With her eyes closed, and her second kiss with Robert ending, in Rowan’s private room, feeling the absence of tongue another time, Allison said, “This is my perfect day, too. I think. Certainly the best day of my life.”

“Do you want to sit down for a bit?” Robert asked, a look of wonder on his face.

“If I sit, I’ll melt,” Allison admitted, remembering her skirt was still flipped up by her waist — to reveal who she really was — so she forced herself to get on with being who she really was.

She unhooked her garters and while Robert watched she put on her white stockings. The sign of her virginity. The sign she hadn’t tried to become a mother, or so men believed. And soon she was ready for her new shoes Robert had perfectly chosen for her.

Then she was walking back into the store, having kissed her first man, and holding his hand.

Her blood ran cold. Adam was standing at the front of the store.

Her grip tightened on Robert’s hand, then she turned to him, forcing herself to calm. “I’m sorry. I need to talk to the man who reported me.”

“I’ll pay for all these,” Robert said, with an edge to his voice.

Allison took her conn from Angie, who was standing looking at Adam, and they both walked to him.

“How did you find me?” Allison asked.

“You know men can track a woman if her ID is in his conn, once they enter a public place.”

Allison shook her head, ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, but she knew Adam had seen it. “I also know unless the woman justifies it you are in serious trouble. And that security are even less willing to justify it than the woman. You already have a caution today! Why are you being so stupid!? You left me! You abandoned me! You told me to enjoy my new life and walked away! With all that was happening to me!?! That still is!!”

“Please, just listen to me. I’ll be honest,” Adam said. “Completely honest with you.”

“I was honest with you!” Allison said, trying to control her voice, but she knew she was raising it; that it was cracking. She took a breath. “I didn’t know why I was like that, I still don’t know, but I was being honest with you. This is me. Really me. Not just because the court agrees. And I don’t blame you for reporting me, I blame you for leaving me!”

“I know this is you. I know.” Adam nodded, almost to himself, as if seeking courage. “I walked around for a while, after I left you — I’m sorry — I got a call from someone who said they were a citizen representative; a voter. I didn’t know what that meant. Apparently when the court is looking to punish a citizen they have someone argue their case. He said my case was the easiest he ever had...”

Adam looked at Allison but Allison simply kept listening. “He said I was correct to report you, based on what I knew. What everyone knows, or believes they know, or believed they knew. He said court decisions aren’t all the court records. He said in my notes, about the report, he wanted it written that I was shocked but I was a good friend to you, Allison. That I always was. He wanted to note my character is that I would continue to be a good friend, once I got over the shock.”

“So you came to watch me?” Allison asked. “To judge me? To see if you could tolerate a freak like me?”

“He said the longer I left it the harder it would be to face you. And that was pretty much that. I kept walking for a bit, and thinking, and I knew he was right. I don’t know what’s happening but I don’t think you do either. You looked to me for help. I didn't help. That was wrong. I should have helped you. I should have seen how serious this is to you; the risk you took. I just thought about myself. So I decided to track you, and you didn’t turn up for an age. I was getting worried about you. I even went to where you’re squatting. The second you popped up in my tracker on this floor I came as quickly as I could. I was really worried about you.”

Allison could feel herself shaking. She felt cold.

“You were always my friend, and it seems you were always really Allison, even when you were someone slightly strange who’d be friends with women. So why can’t I be a friend to a woman? To you?”

“I don’t know if I’m—”

“And you are a woman. I saw you getting a ride on a man’s back. I saw you trying on shoes, and having fun. I was watching from the middle of the promenade through the doors. I saw you go into a private room with a man. Who else could you be doing all that but my female friend Allison? If you’ll still be my friend.” Adam squared his shoulders, setting his arms straight by his sides. Waiting.

Tears were beginning to form in Allison’s eyes from the heaviness of the emotions, their press, and weight and movement, that she felt over just a few, serious words; in shock for what she was; over what this meant. It wasn’t just someone who could never figure her out before — Angie accepting her — it was her oldest friend, her only real friend, Adam, accepting her. The man who’d known whoever she’d been since she was unleashed — when she believed she was a man — now accepting her as a woman. Accepting what she was, who she’d become. What she’d chosen. A choice she’d made that seemingly no-one on the station had ever made before, or could imagine making.

“Send your tracker to my conn,” Allison said, sniffing.

Adam took his black conn from his pocket while Allison held her rainbow one in front of her. The tracking justification was sent to hers. She pressed the confirmation. She’d justified a man hunting her down; she’d justified a man tracking her for a good reason, and spared him the punishments that awaited had he got it wrong.

“Thank you,” Adam said.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“I’m sorry, Adam. I know it was a shock. I couldn’t have expected anything else. I’m sorry I worried—”

Allison’s conn let out an extremely loud, continuous screeching. “What the fuck is that?” Allison roared, smacking a fist against her side, about ready to sit on the floor from exhaustion.

“Private call,” Rowan said.

“Private call? What’s that? From who? Fucking fuck!” Allison nigh on screamed.

“Look at the ID. Don’t ignore it. You hold your conn to your ear to hear.” Rowan showed Allison the general idea with her own rainbow conn. “You can go into the room you just came from for privacy! Go!”

Alison turned around and took a step towards the room she’d kissed Robert in as she looked at the ID. It said ‘One.’ The man who started all this.

Her steps quickened.

Allison’s cheeks puffed out with air then she blew an exhalation through her lips.

The door closed behind her as her conn continued to screech. She had to answer, even just to shut it up. This was One, the man — whoever he was — who started her down her path to womanhood; the path to womanhood legally, medically, and in her own mind.

She pressed the accept button, held her conn to her ear and closed her eyes tight. “Yes?” she said.

“How are we doing?” One asked, bright and cheerful.

“What?” Allison said, stunned, shaking her head with her eyes still closed. “How are we doing?!”

“Are you sitting down? Is there a seat nearby? Take a load off, fill me in on what you’ve been up to!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Allison asked, eyes now wide.

“Come on, I want all the gossip,” One said. “Sit down, rest your feet, fill me in.”

Allison rubbed her forehead with her free hand. “What’s happening? What the fucking fuck is—”

“I don’t know!” One said, excitedly. “Sit down! Tell me what’s happening! I might be able to help. All the details. I’m doing nothing right now. Tell me about your day.”

Allison rubbed her hand even harder against her forehead then threw her arm to the air before looking for the couch. She sat herself down and forced herself to sit back into the seat. To try to relax. “Well... I guess I’m a woman, now...” Allison said.

“Are you happy with it?” One asked.

“Yes!!” Allison said, annoyed.

“Good! I knew you would be. Those brown smokes are heavy and you had one of the best reactions I’ve ever dealt with. You were a pleasure to work with. I enjoyed myself.”

“How did you do it? How am I a woman?”

“I thought you’d tell me,” One said, no longer really telling her something he was certain of.

“I mean the first message, from The Governor’s Office, welcoming me to the station. I’ve never seen anyone hack like that. An entirely new, official ID. And the court? Did they believe it? How did you—”

One laughed. “Hack? Not at all. I have a friend in the office. Nice woman, she has trouble sleeping, well, trouble getting good sleep, or waking up properly, no-one is certain on what it exactly is, and I help her with that. She said if I ever needed help with anything just let her know. It was easy, I just said I found a mistake with an ID. It wasn’t a big deal. Then the court saw sense when they looked at you, I assume.”

“Not a big deal? You called in a favour, just like that?”

“No. No favour. Friends help each other. I was helping her, really, and the station. I found a mistake. How are your friends, Allison? I presume you’ve told a few people, or they contacted you?”

“They’re good with me, I suppose,” Allison said, cautiously. “At least now, I think. They’re with me. Well... Outside the door.”

“OK, that’s nice to hear. Everyone’s over the shock.” Allison nodded to herself wondering if she was over the shock with Adam. “I’ve left something in your apartment for you. I need you to get to work. It’s a backpack. Filled with tins of those rollies, basic supplies. There’s two tins with the name Des on them. One is for you, the other is for him. Just go to his apartment, his location is on your conn now. Deliver the rollies, he’ll probably want to chat for a while, smoke with him. Enjoy it. Nothing to worry about. If you go in the next ninety minutes you should have your evening to yourself and your friends. How many friends are there with you?”

Allison looked towards the door as if she could see through it. “Two? Three?”

“Those are different numbers, Allison,” One said.

“Two old friends. One new friend. I kissed him,” she said, the final words ones she couldn’t keep inside herself, not realising she’d actually said them until she did. That it was real.

“Oh, yes! Come on! That’s the best bit of gossip I’ve heard all day. First kiss? Did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah, my first... And yeah...” Allison said, feeling warmer, smiling, then forcing herself to stop. She didn’t even really know who One was.

“OK, bring your two old friends with you to your apartment. If they’re the first with you now they’re the ones you can talk to about your new job. Please try not to talk to other people about it. Or smoke what I say you can smoke outside the three of you.

“Yes, the three of you can smoke among yourselves, we don’t want you getting isolated again. And smoke with the clients what I say is for your clients. Only smoke in your apartment, or where voters tell you you can. Those are rules.

“Citizens don’t smoke, generally, certainly not what you have. If you slip up and tell other people about your job just ignore it after letting me know. People make mistakes, it’s not the end of the station.”

Allison wasn’t feeling drunk before, but somehow, now, she felt more sober than her previous rather stern level of sobriety. Albeit sobriety amidst exasperation. “Is this illegal?” Allison asked.

“No. There’s a note on your conn from The Governor’s Office approving all this. Not even from me talking to a friend, it’s an official job just not a common one. You’ll have the accesses you need as you need them. It’s all above board, we just don’t talk about it unless it’s necessary, either with citizens or voters. You happy?”

“About what?” Allison asked.

“You’re a woman, does that make you happy?”

“Yes...”

“You’re working a new job, how about that?”

“I suppose,” Allison said.

“You kissed a man, does that make you happy?” One asked, and Allison could hear the smile he was wearing.

“You really are a fucking gossip aren’t you?”

“The best at it!”

One laughed a big, roaring belly laugh, with a bass drive to it straight from his depth, then he turned serious again. “Anything you’re not happy about?”

It was concern, real concern, but Allison didn’t want concern after she’d just been interrogated by a giant fucking gossip.

“My conn was screaming at me when you called me, can you stop that? Or stop calling me? Send a fucking message! Who ever heard of calls that weren’t security check ups?” Allison said, somehow hearing another, distant scream in her mind.

One laughed again, and Allison knew he really did thrive on mayhem. He was far more familiar and open than a few hours ago. A few hours ago when it was all serious business, constantly. “Talk to Des about that. He’ll fix it. He’s a smart man. Now, go on, explain all this to your friends, after saying goodbye to your boyfriend. Enjoy yourself, it’s a fun job. Tough at times but rewarding.”

Allison paused for a moment then said, “OK,” at which point One ended the call, and it was only then Allison realised she wanted to point out Robert wasn’t her fucking boyfriend!