Encounter #4

The China Experiment

The Development of Four Women Inside the Daughters of Athena

by Mongoose750 (mongoose750@yahoo.com)

It was just another Friday night as far as Crystal Martin was concerned. College classes were over, at least for the weekend, and there were no social engagements or any dates in sight, so she did what she normally does on these evenings; sit on the couch, eat pizza or the junk food of her choice, and watch TV.

Crystal was a longhaired brunette of 5'8", a widening girth, and outside of doing her schoolwork (her parents had threatened to stop paying for school if she didn't), any other signs of personal ambition had fled the premises a long time ago. She had changed her college major three times, and after realizing how much work a social work degree can be, she considered changing majors for the fourth time.

On this particular night, decked out in a brownish gray sweat shirt, black sweat pants, and white socks, Crystal was watching an international diving competition between the United States and China with her best friend, Misty Chandler, who lived next door in the apartment house a few blocks from the main campus. Misty was the product of a Caucasian father and a Filipino mother. Her mother's good looks were obvious in her long black hair, round face and pretty almond shaped brown eyes. She was about the same height as Crystal, and she was bordering on being the same width until she joined a group that emphasized physical health and fitness among other things. She was wearing a white football jersey with light blue lettering and numbering that read "New York, 23" on it. She also had on navy blue sweat pants, and white footies. At least they were white, until she finished her workout; now they were almost as black as Crystal's sweat pants.

At first it appeared that the her mother's culture's emphasis on education had somehow passed her by, but since she joined her new group, her grades and study habits have almost improved overnight. She thought about possibly trying to get on the honor roll next semester.

The Chinese divers were winning the contest handily, but Crystal wasn't paying attention to that. Rather, her attention was focused on the well-built, scantily clad male bodies that were jumping off the diving platform. As the women divers were taking their turn, Crystal turned to Misty.

"Wow, those divers are in pretty good shape," Crystal said. "I'd love to be in good shape like that." And then she took another bite of pizza.

Misty said nothing, but slightly shook her head. For as long as she knew Crystal, she had always knew her to be boy-crazy, and to always talk about getting in shape and losing weight, but she had yet to do anything about it. Not that Misty could complain about it, not too long ago she was the same way. Now, she still would like a nice boy to cuddle up with, but it's not like her life depended on it this instant. And the weight problem was already taken care of along with getting healthier and stronger every day. Now it's her friends' turn.

"Have you heard how the Chinese train their athletes?" Crystal asked. Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "They have scouts go all over the country looking for kids who look like they would be good at a certain sport, and then they move them to a certain camp where they train intensely for this sport all day for most of their life until it's time for international competition or the Olympics." She patted her ample belly. "That's probably what I need," she laughed.

Misty planned on using a subtle approach in recruiting her friend, but her last remark left her an excellent opening that she couldn't refuse. "Well the DOA has a training program that is almost as intensive as what the Chinese have," she said. "I mean, look at me, I wasn't like this six months ago." She stood up from the couch and turned around, her hands over her head. Six months ago, Misty filled almost all of that jersey instead of the way it hung loose now. The initials "DOA" stood for the Daughters of Athena, a group that was staging a comeback after its initial appearance on campus several years ago. Two ladies came to Misty while she was eating her lunch between classes and invited her. After checking the group out, she joined them.

"I see. Perhaps I'll give them a try," Crystal said.

Misty knew Crystal's use of the word "perhaps" usually meant she'll try whatever it is sometime around the twelfth of never. However, she had a counter for this too.

"They're having a special meeting tomorrow morning at nine. They're providing a free home-cooked breakfast and lunch later that afternoon. If you don't have anything planned tomorrow, you may want to come by and check it out, at least for the free food anyway," Misty said. She also knew full well that Crystal didn't or rather never has anything planned on Saturday, so short of outright lying, there's almost no way she can refuse.

"Sure, why not? Just give me a wake-up call," Crystal said as she moved her right hand between the sofa cushions. She pulled out a sealed plastic bag. "Hey, would you like some weed? Got it fresh from my dealer this morning."

"No Crystal, I don't do that stuff anymore, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot. Sorry about that," Crystal said as she pulled out the little paper on which she was going to make her joint. "Maybe I need to cut down on this too."

"Hey, I'm going to go ahead and turn in for the evening. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Misty said as she headed toward the door. She won her little victory, no need to spoil it by hanging around and giving her a chance to change her mind. "Good night."

"Goodnight," Crystal said as she started the careful process of rolling the joint.

Misty closed the door, and then almost squealed with excitement at the thought of bringing her friend to the meeting in the morning. Her friend is probably going to hate her when she finds out how much work will be involved in the process. Oh well.

"Be careful what you ask for, Crystal," Misty said to herself as she walked down the hallway to her room.

At about the same time that evening, Judy Miller was coming home from her part-time job at the city library. It seemed like every kid in town came by to ask for help with their homework. She was finally relieved when the head librarian closed and locked the doors. It was Friday night, aren't they supposed to go out and have fun?

Judy was according to the college brochures a "non-traditional student." Because of low finances, she had to work for a few years before she was able to save some money and establish a school loan to get started. She may be a little older than the other students in her classes, but at least she's there; and in two years she'll obtain her degree.

The older junior student was 5'6", had a slim build, and wore her hair in a style that was popular back in the 1980's. Along with her "Dorothy Hamill" haircut, she wore a pair of thick black glasses. Her Scottish plaid skirt, white blouse, black hose, and black loafers just made people think the word "librarian" before they asked her where she worked. To further the stereotype, her major at school was psychology. That's okay, Judy thought to herself, after she graduates and lands a good job, she'll be able to change her outfits and clothing style to anything she wants. In the meantime, a low-maintenance hairstyle and conservative dress will do until she's through.

For the moment, Judy was looking forward to sitting back, kicking off her loafers, and maybe watch some television with her live-in boyfriend, Cory. Maybe. Cory Williams was 5'9", medium build with dark brown hair. He had a good job working at the local delivery service as assistant supervisor. He made good money, yet he always appears to be broke more than half the time. He and Judy met a year and a half ago at the library when Cory was a regular deliveryman who had to drop something off at the library. According to him, as soon as he saw her, something "clicked." For the last five months, Judy was trying to figure out what that "something" was. When they met, he told her about his plans of attending school, and working as a banker someday. Now the only time school is mentioned is when Cory complains about Judy going all the time, and banks only come up when he overdraws his checking account - again. The only reason for Cory's Jekyll and Hyde behavior, Judy reasoned, was he needed a good place and a good lay, and this way, he doesn't have to look for it or pay for it.

On second thought, Judy mused to herself, sitting back and watching television should do it. It's useless cuddling up with your "significant other" when he suddenly isn't so "significant" anymore. After the semester is over, that will be the best time to call it quits and move on with her life.

As Judy opened the door, the sight she saw wasn't a welcome one. Sitting in the living room facing the door was Cory standing by the TV, and his best friend Jack Robinson, a 6'1" skinny man who was lounging on their sofa. Judy did not like Jack because he was a jerk, plain and simple. Neither she nor her girlfriends could stand being near him, yet Cory sees him as the perfect drinking buddy. To make things worse, Jack thinks he's the hottest man on the planet. If he sees someone wearing a skirt, he either thinks he can woo her or worse that she's had her eyes on him the whole time she's there. With a stick figure and blonde hair as long as some has-been rock stars, it's hard to figure out how he thought he was God's gift to women.

"Hi babe," Cory said. "Jack and I are going to go to the watering hole and put away a couple of cold ones."

"Okay, that's fine, have a good time," Judy said. Actually this would be great. She would get the time alone, and Jack would be out of the house and out of her hair.

"Do you have any money?" Cory asked.

"No I don't," Judy replied.

What happened next occurred so quickly Judy barely recalled it. She turned around to place her purse on an end table. When she turned back around a second later, she found herself on the living room floor with a stinging sensation on her left cheek. Cory was standing over her. From the faint smell she could smell in his direction, it appeared Cory and Jack started the festivities a little early.

"Don't lie to me, you heifer!" Cory shouted, pointing a finger at her. "I know you have money. I need it."

Judy stared at him coldly. "Where's your money?" She said.

Cory marched to Judy's purse and started pulling things out. "I have eh, expenses to pay for. Don't you worry about my money."

Judy knew he was lying. The "expenses" of gambling and drink ate up his paycheck, leaving her to pay the bulk of their bills. She surprised herself on how calmly she sat on the floor while he went through his drunken tirade and dug through her purse. A big part of her wanted to jump up and slap his head off for what he just did, but for some reason she decided to stay where she was. She saw Cory pull a small stack of bills from the purse.

"That's our rent money," she said.

"Oh, don't get your panties in a wad, woman, we're not going to spend all of it," Cory said.

Jack didn't say anything; he just laid on the sofa laughing like he was informed of some private joke. Cory made a slight gesture with his head, and he got up and headed toward the door.

As Cory turned the doorknob, Judy said, "Cory?"

"Yeah babe?" He said, like nothing had happened.

"You're not going to hit me again."

Cory paused, tried to think of a comeback only to realize he couldn't think of one, and then closed the door. Jack's obnoxious laughter could be heard outside as they walked to his car.

Judy remained where she landed, absentmindedly rubbing her cheek, though the stinging was gone. If she needed a clear sign to end this relationship, this was it. Sure, the arguments ' mostly over money ' and the flack about her trying to improve her life, along with being treated like a cheap whore was already an incentive to end things at the end of the semester. However, Cory hitting her for the first (and last) time settled it. Let him go ahead and pay rent with the money he has left from going out, she's leaving tonight.

And with that, Judy allowed herself to cry. Not from pain (the backhand slap was more a shock than anything ' the blow mainly stung), nor from sadness, because the relationship was over before it begun, but from rage. Rage at Cory, and rage at herself for allowing such a slime ball to enter her life in the first place. "Disaster happens when you lower your standards," her mother once said, and now she saw the wisdom of that remark.

There was a knock on the door. Judy got up and sat on the sofa, taking a few seconds to dry her tears and compose herself.

"Come in," she said.

Lacy Alexander was a black woman of 6'1", who was a fellow student and Judy's next door neighbor. The former Air Force officer had a slim, powerful build, and wore the female equivalent of a "buzz" haircut, dyed auburn brown.

"Judy, what's going on?" Lacy asked. "I heard some noise and yelling going on, so I'd thought I'd come by and check. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just need to start packing," Judy said. She related the news of what happened to Lacy.

"I'm glad you decided to drop that jerk now instead of waiting until the end of the semester. Do you know where you're staying?"

Judy sighed. "No, I haven't a clue."

"I know this center not far from school that-"

"Whoa, Lacy. He only hit me once, and that was a little over ten minutes ago. That doesn't qualify me as an "abused woman.' The same goes for the workshops they have in places like that. I need a place to lay my head, Lacy, not therapy."

"Judy, it's not that kind of place. This place is funded by that group I'm involved with, and it's mainly for women who need a place to lay their head."

"This place is funded by the Daughters of Athena, that group you've joined some time ago?"

"Yeah."

"Boy, they get around."

"Tell you what, I'll give them a quick call to see if there's a room for you, then I'll help you pack your clothes. We can pick up the larger stuff, like furniture later."

"Okay, sure. It'll be better than staying here. Thanks Lacy."

"No problem. Oh yeah, they are having a special meeting tomorrow morning. I'll be there; you'll want to come; breakfast and lunch like your mother used to make, and it's free. Free food."

"Free food? It's a deal."

The next morning, Crystal gets up and staggers into the living room. She thrusts her hand in-between the sofa cushions, and pulled out ' nothing. Her special stash of weed was gone. Over time, she had started to get to the point where she couldn't start her day without having a toke or two.

All signs of sleepiness gone, she pulled out the sofa cushions, throwing them on the floor, looking under the sofa, and trying to figure out where she last left her stash. She knew she didn't smoke it all, where could it be?

"Morning, Crystal," Misty said from the doorway. Crystal was so involved in her crisis, she didn't notice her come in the room without knocking. She was dressed similar to what she had on the previous day, except this time she had on an oversized white T-shirt, gray sweat pants with a white stripe down the side, and white slouch socks.

"I can't find my stash!" Crystal yelled while she looked under the sofa for the second time.

"Cleanup and get dressed, we don't want to miss breakfast," Misty said, ignoring the subject. "When we get back, then you can find your bag and take a hit."

The truth was while Crystal was sleeping, Misty snuck back into her apartment and took it. She wanted her to be clean and sober for this event. She considered flushing the stuff down the toilet, but ultimately, it had to be Crystal's choice to kick the habit. As it is, she'll already be mad at her for getting her into this, much less hiding her stash from her. Misty was confident however that some good will come out of this.

Crystal emerged out of her room, pulling on a green sweatshirt and putting her sneakers on at the same time. She started glancing around.

Misty read her mind. "You won't need makeup, it's just us girls. You can tie your shoes in the car. Let's go."

At the center, Judy woke up in her new surroundings. She had a good night's sleep; not surprising, considering all that happened last night.

As soon as Lacy found out there was room at the center, the two women wasted no time packing up all of Judy's possessions and loading them in cars belonging to both women. The ladies felt like they broke the record for the fastest move done in one night. On top of that, the current residents upon finding out they were getting a new roommate, volunteered to go back to Judy's apartment and take out her furniture too. The evening's endeavor wiped Judy out, and she almost collapsed into her new bed. She was thankful she didn't have work the next day.

Not surprisingly, everyone agreed that ending the relationship with Cory and moving out immediately was a good idea. Sticking around, they said, would've made things worse.

Judy rubbed her eyes. She'll need to sit down and figure out her next move. In the meantime, she needed to get herself ready for a good breakfast and this meeting that Lacy told her about.

There was a knock at the door. Judy pulled herself out of bed and opened the door. It was Lacy. She was wearing a sky blue T-shirt, white leggings that extended mid-shin, and barefoot. She reached out and gave Judy a hug.

"I miss you not living next to me already," Lacy said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a log," Judy replied.

"That's good. Man, it was awfully rowdy last night when Cory got home. I knew he had a filthy mouth, but he was shouting terms I never knew, and I was in the military."

"Nice to know he missed me," Judy said sarcastically.

"Anyway, I came by to pick you up for the meeting. You can ride with me."

Judy looked Lacy over. "Is this a casual event?" She asked.

"You know it. Just throw something on that you don't mind getting sweaty in."

"Sweaty?"

"I'll explain on the way. I'll wait in the lobby."

After Judy jumped in and out of the shower, she looked for something she could throw on that would accommodate the spring weather. After digging through a couple of unpacked boxes, she decided on a tan hooded sweatshirt, a pink T-shirt, blue jean shorts, and blue flip-flops. It worked out well; she didn't have to iron anything, and it was anyone's guess which boxes her iron was in.

She skipped down to the lobby and met Lacy.

"Are any of the residents here going?" Judy asked.

"Honey, the whole center is going. This place will be empty. I came by to pick you up early so we could get a good seat."

"Good seat? You want to be first in line for the food."

"You got it; its that military training kicking in," Lacy said with a grin. "Let's go, breakfast is on me."

The meeting was held at Ford's gym, an old and small gymnasium the university used for its athletic activities until they built a bigger and better facility that was close to campus. Before the school board even had a chance to decide what should be done with the old place, a mysterious buyer made an offer to buy the run-down gym at a third more than the actual value. The board said "sold," happy to get the old eyesore off their hands. After the sale, the gym was immediately and completely renovated, until it looked even better than it did when it was first built. To make things even more peculiar, after the building was renovated, it remained closed to the public for at least a couple of years. No one came in or out, though a few neighbors could almost swear they saw activity in the gym late at night, while a few kids officially declared the place haunted. A year or two later, the gym reopened, only to preferred company (women), and for selected public gatherings, like this meeting.

The gym was filled close to capacity with women of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Their ages ranged from girls barely out of high school to women approaching upper middle age. The biggest bulk of women were from the university, but there were also women who long since graduated college, some who never attended or graduated college, and even a few who didn't graduate high school.

The breakfast was a major undertaking. Any food that was part of a normal breakfast was there. Everyone was able to get an ample (or with some, more than ample) portion of food. The women were advised to leave some room for lunch, and not to get too full for there'll be some activities later, but as the case with good home cooking, people just can't seem to help themselves, and before long, there were women laying on the mats covering the floor patting or rubbing their bellies, unbuckling their belts and unbuttoning their pants or shorts to keep their stomachs from exploding, and a few curled up and took a nap. This was anticipated, however, and that explained why there was a large time block for the morning repast.

Crystal sat back after she finished her meal, and before she could stop it, a large belch came from her mouth. She put her hand over her mouth and looked around red faced to see if anyone noticed. To her embarrassment, everyone around her did, and started laughing as her face got redder.

"Hey Misty, I see your guest enjoyed her breakfast?" Lacy said as her and Judy approached the two women.

"Sure sounded that way," Misty laughed, while Crystal looked for a place to hide. "This is Crystal, and when she's not burping, she's a good friend of mine. Who's your guest?"

"Crystal, Misty, this is Judy, my "former' next door neighbor. She just moved in the center last night," Lacy said. "She works at the city library."

"I thought you looked familiar," Crystal said. "Don't you work there during the evenings?"

"Oh yes, come to think of it, I think I may have seen you there a few times," Judy said.

"Probably while I'm finishing a paper at the last minute. I bet you probably don't like people like us."

"No, it's the ones who never used a library before in their life and have to finish a paper at the last minute who I don't like," Judy laughed. "You didn't beg me for help and asked me stupid questions, so you're all right."

"Speaking of "all right,' do they cook breakfast like this every Saturday?" Crystal asked.

"Not on this big a scale, but they sure do," Misty said, patting her friend on the back. "All you have to do is join us."

"I'm not joining anything until I know what I'm in for."

"I think we're about to find out," Lacy said, as she pointed toward the center of the gym.

The crew who set up breakfast broke down the utensils, serving trays, and everything else with enough speed to make a racecar pit crew envious. In a few minutes, there wasn't any evidence that they were there, except for the well-fed women who lie in its wake. Other women dressed in green sweatshirts and pants urged the other women to move away from the center of the gym and to have a seat on the bleachers or to sit on the floor in front of the bleachers. After this was done, more mats were placed on the gym floor, replacing the previous ones that may have had food dropped on them.

"I could use a crew like this to clean my place," Crystal said.

"A whole army couldn't clean your place," Misty remarked.

"Like yours is any cleaner, Miss Dirty Socks on the Sofa," Crystal replied.

"Quiet, here she comes," Lacy said.

"Who?" Judy said.

"The mistress of ceremonies. Wait until you hear her, she's good."

After the floor crew set up the sound system, a slim, middle-aged woman who was 5'9" in height, walked onto the floor to the center of the gym. Her short, dark blonde hair was cut so the front hung roughly half an inch away from her eyebrows while the rest was styled in a boyish type cut. She was dressed in a white long-sleeve button down blouse, with large black buttons, white trousers, and bare feet. She made a final adjustment to the cordless microphone she was wearing, and then she addressed the crowd.

"Ladies and ladies, I trust you enjoyed the marvelous breakfast the crew has fixed this morning?" She said. The audience responded to her with shouts of yes and applause.

"My name is Olivia Howard, and I'm the local representative for the Daughters of Athena. I can already guess what some of you are thinking; "they're nice people, and they cook a mean breakfast, but who on earth are the Daughters of Athena?'"

There was laughter from the audience.

"Well first, let me tell you what we are not. We are not a religious cult. We are a group that's open to women of all faiths or women who have no particular faith at all. Athena, according to Greek mythology, was the goddess of wisdom, and we are big advocates of having wisdom, so that explains our name. We are also not one of those lesbian groups who hate men. We don't hate men, they have their uses."

More laughter came from the crowd.

"I know I keep my husband around for some reason," Olivia continued. "Seriously, we welcome women of all sexual orientations. Whatever floats your boat, you're welcome here.

"So are we a top secret organization with plans to take over the world? Well no, because we're not top secret, and we women are running the world more than men would like to admit. What we are is an organization dedicated to the total empowerment of women, emotionally, physically, and mentally. We are here to help and encourage women to reach their full potential, to stand out from the crowd, to be all that we can be, to borrow a phrase from the Marines.

"Case in point: we are normally a volunteer organization; someone normally asks another woman if they want to hook up with us, they say okay, and the rest is history. Your situation, however, is a different thing entirely. Some of you may be trapped in a lousy or abusive relationship, and you need to leave or worse, escape. Some of you may have had the misfortune of being told that you were a loser most or your life, and you won't amount to anything unless you get lucky or marry a guy with money. And some of you may be living your life in a perpetual holding pattern; just lingering in a boring existence with no end in sight.

"Your friends saw you in such a bind and took the chance to help you. You may have been coaxed here by the food, you may have been dragged here against your will, and your friends may have done everything short of being forced here at gunpoint just to get you here. Please don't hold it against them. It's just that they love you and care for you too much to see you live like you've been living anymore. This meeting today is for you.

"So what can we do for you? First, let's talk about the mental aspect of our training. Many of you may already be in school and that's great. Others of you may be in the position of wanting an education, but not able to afford it. Well we here at the Daughters of Athena are here to help. In fact, we're here to pay your way into college, vocational school, or even to obtain your GED."

There was the sound of women murmuring to each other throughout the gymnasium.

"That always gets people's attention. I can also guess the first two questions that you're wondering about right now, how can we afford it, and what do you have to do to get your education taken care of?

"To answer the first question, the founder of our group is filthy rich. She was a businesswoman who was making a killing in the business world and was climbing up the corporate ladder. Then one day, she was passed over for promotions and bonuses because she had the unfortunate accident of being born a woman. One day she couldn't take anymore and started her own business. Her business genius was rewarded as her company advanced. Then one day she thought about other women who could probably make a difference in their life if they had a chance, and so several years ago, the Daughters of Athena was born. Unless you have a degree in business or economics, it's complicated how she's able to allocate so much money to this cause, so just trust me, she's loaded.

"The answer to the second question is much more simple. All you have to do is join us and join our cause. There's so much we want to tell you, to teach you; more than we have time for in a short presentation. There's no entry fee and almost everything will be provided for you.

"The mental and emotional makeup goes hand-in-hand. Now regarding the physical makeup, I believe a demonstration is in order."

As soon as she said that, a young woman with long sandy blonde hair that flowed over her shoulders wearing a powder blue spaghetti strap leotard with powder blue tights that went mid-calf walked to the center of the gym. Shortly after she stopped, ten men of various sizes and builds walked out to the middle of the gym and surrounded her in a ten-foot radius.

"Another interesting tidbit to mention is Athena is also the Greek goddess of war," Olivia said. "Before we begin, let me inform you that these men will be compensated for their participation and they will receive the finest medical care available after the exhibition is over."

"Medical care? What is she talking about?" Crystal said. But before she received an answer, Olivia suddenly clapped her hands.

"Begin!" She said.

The woman went into a combat pose, her bare feet rooted in a T-stance, while her arms were raised up the height of her shoulders, her palms facing in front of her. To Crystal, the pose reminded her of the way a crab poses when it's defending herself.

Some of the men cautiously circled the woman while one of them started things off by diving for her waist. The woman leapfrogged the man, leaving the other man behind her as an unsuspecting target. As the two men tumbled over each other, the woman leaped and gave a flying jump kick, sending her left foot into another man's face. The man fell back from the force of the blow holding his face in his hands. Upon further inspection, blood could be found seeping from between the man's fingers.

Holding her arms in "crab stance" again, the woman deflected a punch with her left hand, and trapping the arm using a circular motion. Before he could react, the woman sent two fast punches to the face and a knee to the ribs before being swung in front of her to receive another punch to the back of the head by another attacker. The woman pushed her captive against the new attacker, and then sent a powerful right kick to the forehead. The kick and the other man caused the attacker to fall to the ground. As the attacker scrambled to get up, he realized from the cries of pain from the man on top of him had his arm dislocated from the woman's arm lock.

The woman showed no mercy as she fired her left foot into another man's throat, then performed a shoulder throw landing the gagging man on top of the two men scrambling to get up. The first two men who knocked each other down at the beginning of the contest faced the woman to attack her in unison when she surprised them by charging right at them. She jumped, landing a devastating right kick against one man's jaw, while she grabbed the others' arm with one hand and twisted it while sending several blows to his kidneys and spine. Keeping a hold on his arm while she looped another arm around his neck, the woman used her would-be attacker as a human shield from the two attackers who were just joining the battle. As the two hesitated from attacking right away, the woman sent two blows with her right knee into his kidneys and tossed him aside so she could face them directly.

The first one took a step forward, which the woman replied with a kick with the ball of her left foot to his right knee. The man howled in pain until the woman gave him another kick to his jaw. His pain was increased with a broken jaw to go with his injured knee as he collapsed to the floor squirming in pain.

The last man standing was very cautious now, as he glanced around him at the carnage the woman has left. Everybody else was either knocked out or debilitated, the exception being the man squirming to get out from under two of his fellow henchmen. The woman walked over to the man she kicked in the jaw before, knocked him out with a chop to the neck, then raised up and gave a cruel smile as she started to advance on the remaining attacker.

The man glanced over to the other man who was finally managing to get himself free from having a man with a dislocated arm and a man gagging for breath on top of him, but he realized he wouldn't have enough time to help free him. Suddenly he realized that there were more important things in life than picking up a nice check for attacking a psychotic woman, so he took the only option that seemed to be open to him ' flight.

He turned and tried to run for the door he came out of on the far end of the gym, but the woman would have none of it as she tackled him before he could take a few steps. The woman grabbed his left arm and twisted it while she took her right foot and put it on the back of his neck, grinding his face in the mat.

She looked over at the man who finally made it to his feet, then scowled at him because he looked like he was going to make a break for it too. She kicked the man she had trapped in the temple, knocking him out, then started trotting toward the man. He started to run until he tripped over the man with the broken jaw and injured knee. The woman leaped on him and knocked him out with a punch to the face.

The woman then stood up, her earlier blood lust gone, and took a bow to the crowd, who wildly applauded. At that time, several women in gray sweats appeared and helped, dragged, or carried the injured men away.

"I wish I knew this stuff before last night," Judy said.

"Yeah. Crystal, what was your question again?" Lacy asked.

"Never mind," Crystal said.

"One thing we require of everyone who joins us is at least one year of intensive physical exercise and training in a martial art. The workouts can be set around your schedule. At most, they'll only take an hour out of your day, unless you would like to spend more time, then you would be welcome to do so. Half of your regiment would be weight training and other exercises, while the other half would be martial arts training. Which martial art? We have teachers who are trained in a wide variety of martial arts, judo, karate, kung fu, etc. Plus we even have some of our own that our founder created. The demonstration you just saw was one of those."

There was a hand in the audience belonging to a woman who was in her late 30's. Olivia saw the hand and asked the woman her question, expecting what it was.

"That may be great for the young kids, but I'm 39 and I can't jump like that. As a matter of fact, what about you? Can you fight like that?" The woman asked.

"I'm always asked this question," Olivia said, "so I believe another demonstration in order."

Two men were brought to where Olivia was. The representative took her microphone off and handed it to the woman who fought before. As soon as she received the microphone, the woman said, "Begin!"

. The first man attempted to grab her, which Olivia returned with an over the shoulder throw. She then pivoted and launched her left foot into the next man's chest, leaving him winded and bent over. Olivia rammed her right knee into the man's face, and then returned to the first man to place him in a chokehold. Unlike the other woman, she relented, just applying enough force to make him gasp a little. She then got up and faced the audience, particularly the side where the woman asked the question.

"Does that answer your question? It's not too late. Besides, I'm older than you are, I'm 42!" She said. "Any other questions since we were entering into that part of the program anyway?"

"How come everybody down there isn't wearing shoes?" Another woman asked.

"Because we can. Our founder walks barefoot around her office all the time, and thinks high heel dress shoes are of the devil. With the damage they can do to your arches, I can see why. When you join with us, you'll see how liberating it is to leave your shoes at home. Next question."

"Why is most of the crew bald-headed?" Another woman asked.

"Good question. First, it's strictly voluntary; second, it started when this woman who had long, beautiful hair decided one day . . ."

After the question and answer session, Olivia dismissed the public forum and encouraged the visitors to watch their friends workout, or even better, to join their friends during the workout session of the program. Judy found the whole thing enjoyable, including the workout, and kept asking Lacy why she didn't invite her sooner as well as asking her further questions about the group. In Crystal's case, there was no escape. While she found everything about the Daughters of Athena fascinating and probably fun; however the year of intensive physical exercise sounded like too much work, even though it would probably take care of her weight problem. Also Misty was the one who drove the two there in her car, so any hopes of sneaking out were futile. All she could do was suffer through the workout session with Misty, and to try to come up with a suitable reason or excuse why she couldn't make it the next time.

Misty was ecstatic over Crystal finally attending one of these meetings. She realized she had an uphill climb ahead of her having to put up with Crystal's future excuses to quit. However, if she could give her the proper motivation and incentive, and have Lacy and Judy among others give her the proper encouragement, she may be able to keep her there long enough to see the benefits herself.

After much prodding, Misty was able to have Crystal lay down on a bench and do some lifts with a barbell.

"Misty," Crystal began, "Have I told you how much I hate you?"

"Yes, this makes the fourth time you've told me that," Misty laughed. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Crystal, do you remember Olivia telling us what the advantages are of making ourselves stronger?"

"Not right at this moment, no," Crystal said, grunting as she attempted another repetition with the weights.

"She said that we would be able to get any man we wanted. Not just asking a guy who notices us, but being able to take any man we desire to be with. Do you remember that?"

"Yes, yes I do," Crystal replied, and with newfound strength finished her repetitions with the barbell. "And she said after a year's worth of workouts we'll be able to do this?"

"At least."

Suddenly all thoughts of leaving escaped Crystal, as she went into the rest of the workout session with renewed vigor. In fact, she started working out with Misty with an energy that Misty had never seen before. A month later, Lacy asked her the reason for the change.

"In all the years I've knew Crystal, she always hungered after anyone who looked good in a pair of pants. I thought if I could get her attention that way, then I could get her to do anything," Misty said. "How's Judy coming along?"

"Are you kidding? She's still giving me a hard time for not inviting her earlier. She's looking forward to getting started on her marital arts training. In fact, she already checked out books where she works on different techniques. She's so excited, you'd think she was the one who invited me instead of the other way around," Lacy said.

"Well it looks like we gained two successful "converts.' If things go this well, we'll have at least half the campus in on it."

"The "female' half, anyway."

A couple of months later, the four sat around a table during one of their breaks in-between workouts. Lacy decided to ask them how things were going at that point.

"Is everybody having fun so far?" Lacy asked, leaning back in her chair and drinking some bottled water.

"I'm having a blast!" Judy exclaimed.

"I should know better than to ask you Judy," Lacy said, laughing. "You've been in such a good mood since you've started, you're making the rest of us look bad."

"I'm doing pretty good," Misty said. "How about you, Crystal?"

"I feel good. I looked in the mirror the other day, and I discovered muscle is much more sexier than fat," Crystal said.

"Can't argue with that," Lacy said.

"I haven't felt this great in years. Oh, by the way, I decided what martial art I'm going to study."

"Oh really? Which one?" Misty asked.

"Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I've seen a couple of those UFC matches on TV and that seems to be the technique the fighters use. I always thought it was cool."

"I decided to try some kung fu," Judy said. "It looks both graceful and lethal. I can kick some butt and look good doing it."

"I'm sticking with some good old fashioned kickboxing," Lacy said. "I just kick and punch, nothing complicated."

"You've never told me what martial art you're working on, Misty," Crystal said.

"Well it's relatively new, and it's pretty unusual, but it's turning out to be fun," Misty replied.

"What is it called?" Judy asked.

"Combat yoga," Misty said.

"What?" Judy said.

"Combat yoga, it's one of the martial arts that the leader of this group created."

"So what do you do with that, twist your opponent into a knot?" Crystal said.

"Something like that. It does involve quite a bit of contortion. I've always been rather limber, so I'd thought I would give it a try."

"The only knots I want to tie are on my shoestrings," Crystal said.

"I'm with Crystal on that one. I'll stick with punching and kicking people out in kickboxing, nice and simple," Lacy said.

"By the way, I want to get back to some nice and simple lifting," Crystal said getting up from her seat.

"You and Misty go on ahead, Judy and I will catch up in a minute," Lacy said as the two women walked off.

Judy looked at Lacy with concern. "Is there something wrong, Lacy?"

"Well as you know, I'm still living at that apartment complex where you used to be, and believe it or not, Cory is still there."

"I see he learned how to pay rent."

"I guess so, plus Jack moved in. Anyway, from time to time, they drink about half a case of beer and start mouthing off about stuff. A few times they talked about finding you and cutting you up."

"Yeah? Well he has to find me first."

"Well the other day, he somehow found out where you're staying. I wanted to give you the heads up so you wouldn't be taken by surprise."

Judy sat in her chair and looked thoughtfully at her bottled water. "As much as I would like to put Cody in his place, and I'm sure I could do it, I don't know if this is the right time. Besides, more than likely he'll have that stupid gorilla Jack with him, and I don't want to take on both of them," she said.

"You don't have to, Judy. The Daughters of Athena has your back, and furthermore, I have your back. After we finish our workout, let's go to Cece and let her know what's going on."

After they finished their workout, the two women walked to the office. Through the window of the office they saw four women engaged in an animated, gleeful conversation. The four women consisted of one tall black woman and three others of shorter height and lighter complexion. They were laughing about something one of them said when Lacy and Judy came in.

"Ah, Lacy and Judy, is it?" Said the black woman with a light Jamaican accent in her voice.

"Yes, that's me," Judy said. "We weren't interrupting anything, were we?"

"Oh no, no. Ashley here was just telling us about something that happened at school the other day. I'm afraid I have you at a disadvantage since we haven't formerly met yet. My name is Cece," she said offering her hand.

"Nice to meet you," Judy replied, shaking it.

Cece, the head trainer at the gym stood 6'1" with a muscular build that was befitting a basketball player. She had her short black hair tied up in two ponytails with a red ribbon on each side. She wore her customary work outfit, a spaghetti strap red leotard with a red wrap around skirt. Capping off the outfit was bright red polish that she wore on her fingernails and toenails. The fingertips of her hands and feet seemed to glow in contrast with her cocoa colored skin.

"Let me introduce you to the rest of the group. This is Sabra, our head of security here."

The woman Cece introduced her to was 5'5", olive-skinned, bald, and clad in a navy blue tank top and dark purple sweat pants. Upon seeing her for the first time, Judy could see why she had that position. Her muscular frame was very well defined, and would look rather intimidating to anyone who would try anything questionable at the gym.

"I'm pleased to meet you," Sabra said with a firm handshake.

"And this is one of our newer recruits, Little Tiger," Cece said.

"Hi!" Little Tiger said, forgoing formality and giving Judy a big hug instead.

"Hello," Judy said a little surprised, but smiling.

Little Tiger was the same height as Sabra, but not quite as muscular, at least in the upper body. Her major area of muscular definition was her chest and legs. She was wearing a white T-shirt and black stirrup tights. To match her workout outfit, she wore frosted white nail polish on her toenails. She wore her blonde hair short, in a pageboy hairstyle.

"And this is one of our even newer recruits, Ashley," Cece said.

Ashley meekly waved her right hand and said, "Hello." Judy waved back.

Ashley had brown hair that went just below her shoulders, and had a build that wasn't as muscular as the others had, but it looked like she was starting to get there. She wore a basic gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, and in contrast to the bare feet of everyone else in the room, she wore white running shoes with short white socks.

"She's still a little raw," Little Tiger joked. "We're still trying to get her to take her shoes off."

"Your name is Little Tiger?" Judy said questionably.

"Oh, you're not yet to the part where you get to pick a name for yourself, I'm sorry. Just call me Sallie Mae, like the student loan company." She said.

Judy smiled. "I bet you've heard all the jokes," she said.

Sallie Mae/Little Tiger had a mischievous look on her face. "Not anymore," she said.

"I normally make it a point to get to know all the new recruits," Cece said, "but we have gotten such an influx of people the last month or so, it's getting hard to keep track of them."

"Cece, Judy has a situation that might become a problem. We figured you might have a way of taking care of it," Lacy said.

"I see. Would they be boyfriend problems?"

"Ex-boyfriend problems," Judy said.

"Ex-boyfriends, I had a problem with one once," Sallie Mae said.

"Did you have a problem dealing with him after you two broke up?" Judy asked.

Sallie Mae displayed that same mischievous look on her face. "Not anymore," she said.

As she saw everyone laugh, Judy said, "I'd like to hear how you dealt with it."

"I bet you already have."

As Judy looked confused by Sallie Mae's statement, Cece asked her, "Is this the classic "How dare you break up with me, now I'm going to make you pay' scenario, or is it something uniquely different?"

"Yeah, you hit the nail right on the head," Judy said.

"I'll take care of him for you," Sallie Mae said, stretching and giving a few shadow kicks.

"Geez, Little Tiger, you already took out your ex-boyfriend, and a whole fraternity to boot. What more do you want?" Sabra said.

Recognition came to Judy's eyes. "A whole fraternity - wait a minute, that was you?" Judy asked.

"That's right; told you you've heard about it. Just don't tell anybody outside of here. I heard the campus police are still looking around to see who did it."

"But all those people who saw you, how did you get away with it?"

"I grew hair," Sallie Mae laughed.

"It really happened, I was there," Ashley said, giggling. "Her ex, who was my boyfriend at the time, was putting the moves on me when it started."

"All right, now you two got to tell me the whole story sometime," Judy said. "I thought it was a wild rumor."

"I believe in dealing with your problem, we don't need to perform anything dramatic," Cece said. "I think a subtle, yet efficient method is in order."

"A more subtle approach?" Lacy said. "This man and his friend threatened to cut her whenever they see her."

"Not a problem, mon. I just need to know who they are. The only thing I need for you to do is to make a simple phone call."

"A phone call?" Judy said.

"Sure! You can't draw a mouse to the mousetrap if you don't offer a nice piece of cheese," Cece said.

A couple of weeks later, on a late Saturday morning, Cody hung up the phone and looked at Jack, who was lounging on an old sofa that was bought at a thrift store.

"Hey guess what?" Cody said.

"What's up?" Jack said, paying scant attention to the television, which was showing the beginnings of a fishing program.

"That was my old girlfriend," Cody said. "She said she wanted us to get together and "talk' about what happened. She wants us to get our "feelings' out in the open, and make a decision on where our relationship will go from there."

Jack laughed. "Sounds like she'd been watching too much of those talk shows, like Oprah and what's his name, Dr. Bill," he said.

"I think its Dr. Phil, but I'm the one who'll do the talking, and the only feeling she'll get is after I slap her face and kick her butt for what she did. The tramp had the nerve to move out on me, and then call me like nothing has happened. After I beat on her, her face is going to look so bad, no man is going to want her," Cody said. "If she begs me enough, maybe I'll take her back in. She'll have to follow some new rules though."

"When are you two going to "talk?'"

"As soon as I can get there. She even gave me directions. Want to come?"

Jack took another glance at the TV. "Sure, why not? I don't plan on doing any fishing right now," he said as he turned off the fishing program.

They got in Cody's car, and drove to the building where Judy was staying. On the front steps of the building were two women. One of them appeared to be the physical embodiment of the proverbial farmer's daughter. She wore a red and white checkerboard short sleeve blouse with the front tails tied up in a knot above her belly button, and blue jean shorts cut almost to the point where the insides of the pockets were visible, and a ankle bracelet around her bare feet. She stood about the same height as Cody, had long blonde hair flowing to the shoulder blades of her back, and long legs further accented by the short shorts. All that was needed to make the picture complete was to have a straw hanging from her white teeth, and hay bales and a barn in the background.

The other woman was dressed a little more contemporary if not casual in black basketball shorts and an oversized sleeveless red T-shirt. She stood almost as tall as her companion, and had short black hair that barely went past her ears. She was stretching her legs when the men arrived, pulling her bare right foot over her head with her left hand. The flexible feat wasn't lost on Cody and Jack, who stared in amazement, among other things.

"Can we help ya'll?" The country-clad woman asked the two guys.

It took Cody and Jack a moment to get their eyeballs back in their head, and to remember what they came there for. "We're looking for Judy Miller, she invited me over, we were going to talk about stuff," he said.

"Sure, sugar," the blonde said. "We don't have a problem with visitors coming by to see their lady friends, do we, Sue?"

"Nope," Sue said.

As the blonde beckoned for the guys to follow her, she made the introductions. "By the way, I'm Betsy Lou, and this is my friend, Sue," Betsy Lou said.

"Hi," Sue said, flashing the men a very friendly smile.

"I'm Cody, and this here is Jack," Cody said.

"Hello," Jack said, flashing his best "she thinks I'm hot" smile.

As they walked to the front desk, the two men took long looks at the legs and derriere of the women in front of them. The place seemed to be almost vacant, so they enjoyed the view without danger of being seen. The foursome stopped at the front desk where two other women were sitting, reading a magazine and a novel, respectively.

Betsy Lou approached a short haired black woman with wire-rim glasses reading a novel and said, "Naomi, here's a couple of gentlemen who are scheduled to meet with one of our newer boarders, Judy Miller."

"Judy, yeah, I know her. Nice woman," Naomi said. "Do you know if she's in, Regina?"

A woman with long, curly red hair, chewing bubble gum put down her Vogue magazine, blew a bubble, and faced Betsy Lou, Sue, and the two men. "Yes, I believe she's in. Let me go back to the office and check. Ladies, do you want to come back here and help me check?"

"Sure," Sue said. "We won't be long, gentlemen."

All four ladies went into the office behind the front desk, leaving Cody and Jack alone.

"Dibs on the blonde," Cody said in a low voice. "I've heard about those down home girls. A looker like that would keep me on the farm."

"That's alright," Jack said. "The limber one is good enough for me. I'd love to have those legs around me, if you know what I mean. What do you want to do about Judy?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I'll just tell her that it's over and to have a nice life, and to go get stuffed or something. The only thing I want now is that woman's number."

"So why does it take all four of them to see if someone's in?"

"I don't know. You know women have to do everything in groups anyway. They can't even go to the bathroom alone, everyone knows that. I don't think even they know."

Regina and Naomi returned to the front desk and smiled at the two men.

"The two ladies are seeing her right now. They're going to have her go to a room so the three of you can be alone," Naomi said, putting extra emphasis on the word "alone." "We do have a favor to ask of you."

"Sure, what is it?" Jack said.

"We had a new person move in recently, and we needed to move the last of her things in her room. The items are in two large plastic tubs. We were going to drag them up the stairs, but since you two are nice strong men, could you help us carry them?" Regina said, smacking her gum and flashing a disarming smile.

"Yeah, we can do that," Cody said.

As the two ladies led the men to the office, they showed the men the plastic tubs. They were both square and three feet wide and three feet deep with handles and lids. Naomi and Regina grabbed the front handle while Cody and Jack grabbed the back handle and brought them up a flight of stairs to a vacant room near the top of the house, which was made evident by the rafters that were visible in place of a ceiling. Upon putting the tub down, Cody leaned back against a wall and took a breath.

"Man, that was heavy!" he said, wiping his brow with his forearm.

"Some of our boarders bring in everything but the kitchen sink," Regina said.

"I don't know, I think that was the kitchen sink in there."

"Well as soon as you take a breather, you'll find Judy in the next room. Just open that door on the other side of the room, and she'll be waiting for you," Naomi said.

"Thanks a lot for your help. We'll leave you all alone now. Bye-bye," Regina said as they left the room.

After they sat for a bit catching their breath, Jack said, "Hey, did you notice we're almost out of breath while those ladies were hardly winded?"

"Oh, they work here, so they probably do it all the time. Better them than me. You ready?"

"Yeah, I think so."

The two men walked to the other side of the room, opened the door, and walked into a room that looked suspiciously empty. Empty except for the carpet they were standing on, and the skeleton of a bare bed in the corner.

"Where is she?" Jack said, looking around the room, even though it was a futile gesture.

"Maybe she had to go to the restroom before coming here," Cody said. He knew Judy wasn't one to miss an appointment. They waited about five more minutes. When no one showed up, Cody was angry.

"We've been set up, let's get out of here," he said.

They left the room, entering back where they were when they helped move the plastic tubs. They stopped in their tracks however, when they saw what was happening in front of them. One of the tubs was opened, the top leaning against it; but that was not as unusual a sight as the other tub, where the lid was moving.

The lid lifted up, then fell over like invisible hands pulled it off. Next came a bare, muscular leg draping out of the tub, then the other. This was followed by two hands that pulled the body from the plastic coffin. It was Betsy Lou. She performed a few slight stretches, and then strode stealthily and seductively toward Cody, similar to the way a cobra slithers toward its victim.

"Ya'll should've got the hint when Judy packed her bags and split," Betsy Lou said in a huskily low voice. "But you didn't, and now you're going to pay the price."

"Pay the price? What are you going to do?" Cody said with not as much skepticism as before, being a witness to Betsy Lou's feats of contortion.

"Why we're going to beat the tar out of you, that's what we'll do."

Cody had no qualms about hitting a woman again, even one that met the object of his fantasies and desires, especially after he was stood up, so he swung his right hand to backhand slap Betsy Lou out of his way as he headed toward the door. Betsy easily blocked the blow, then rushed in and sent a right knee into Cody's solar plexus. What happened next was not a counterattack as Cody expected, nor anything else that happens in a fight; instead, Betsy Lou wrapped herself around Cody's bent form. She entered from behind, wrapping one leg around his, an arm around a shoulder joint, and suddenly pulling from both ends. During Cody's attempts to free himself, he discovered this woman is stronger than she looked. And what was she doing, anyway, trying to tie him into a knot?

With her free leg, Betsy Lou pushed off, and they fell to the ground, Cody taking the brunt of the impact. Betsy Lou took her free hand and pulled Cody's head to the side roughly and spoke huskily into his ear.

"Have you ever tried yoga, boy?" Betsy Lou asked him. "Maybe you should. It makes you strong; it makes you flexible, like a rubber band. If you're not flexible, things tend to break, like so . . ."

The yoga warrior pulled, and suddenly Cody's mind filled with pain as he felt his arm being yanked back.

"I love to hear big boys cry," Betsy Lou said, and aggravated Cody even more with kissing his neck and nibbling his ear as she pulled. Cody cried for Jack to help.

Jack snapped out of the trance he was in from the unusual sight. He started to move toward the entwined pair when suddenly a pair of legs looped around his neck in a scissors hold. The ankles rested themselves onto another beam in the rafters to anchor the hold. Surprised and overwhelmed, Jack reached to pull the legs from his neck only to have one of his hands seized in a firm hold. The frantic activity made Jack lose more air than he would be able to get back.

Meanwhile, Betsy Lou, who was pinning Cody to the floor before, rolled on her back so she can use more leverage to pull him apart some more. An ear-splitting scream told her she was successful in disabling one of his limbs. She whispered once more into his ear.

"It's my job to dispose of men like you. Men who don't know how to treat a woman. And you know what? I like it, I like it a lot. In fact, I like it so much, I might go for another arm, or maybe a leg this time," she said.

"Let me go!" Cody screamed.

"Never," Betsy Lou taunted. "I'll never let you go. We have much more to share from our time together."

At that point, there wasn't much of an argument from Jack, or anything else for that matter. Failing to break Sue's leg scissors around his neck, his frantic attempts to free himself was futile as he lapsed into unconsciousness. After she saw that her work was done, Sue released her hold, dropping Jack to the floor like one would drop a sack of garbage in a garbage can. She lowered herself from the rafters, looked over at her teammate dealing with her prey, and got her attention.

"Hey Betsy, how much longer are you going to take? We have another job later this afternoon," Sue said.

When Betsy motioned to her that she couldn't hear her over Cody's pleas, she grabbed a discarded washrag from one of the tubs and stuffed it into Cody's mouth. Then she repeated what she said.

"It shouldn't take much longer, I just want to do a few things," Betsy Lou said, this time in a more Midwestern accent. "Can I help it if I love my job?"

"Oh, you mean the same way Tigress loves her job?"

"No, I don't think I need constant supervision to make sure I don't kill anybody when I do it. Let me hurry up and put him under."

Betsy Lou pulled her arm away from Cody's now useless one, and using her middle finger and thumb, placed each on the veins on both sides of his neck, and squeezed.

"It's time to go night-night," she cooed. "Oh, as you may have guessed, I'm not really a southern girl; I've only been on a farm a few times in my life. But men love the accent, especially fools like you. Sue's the country girl; not that it matters to you, you're going to sleep. Oh yes, one more thing." She took the toes of her right foot to dig into his jeans front right pocket. She managed to pull out a switchblade. She transferred it to a free hand where she put it in her own jeans' pocket. "You won't be needing that."

"You've got to show me how you do that!" Sue exclaimed.

"It's not that hard, just takes a little practice," Betsy Lou said smugly.

With a tight grip on the main arteries of the neck, the flow of blood to the brain was temporarily halted, and Cody fell into unconsciousness as well. Betsy Lou untangled herself from Cody's body and looked down at her handiwork.

"Okay, now what do we do with them?" Sue said as she prodded Jack's inert form with her toe.

"I don't know. We could throw them in the dumpster and forget about them," Betsy Lou replied.

"Nah, too much trouble. Hey, do you remember what we did with those drunken idiots who followed us home three weeks ago?"

"Yeah! After we knocked them out, we stripped them naked and put them outside the city limits. That's a good idea."

"Well we need to at least put them within walking distance of a nearby hospital, since you got a little carried away with Cody, there."

"Hey I just dislocated his shoulder, he doesn't need intensive care. Can't a girl have some fun?"

"Yeah, you just need to watch yourself. You got the rope?"

Betsy Lou pulled some rope from the tub she rode in. "Right here. Do you want to strip them now, or wait until we're out of town?" She asked.

Sue looked at her watch. "Let's tie them up and throw them in the van. I can strip their sorry carcasses on the way to the city limits. Isn't one of Judy's friends training to be one of us?" She said.

"Yep. It'll be nice having more yogi assassins so we won't have to run around so much," Betsy Lou replied.

"Let's hurry up and tie these bozos up so we can get back to campus. I understand there's a couple of fraternity boys that are in need of "removal.'"

"Oh I love those frat boys, they have no clue."

The four women continued with their training. In a little over a year, they became more stronger, fitter, and confident. Crystal even went so far as to adopt the hairstyle of many of the DOA members, which was no hair at all. While she boldly shaved her head, the others refused. Misty considered it, but was told for her future endeavors, it would be better to keep her long hair. Lacy said that since she keeps her hair cut close to the scalp anyway, a total shave wouldn't be necessary. Judy said the library may not be able to cope with a bald female librarian, and that they already have a bald librarian in the person of Mr. Anderson in Circulation and Archives. Nevertheless, they did decide one warm spring day to wear the trademark outfit of the group, which were plain, one-piece black swimsuits. They loved the attention they received as men stopped, sometimes in risk of personal peril, and observed their bare, shapely, muscular legs as they walked around the college campus.

"Misty, while I'm still thinking about it, I just wanted to tell you the experiment worked," Crystal said as the four walked back from the school cafeteria.

"What experiment?" Misty asked.

"The China experiment, for lack of a better term. You lassoed me into this group, which forced me to exercise, seriously pursue my studies, and eventually put me in the best shape of my life. A year ago I couldn't hope to look this good in a swimsuit. Now I can wear one out in public without feeling self-conscious."

"Why thank you, Crystal. The DOA was so good for me, I just couldn't have you left out."

"I guess I need to thank you too, Lacy," Judy said. "I only have one complaint."

"I know, I know, why didn't I tell you about it sooner? Well, I was waiting for the right time, how's that for an answer?" Lacy said.

"I guess that'll do. Hey, is my old apartment still empty?"

"Since Cody and Jack moved out, it sure is."

A year ago, after Cody and Jack were dropped off at the city limits naked in broad daylight, they managed to make it to a nearby clinic to get Cody's arm looked at, but not before being the recipient of hoots and hollers from onlookers driving by on the highway. Eventually a policewoman picked them up and took them to get medical attention, then charged them with indecent exposure. After they finally made it to the apartment and endured the coming week with remarks about their adventure, they moved out and left town. They attempted to tell some people what really happened, but no one believed them.

"I was thinking of moving back," Judy said. "I really liked the place, and I like to have a place to put my furniture other than storage."

"The landlord knew how big a jerk Cody was, he'll be more than happy to have you back," Lacy said.

"Well despite all that's happened, I know of one thing that will make me happy," Crystal said.

"What's that?" Lacy asked.

"A man!"

Misty shook her head. Some things never change.

"Do you have one picked out?" Misty said.

"As a matter of fact, I do. He should be leaving class right about now," Crystal said as she directed the others to a vantage point on a nearby bench to watch the students walk by.

From one campus building, there were a few students leaving their class, men, women, and some couples. One of these couples was Reginald Murphy and Kevin Butler, one of the openly homosexual couples on campus. Women and men of their persuasion considered them both handsome men. Reginald stood at 5'6", had brown hair, and looked like he could be a model for a men's magazine, except for the lack of muscle tone in his build. Kevin was the same height and had similar looks, except he had sandy blonde hair.

Those who knew the two knew Kevin to be a nice guy, friendly and kind, whereas Reginald, a son of one of the richer families in town was a bit of a snob, condescending to everyone who was in a lower tax bracket, including his partner. Bystanders have been witnesses to a few of Reginald's tantrums, where he reminded Kevin that he would be nothing without him, and no one else would take him. Kevin would end up crushed and retreating to his dorm room in tears.

"Which one is it?" Judy said.

"That one," Crystal replied, pointing at Kevin.

"Crystal, those are one of the gay couples on campus. If those two were flaming any more, they'd catch the whole school on fire," Misty said.

"Yeah, I know, but do you remember one of the things that Olivia and some of the others told us, that we would be able to take any man we want, and not waste our time sitting by the phone or sit around waiting for a guy to "notice' us?"

"I remember."

"Well, I want him, and I'm going to take him. Just look at him, what a waste; especially with the way that jerk treats him."

"Crystal, you do know he's gay, right?" Lacy mentioned.

"He won't be after I get through with him," Crystal said.

It was then that Misty realized in part, that she created a monster. Through the training program, Crystal had turned from a woman who had no direction or motivation to a woman who was becoming more confident and aggressive each day. She'd expected her to go after one of the self-proclaimed "studs" on campus; Kevin was the last person she'd expect her to pursue.

"So how do you plan to go about this?" Misty said, curious.

"Since we have some free time, I figured I would follow them, then make my move. Anybody with me?" Crystal said.

"Well somebody needs to tag along to keep you out of trouble. Judy, Lacy, how about you?"

"I got to see this, I wouldn't miss it for the world," Lacy said.

"Count me in, I want to see how you're going to deal with Mr. Stuck-Up over there," Judy said.

"Oh, I'm not worried about him. Look, they're headed toward the northwest campus, let's go," Crystal said.

As the foursome followed the two men from a safe distance, Misty asked Crystal, "Do you actually have a plan or is this entirely random?"

"Yeah I have a plan. I've had my eyes on him since about three months ago. Just watch me."

The male couple headed toward the dormitory, unaware of the four women following them. They headed toward Kevin's dorm room, and just came in when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"You weren't expecting company, were you?" Reginald said in a tone that sounded like he was the most important person in the world.

"I told you that I'm not expecting anybody, it's just the two of us," Kevin said as he headed toward the door. "Why must you be so paranoid?"

"Because I don't think you give me enough attention, that's why."

Kevin got ready to give a reply, thought better of it, and opened the door. Both men were surprised to see four swimsuit-clad women in the doorway.

"Hello Crystal, Misty, ladies, what's going on?" Kevin said. Reginald gave the women a dirty look.

"Hi Kevin, I'd like to have a talk with you," Crystal said.

"I'd be more than happy to, but now wouldn't be a good time."

"Could we talk please? It's rather important."

"Didn't you hear him, he said now would not be a good time," Reginald interrupted. "Now if you don't mind, Kevin and I have things to do."

"Stuff it, rich boy," Lacy said. "She said she wanted to talk about something important with him. You can wait a few minutes, can't you?"

"Look woman, I will not be talked to in that way."

Lacy prepared to tell Reginald in what way she really wanted to talk to him when Kevin intervened.

"Hey Reginald, I'm only going to talk to Crystal for a few minutes; it'll be all right," he said. "Crystal, we can talk in here." He walked to his bedroom.

"Keep him busy," Crystal said in a low voice, nodding towards Reginald, as she followed Kevin into the bedroom.

She came into the room where Kevin was waiting, and when he wasn't looking, locked the door.

"Okay Crystal, what can I help you with?" Kevin said. "I like what you did with your hair, looks cool."

"Thank you. Kevin let me just tell you, you're wasting your time with that putz out there, you deserve someone better," Crystal said.

Kevin was flabbergasted. "He, he's not a bad guy, he can be a little bit demanding at times-"

"Bull, everybody knows how he bosses you around and treats you like dirt. You deserve someone better than that."

"Someone better? Like who?"

Crystal took a few steps close to him. "Like me," she said.

"Like you? Crystal, you're a nice person and all, but I'm not uh, that way."

Crystal looked at Kevin for a moment. "You've never been with a woman, have you?" She said.

"Uh no, but I told you, I'm not that way," Kevin said, backing away.

"Let me show you what you're missing," she said, then she unzipped her swimsuit. As it fell to the floor, Kevin gasped, both at the fact that someone he knew just shed her clothes in front of him, and at the attractive muscular build that he beheld.

"Your turn," Crystal said.

"Crystal, I, I'm not going to take my clothes off, we can't do this, I'm-"

"Now Kevin, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way, it's up to you," Crystal said, moving closer to the stunned man. "Believe me, I won't have any problems ripping your clothes off, but I think you would prefer to do that yourself. You've been with that stuck-up sissy boy, now it's time for you to discover what a real woman can do."

Meanwhile, Reginald was arguing with the three women.

"I don't know why you girls barged in here, but Kevin and I were in the middle of something," he said.

"Hey, we were invited in, and second, we're not "girls,' we're women," Misty said.

"Whatever you are, all I know is that you're bothering me."

"Why a nice guy like Kevin is hanging around with you is beyond me," Lacy said. "I think it's time somebody taught you some manners."

"Don't mess with me, girl."

"The last man who called me "girl' ended up missing some teeth. If you don't want me to mess up that pretty face of yours, you'd better shut up."

Just then, Crystal emerged from the bedroom, adjusting the strap on her swimsuit.

"All right ladies, let's go," she said.

"You two have a good talk," Judy said.

"Oh, we had a wonderful talk. Bye Reginald, see you later," Crystal said, smiling.

As the four went down the stairs, Misty asked Crystal, "So what did you two talk about?"

"I wouldn't say we talked so much. It was more of giving him a taste of what he was missing."

Misty had a shocked expression on her face. "Crystal, you didn't rape him, did you?"

"I wouldn't call it "rape;' let's just say I gave him a taste of the straight life. He was most compliant, and I can be rather convincing."

"What are you going to do next? Reginald seems like he's a little possessive."

"I'm going to come back in a week. As far as Reginald goes, I'm not worried about him."

"I'll be happy to take care of Reginald for you," Lacy said. "I need to work out a couple of issues with him."

A week later, Kevin and Reginald left their class and headed for Reginald's apartment in town. Bystanders have noticed that things were even more stressed than before for the gay couple, but no one knew why; even Reginald was at a loss why things were worse than before. He figured after they get to his place, he could fix him a nice dinner, see a movie, and maybe Kevin will open up to him and tell him what's wrong. However, no sooner than they come in the down and settle down, the doorbell rang. Reginald opened the door, and the four ladies, this time dressed in black hooded sweatshirts, black nylon running shorts, and no shoes, stood at the door.

"Hello Reginald, we came to see Kevin," Crystal said.

Reginald, this time realizing the advantage was in his court this time, said, "Kevin and I are very busy, go away!"

The four ladies barged into the apartment, nearly running over Reginald.

"That wasn't a request, Reginald," Crystal said. "We came here to ask Kevin a simple question."

"This is my place, and you're not welcome here!" Reginald yelled.

Crystal nodded her head, and Lacy and Judy each took an arm belonging to Reginald. Though either one could have contained him on their own, the two got a sadistic thrill out of grabbing him and watching him squirm.

"Thank you," Crystal said. "Misty, could you make sure the coast is clear, I don't want any more distractions. If he-" pointing at Reginald "flaps his mouth, gag him."

"With pleasure," Judy said.

Crystal walked into the center of the room. "Now for my question. Kevin, who's your lover?"

It was hard to tell which party was the most surprised, Reginald for the sheer audacity of her question or the three other ladies for the way the authority she took when she asked it. Kevin, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised at all with the question, but he knew from the way it was asked, he needed to make a response right away. Slowly he got up, and quietly walked over and stood beside Crystal. She put her right arm around him and leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"You've made the right choice, Kevin, now you're with someone who truly desires you," Crystal said. "We'll be leaving now. Kevin and I are going to get better acquainted."

Reginald was red-faced. "You, you can't do this! Kevin belongs to me!" He yelled.

"I can do this, Reginald. In fact, I already have."

"I won't let you do this, I'll stop you," he said as he struggled to get free from Judy's and Lacy's grasp.

"By all means, you're welcome to try. I would love an excuse to smash that pretty face of yours. If you work up the nerve, we'll be at my place."

"What do we do with him?" Lacy said, nodding her head at the struggling Reginald.

"I don't care what you do with him; let him go, beat him, he's not my concern," Crystal said. "Come along Kevin, we have some things to do."

With her arm still around Kevin, the two went out the door. To Reginald's disappointment, Kevin looked straight ahead and never looked back as he left. After they left, Judy glanced at Reginald, who had stopped struggling.

"Well we might as well let him go," she said.

"Wait a minute," Lacy said, still having a firm grip on Reginald's arm. "I'd been thinking about what Crystal said. Why wait around when you can take who you want? I can see where that can be useful." She gave Reginald an intense look.

"Yes, I know what you mean, Lacy. Now that I think about it, it has been a long time," Judy said as she gave Reginald that same look.

"Take who you want? What are you talking about? And why are you looking at me like a piece of meat?" Reginald said.

"Because we're hungry," Judy said.

"Misty, would you like to "partake' with us in this feast?" Lacy asked as she licked her lips.

"No thanks, I already have someone in mind," Misty said. "I think I'll go home and give him a call. It looks like you two are going to be a little busy. I'll talk to you two tomorrow. Bye Reginald, have a nice time." She walked out the door, making sure it was securely closed.

It slowly dawned to Reginald what the two ladies had in mind, and he began to get nervous.

"You can't do this, I won't allow it! I, I'll call the authorities if you lay a hand on me," he said with a tremor in his voice.

"What is this thing with you telling us what we can't do? I'm beginning to think you underestimate us a little bit, Reggie. Can I call you Reggie? "Reginald' always sounded a little too stuck-up for me," Judy said.

"You can go ahead and call the authorities if you want. They'll be laughing before you hang up the phone," Lacy said. "Think of the position you're in. Most men would love to be fussed over by two beautiful women. By the time we're through with you, you won't even remember what it's like to be with a man."

With a last show of defiance, Reginald said, "I won't do anything with you two, you can't make me."

"We didn't say you have a choice, Reggie. You're right, Judy, I like that name better. You know that old saying, if you're going to be raped, you might as well sit back and enjoy it. Shall we, Judy?"

"Yes Lacy, I believe we shall."

And the two ladies dragged the frightened Reggie toward the bedroom.

Several hours later, leaving an exhausted Reggie in his apartment, Judy and Lacy head toward their vehicles.

"You know, for a gay guy, Reggie's pretty good. We'll have him converted to a full heterosexual yet," Judy said.

"I think it's only fitting," Lacy said. "He's been using Kevin for a doormat in their relationship, so it sounds only fair we use him for our needs. You're right, he was pretty good."

"By the way, you'll get to have him all to yourself tomorrow. I work until late at the library tomorrow night."

"That sounds good, I don't have anything planned. Playing with our new toy sounds good. I think we can come up with some other uses for him, too."

"Like what?"

"Well you talked about moving back into your old apartment, right? How about this idea, instead of moving back into your old place, how about we move into one of the bigger apartments over here? That way we'll be roommates, and we can have access to Reggie anytime we feel the need," Lacy said with a devilish grin.

"And Reggie can help us move! I like the idea. It'd be nice if we could move him in our place too. We need someone to clean the apartment."

"True, but we might burn him out after a month or so."

"So? We can always grab another one after we wear this one out."

"Good point. I'll "bring it up' to him when I come get him tomorrow."

"Lacy, have I asked you why you didn't mention the Daughters of Athena to me sooner?" Judy said as she reached her car.

"Only once this week, you're slipping," Lacy said with a laugh.

They both got in their cars and drove off.

For any questions, comments, or suggestions, send them to shrewsberry@juno.com.