One / Kidnapped

Danielle had finished reprogramming the hand held device to receive information from a source that her keepers didn't want her to have.  On top of that she had broken into the security system yet again and rendered their quarters free of their "Peeping Tom".

"Sasha! Marsha! Alicia!  Please come here!  I have some news from home." The three young transwomen gathered around Danielle to observe the holographic projection that Danielle's hand held device emitted. 

 "In 2061, two hundred years after the first war of northern aggression began, the new Confederate States of America was formed.   Bishop Norman Bush, by altering the popular vote in his favor, became President of the United States and declared Marshal Law, abolishing all state governments and federalized all state resources.  The States of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, Carribea, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and  Arkansas formed the new Confederate States of America.  The Capital of the new CSA, Atlanta was made into a confederate district, Atlanta, D.A. which is the District of America.  Construction was completed quickly of a high wall outside the I-285 Perimeter as a physical barrier to protect Atlanta, D. A, from a similar fate from what befell Atlanta in the first war of northern aggression. "

The broadcast continued, "President Bishop Norman Bush refused to recognize the  New C.S.A. and sent troops to recapture the Kennedy Space Center.  When the US troops opened fire on the Florida Militia, a state of war existed between the USA and the CSA and the Second War of Northern Aggression began.  President Bishop Bush's Jihad extended beyond the CSA by making his interpretation of bible injunctions, Federal Law.  As such the existence of LGBT individuals were outlawed and they were compelled to turn themselves in to the federal government to take the 'cure' that had been commissioned and discovered by the fundamentalists who had backed Bishop Bush and stole the election for him. 

"Our sources indicate that this "cure" is nothing of the kind, but by introducing spontaneous physical restructuring of the brain results in identity death.  In the victim's final state it renders them highly suggestible akin to zombies.  This resulted in a mass exodus of LGBT individuals to the CSA.  Instead of being directed to refugee camps, the LGBT communities in the CSA were able to integrate the refugees into their communities.  The CSA, valuing the contribution of transwomen augmented the Phoenix Consortium (a transwoman think tank) in Atlanta, D. A. which became a quasi governmental entity, providing advice to the CSA government. The Phoenix Consortium decided to adopt the 'Bonnie Blue' flag as Confederate Women have done since the first war of northern aggression. "

A tone chimed.  The image of the man vanished and a woman appeared in the holographic projection instead.

"1800 Zulu report.  As the late unpleasantness goes against us, the northern aggressors are even bolder taking our citizens to do unspeakable things to them.  The aggressors were able to kidnap some of the members of our think tank, The Phoenix Consortium and remove them to foreign soil to do who knows what with them.  Among the citizens kidnapped were: Danielle Waters, Sasha Nabors, Marsha Brady, Alicia Masters ..."

The transmission stopped and the four of them were silent.  Danielle punched some keys on her handheld device then gave the thumbs up sign.  They all let out the breath that they had each held and began to relax again.

Sasha asked, "Did they penetrate security or did the signal become too weak to continue?"

Danielle responded "The signal failed but I wasn't taking any chances and I remodulated our countermeasures for their security." 

Marsha declared, "At least we know that the word is out about our kidnapping."

"It may also mean that we are on our own since they didn't begin the item with the code words that would have indicated a rescue was in progress.", Alicia observed.

Danielle stated, "We have to make a decision about eating the bishop's food.  It will be rich and delicious to tempt us but it will also be laced with their "cure"."

Sasha suggested, "I guess we need something to offer them.  What if we went on a vegetarian diet and drank only water?  They say that in order to survive digestion that the cure has to bound to animal meat products and it can't survive in a water solution either."

Marsha asked, "Do you think they might go for a wager?  We could prove that leaving us as we are would make us superior to the zombies that the cure produces.  "

Danielle queried, "Lets see a show of hands.  All in favor of the plan? " All the hands were raised.

Alicia volunteered, "I nominate Danielle to deliver our challenge to the powers that be."  Another show of hands had Danielle outvoted so she prepared to confront their keepers when they came with their first meal. 

It wasn't long before their keeper came to their room with a couple of carts full of food. 

Danielle explained their plan, "We have a proposition for you.  We feel like we will do better on water and vegetables.   If you will provide us those instead of the Bishop's food for a period of ten days and test us against 4 women who have been on the Bishop's food then you will know what feeding us this diet will enable us to do for you."

Their keeper could not make the decision himself but he did not compel them to eat what he had brought.  "I have another which I answer to who has compelled me to offer you this food.  I will ask the official who oversees me to come to hear your proposal."

The official who returned with the keeper told them that he found it intriguing and agreed to the terms.

At the end of the ten days the Phoenix group was compared to the zombies and the Phoenix group was found to be superior in all the ways tested.  Finally at the end of the time period the official had to agree that the four transwomen with their water and veggie diet had done much better than the zombies eating the Bishop's rich food so he agreed to make the test conditions permanent.

However that was not the last word on the matter.   The whole wager and the results and the four women's continuing on the veggie and water diet came to the attention of the Bishop himself.   The Bishop could not imagine what might be the basis for that ruling.  He had the four women brought before him so that he could determine the truth himself.

Danielle, Sasha, Marsha, and Alicia all appeared before the Bishop.  After a four hour long interview, the Bishop found that there were no one in the whole United States who was as wise as those four women.  It would be a waste to not take advantage of their superior intellect.  First the Bishop allowed the special diet they enjoyed to continue.  Also the Bishop appointed each of the women to important places in his government .   In the final analysis after continually consulting them for their wisdom, The Bishop decided that each of them were 10 times smarter than his most intelligent advisors.  The four transwomen excelled at executive branch offices in the government.

All seemed well but that didn't last long.