The Good Doctor's Tales Folio Six Read Online Free Page B

answering Tonya’s charismatic jab.  Yes, this was a well-trained Transform.  Few would even notice Tonya’s charismatic efforts.  “As the Commander, Martine does not believe it would be correct for her to sit on the Council.”
    The Commander?  Tonya didn’t have any idea what Poe was talking about, but her comment did rattle Tonya’s juice.  “I know of no Commander,” Tonya said.  “Is this something Focus Teas dreamt up?”  Teas’ head was always full of schemes and nonsense, one of the reasons the South Region was always a mess.
    “It ’s something Martine realized, after the car accident,” Poe said.  “We’ve been keeping it quiet until now, but after learning about the Major Transform conflict in Europe, and after the rise of Focus Monster Keaton, we convinced our Focus to go public with her epiphany.  The time is right for all us Transforms to claim our rightful place in American society.”
    Strange, very strange.  The ‘car accident’ prompted something from Tonya’s memory.  Almost two years ago, a Focus died in a car accident, pronounced dead at the scene, only to revive herself a day later, in a County morgue.  Tonya concentrated and charismatically ordered forward her memories of the incident.  Yes, that was Focus DeYoung.  Focus DeYoung lost two of her three Focus attendants in the accident, a loss that left the inventive young Focus mentally unstable.
    “You may be right,” Tonya said, non-committal.  “I ’ll think about what you’ve said.”  And make some phone calls to some first Focuses who needed to know about this development as soon as possible.
    “Thank you,” Poe said, and stood.  “I’ll let you get back to your business, then.”  They shook hands, and Poe left.  After the door closed, Tonya looked at her hand and metasensed it.
    Something wasn’t right, here.  Poe of the no last name had far too much presence for a Transform woman.  Her juice ached with strength only a Major Transform should possess.  The Commander nonsense also kept shivering Tonya’s juice, meaning it was something of importance.  Yes, something very fishy was going on here.
    Tonya picked up the phone and dialed.
     

Hammer Time
(1964)
    Tonya recognized today’s problem.  Once, this sort of problem had been common in her house, Transforms ‘getting ideas’ and acting on them on their own.  She didn’t enjoy having to punish her Transforms for this sort of thing, but if she didn’t, a Transform could slip her control.  She knew from experience what misery might result.
    “Marty?”
    “Yes, ma’am?  I’ve been meaning…”  Marty Fenner said, and stopped.  He stood in front of Tonya’s desk in her combination bedroom and office and seemed to have no idea of his transgression.  Tonya frowned at him from behind her desk and stripped him down into low juice.  He fell to his knees, brought low by pain. “Ma’am?”
    He had seen a problem in household supply procurement – too much tissue paper, paper towels and toilet paper, and not enough milk and fruit juices.  He had corrected it by himself.  “Fenner, next time you get a bright idea about how to run the household, run it by me first before you change anything.  All changes to the household budget must be approved by me before they’re implemented.  Understand?”
    “Ma’am, I…”
    He still didn’t understand.  He had been a member of her household for six months, and quite a good one.  Nevertheless, it was her household, not anyone else’s.  She needed to make that clear.  She kept his juice low and painful, and let him sweat.
    “My decision,” Tonya said .  She came out from behind her desk and stood over the kneeling man.  What he had tried to say was that he was only trying to help.  She didn’t want any help, though.  Nor did she need any help.  “Always my decision.”
    Now he understood.  “Yes, ma’am,” he said.
    “Good.  Don’t make this mistake again,” she