The Secret Admirer, Part 6 (Patreon)

"Stooopit..." said the officer. She winced and tried to pull away, but couldn't seem get more than a few inches before being irresistibly pulled back into place, as though she were trapped in a web of invisible rubber bands.

"Calm down. You're not in trouble, honey. I'm just going to help you be better cop from now on." said Tamika soothingly. She cradled the officer's chin in her hand.

"Wha-what?" she asked, eyes widening in shock. That wasn't what she had expected to hear at all.

Tamika rested a hand on the officer's shoulder. "Mm-hmm. I'm going to explain to you how I expect you to conduct yourself from here on out. You're going to be much more respectful and considerate of the people you work for in the future."

The officer struggled in the unseen shackles that seemed to hold her in place "Let me go!You...you can't tell me what to dooo!" whined the officer, with more hope than confidence in her voice.

"You're right. I can't." whispered Tamika softly.

Bringding dingdingtingling...

The tingling music of the rattle spread over the peaceful park. The officer's face was still pouting, but her shoulders drooped as the rattle's power settled over her. She relaxed and stood at attention, still clearly frightened but no longer struggling.

"Shhhhh, there we go. Now, show me your badge, sweetie. Let's see your name."

A faint groan of defeat escaped her throat as her arm fell away from her badge. It hung limply at her side. She was close to tears.

"Officer Melissa Harrison. That's a pretty name." whispered Tamika. "Melissa" could only whimper hopelessly in response.

"Now, don't worry, honey. I'm not going to get you fired or punish you. I'm going to help you." Rene mumbled something behind her pacifier at this odd statement, but Tamika wasn't finished. "Obviously, the people who trained you to do this job left a whole lot of important things out, so we're going to go over the basics all over again. Okay, baby?"

Officer Harrison winced and looked down at her polished shoes. Her cheeks flushed.

"To Protect and Serve." read Tamika. "That sounds like a really important job, doesn't it? It's awfully nice of you to volunteer to protect and serve everyone. Thank you for that."

Officer Harrison finally opened her eyes and looked at Tamika. She looked dazed, utterly lost and adrift in a world that no longer made sense. Rene cocked an eyebrow, looking vaguely disgusted.

"Wha...whaaat?" she asked, uncertainly.

"Well, that's what it says on your badge. And I definitely think it's a very nice idea. People definitely ought to have someone protecting and serving them. Looking out for them. Making sure everything is okay. That's a good, noble thing to do for a living."

Officer Harrison did not look any more assured. "Oh...thanks."

"On the other hand, though..." said Tamika, her voice hardening somewhat. "Telling other people how to dress doesn't sound very much like protecting or serving, now does it? It actually sounds a lot like bossing people around, and strangely enough, I don't seem to see anything about that sort of thing on your badge."

"Please..." whispered Melissa. She knew that she was in deep trouble, even if she was uncertain exactly how or why.

"Shhhh. I know. I'm not blaming you. You've gotten a lot of mixed messages over the years about exactly what this job entails, haven't you?"

She winced heavily and nodded her head, although she clearly had no idea what Tamika was talking about.

"That's okay. I'm going to make things very simple and clear for you. Just focus on this little badge here. That's where all the answers you need are. Protect...and serve. Nice and simple. That's what you're here to do. If you see someone in danger, it's your job to go and protect them. If you see someone in need, your job is to go and help them. Very simple.You can do that, can't you Melissa?"

Melissa stared. Her eyes were shiny with tears. "Uh...uh-huh."

"Good girl. Now, when you're running around protecting and serving people, you might see people doing things that you don't really care for. You might see people make choices that you don't approve of. Well, when you see things like that, you need to ask yourself, is this person hurting someone? Is this person doing something that's going to cause a problem? If the answer is no, then there's clearly no need for you to interfere at all. If it's not protecting, and it's not serving, it definitely has nothing to do with you or your job. Not your responsibility whatsoever. Now, if someone is breaking the law, obviously, that's a problem. They might get in trouble for doing that. So, you clearly have a duty to protect them. You ought to make sure to let them know that what they're doing is going to cause a problem, so they can stop doing that! Obviously, if they're willing to stop, there's absolutely no need to punish them. I don't see a single word about punishing people anywhere on your badge. I'm not going too fast, am I Sarah?"

Melissa hurriedly shook her head.

"Perfect. Now, while you're running around making sure everybody is well-protected and well-served, it surely doesn't really matter how people see you, does it? You have to protect and serve no matter what, and you can do that whether or not people think well of you. So, there definitely no need to demand any kind of special treatment from the people you're protecting and serving, right? No need to assert any sort of authority. No need to intimidate people. Nothing about any of that sort of thing on your badge. Now, people are probably going to be a little rude to you sometimes? A little disrespectful, perhaps? That's really very mean of them, but it happens when you're serving people. Just ask anyone who's ever done any kind of service job. Of course, those people would never threaten to punish someone or put them in jail just for being a little disrespectful. They're workers, not royalty. So, naturally, you should take a page from their book. If someone is being rude to you, not showing you the respect you obviously deserve for doing such an important job, you should just be a little patient and understanding, and get over yourself a little. Do you think you can do that, Sarah?"

"I...I don't..." whimpered the confused woman.

"I understand." interrupted Tamika smoothly. "It'll be quite an adjustment to how you're used to operating. I'll help you out. First of all, this outfit you're wearing is completely wrong for the kind of work you'll be doing. It's just way too intimidating."

Tinglgling Dingding

Officer Harrison's stern black uniform melted and began to flow across her body. Bright colors sprang into being, spreading across the dark fabric. Tight jeans ran up her legs and bloomed outward, forming a tight white miniskirt. White gloves reached to her elbows. Her shoes became knee-length white boots. Her black cap folded itself into a white triangle of fabric that sat perched on her head, resembling an old-fashioned air stewardess' cap. A tangerine neckerchief formed around her neck, tied with a gold clasp. Her vest was now light peach with bright brass buttons. It left her midriff exposed to the air. Her badge swelled, the motto now displayed far more prominently. She didn't look very much like a police officer at all. More like somewhere between a waitress or superheroine.

"Much better. Nobody will scared of you now. You look much more like a proper public servant. Do you know what a public servant does, Sarah?"

Melissa surveyed her uniform nervously. She knew that it had transformed before her eyes, of course, but there was certainly nothing odd or noteworthy about that. Tamika guessed that the new color scheme was more of an issue than the fact that it had manifested from nowhere. "I guess...serve the public?" guessed Officer Harrison uncertainly.

"Got it in one!" said Tamika, condescendingly tapping the end of Sarah's nose. "So, it's not just me you need to be taking orders from anymore. Everyone..." Tamika arched an eyebrow, then amended her statement. "Every...honest citizen who isn't actively harming someone, is your boss now. You work for us, and we'd better be getting our money's worth. If you don't have a mugger or a murderer or some kind of genuine threat to deal with, we expect you to be busy serving. That means you should be picking up trash, getting cats down from trees, helping old folks across the street, whatever you can do to serve the public. And if any decent citizen needs something, you should obviously be more than happy to help. For example, let's say...someone walks up to you and asks you to get them a glass of water? What would you say in that scenario?"

"Uh...I suppose...I'll just go and...get that for you?" stammered Officer Harrison.

"Eh, not bad, needs a little work. It's important to show that you hold the person you're talking too in high esteem. Now, I can see how you've taken 'Ma'am' from being a term of respect to something totally meaningless and perfunctory, so let's retire that. You should...give a little bow and say 'As you wish, my lady' or 'as you command, good sir!' Think you can handle that?"

"Yah, uh, oh..." stammered Officer Harrison nervously, then she recovered, straightening up and bowing stiffly to Tamika. "I mean, as you wish, my lady."

Tamika tilted her head back and forth. "Better, but there's still room for improvement. You should always look absolutely delighted to be of service. Clasp your hands together under your chin, like so, and smile. Smile like you were just standing here hoping that someone would ask you to do whatever the hell it is. C'mon let's see a big smile!"

Melissa spread her face into a rather stiff grin and folded her hands as Tamika had shown her. "As you wish, my lady!" she said, more forcefully this time, but still very insincerely.

Tamika shook her head and raised the rattle one more. "No good. I can tell you're faking it. It's almost like you're not completely thrilled to finally be doing your job properly."

The chimes rang through the cool air once again. Melissa seemed to suddenly relax. She closed her eyes and drew in a long breath of the fresh morning air through her nose. Her smile was fainter now, just a slight tug at the cheeks, but all the warmer for it. When her eyes opened they literally sparkled with joy. She suddenly turned her head from Tamika to examine the scenery, as though noticing for the first time what a lovely day it was. She gasped in surprise and spread her arms, as though she wanted to give the whole world a hug. Then, she turned back to the two women, her eyes running excitedly up and down, as though she were seeing them for the first time,

"Oh my goodness! You're both so adorable! I just want to pinch your little cheeks. Ooh, those diapers look so great on you! I can't imagine anyone objecting to seeing you in them."

"Well, your attitude certainly seems much improved! Do you feel ready to serve the public like a proper officer of the law?"

"Oh, yes, my lady, very much! What can I do to make your day better?"

Tamika considered. "You know...what I'd really like right now...is a hug!"

Melissa spread her arms instantly. "As you wish, my lady!"

Tamika had no complaints about the hug. She allowed it to linger for a solid half a minute. Melissa didn't object.

When they finally drifted apart, both with beaming smiles, Rene was folding her arms in front of her impatiently. She mumbled something that might have been something like "Are you done yet?", but as it sounded more like "Ahmirhumett", so Tamika felt no need to acknowledge her.

"There we go! You're much more ready to be a good little public servant. Just one more little change and I'll let you be on your way."

Tamika reached down to unsnap the clasp that held Officer Harrison's sidearm in place. Her forehead wrinkled with concern, but she made no move to stop Tamika from casually lifting the weapon free. She knew who was in charge here.

"This little thing is much too dangerous. Someone might get hurt if you're running around protecting people with something like this."

Dlingliglingling...

The weapons seemed to dissolve into black sand in Tamika's hand, which then sparked to life with a fierce white glow. It compacted together again, the glow intensifying, then resolved into a thick golden-plated arm bracelet. At the center of the bracelet was a circular dial which could be twisted to select among a range of settings, each clearly labeled and color-coded. Tamika examined the little device as the officer watched her, smiling placidly.

"Hmm, 'Force Field', that should come in handy...'Levitation', awesome, ooh, 'Naptime', very nice, 'Corner Time', kinda want to try that one out..."

Rene was suddenly taking a much greater interest in the conversation. She kept mumbling something incoherently and pointing emphatically at herself. Tamika grinned as she passed the device to Officer Harrison, who equipped herself with a single practiced motion. It was as though she had spent hundreds of hours training to use it, until it had become second nature. Tamika turned and patted Rene condescendingly on the head.

"What's that, babe? You think one of these would good on me? Well, I can certainly see your point." she formed her face into an exaggerated pout. "I want one!" she whined.

Dlinglingling...

A few seconds later, Tina was fondly admiring the powerful new toy that adorned her wrist. It was rather gaudy and silly-looking and not at all like something she would wear normally, but it went well with her diaper, and if anyone dared question her fashion choices, she had a range of colorful ways to deal with them.

Rene frowned heavily and crossed her arms, clearly unhappy with this development.

"Ooh, I think Rene is upset about something." mused Tamika.

Rene clasped her hands in front of herself, pleading. She was still trying unsuccessfully to speak through the large pacifier.

"Probably just needs a diaper change. Is that it, Rene? Does somebody need a nice, clean dipey?" asked Tamika sweetly.

Rene rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

"Yeah, that's probably it. Officer, would you be so kind as to check Rene's diaper?"

"Of course, my lady!" answered the transformed woman cheerfully.She stepped toward Rene and bent to check her diaper.

Rene's eyes widened and she jumped away from the police officer's hand, mumbling angrily.

"No, come back now, little citizen. It's time to check your diaper now." said the officer as Rene continued to withdraw. Officer Harrison simply gave the dial on her bracelet a sharp twist and pointed a dainty finger at Rene. Rene turned to run, but a she found herself glowing a faint yellow and her bare feet lifted free of the grass. The officer turned her hand and beckoned with her finger, and Rene drifted backward through the air, her legs still kicking ineffectually under her. She blushed fiercely and whined behind her pacifier as the police officer dug two fingers into the leg-band of her diaper.

"Yes, I believe you are due for a diaper change, my lady. Unfortunately, I don't have the supplies to change you here, so I believe we will have to make a quick stop at a grocery store." explained Officer Harrison, her voice friendly but also dripping with professional courtesy.

"Oh, that is an inconvenience." concurred Tamika, once again giving the rattle a shake.