elena, before turning back to Marlon and nodding. "Yes, you are. Service, citizen," she added, then left.

Elena came in and offered to brush Marlon's hair before he left his room, to which he agreed. As she did so, she told him that the Shepherds had been disturbed by recent events, and had held a meeting where they had researched and reviewed as many of the regulations as they thought might be relevant, and had come to some conclusions, which they were keeping to themselves at the moment. She refused to say much more, except that they viewed his position favourably, and that it could be some time before any change in his status might happen, so he should be patient.

The rest of the morning dragged slowly. The detainees in the lounge wanted to talk of his predicament and nothing else, but his previous warnings forced them to skirt the subject, so the conversation was somewhat low key compared to usual.

Eventually, lunch came, and shortly afterwards he knocked on Talya's door. Once comfortable inside, he brought her up to date with the latest discoveries by Sophia. Talya nodded.

"It's much as we suspected, although it's nice to have it confirmed. In some respects," she added, "what's been done to you is not as important as the fact that something has been done to you. And I'm interested to learn that Sophia understands the implications of doing that while you're still in appeal status."

"Yes. She also understands that it could implicate one of her seniors. It may take some time to make any further progress, though. Have you managed to learn anything more?"

Talya shook her head. "No, not much. I'm expecting your Proctor to be the big breakthrough, although I'm also looking at other angles in case we can't get hold of him for some reason."

"Understood. In the mean time, why don't you tell me something about why you're in here? You did say you would."

Talya immediately became defensive. "This could be difficult for me." She paused, trying to find a way to explain. "I made a big mistake," she said eventually with a sigh, "I got romantically involved with the wrong person. Everything seemed to be working out so well, and then he started asking me questions about what I did during the day. Turns out love really is blind, he was a known criminal. He did tell me, though, that his interest in me was real, that he did love me, I don't know if that's true any more. Trouble is, my position as a court clerk was too good an opportunity for his associates to pass up. They pressured him, and he pressured me, and I changed a few things I shouldn't have. I'm not clever enough to do that without getting caught, and so I got caught. So did he, but his associates got away."

She smiled wanly. "Everything seemed to be going along just right, and then, bang! Suddenly, I'm on the wrong side of the dock, and I end up in here. I begin to understand how you must have felt."

"Only partly," responded Marlon, "until that day I'd never even seen the inside of a court room. I didn't even know why I was there."

"True. But for me, as for you, it was still a shock, as I saw myself as part of the forces of law and order, and suddenly I'm a criminal. Now I'm in limbo, because the system won't trust me any more, so I can't go back to my job in court, and the criminals don't trust me either, since I helped to put many of them into the Facilities."

"What are you afraid of, in here? That someone will kill you? I think instead you'll find a lot of sympathy for your position."

"How so? I'm part of the system, in their eyes."

"You're also a woman, and you've fallen in love, which most of them - and myself - can relate to. When love comes along, reason goes out the window. You know that. So do most of the women up here. I think you're being far too harsh on yourself," Marlon said.

"You think that? You're not exactly an expert on what goes on in these places. What makes you think you know how they'll respond to me? Besides which, I feel guilty for having betrayed the people and the system I worked for," she replied.

"Firstly," Marlon explained, "I know, fairly well, all the detainees on E Deck who are allowed out of their rooms, yourself excepted. There are four up here who aren't let out at any time, in my opinion those four should be in a hospital, but I digress. Yes, I can promise you you're not in any danger from any of them. Especially if I guarantee it, and I do."

Talya's eyes grew round. "You can do that?" she whispered. "Perhaps I've been sticking my head in the sand for too long." She looked at Marlon. "You said, 'Firstly'. Is there more?"

"Yes, in addition, practically everybody on E Deck, and probably most of those in the rest of the facility, has been betrayed by someone or by the system. We can all identify with your guilt, your anger and your frustration. You're one of us, all right."

Talya looked troubled. "You may well be right. I don't know what to do about it, though. I don't even know if I want to do anything about it. I've shut myself in here for so long I've probably made myself agoraphobic. How can I face the outside world again?"

"You have to do it slowly, just like I did," he replied. "Take it a day at a time. I suggest that I bring people to visit you, one at a time, so that you aren't crowded. I'll stay and help, if you like. Or you could ask one of the Shepherds to stay. Do you trust the Shepherds?"

"Yes and no. I don't have a lot to do with them if I can help it."

"You're missing out on a great deal," he said. "I've had nothing but friendship and goodwill from them since I've been here. I don't say they'll treat everyone the same, but the ones on E Deck, at least, have no reason to treat anyone up here badly."

"You paint a picture of life outside my door which is quite different to the one I had imagined," Talya admitted, "You've given me much to think about. You really do see things clearly, don't you?"

"So they tell me," Marlon said with a smile. "Are you interested?"

She thought, and then said, "I'll talk to you again tomorrow, if you don't mind. I'm going to have to do some serious thinking of my own tonight. But," she added, "I'll make sure I don't neglect what I've been doing for you. Your predicament is much more important to deal with than mine."

"Perhaps it's time I went," he decided, "and left you to sort yourself out. I'll come by tomorrow afternoon, then."

He let himself out of her room and walked back to the watch station. Linda looked up at him as he approached.

"Progress?"

"No and yes," he replied. "Not much more to add to my own file, I think, but I may have just talked Talya into rejoining society."

"You've done what?" asked Kristina, her eyebrows raised.

Marlon held his hands out, palms down. "Don't get excited. It's an ongoing project. It'll probably take some time, perhaps a week or two. But I've given her a lot to think about, and she sounds receptive."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Linda said. "We tried for months to get her out. Even Sophia tried. I can't imagine how you did it."

"Perhaps it's my sisterly touch," he suggested with a twinkle. Linda spluttered.

Kristina said, "Seriously, you do have some kind of touch. Have you given a thought to what you might do when you leave here? I can't see you going back to heavy engineering, myself. Why don't you think about some kind of career as a counsellor, or something like that? You'd need to go on a course, I don't know how you'd manage the theoretical side, but I don't see a problem for you if you wanted to change career like that. Might even get State help."

"Hmm. I haven't given any thought about what happens when I get out, probably because I thought I'd still got more than four years before that happens. But your suggestion has merit, I'll consider it."

He walked into the lounge in a totally different frame of mind from the last time he came. He explained to the group there about his visit to Talya, and her fears. He had difficulty getting them to understand that her mental view of the facility was completely different to theirs, and how he had talked her into gradually opening up - he hoped. The women expressed concern at Talya's attitude, and assured Marlon that they would co-operate in his project to bring her into the community.

That evening, after dinner, Alex broadcast to the Deck, saying that the low numbered end, where Marlon was, would be kept locked in the following day, as they would be taken individually down to Sick Bay for breast and cervical screening. She apologised for the short notice, as the schedule had been brought forward.

The following morning, after breakfast, Marlon had nothing to do except wait, so he used the time investigating the courses which were on offer to the detainees. Most of these were fairly basic, as the general intelligence of the average detainee wasn't that great, but there were one or two courses which interested him, and he was reading the prospectuses when the door opened.

"Citizen. Time to go for your yearly breast and cervical screening. Hands in front."

His escorts were two medical orderlies, whose jobs were apparently just to convey the women up and down to Sick Bay. When they reached it, he was led into a different area to normal, where another detainee was standing, along with her own pair of orderlies. Shortly, the other detainee was taken away, and a little while later, he was led to an examination room. His cuffs were removed.

"Underwear off, citizen."

"Pardon, Shepherd?"

"Your underwear. You don't need to take anything else off for this first examination."

Marlon reached up under the skirt of the dress and pulled down his briefs. One of the orderlies held out a tray, and he dropped the briefs on it. Then he realised what they were about to do.

"I don't think there's much point in me doing this, Shepherd," he said.

"Everyone gets tested, it's the rules." The two orderlies moved towards him. Marlon held up his arms, slowly, to show he obeyed, walked quickly towards the examination chair and lay on it. The two orderlies strapped him down, not being particularly gentle about it. As they did so, a harassed looking woman came in through another door carrying a bowl with some test sticks in it.

"Good morning," she said without looking at Marlon. "This won't take long, and then you'll be taken to have your breasts scanned. Will you adjust the chair for me, please?" she asked one of the orderlies.

Marlon was tilted back and his legs raised and separated. The orderly pulled Marlon's skirt up out of the way, and then stopped, staring at the exposed pelvic area.

"Doctor -"

"What?" The woman was pulling up Marlon's record in the room's terminal. She turned round, and jumped when she saw what the orderlies were goggling at.

"What nonsense is this?" she said, "Is this some kind of joke?"

"If you'd bothered to look at my record before you put me in this chair, you'd have found out that I was a man when I came into this facility," Marlon said, greatly daring.

The woman peered at the blank space between his scrotum and his anus, and then turned back to his record.

"I'll forgive your impertinence, since you're substantially correct," the woman said after a good look at his file. She gestured to the orderlies. "Let her, I mean him, go."

Marlon was released. He stood up and straightened his dress, collected his briefs and put them on again. The woman spoke again.

"What about those?" she asked. "Are they real?" She pointed to his breasts.

"Yes, Shepherd. They're not that big, but they're real."

She looked at him suspiciously, trying to decide whether he was being impertinent again.

"Very well, looks like you'll be having them scanned." To the orderlies, she instructed, "Take him outside and wait for the scanner as normal, would you?"

Without another word, she picked up her bowl and departed. The orderlies cuffed him again, and took him back to the waiting area. One of the orderlies looked at him curiously.

"If you're really male, what are you doing in here, then?" she asked.

Marlon replied, "It's a long story. It's also medically privileged information, so it would be best if you don't discuss what you saw here with anyone, if you get my meaning."

"Of course, citizen," the woman said, "but it was just a bit of a shock seeing those, especially as you look just like any other woman in here."

"Yes, well, I didn't look anything like this when I arrived here," Marlon said.

Before he could say anything more, a door opened and Sophia poked her head round.

"Next! Oh, service, Marlon. Come on through."

They followed Sophia through the corridors of Sick Bay until they came to a large room almost filled by a big machine which Marlon recognised as a body scanner.

"I'm going to have to ask you to strip in order to feed you into the machine," she explained. "You can keep your briefs on. Cuffs, please, citizens," she instructed the orderlies. "You can relax," she added to them, "Marlon's not going to be any trouble to us."

Once he stripped off, he approached the machine. Sophia spoke with a note of apology in her voice.

"I'm sorry, you're going to be strapped into this beast. It's not for security, this time, it's because we don't want you to move about while the scan is happening." Marlon stood by the table. "You are going to have to lie face down, as well."

He noticed that the table on rails on which the patient lay had a section of the upper body area missing. He supposed this would allow the patient's breasts to dangle down so that they could be scanned more efficiently. Sophia helped him to lay on the table. She rested his arms by his sides, and strapped them there. Straps also went in the usual places - waist, upper torso, thighs, ankles. His head rested in a padded ring, face down, so that he was looking at a section of the painted surface of the table under the padding. A pad was placed either side of his ears, and a strap was passed over all to firmly lock his head in place. He found that a lip at the bottom of the ring held his jaw in place. The only things he could move were the tips of his fingers, and his toes.

Sophia's voice came to him, which would have made him jump if he had been able to. There were obviously headphones inside the ear pads.

"Right. The machine's going to pull the table inside, and then we'll begin the scan. When I'm ready, I shall ask you to hold your breath for a short while, so your rib cage isn't moving. Understood?"

Marlon managed a grunt in reply, and then the table was drawn into the machine.

"Just hold your - Director. What can I do for you? I'm in the middle of a scan."

Of course Marlon couldn't see anything that was going on. He couldn't hear the person Sophia was speaking to, either, apart from a murmuring.

"Yes, Director, but that will delay us. I've got several..."

(murmur)

"I know he's a special case."

(murmur)

"Let me get this straight. You want a full scan of torso and abdomen as well as the normal breast scan?"

(murmur)

"What about arms, legs and head, then?"

(murmur)

"Send the scans through in the normal way, then?"

(murmur)

"Yes, Director, I will send them direct to you."

There was a delay of a few seconds, and then Sophia said, "Marlon? Sorry about that. Now, hold your breath for me, please."

The machine started up, with a high-pitched whine that made Marlon's teeth ache.

"And relax. Now the Director wants me to do a scan of your body. Much the same as before, except you'll have to hold your breath for longer. Ready?"

Marlon grunted again, and the whine began again.

"Now, hold your breath... fine. Five seconds longer, please... and relax. The scan will take a little longer to complete. Good, we're finished." The table began withdrawing from the machine, and the orderlies started unstrapping Marlon as soon as the buckles came within reach.

Sophia insisted on helping him to dress again, and he realised it was no coincidence that found her mouth next to his ear.

"You heard the conversation, yes? Something's going on. Tell Elena what happened down here."

She turned to the two orderlies, and Marlon presented his wrists for the cuffs.

"Take him directly back to E Deck, please, as quickly as you can. I would suggest that you use the stairs this time. When you get there, take him directly to the watch station."

"Yes, Doctor. At once."

Marlon was rushed back to E Deck, his thoughts turning over what had happened in Sick Bay, and what the events might mean. For Sophia to issue instructions like that, implied she was very concerned about what was going on. He realised it was no coincidence that the mike had been left open during the Director's visit, and that Sophia had wanted him to overhear the conversation.

He reached the watch station, and the orderlies released him and went to collect their next detainee for scanning. The look on Marlon's face, and the fact that he hadn't been returned to his room, alerted them to the fact that something had happened.

"I feel faint," Marlon said, "Would one of you walk with me for a while?" He looked at Elena meaningfully.

"Sure," she said, and, taking his arm, led him through into the far end of the deck. She put her arm round his waist, and as they walked slowly to the end, Marlon told her what had happened.

"That gives a strong clue as to who or what's responsible for your changing into a woman," she muttered. "The fact that she's interested in your internal organs as well as your external ones leads me to suspect she might want to take a direct hand. You did want to keep your genitals as they are, didn't you?"

Marlon, who hadn't put two and two together, was shocked. "You think she's meaning to hijack me and chop them off? That's terrible! No, I don't want to be changed. Or if I did, in the future, I would want it to be my decision, not someone else's."

Elena nodded. "As I would expect. This goes far above neglect or incompetence, and starts to look more like malice. We have to take steps to protect you. Time for a council of war, I think. We'll need Talya. Do you think you can entice her out? We'll use the Treatment Room."

Elena walked back to the station, and he returned back up the corridor to knock on Talya's door. Behind him, Elena was whispering in the ears of the other day Shepherds.

"Marlon?" Talya said as she opened the door. She had been doing the channel twelve exercises, and was red-faced. "I didn't expect you until this afternoon." Her eyes asked a question.

"I decided, that if perhaps you wanted to mix, a good start might be to have a walk up and down the corridor while it's quiet," he said carefully. He stood right in the doorway and beckoned, in such a way that the video pickups would probably not see it. Talya's eyebrows shot up. "It's important, I think," he continued. "You need to adjust to larger spaces."

She stared at him for a second, and then said, "You're probably right. So long as I'm not out too long."

"I'll look after you," he said. Talya walked out into the corridor and blinked.

"I do come out here on occasion," she said, "when I get my hair done, for instance, and when I have to go to Sick Bay. When I go on the treadmill."

"Yes, but today's a bit different," Marlon said. "Put your arm round my waist, Talya."

"What?"

"Just do it. It'll look better on the video pickups." He wrapped his arm round her waist, and, after a hesitant pause, she put her arm round his. "Comfy? We'll walk slow so you don't get tired quickly."

"What are you on about?" she said, mystified.

Ahead of them, Marlon saw the Shepherds, one by one, wander into the Treatment Room. By the time they reached the grille separating their section from the watch station only Linda was left. She completely ignored them, and Marlon realised that there was probably a rule against leaving the watch station unoccupied. He turned, and they ambled slowly along until he gave Talya a slight push to change direction and they entered the Treatment Room. Talya was surprised to find three Shepherds there. Belle closed the door behind them.

"Come over here and face the window. That way they can't lip-read you. This room is monitored, but it's likely no-one will think to check it's record until we have this sorted out," said Elena.

Elena brought Talya up to date, and Marlon went over his trip to Sick Bay again so that they could analyse it further for any additional clues.

"The whole breast and cervical scanning thing was due in a couple of weeks," Elena said. "I can't think of a reason why it was brought forward, except to permit the Facility Medical Director to get up-to-date scans of Marlon's body. Sophia obviously smelled a rat as well. Thank the stars that she was doing the scanning! Anyway, there's a risk that someone may come and spirit Marlon away for some more drastic body modification, and given that we suspect that it's all against the rules, we have to prevent that."

She looked at the other Shepherds, and they nodded agreement.

"Firstly, if someone does come for him, I want you to refuse to hand him over. Refer them to me if you need to. Marlon, I want you to spend this afternoon in Talya's room, assuming Talya doesn't mind. That should delay them finding him long enough for us to organise a defence. But I don't want Marlon's ID anywhere near Talya's terminal, understood?"

Talya and Marlon nodded.

"We'll alert Alex and Sandy when we change over this evening. Now, there's a possibility they may come in the middle of the night, which might be difficult to handle. So, after dinner, I will get one of the evening shift to bring you along to this room for the night. You'll have to sleep in the chair, I'm afraid, and there's no toilet facilities. You can handle that?"

Marlon nodded again.

"As far as the evening and night shift is concerned, if someone asks for you, you've already been taken, and no-one knows where. We'll fetch you and take you back to your own room as soon as we get here tomorrow morning, and you should be able to have breakfast in your own room."

She took a breath, and turned to Belle. "Have you been able to get hold of that Proctor?" she asked.

Belle shook her head. "It's not possible. He works at the same time I work, and we can't call out from here. I tried yesterday evening, but of course he'd gone home. I did leave a message, but I'm afraid it wasn't much more than 'call me', and if he does that in the daytime, I'm not going to be there. I have an idea, though. I need Alex's messaging address. When I get home tonight, I'll compose a message and send it to her at her apartment. When she gets home tonight, she'll find it and she can call the Proctor tomorrow during the day before she comes in for her shift."

"We can do a certain amount of priming her at shift changeover," Elena said, "but you're going to have to spell everything out to make sure that when Alex does get through, she can put a coherent case."

Belle nodded. "I know, I'm working on it in my mind already. What else can we do?"

"Talya?"

"If you want to stop the doctor in her tracks, you have to use the appeal flag on Marlon's record and take that to the Facility Controller. This afternoon, if you can," she replied.

"Yes," said Elena, "that's what I thought. I'll see if I can do that this afternoon. It'll mean more work for the rest of you," she indicated the Shepherds, "especially with all the to-ing and fro-ing to Sick Bay. Anybody think of anything else we can do?"

There wasn't much more, and the group dispersed very slowly so as not to cause interest to anyone who might be watching. Marlon took Talya back to her room.

"Thank you, Marlon. That was interesting. I've decided you were most likely right about me. We'll have to put off any visiting until after we get over this little problem, but I'm willing to try if you'll help me. And," she added, "one forgets how comforting physical touch can be. The right kind of physical touch, that is." She sighed. "Of course, the last person who gave me the right kind of physical attention is now in a men's facility, and I don't know that I'd be that interested in seeing him again. Still, I've made a start. I'll see you after lunch."

Marlon managed barely five minutes in the lounge with the detainees from the 'far end', who of course had been allowed out of their rooms, before the chime went for lunch and he had to go back to his own room. As soon as she was able, Belle let him out afterwards and he made his way to Talya's room, where he sat on her bed and they talked.

She told him about Gregor, and also about the two partners she had had before him, and he told her about Anna, and what had happened to her. Their discussion widened to general male and female relationships, including the question about what might happen to Marlon when he was released, whenever that might be. Marlon asserted that in his head, he was still all male, and therefore was interested in women, and not at all in men. He conceded that the hormones, if maintained, might cause him to change his mind in the future, but it certainly wasn't that way at present.

"Which is just as well," said Talya. "You do realise you have an admirer on the Deck?"

Marlon looked blank. "Have I? Who would be interested in me, knowing what I am?"

"You're thinking a lesbian wouldn't be interested in you, because you have male genitals, and that a hetero woman wouldn't be interested in you, because you look like a woman?" She smiled. "There are many people who wouldn't mind what you look like, and I know one who obviously doesn't care."

Marlon saw a problem, and waved his arms. "Don't say anything! I can't afford to get involved in any relationships, especially not at the moment. I don't want to know. If there's time, you can tell me later, assuming there is a later."

Talya nodded reluctantly. She'd wanted to present Marlon with this juicy titbit, but now was obviously not the time to do it. They moved on to other subjects.

The chime went for dinner, and Marlon returned to his room to eat his meal. No sooner had the trolley with the trays disappeared into the lift than Alex came to his room. He paid a quick visit to his wash room and then followed her down to the Treatment Room, where she locked him in.

"Sorry about this," she whispered before she left, "it's going to be a boring evening for you. Good night."

Marlon settled into the treatment chair and mulled over what Talya had said. Who could it be? Talya barely knew anyone on E Deck, because of her own enforced isolation, except the Shepherds. Perhaps it was one of them? If it was, it was something that Talya had noticed which he had not. In other circumstances, he might be interested, but not at the moment, it was a distraction he could do without. Who was it? Eventually, he turned out the light and drifted into sleep, slightly chilled without his quilt to cover him.

When he awoke his bladder was full, and he had an anxious hour before Belle came and released him. When he emerged from the Treatment Room, the trusty was still pushing breakfast trays through the slots of the 'far end' rooms, but she wouldn't have realised that anything unusual was going on. Marlon made a rapid return to his room and went straight to the bathroom. Then so as not to delay matters too much, he ate his breakfast before having a shower and changing his clothes.

Elena was waiting for him when the doors were released. She came in.

"I was right, two orderlies turned up about one a.m. looking for you," she said. "The night Shepherds told them, truthfully, that you weren't in your room, so you must have been taken already, and they didn't know where you'd been taken. But I got to the Controller yesterday afternoon, quite late. Have you seen your status this morning?"

"No, I've been too busy with the normal daily routine," he replied. He logged on to his terminal. His status now read "at risk, hold, investigation pending".

"It doesn't actually say "isolation", so you're free to walk the Deck, but I suggest you stay in here till things stabilise. We'll all be keeping a lookout on your behalf. 'Hold' means keep you here, on the Deck, and 'investigation pending' or 'investigation in progress' mean that no-one can do anything to you without the express permission of the Facility Controller. I think we've stopped her."

Marlon understood that to mean the Medical Director. There was also the question of whether Alex had yet spoken to the Proctor, he wouldn't find out anything before this evening, probably.

Because he was restricted to his room, the day went slowly, but he was able to leave his door open, and he had a steady trickle of well-wishers, some of whom bestowed hugs of support. Shift changeover normally occurred during the evening meal, so he didn't see Alex brief Elena and the others on what she had been able to accomplish, but she did briefly open his door to tell him that she had managed to contact Proctor Julian, and that he had initially expressed disbelief in her tale before promising to investigate it.

The following day turned out to be a complete anticlimax, since almost nothing happened. Elena explained that once something had been put into motion, the wheels of bureaucracy turned very slowly, and that they all had to be patient.

Marlon was allowed out, and in the afternoon took Martha to visit Talya. She received them with great trepidation, but within a few minutes had calmed down, discovering that despite the great differences in their backgrounds they could hold a good solid conversation. Marlon judged the visit to be a success. Martha was probably the toughest customer on E Deck, and if Talya could warm to Martha, she could - probably - get along with any of them. Of course, Marlon's presence helped enormously, but he accepted that.

The next morning, just after breakfast, two orderlies appeared, insisting that they had to take Marlon down to Sick Bay, as his scans needed to be redone. Elena refused to hand him over, pointing to his revised status, and sent them away empty-handed. After the two had left she contacted the Controller again.

Much to everyone's surprise, Sophia arrived mid-morning. Elena was suspicious, but Sophia said that she was just doing her normal rounds, disrupted because of the changes to the scanner schedule. Elena refused to let her visit Marlon on his own, so Belle stood in the room while Sophia checked him over.

"I now know far too much about regression therapy," she said when she had finished. "I'll give you both the gist of it. We'll have to start with Gender Reassignment, though, since that's what everyone thought had already happened in your case."

Marlon and Belle nodded.

"When someone wants to change gender, and the State agrees, for whatever reason, these days it's all done with various drugs. In previous times they used to do surgery to remodel the subject's body, but that's not done now except in rare cases. The subject is put on a course of several drugs and also onto hormones to help things along. Now, one of the drugs acts on the DNA in the body's cells, and flips the switch which makes us male or female in the first place. The other drugs encourage the body to very gradually re-adjust it's shape to correspond with what the switch now demands, that is, it changes gender.

"It's not a total change, unless the subject is a teenager or younger, since it can't change bone structure that much. So if you had massive shoulders as a man, you're going to have massive shoulders as a woman, and so on. With me so far?"

"Yes, Sophia. But I was never gender swapped, so how does this affect me?" Marlon asked.

"I was coming to that, but first I want to add that the changeover process can't cope with testicles and ovaries that well, so there's a very good chance that the new body will be sterile. Right. In order to reverse a gender re-assignment, they use regression therapy. What that does is use other drugs to reset the body's DNA to what it should be, and make the body gradually return to it's original state. It was developed to treat the very small number of people who undergo gender re-assignment and then discover they have made a mistake and can't cope with it."

"Oh! I see," said Marlon. "So, because my DNA hadn't been previously flipped, nothing happened. But why did I grow breasts, then? And why has my body shape changed?"

"Because they also supplement with hormones, in your case female hormones, to help the process along. And those hormones are what's changed you, not the regression therapy drugs."

Marlon nodded in understanding. "That's why I've still got a penis and testicles, then." He looked up at Sophia. "Am I likely to be sterile, with all these hormones in my system?"

She shook her head. "I've absolutely no idea," she said. She smiled. "I suspect there's only one way you're going to find out."

"How are these drugs administered, then?" asked Belle.

"In the food," came the reply.

"Ah," Belle said, "that explains quite a lot. I've always wondered why we had such a strange feeding system up here. Each tray is tailored to each detainee, of course."

"Yes, we put all kinds of things in the food, as required. Anti-depressants, mostly, but also anti-psychotics, sedatives, even antibiotics on occasion."

"What happens if the detainee doesn't eat their food?" asked Marlon. "Could someone survive long enough to, say, clear themselves of the effects of some drug?"

Belle grinned. "Nope. Detainees must eat a certain amount of each meal. If they fail to, they get taken to Sick Bay, strapped down and drip fed. You only want to go through that experience once in this place."

"And everyone's shut up while they eat, so they can't swap food or save it, and accidentally end up taking each other's medicines," he mused. "Interesting system." He turned to Sophia. "Many thanks for finding that out for us. And thank you for giving me the hint the other day."

Sophia shrugged. "I'd already talked with Elena," she said, "my course of action was fairly clear."

"Do you know what's happening?" he asked.

"Not really. The Director's furious, I've just been keeping out of her way. I've been keeping my ears open, though. If there's anything to pass on, I'll pass it on, don't worry."

"She made another attempt to spirit Marlon away this morning," Belle said.

Sophia's eyes narrowed. "Did she, now? I'll have to be extra alert today, then."

"I'm sorry Elena didn't want you to be on your own with Marlon," Belle said to Sophia, "I know you tipped us off yesterday, but I think she's a bit paranoid about Marlon's safety at the moment."

"Paranoia, huh? I guess it's well justified in this case. Okay, I think I've done about all I can here. I am actually on my rounds, so I'll leave you now and go and find my next patient."

Lunch came, and after it was over Elena was summoned away for a meeting. The rest of the Shepherds were so nervous they decided to lock Marlon away with Talya, to try and delay any further attempt to remove him. Mid afternoon, and Belle came and told him that he had been summoned to appear before the Controller. When he reached the watch station, Elena was there, and the three of them set off for the administration suite. They were shown into the same room where Marlon had been taken on his first day. The table had been moved to one end of the meeting room, and behind it sat Controller Brand, with a member of her staff on each side.

"Release him please, Shepherd," she said to Belle. To Marlon, she added, "Be at ease, citizen. You have no reason to fear anything that might happen here today."

He sat down between the Shepherds on a row of seats against the wall, his spirits suddenly rising. After a wait of a minute or so, the door opened, and the woman who had tried to do a cervical smear on him, accompanied by Sophia, entered the room. She was not happy.

"Controller! Can't this wait, I'm very busy at the moment with the screening program -"

She turned as she spoke, and the moment she saw Marlon in the room her mouth closed with a sharp click.

"Service, Controller?" the woman said, after a pause to collect herself.

Marlon could see by her expression that she was uncertain of what she faced.

"Sit down, please, Director. I've asked you here because I have received complaints about your treatment of the citizen you see here," the Controller said.

"Oh?" said the woman. "I think I've tried to do my best for all of the detainees, including this one present," she said defensively. "What is it that I'm supposed to have done?"

"There's no supposed about it," replied the Controller. "You've administered treatment, without overriding authority, to a detainee in appeal status."

"An administrative oversight, I assure you, Controller. I'm quite prepared to accept responsibility for my mistake."

"If it was just a mistake in prescribing drugs, or a mistake in the usual types of treatment you offer, then I'd consider just giving you an administrative slap on the wrist, so to speak. But what you've done to this citizen is of such a nature that I am considering pressing charges against you for Permanent Bodily Disfigurement. I'm certainly suspending you from your post with immediate effect."

"Controller? Disfigurement? But the citizen looks perfectly normal to me," the Medical Director protested. "I don't understand what I'm supposed to have done."

"Yes, she does look perfectly normal - for a woman. But the citizen was entirely and completely male when he arrived at the facility. I know, because I interviewed him on the day of his arrival, as a mistake seemed to have been made. That's why his file had appeal status, since the circumstances seemed so unlikely that they merited further investigation."

"But his file said he was actually a woman who had reassigned to a man, and that part of the sentence was regression therapy," came the reply, indicating that the Director was fully aware of the circumstances. "Since she started out as a woman, it seemed appropriate to start the treatment to return her to that state as soon as possible, especially as I knew it would take some time. It would have been done, anyway, Controller, surely it didn't matter that I started the treatment a little early?"

The Controller didn't reply, but pressed a button on the communicator on the table. A door opened, and into the room walked Proctor Julian, accompanied not just by his two Enforcers, but by two female Enforcers as well. The Proctor and his men were the first males Marlon had seen since he had been delivered to the facility, and he found the sight strange. Julian walked up to the Medical Director.

"There's a good reason why it mattered that you started the treatment early, citizen," he explained. "That's because it is almost certain that Citizen Hillier is actually male. He was sent to this place entirely in error, and if you hadn't interfered he would have been released in the same physical state as he arrived here. Thanks to you, that is now no longer possible."

He turned to the Controller. "With your permission, Controller?"

She nodded, and Julian said to the director, "Medical Director Pannal, I am arresting you for the wilful and unauthorized Permanent Bodily Disfigurement of a citizen. I have on record your confession to this crime. Enforcers?"

The two female Enforcers moved to either side of the medical director. Sophia got the message, and moved quickly out of the way. One of the Enforcers said, "Hands in front, citizen," and when the shocked woman didn't respond they grabbed her arms and forcibly held her while the cuffs were applied.

Julian spoke again. "Remain seated, citizen, there's more we have to discuss. But first -"

He turned towards Marlon and approached him.

"Citizen, is that really you? I know I only saw you for about an hour that day six months ago, but I have a good memory for faces, and the face I see before me is not the same at all."

"Proctor Julian," Marlon replied, tears brimming in his eyes, "it is me, the same person you met that day. I am Marlon Allen Hillier, although I no longer look like I once did. I recognise one of your Enforcers, too, although the other I've not seen before."

Julian nodded. "Your memory is good, citizen, and the fact that you remember one of the Enforcers and not the other is confirmation - for me - that you are who you say you are. I must explain what happened that day we met," he continued. "Before I could make much progress with your case I was called away to a, let's call it a major incident." His eyes showed pain. "Many Proctors and Enforcers were called, and things did not go well to start with. I was shot, and Enforcer Brennan was killed."

Marlon said, "I'm sorry to hear of your loss," and wondered at saying it, because he'd meant it. He knew that six months ago, his attitude to the death of an Enforcer would have been completely different, but Enforcers were people too, with partners and dependants who relied on them.

"Thank you, citizen. To continue, my injuries took some time to heal, and when I got back to work your case file had been closed, as had many others dealt with in my absence. I assumed that the correct person had been arrested and convicted. I was amazed when one of your Shepherds contacted me to tell me your story. I followed the trail, and contacted the Controller to discover more. By that time Citizen Caparelli here -" he indicated Sophia, "- had already made her other concerns known to the Controller, so I co-ordinated those investigations as well." He turned back to the Controller.

"Citizen? You wish to continue?"

"Certainly, Proctor Julian. After receiving the complaint from Citizen Caparelli, I began to wonder why a Medical Director who had done such good work from the day she had arrived here had suddenly taken it into her head to make such a flagrant breach of regulations. I decided to go through her file, and what I discovered wasn't pretty. It seems that the reason that Citizen Pannal was given the position here was because she has a pathological hatred of men, caused apparently by incidents in her childhood. It was thought that if she worked in an environment composed entirely of women, then she would have neither the desire nor the opportunity to be in contact with males, and this was true right up until the point that Citizen Hillier arrived."

The Controller looked at Marlon, and he could sense her sadness that one of her staff had betrayed her trust.

"What made things worse for him," the Controller continued, "was that Citizen Pannal thought that the judgement had been correct, and that Citizen Hillier had been a woman who had transitioned to a man. In her eyes, I'm guessing, that person had betrayed the female gender by becoming it's bitterest enemy, and she sought to correct the matter and punish him - or her - at the same time by beginning the reversal as soon as possible. Am I right, Pannal?"

"Yes," replied Pannal truculently, "that's exactly what I thought, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. He was a man, he got what was coming to him."

The Controller nodded sadly, then continued, "Then we come to the second complaint, and that caused me greater concern, since you attempted to subvert the entire containment system to further your irrational behaviour. You attempted to remove Citizen Hillier at night, to take him to another place where surgery would have been performed upon him. Only the prompt action of the Deck staff prevented this from happening." The Controller bestowed an approving look upon Elena, who bowed an acknowledgement. "Proctor Julian?"

He continued the story. "My investigations discovered an order to transfer the citizen to Surgical Facility Fourteen, where it's likely that his male genitals would have been removed. I say this because that kind of reconstructive surgery is a speciality of that particular Facility. I'm not completely certain, because I haven't been able to go that deeply into the Surgical Facility's files as yet. I'm almost certain, though, that the whole transaction was illegal. Citizen Pannal," Julian turned to the former Medical Director, "I arrest you for conspiring with others with intent to perform an act or acts of Permanent Bodily Disfigurement on a citizen. I also arrest you for conspiring with others to transfer a detainee from a Containment Facility contrary to the detention regulations. There may be other charges to come once my investigations are completed."

Pannal dropped her head.

"Then we have the second attempt to remove Citizen Hillier from the Deck this morning," he continued, "What were you going to do, Citizen Pannal? Dispose of the evidence? Kill him? Dump him in one of the slums without ID, and let him try to explain himself somehow, in his present condition?"

Pannal kept her head lowered, but just shook it from side to side. It had been her last throw of the dice, and she was utterly broken.

"I guess there's another charge to be made there, but I'll have to discuss it with Controller Brand first. Take her away. Load her into the back of our wagon," he directed to the two female Enforcers.

The two Enforcers pulled Pannal up and more or less carried her out of the room. Julian turned to the Controller.

"With your permission, Controller?" She nodded. Julian smiled and turned to Marlon. "My next task is slightly more pleasant," he said. "Slightly, because we have a procedure to go through, and it may take some time before you can be legally freed, possibly a week or more. I regret this, but that's the regulations. I assure you that you are likely to be very handsomely compensated for what's happened to you, once your innocence is completely proven."

"I don't object to any delay, Proctor," replied Marlon, "in fact, I have some unfinished business to sort out before I leave."

Both the Proctor and the Controller looked astonished.

Julian, not knowing Marlon, asked him, "What do you mean, citizen? Are you telling us that you have scores to settle?"

He was even more astonished when Elena, Belle and Sophia all burst out laughing.

"No, quite the opposite," said Elena, trying to straighten her face. "Marlon's been a huge asset to the Deck. In fact," she said thoughtfully, and turned to the Controller, "I may have a proposition to put to you, Controller. If you'll give me a day or two to discuss it with my colleagues and figure out what we need to do."

The Controller asked her sternly, "Has anything improper been happening on your Deck as the result of the presence of this citizen?"

"Oh, no, Controller. Nothing at all improper. Quite the reverse, actually. As I say, I need to think this one out and make a report. With your permission?"

"Very well. Proctor Julian? You were saying?"

"Oh, yes. We've made some progress with the original case. Specifically, the female whose face I showed you has been seen pulling cash from a machine in an identical fraud, at a time when you had been in here for some weeks. So you're definitely exonerated. Since you were legally convicted, your case will have to go back to court to have you legally declared innocent. That will take a week, as I mentioned before. There's also a question of how your original trial Justiciar behaved, and, well, there's more I have to look at yet. Suffice it to say that this could take time. It is often said that the State does not make mistakes, and in practically all cases the procedures we have make sure that it doesn't. Regrettably, in your case, it seems the State's servants made the mistakes, and each one compounded with the next to leave you in your present condition. I cannot tell you how sorry I am that it ended up this way for you."

"Thank you for restoring my faith in the system," said Marlon, "even though it's taken so long."

"Thank you, citizen, for your understanding. You have every right to be angry with me," Julian replied. "I'll call in again next week to keep you all up to date with the status of the investigations. With your permission, of course, Controller?"

"As you wish, Proctor."

With that, the meeting broke up. Marlon and his Shepherds stood, and Marlon held out his hands.

"Oh, no, Marlon, we don't have to do that any more," Belle said.

"But I insist," he said, "I'm not officially cleared, as yet, so I'm still technically a detainee. There are times to break the rules, like we did the other night, but this is not one of them. Let's not get into bad habits, citizens."

So, cuffed, Marlon and his escort returned to E Deck. Immediately, and strictly contrary to regulations, Elena called a meeting of all the available detainees and they gathered around the watch station while Marlon and the Shepherds brought them all up to date with developments. The hour or so until the dinner chime was almost a party atmosphere, with more excited conversation and hugs and kisses than Marlon could ever remember experiencing. He retired for the night in a daze, with the realisation that his life had changed for ever - again - and that he had a new future to try and make sense of.

After breakfast the next morning, he opened his door when it was released, in case someone wanted to visit, but went and sat on his bed and began to think. During the night it had dawned upon him that the problems he would face when he left the facility would be much greater than those he faced when he had arrived. For the past six months and more his entire world had been this room, and the rest of E Deck, with the occasional visit to anonymous rooms elsewhere within the complex, all under strict supervision. Soon he would have to consider building a life in the wide open world beyond the facility, and learn to make his own decisions again. And he would have to decide who and what he wanted to be, before he could progress much further with any plans.

Belle appeared, carrying a brush, and he repositioned himself on the bed so that she could do his hair.

"So, citizen, how are you this morning?" she asked.

"Physically fine, I think," he replied, "but mentally and emotionally somewhat in turmoil after yesterday's excitement. I suddenly have to think about life outside these walls. And it's not going to be anything like the life I had before. I've got used to being in here." He gestured around them with his hands.

"Ah, yes. The term you need is 'institutionalised'. It's a common problem with detainees who have been here for long periods. I'm surprised that you think you have it, though. You've not really been in here that long."

"My problem, I think, is that I can't go back to my old life. I don't even know if I can go back to being a man. If I decide to stay as a female, I will have to learn a whole different set of customs and practices I've no idea about. Without knowing what my options are, I can't make decisions, or do any preparation."

"The facilities are aware of the general problems detainees face upon release," she told him, "although your particular circumstances are obviously somewhat unusual. Next to each facility there are several apartment blocks which released citizens are initially allocated to. Citizens are usually placed into one of several transit apartments in these on release, until they can make arrangements to return to whatever home awaits them. Other apartments are available longer-term for citizens who find it harder to fit back in. They provide a sort of sheltered accommodation from which citizens can develop the skills to integrate back into society. I would think that such a place would be ideal for someone like yourself. The blocks also house tutors, instructors and counsellors, so help is on the doorstep if anyone needs it. As it happens, since it's so close to the facility, some of the Shepherds and other facility staff live in those blocks too."

"I didn't know that," he said, "but then I'd never had any previous contact with the justice system."

"No, I don't suppose you had, and now you've had far too much," she said, putting her arm round his shoulder. "You needn't worry, we're all going to look after you. If you want to stay as female, we're all quite willing to help you learn the ropes. If you don't, well, we'll still help you wherever we can." She resumed brushing his hair. "Personally, I think you'll do quite well just as you are, although I don't know if that's possible. You're an odd mixture at the moment, half and half. Perhaps Sophia can help us there. Oh! I don't think you know. Sophia's been appointed Acting Facility Medical Director until they decide what to do, with a strong hint she'll get the job permanently."

"That's good news, I'm happy for her. It sounded from what I heard that the previous Director was not that easy to get along with."

"We didn't have much to do with her, thank goodness. I think it's only men she didn't like, though, I don't remember her giving us many other problems since she'd been here. The drawback is that we will probably see less of Sophia. That's not going to worry you, though, you'll be out of here soon."

"Yes, true." He thought. "I'm going to lose all the friends I made here, aren't I?"

"Possibly. You can make visits to the facility, you know, although at one a day it would take you a month to see everyone," Belle said. "I hope you do keep in contact with us though," and she meant the Shepherds, "we all value the contribution you've made here. And your friendship." She held out a hand to help him off the bed. He stood and brushed the wrinkles out of the skirt of his dress.

He became aware that she was still holding his hand, and remembered what Talya had said.

"Belle," he asked, "I have to ask you whether your attention to me is purely professional."

She dropped his hand as though it had burnt her, her eyes dropped, and her cheeks reddened slightly.

"Do I have to answer that?" she said in a small voice.

"Not really, no," he said, "I've already got my answer. Your secret is safe with me. If it's of any interest, I hadn't noticed, but Talya did. Your face presumably showed something when you thought I couldn't see it."

He held out his hand, and when she tentatively put hers in his, he gently squeezed it. He held up a finger of his other hand.

"Small beginnings, we know next to nothing about one another, and my life is going through complete turmoil just now. This is unlooked for, but not unwelcome. It's also against regulations, of course, although I presume that changes once I get freed," he added.

"I can't wait," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"You're going to have to wait," he said. "And when the waiting's over, I don't know if I'll be able to perform. Heck, I'm not even sure what shape I'll have after I leave." He held up his finger again. "One week. That's all. Then we can talk about it like ordinary citizens. Till then, we keep it calm and professional. Okay?"

"Yes, citizen," Belle replied reluctantly. "As you wish."

"So," he said, changing the subject, "I wonder if I can contact Sophia any more? There's a question I must ask her I need to have answered before I can do much more."

"You can only try," Belle said, indicating the seat in front of the personal terminal.

Marlon sat down and thumbed it on, making a connection to Sick Bay. A Shepherd he didn't know answered.

"Service, citizen?"

"I have a question to ask Sophia, if she's available," he said. "She's been dealing with my... circumstances, so I'd rather speak directly to her if I am permitted."

The woman looked at her display, which showed her who she was talking to. She nodded.

"Certainly, citizen, she has instructions to allow you to contact her at any time, providing, of course, that she's able to take the call. She can at the moment, so I'll connect you."

"Thank you, Shepherd." The display flickered, and Sophia looked at him.

"Service, Marlon. I've been expecting your call."

"Would it be in order for me to congratulate you on your promotion?"

She grimaced. "I'm not sure about that," she said, "Citizen Pannal left somewhat of a mess behind her. No wonder she always looked harassed. What can I do for you?"

"I've been thinking that I must consider my future outside the facility. It occurred to me that before I can do that, I should understand what physical options I might have," he explained. "For example, do I have to continue towards becoming female, can I return to being male, or is it possible to remain in another state, such as where I am at the moment? Can you advise me, please?"

"Of course. As we discovered yesterday, you're part way through a failed regression process at the moment." She frowned. "There are also some complex legal considerations here, whatever you decide. I might be able to advise you about those, I'm not sure. I will, however, call you or see you later today, and by then I'll have a list of possible physical futures for you. Will that be soon enough for you?"

"Yes, fine, Sophia. Thank you for your time and attention. I'd better let you get back to some real work now." Sophia grimaced again and terminated the call.

"Now, I must visit Talya," he said. "She might have knowledge about the release procedure that will come in useful. Belle, we're probably going to be on the terminal all morning, so if you want to go back to the watch station, that's fine with me."

"If you say so," she said. "I'll drop by when Sophia gets in touch, if you've no objections." Belle left, and Marlon walked out of his room shortly afterwards.

Talya welcomed him in, and he explained what he thought he wanted to know. They sat down side by side and Talya activated her terminal.

"Citizen! Have you seen your status this morning?" Talya pointed to the display, where it clearly said, 'at risk, trusted, pending release'. "That 'pending release' is useful, it should allow us to get at exactly the information you require."

They spent the better part of the morning assimilating the various rules and regulations, and it occurred to Talya to also look at the section labelled 'Compensation'. That led them down other avenues, most of which were interesting, but of course there wasn't anything to be found covering a case which had similar circumstances to Marlon's.

When they had more or less exhausted the knowledge banks, and themselves as well, they stopped for a breather. The lunch chime would be sounded soon.

"I didn't see you in the crowd yesterday, when we got back from the Controller's office," Marlon remarked. "Did you decide it would be too much for you?"

"I couldn't do it," replied Talya, shamefaced, "I thought seriously about coming, but there were just too many people, and it's a bit too soon. It's a shame you're going, I was beginning to believe that I could get out of this hole I've dug myself into. I don't know if I can continue on my own."

"That's just the point, Talya!" Marlon said, "You're not on your own. We, and by that I mean all the detainees and all the Shepherds on E Deck, want to help you. There's plenty of good will out there for you, and every one of us knows that you face an uphill struggle. The fact that you now know what your problem is, and you're willing to do something about it, is a huge step forward. Now you've met Martha, for instance, what do you think of her?"

"I was a little surprised," Talya admitted, "we got along much better than I ever thought we possibly could. It just goes to show, one can't judge by appearances. Martha and I come from such different backgrounds we're almost different species, but we still clicked somehow. I must say, I'm actually looking forward to the next visit, even if part of me is not sure about what might happen."

"I can probably fit in two or three, maybe four more introductions before I go. Will that be too much for you, do you think?"

"Possibly. I can only try. Did you know that Martha visited yesterday afternoon on her own?"

"Did she? And you were okay with that? I'm impressed," he said.

Any further conversation was cut off by the lunch chime, and Marlon had to go.

After lunch, he returned with Deyna, a tall, slender dark-skinned petty thief who was on E Deck because of a risk of harming herself. Her problems were mostly the result of an appalling lack of self confidence, but she wasn't considered so at risk that she had to be kept isolated, so Marlon decided to try to present Talya with someone who was a complete contrast to Martha. The talk was stilted and defensive at first, from both sides, but Marlon acted as the lubricant to keep things from completely stalling. The three had finally got a reasonable level of conversation going when there was a knock on the door, and when Marlon opened it, Sophia, Belle and Martha stood outside.

"Service, citizens," he said, and then to Sophia, "You have answers for me, Director?"

Sophia made a face at the title, but nodded.

Martha said, "I've come to take Deyna off your hands, Marlon. Belle suggested that Talya might be interested in what Sophia has to say, and it's going to be crowded in there. With your permission, Shepherd?"

When Belle and Sophia crowded into the room along with Talya and Marlon, Belle said, "Perhaps we should have borrowed one of the lounges for this meeting. I'm sure having this many people in one room must break a regulation somewhere. Director, the floor, such as it is, is yours."

"When Marlon called this morning, he more or less outlined the physical options he has," she began. "He could either go back to being a man, go forward to become a proper woman, or stay in some intermediate state, such as the one he's currently in. I've reviewed the medical and legal texts for what's possible, and as I read them, he can do one of the following.

"Firstly, he could return to being a man. This might be difficult, given his current state, and would probably require surgery. We can't use gender reassignment therapy, because genetically, he's already a man, and we can't use regression therapy either, because genetically, he's already a man. Male hormone therapy might reduce some of the extra female mass he's put on, and return his profile to something resembling a male's, but there are serious undesirable side effects. He would probably become sterile, if he isn't already. Hormone therapy won't get rid of his breasts, either, he'd have to have them surgically removed. He'd be left with a flat chest, but his nipples would be the ones he has now."

"Doesn't sound too appealing," Marlon remarked.

"No, I was disappointed when I worked through the details," Sophia agreed. "Alternatively, if you wished to reassign to fully female, we can use the gender reassignment therapy on you, the male-to-female sort, of course. Looking at your medical record, that might not entirely work, given what Citizen Pannal has pumped into you so far. So, if you wanted to pursue that possibility, there's a fair chance that you'd have to have the surgery Citizen Pannal was trying to impose on you anyway."

Talya had realised that four people in her cell was the largest crowd she had encountered since her trial, but she made the effort to ask, "Does he have to make a choice now, or soon?"

Sophia shook her head. "No, none of these choices need be made now, or even in the near future. That's because it's perfectly reasonable, curiously enough, for Marlon to continue exactly as he is. The State makes provision for persons who are either born with ambiguous genitals or who have a mixture for other reasons, like Marlon's, for example as the result of an accident or an exposure to DNA-altering drugs. If he does decide to stay as he is, he'll probably require low doses of female hormones for the rest of his life to maintain his profile."

Marlon nodded, and then asked, "How does that work legally, Sophia? Am I man, or woman, or what?"

"Complex subject," she replied. "Talya can probably tell you more. The State recognises gender on many different levels. The most basic is genetic, that is, it's a description of the gender-deciding part of the DNA such as XX or XY, and is assumed to correspond to what the newborn looks like. Only if the child is deformed, or shows other symptoms, is the DNA status actually checked and updated.

"The next level is physical. Normally one is only Male or Female, but there are certain people who are classed as Hermaphrodite, that is they have both sets of genitals. There are other categories including one which fits Marlon, which is Shemale. I know it sounds odd, but it specifically describes someone like him who has breasts and male genitals.

"The third level is social. Whatever equipment you may have physically, the State recognises that certain individuals feel the need to appear as the opposite gender to that they would normally be. So you can be socially Male or Female, independent of your physical makeup. You can also be socially Homosexual, Bisexual, Lesbian or Transvestite as additional options.

"The final level is legal. Notwithstanding any of what I have just said, you can opt to be legally Male or Female, whichever matches your chosen gender arrangement. The State might object, for example, if you are a fully heterosexual male who chooses to be legally female, or vice versa, but I understand most of the other combinations are permitted."

"And to think I thought you had to be just a man or a woman," commented Talya. "I'm glad, for once, that these are matters that don't concern me! A question, though, Sophia. What's the cost to Marlon of any of this? Do you know?"

"There's no cost to Marlon," was the surprise reply. "Because this situation was entirely the State's fault, the State will cover the cost of whatever treatment Marlon will need, whatever that might be, and for as long as he needs it, that is to say, for life. If he decides to change his status at any time in the future, the State will pay whatever costs are needed then, and so on."

"Whew!" said Marlon, "That was one thing I was worried about, the possible cost. Uh, thanks, Sophia, for all that information. I now have to go away and think about it all. Talya, any other thoughts?"

"I want to think about it all, as well, if you don't mind. We've time to discuss it in the next few days," she replied.

Belle walked Marlon back to his room.

"You think I ought to stay like this, don't you?" he asked her.

"I do," she replied. "Personal interest aside," she added, "it doesn't force you to make any choices yet. If you feel differently in the future, you can make a choice then. The only suggestion I have to offer is that you ought to sample the female way of life once you get outside. If you make a decision before you're released, you might regret it in years to come."

"That's another problem," he said, "what do I do when I get outside? I've really no idea what I'm fit for."

"That's not true," she contradicted, "why not carry on with what you started in here? I think you'll make a very good counsellor or therapist. At least continue looking at the available courses."

"You're right," he agreed, "but first I have to sort through what I've been told the last couple of days. I'm tired, Belle. I need to think and I'm not sure I can do that clearly at the moment."

She smiled at him. "That's what friends are for. Here, I'll leave you now, we're soon coming up to dinner. Have a quiet evening, Marlon."

Marlon did have a quiet evening, but he didn't sleep well with everything he had been told churning around in his head. The following day wasn't much better, with, it seemed, every single available person wanting to call and offer advice. Elena stopped by mid-afternoon to tell him that she had set up a meeting the following afternoon, and not to put any plans into stone just yet. Mystified, he took that as a sign that he could forget the outstanding problems for a while, and had a much more relaxed evening and night.

After lunch the following day he took Jill to see Talya, and they spent some time adjusting to one another before Elena called him away. She took him to the Controller's meeting room, where both the Controller and Sophia was waiting.

"Before Elena and Sophia start this meeting properly," the Controller said, "I need to tell you all that the trial of Citizen Pannal will take place starting tomorrow morning, and we'll all be present, us three as witnesses, and Marlon as victim as well as witness. So after we've finished, Elena, can you take Marlon down to Stores to get fitted for a release suit. Stores may bitch about it, but if he's going to get a suit in two or three day's time I don't see the point in delaying for the sake of regulations. Now, Elena, I gather this is your idea?"

"Yes, Controller. Marlon, I had an idea a few days ago about what you might do once you're released. An idea that plays to the strengths we've seen you display since you've been on E Deck. I want you to stay with us."

"I beg your pardon, Shepherd?" Marlon was surprised by her request. "What do you mean?"

"I wondered if you might consider staying in the facility, but as a member of staff. It's been quite clear, watching you operate, that you have a way of dealing with people few of the Shepherds have any chance of matching. With respect, Sophia," Elena switched to the Medical Director, "this is perhaps something that the medical staff should be providing, but obviously aren't except perhaps in your own person."

"What did you have in mind?" asked Sophia.

"I want him to be a sort of counsellor, free to go to any part of the facility and talk to anyone, the way he's been doing on E Deck. I've been reading some ancient history books. Long ago, there used to be 'lay' persons, I'm not quite sure what that means, but I think it implies that the persons weren't strictly part of the organisation structure. These persons would provide what's called 'pastoral care'. That is, they'd just go around and talk to the detainees and offer sympathy and support, and where necessary, advice and counselling. What do you think, Marlon?"

"I'm interested," Marlon admitted. "I would have to have some training, but I don't see any big problem. It would also mean that I have a secure base of friends to lean on while I build a new life outside for myself. Controller?"

"It's an interesting idea," she said. "I think Elena's identified a gap in the facility system. She has already mentioned your good work on E Deck. Now, E Deck itself is quite a rarefied place compared to the rest of the facility. How do you think you'd be able to cope with the different conditions elsewhere here?"

"Honestly, Controller, I don't know, seeing as I've never visited anywhere else. But it would be worth trying, at the very least."

"Sophia?"

"I approve, Controller, if we can find a way for it to work. It will probably mean that the regulations need to be adjusted, but we've already said that the current regulations don't provide the proper care. Elena, had you thought how this would work?"

"I think he'd probably have to be a member of your staff," she said, "we can work out a uniform and so on another time."

"I don't want to be a Shepherd," Marlon said, "I don't think many of the detainees will want to talk to a Shepherd, they see them as the enemy. It only worked on E Deck because I was one of them."

"That could be awkward," Sophia said. "I don't think the system would take too kindly to random citizens wandering around the facility. But I agree, if you were a Shepherd, it would automatically throw up a barrier with some of them."

"Right, I approve of your idea, Elena, I think this is what we'll try," said the Controller, coming to a decision. "See if you can find fault with this plan. We'll make it an experimental post, till we find out whether he can work all the Decks, not just E Deck. Marlon will report directly to the Medical Director, and we'll give him a provisional title of 'Facility Counsellor'. He'll have an 'all areas' disc the same as Sophia has, but we'll give him a 'trusty' uniform so that he's not obviously a Shepherd. Instead of red cuffs, we'll give him white ones, so Shepherds and detainees know who he is and what he's permitted to do. Sophia?"

She nodded. "I can't see anything immediately wrong with that, Controller. Can I come back to you if I think of something?"

"Of course. We've several days before Marlon is officially released. Elena?"

"That's almost exactly the way I'd thought of doing it, Controller."

"Marlon?"

"I'm overwhelmed by the kindness you've all shown me, citizens. It sounds like a good plan. I'll try to justify Elena's faith in me. Unless anything unusual happens in the next few days, I think I will accept your offer. Assuming I do so, I think you've just crystallised some of my other options. Sophia," he turned to her, "if I am to do this I will have to be a female, at least apparently so, to work in here. So I choose to stay in my present physical state. In addition," he turned to the Controller, "I will have to have a female name, so on the day I'm set free, I think I will walk out of here as Marlon Hillier, a man, and return as Marion Hillier, a woman. I'll change my status to female socially, but because I might still be able to reproduce, I'll stay legally male so any children I have can have a legal father. Will that be acceptable?"

"More than acceptable, citizen. Now, I don't want to prejudge what you might be able to do, but you do realise that if you're successful, we'll probably have to expand the operation and recruit more staff. This is a fair-sized facility, after all, you can't expect to handle it all by yourself. So, no pressure or anything, but you could find yourself running a small department in a year's time."

"No pressure! Controller, I'm lost for words. I'd prefer just to take it one step at a time, but I'll certainly bear your thoughts in mind as I do."

"Good. I think, then, Elena, you'd better take Marlon down to Stores now. I know Sophia has a whole load of work she ought to be getting on with. Thank you, Elena, for this idea, and thank you all for coming."

The woman in the Stores was one Marlon hadn't seen before, and she complained at issuing a release suit to someone who wasn't actually going out the door, but when Elena explained that Marlon had been exonerated and was merely awaiting the Appeal Court's judgement, she relented.

Marlon got a business style suit comprising a dark grey jacket with a short straight skirt and a fitted white shirt, two pairs of tights, and a pair of plain black slip-on shoes. He tried on the suit to make sure everything fit, looked at the result in the mirror and saw an 'ordinary' woman, which was fine with him. He reluctantly changed back into his green E Deck dress and handed the suit back, to be folded ready for him to wear in the morning.

As they were returning to E Deck, Elena said, "The suit is good enough for you to wear tomorrow and when you're released, but I'd get some better outfits as soon as you can. Those release outfits are a standardised item and everyone recognises them on the street, so they'll know exactly where you came from. You really don't need that kind of aggravation at the moment. I'm sure Belle will help you build a wardrobe."

"Belle?"

Elena looked at Marlon as the lift came to a stop and smiled. "We're not blind, you know. And Belle correctly informed me once she realised what was happening. If she hadn't, she'd have seriously stretched some of the regulations. Don't worry, I approve. And the regulations do permit work colleagues to form attachments, so you should have little problem in the future, if that's what you want to do."

"It's a little early, Elena," he said, "but let's just say I'm not discouraging her. At all."

"Good choice. Although I have to say, if you'd declared your availability, a queue would probably have formed on E Deck." She smiled again as they went through the gates and she released him.

Marlon sighed. "I obviously need to work on that part of my skills," he said, "I hadn't noticed anything at all. Thank you for finding me a job, Elena."

"My pleasure. It was fairly obvious, if you think about it," she said as she left him.

The next morning, after breakfast, he went down to Stores and changed into his suit. It was the first time he had ever worn the tights and shoes, and since he had spent the last six months wearing what were little more than slippers, his legs and feet felt funny. Since he was wearing a skirt for the first time ever, the feel of the waistband was odd to someone who'd spent six months in a dress. The ensemble made him walk differently. He was glad that Stores hadn't produced shoes with heels for him, even though he knew he would have that hurdle to face in the future. He practised walking about for a few minutes in the Stores area, and then was collected by two waiting female Enforcers.

After having his hands locked behind him, he was shut into the back of their van and driven away. The length of the journey suggested he was being taken back to the same court complex he had been in before, but there was no way of telling. After much waiting around, he was shown into a courtroom, and asked to relate his circumstances. Citizen Pannal sat in the dock on the other side of the room, looking shrunken and frail between two huge female Enforcers.

Much of his story sounded incredible to anyone who hadn't seen the male Marlon, but Proctor Julian, Elena and Sophia were all in the courtroom as well, so there was plenty of corroborating evidence. Because of the nature of the case, the session was adjourned for half an hour while Marlon went into a side room with the two female and one male Judiciars and stripped to show them his body. Video clips had demonstrated that he had been a normal male on arrival at Female Facility Five. The collection of evidence was pretty conclusive, and Citizen Pannal was found guilty on all counts, to be detained for medical reports before sentencing.

Before returning to the facility, Proctor Julian managed to talk to them, and Marlon found out that his own hearing in the Appeal Court was the day after next. Julian was impressed when the Controller described to him what they had decided to do for Marlon's future. Marlon endured the ride back to the facility in a much better frame of mind than when he had left that morning.

He spent most of the next day closeted with Talya, bringing her up to date with the last two days' events and discussing the future in light of his job offer. Needless to say, word had already got round and there were frequent interruptions from well-wishers. Marlon was glad when the dinner chime went and he prepared himself for the last night he would spend on E Deck.

He was totally unprepared when the doors were released the following morning, and he went out to find the whole Deck waiting for him. The crowd, including to his amazement all eight E Deck Shepherds, stood round in a large semicircle in the corridor, and when he emerged, they burst into a round of applause. Tears streaming from his face, he went to every woman in turn to be given a good hug. Much to his surprise, he even found Talya standing there, looking apprehensive, but obviously determined to do justice to the occasion. He had another surprise when he got to the end of the circle, because Belle stood there, with a smart uniform jacket over her normal work clothes, cuffs in hand.

"Hands in front, citizen!"

Marlon looked at her, bewildered.

"Not to worry, Marlon, we have to clear your room and return your belongings to Stores," she said.

She clicked the cuffs on his wrists, and to cheers from the crowd, he returned to his room for the last time. Belle carefully collected and folded all his clothes and piled them onto his outstretched arms. Then, the room empty, he left and followed Belle to the end of the corridor through a double line of clapping, cheering detainees.

The journey down in the lift was made in silence. Marlon wanted to wipe his eyes but couldn't because of the pile of clothes on his handcuffed arms. Through the tears he returned to Stores, and gratefully dumped the pile on the counter.

"One for release?" asked the stores woman.

"Yes," replied Belle. "We're off to the Appeal Court to hear him cleared. He'll need to change into his release suit."

"Of course, Shepherd. Citizen? You get to keep the underwear while you live in the transitional housing. You can ask for more as and when you need it. Because it's all chipped, you can bring it back here for the laundry service. Understood?"

"Er, yes, citizen."

"I'll put it all in your box with your other stuff, for you to pick up when you return after your court visit. When you come back, you'll no longer be a detainee, so I'll cut off your disc then and you'll get your ID card back."

"It's slightly more complicated than that," said Belle. "He'll need a staff disc. He, or rather she, will be coming back to work here."

"How does that work then?" asked the stores woman, puzzled. "Never mind, you haven't got time for explanations, go in there and change. Here's your release suit."

Marlon changed, and handed back his E Deck dress. Belle stood in front of him and tidied him up.

"Ready? Just one last ordeal, and then you can relax."

"Belle, after the last few days I'm quite prepared for anything to happen. Yes, I'm ready."

Belle took him to a part of the complex he'd never seen before. It was the front entrance, where the staff and visitors normally arrived. Controller Brand was waiting for them.

"Citizen, you'll be travelling with us for this journey, in my car. I'm sorry but you'll have to be cuffed, as you're still technically a detainee. The whole thing that's happening today is symbolic, you understand. I'm going because I have to formally release you when you're officially cleared. Belle is going because as a detainee, you need an escort. I have no idea how long it's all going to take. Belle?"

"Yes, Controller. For the last time, citizen, hands in front."

They walked out of the front entrance and Marlon stopped.

"Citizen?"

"I remember now," Marlon said, squinting, "the big yellow thing in the sky. And those white fluffy things. Those green things on stalks. I've been inside the whole time, one forgets what the outside world looks like. It's noisy, too."

"We forget," the Controller murmured. "Of course, there's no proper windows in most of the complex. Some of the other detainees do get outside for exercise, but it can be a shock for most when they leave and have to face the world again. My car is over here."

The Controller's car was waiting, and she climbed into the front beside the driver. Belle helped Marlon into the back of the car and they set off. They took a route onto one of the cross-town expressways, but the journey still took nearly an hour. The driver dropped them off at the front of a huge old imposing building and they were guided inside by the door staff, and shown which court to go to. They were taken to a waiting room, and someone brought them drinks. After a short while a man was ushered into their waiting room accompanied by two aides.

"Service, Citizens. I am Marcus Matteson, the Minister in the Justice Ministry who carries responsibility for ensuring the smooth and correct running of the justice process."

The three introduced themselves, and he continued.

"I was very upset when I learned of this case. It represents a wholesale failure of the system at several levels," he said, and then he astonished them by getting down on one knee in front of Marlon and bowing his head.

"I offer the most abject apology of the State to you, citizen," he said. "Your case is such a bad one it may cost me and several of my colleagues our jobs. The court will tell you all, but I have to acknowledge a number of failings in the procedures which are of course designed to stop such events from happening. Your case is also quite notorious in the press, since it involves a gender changing episode. I must tell you now that you will be most generously compensated, and you should understand that the State would do this anyway without pressure from outside, given your circumstances.

"Firstly, you will be awarded, as is usual in cases of wrongful detention, the same wage as if you had stayed at work, for every day you were detained. Secondly, in view of your changed circumstances, the State considers that you should be treated the same as someone who has become permanently disabled, that you may have difficulty adapting and will assume that you may not be able to ever work again. Therefore, you will be paid a pension for the rest of your life which will be not less than your last working wage, and in fact will probably be somewhere near double. You will receive this pension even if you do manage to find employment in future years. Thirdly, because of your physical changes, and the need for ongoing treatment, the State will pay all and any medical costs for the rest of your life."

Marlon's tears flowed freely. "Thank you," he whispered, and, standing, he helped the Minister to regain his feet. "Thank you so much."

"I've seen video of what you used to look like," the Minister said, "nobody deserves to have something like this happen to them. Nobody. How are you managing?"

"Better than I expected," Marlon said, wiping his tears. "But I haven't been outside yet. I've spent the last six months in a bubble. I don't know how I'll get on in the outside world."

"If you need anything, you have only to ask. The State is in your debt."

"Citizen Minister," Belle asked, cautiously, "there is something you might be able to do for Marlon immediately."

"Yes?"

"You mentioned publicity. That's not going to be good for someone attempting to adjust to a new life the way Marlon is going to have to. He doesn't want to have newsies pushing videocams in his face everywhere he goes."

The Minister nodded. "You raise a good point. I'll speak to the court officials and see if we can't get some privacy for him. The facts of the case will come out, of course, most of them already are, but there's no reason for personal details to be released."

One of his aides received a call on his earpiece and spoke to the Minister. Shortly afterwards, a court official came to the waiting room for them. They were all ushered into a large courtroom with five senior Justiciars seated at the raised table. They were seated, and the proceedings began.

"This hearing represents the closing stages of the appeal of Marlon Allen Hillier with respect to the case of the State versus Marion Allen Hillier. We should note for the benefit of court reporters that although the details of the case may be reported as usual, the name of the appellant should not be made known, as the appellant's circumstances will require privacy from this time forward. We have previously heard testimony from Proctor Julian, who while investigating a case of fraud discovered an identification problem, and correctly brought the person of the appellant in for further investigation. Through no fault of his own, he was not able to complete the analysis which would have immediately cleared the appellant. The Custody Officer had noted the appellant's status on his own file, again correctly.

"The new Custody officer who was on shift the following day checked the case file instead of the appellant's personal file, saw the name and did not notice the mismatch. He assumed that Proctor Julian had brought in the correct suspect. The appellant was brought before Justiciar Cardona who noticed the mismatch, but also decided that Proctor Julian had brought in the correct suspect. Justiciar Cardona inspected the two personal files and decided that they belonged to the same person, and that the only way this could have happened was if the suspect had undergone gender reassignment. The appellant, a male citizen, was therefore convicted and ordered to be detained in a female facility. Since the gender reassignment had apparently not been authorised, she ordered it to be reversed.

"When the appellant reached Female Offender Containment Facility Five, his case was as usual placed into appeal status. This would normally have meant him being detained for a short period before the discrepancy was noted and then freed. But Proctor Julian had been injured and upon his return to duty he assumed that another Proctor had completed his case by arresting the correct suspect, so he didn't investigate.

"In the Offender Containment Facility, the Facility Medical Officer, for reasons of her own, decided to ignore the appeal status and begin the Regression Therapy. This of course failed, but has left the detainee with bodily alterations he is going to have to live with for the rest of his life. This case has been dealt with elsewhere, but we note it here for completeness.

"Meanwhile, Proctor Julian has obtained evidence that the same person who carried out the crimes for which the appellant was convicted also carried out identical crimes, with video evidence, for which the appellant cannot possibly be responsible. Since it is self evident that he was convicted by purest mischance, we hereby exonerate the appellant from all accusations of the crimes presented against him, and declare him innocent. The appellant should be released from custody immediately."

Marlon stood at Belle's prompting, and the Controller ceremonially removed the cuffs. Marlon executed a small bow in the direction of the Justiciars and sat down again.

"I understand that the Justice Minister responsible for regulating these matters is present in court -" Marlon looked to his left and saw him acknowledge the Senior Justiciar who was speaking "- and has already notified the appellant of the compensation package that he will receive. He has also already received our recommendations as a result of this case, and of the case involving Citizen Pannal, and he has promised to resolve these matters quickly. We therefore declare that this hearing is now ended."

The was an immediate rumble of conversation in the court, which increased once the Justiciars left the room. Belle threw her arms around Marlon and just avoided kissing him on the mouth. She whispered in his ear, "Is now okay?"

"It's a bit public, Belle," he replied. "Give me room to breathe, I've only been a free man for five minutes."

Reluctantly she released him, and they made their way back outside. The Controller suggested that they have lunch before they returned to the facility, and they eventually tracked down a restaurant attached to the court complex. While they were eating, with Marlon savouring the novelty of using metal knives and forks, Proctor Julian came to their table and asked if he could join them.

"I thought you might like to know what's happening in the case you got entangled with," he said to Marlon. "We actually made an arrest yesterday."

"Please do join us," said Marlon. "Go on."

"You heard in court, and I've mentioned it before, there was an incident while you were inside. Well, we eventually found a small number of similar incidents stretching back for a year or so, and the same woman was in all the videos. I tracked back the last ID and found it led to a woman who had lost her partner recently. It wasn't the suspect, but there were similarities in all the case details which pointed to an office which deals with updates to the ID database.

"It seems our suspect accidentally found a way to create duplicate ID entries. Now they can't be identical, because the system would reject them, hence the small changes in name and ID number. What she'd do was create a duplicate, map her own biometrics on to them, and issue herself an ID card which she would then use to draw out all the cash in the duplicate account. Then she'd cancel the biometric changes and abandon the duplicate account. The file she left confused everybody because she forgot to remove her picture, but it did provide a clue. Eventually, our backtracking led us to a clerk in the ID administration office, who fortunately for us looked identical to the woman in the videos."

"That sounds like quite a hole, Proctor," remarked the Controller.

"It is, but fortunately it only happened under very specific circumstances - such as when a citizen's partner died, and under certain other conditions. We've got her now, she'll be dealt with next week."

"If I may make a request," said the Controller, "make sure she doesn't get committed to my facility, please. I don't think my staff would treat her very kindly."

"Point taken, Controller. I'll pass that along. Well, congratulations, citizen," Julian said to Marlon, "I understand you're going to be going back to the facility to work. You have my best wishes." Julian took Marlon's hand and shook it. "Now, I must be going. Service, citizens."

After lunch, the driver collected them and drove them back to the facility. The three of them made their way back to Stores, where the storekeeper snipped off the necklace with his detention disc and replaced it with a new one carrying a golden staff disc. His new disc contained his revised gender designation and new female name, and could be removed when he left the facility, to provide anonymity. He was then handed a sports bag in which the storekeeper had packed all his belongings.

"Take as much time as you need to to settle in before you come back here," the Controller instructed, "although I know it's not likely to be very long in your case. Your new apartment is ready, and Belle will escort you over there. Good luck, Marion."

The two women walked out of the front entrance of the facility and into the late afternoon sunshine. There were clouds stretched across the sky in a way that promised a glorious sunset, and Marlon stopped to allow his eyes to adjust to the rich scene.

"Belle," Marlon said, after a while, "Why me?"

"What do you mean, dear?"

"I'm not a very good prospect for anyone at the moment, am I? I mean, I'm not a strong, handsome man. Heck, I never used to be a strong, handsome man. I don't think I make a particularly pretty woman, either. I'm half one thing and half the other, and I may have problems adjusting to life outside. I may even be impotent. Yet you still think I'm worth the trouble. Why?"

"Of course you're worth the trouble!" she replied. "Don't forget, I saw you when you arrived, and I've been with you ever since, so I know exactly what I'm getting. You can't have been that bad before, can you? You were obviously good enough to attract Anna. Women don't always go for the hunk types, you know. What I like about you is your kind, considerate nature, your thoughtful words, your smile, your sense of humour, your modesty. You have a confidence that most women lack, as well. Don't worry about the physical side, I'm not going to pressure you. We can just explore what each other has to offer, and we've all the time in the world to do it in. We'll take things slow, you're still adjusting, and you've a new job to think about as well. As for adjusting, I'm going to try to do the same thing with you as you did with Talya." She paused. "I'm not pushing you into something you don't want to do, am I?" she asked, suddenly aware that she'd made all the running.

"No, you're not," he replied. "Inside I'm still a man, and the man was attracted by you soon after I set eyes on you. But, as a man on a Deck crammed full of women most of whom were not bad looking, I had to be very careful what I said and did. I had a number of other things on my mind which were more important, as well. Now I don't have to be careful any more, and I couldn't have wished for a better conclusion. No, Belle, you're definitely not pushing me places I don't want to go," he added, eyes glistening.

Belle reached for Marlon's hand and linked his fingers through her own.

"Come on, love," she said, "I'll take you home."