I realized that I had the means to do this for the team, but I would have to do it right.  This would have to become the production of my life. I would have to do almost everything myself and it would have to be done right.

    That night I started writing.  I came up with a basic plot overview. It contained all the basic elements I would need from now until the end of the season.  I would fill in more details as I went.

    My first problem was I needed to free myself up.  I needed a way to get out of my responsibility at school and be free to pursue my other role.

    After debating the merits of several different plans I settled on one.  I would have surgery.  Well I wouldn't really have any serious surgery, but something I could play up as a more serious surgery.

    The next day I called my doctor and scheduled an appointment to have a mole on my leg removed. It was really nothing, but I could play it up to be a much more serious surgery.  I would have cancer and I would need on-going treatment for at least 6 months.

    This would get me out of class, but would allow me to be at home and even occasionally go out.

    My next problem was how to get Hega back to the US.  My plan had her mother passing away much faster than anyone had guessed.  When she received a note about my cancer, she volunteered to come back and help take care of me.

    Hega was over 18, so she could stay anywhere she wanted, but I figured it might work best if she stayed with the older couple, the Rogers, she had been staying with before.  I figured if she stayed with me, people might wonder why it seemed we were never both here.  I would have free range at the Rogers' home and I would have the Rogers as built-in reinforcement that indeed Hega was back at Sweet Water High.

    It is probably now apparent that it would be me playing the role of Hega for my team.  I was the ideal person for the role.  I knew Hega and the rest of the team, after being their coach for the last 4 years.  I had been training with them and could easily take Hega's spot on the team.  I would hold back and let the other women win, but by being there I would allow the woman to have their dream.

    Hega was tall, as many Nordic women are, about 5'8" and 120lbs.  I would easily be able to fit into her frame.  I would use pads to fill out all the female curves I didn't have.

    I decided she would need to return soon, so I picked this Friday, the day after my surgery as her return date.  This started a timeline that hopefully would end with our team at the state meet in 2 months.

    My third problem was producing the costumes, sets and props I would need for this production.  This would be an on-going activity, as the script for this production would be written real-time.  However, I knew I would need at least a few things.

    I called Bill Johnson.

    "Bill, you were looking for a project to work on.", I asked Bill, one of my students at the J.C.

    "Yes, Mr. Carlson I want something that would really be a challenge."

    "Well, I have a project that might really challenge you. Meet me at the lab tonight and I'll let you know what's up."

    "Sure Mr Carlson."

    Later that evening.

    "Hi Bill, the other day I got a lead on a commercial project to develop some prosthesis for a Swedish horror movie.  They need a full head mask of this young woman by early next week.", I showed Bill a set of photos of Hega.

    "If we do a good job we may get to develop a whole set of other prosthesis.  They are planning to do some test shots sometime in the next few weeks, so you will need to get it done soon."

    "I could use this as my special project.", Bill asked.

    "Sure, but I'm going to expect a top quality production.", I answered.

    "Mr. Carlson I can do this. I won't let you down."

    Bill was my best physical effects student at the JC, he had been doing some real cutting edge work for more than a year now.  I was sure anything he put together would be excellent.  His attention to detail was without equal.

    "What should I use as a base for the mask? Mr. Carlson, myself?" Bill asked.

    "Bill, why don't you use me, that way I could use it later in my high school and later JC classes. OK?", I said knowing this would make for the best fit for me.

    "Sure, Mr Carlson. Since this is a commercial project, can I buy new material?"

    "Ya, I think that would be O.K to get new supplies, but use the standard account.  Since I'll use it again later, I think we can use the educational account.  Anything we make can go back into the account."

    "O.K. Mr. Carlson, when do you want to do your cast?"

    "Let's go for tomorrow at lunch. You need to get this done in a few days."

    "O.K. See ya, tomorrow."

    With Bill starting on the prosthesis, I set to working building and gathering the other props I would need for my script.

    I would need some clothes, a set of breast forms, some hips and I would need them to match Hega's size and style.

    I decided it would be easiest to get most of this on-line, fewer questions and since I was going to needs several complete outfits I thought it might look a bit funny, bras and breast forms? Also on -line I might find some site specific for cross dressers and their unique needs.

    It took all night, but by about 1:00 in the morning I had a complete set of wardrobe items scheduled to be delivered by Friday. If I could get Bill to finish by then, I'd be all set.

    The next day at school, I made a complete copy of Hega's school records.  I would need to know or at least have access to as much personal information about her as possible.  Hega had been a fairly good student, a B+ average, but I figure I would be able to keep up without to much studying.  I after all had had all this stuff only a little more than ten years ago.

    I meet Bill at the JC's media lab at noon.  It took about an hour make my casting, but by 1:00 Bill was on his way to making my Hega a reality.

    That evening I reviewed all information that I had collected. Since she had been here for as long as she had, she had a Social Security Number and a driver's license. She had done some work for the school and so I had some information on her bank accounts. Since she was a foreign exchange student there was even a fairly detailed medical record. I found that she actually wore blue colored contacts, I had always just assume they were blue from her Swedish blood. No matter, my eyes were also blue, so it wouldn't make a difference. All of this might some day come in handy though, so I read it all through.

    During a break in classes the next day, I called Bill.

    "How are things going?", I asked.

    "I've got the woman's face almost finished on your base. I'll start casting it after lunch. Do you want to take a look?"

    "Sure Bill. Do you think you will have it done by Friday morning?"

    "Ya I think so."

    "O.K. great. I think I would like to do some test photos Friday afternoon. I can then e-mail a copy to the production company and see what they think."

    I meet Bill at the lab again. He showed me his work.

    "It is hard to tell because the coloring is all wrong, but I think you may have a winner here Bill.", I said.

    I could see his sculpture captured her youthful features, her smooth raised cheeks, no lines on her forehead, or the rough skin along my beard line. The sculpture stretched down her neck and ended below the neckline of a typical T-shirt.

"Mr. Carlson, I debated about making it a full head and breast piece.", Bill said.

    "Why didn't you?", I asked somewhat disappointed he had chosen not too.

    "Well, you said you needed it by Friday. I figured I might not have enough time.", he answered, a bit concerned about my disappointment.

    "Oh, well, it looks great. I can hardly wait to see the finished product on Friday.", I said realizing that when writing a script to a story like this, real time and with real life events in it, sometimes things weren't going to work out as I would hope they might. In this production, if things turned out O.K. that would be fine. Anyway, I wasn't planning on having to bare my full chest to anyone. Bill's current model would do and it would do nicely.

    Thursday I was off for my surgery. I needed really didn't need to be off, but I needed some more time to practice for my role. I had a few videos of the team before and after their meets and so I had put together all the clips of Hega into one long film. While I was supposedly recovering from the surgery, I was watching the tape of her.

    I was looking for little special things in her walk, the way she moved her hands, the way she stood. I also needed to practice on her voice. Fortunately she had been gone for a few weeks and hopefully people wouldn't be able to remember all the little things about her, but the more I could mimic the better.

    Soon Friday was here. I meet Bill at the lab that morning. He was putting the finally touches on it, when I arrived.

    "You look like you have been here for awhile, Bill"

    "Ya, I sleep here last night, I was concerned I might not be able to get it all done."

    "Well, she looks great, Bill", I said admiring his handy work.

    "I wasn't sure if I should make ears and how to handle the eyes, so I made the ears, but let the eyes blend into the just the top of the eye lid."

    "I think you did a great job. Let see how it looks in action. Start putting it on me."

    Bill removed the rubber mask from the headpiece that had held it. The details were perfect. The eye brows were individual hairs, the lips were naturally colored, not overly made up, the cheeks had a soft morning glow to them, attractive without being overstated. Bill had used a light touch on the mask realizing he could add make-up later if need. However, for me it was perfect. The mask appeared as Hega would appear before she put on her morning makeup.

    As I wipe the face clean with a light alcohol solution, Bill painted the interior of the mask with sprint glue. I lay back in the chair. Bill held the mask over my head as he lined up my eye socks with the ones on the mask. He pressed the mask down just about the bridge of my nose and in a long flowing motion he swept his hand over my forehead. Securely attached there, he attached my new nose, and then quickly pushed the side of the faces down and out with both hands. The chin fell into place and he push the mask down my neck and on to my chest. Bill now returned to match sure my new mouth was fully aligned and then rolled Hega's lips over mine.

    "Mr. Carlson I tried to hide as many of the seams as possible. So I rolled the mask over her lips and a short way up her nose and decided to complete her ears. The eye were the only real difficult part, I feathered them out and ended them back in under her eye brows but not on her eye lids."

    I looked at myself in the mirror a bald but beautiful Hega looked back at me.

    "Well, it looks real good Bill, but I think I should have a hair piece before we get the picture."

    "Ya, sure, Mr. Carlson. It sounds very funny your voice coming from her mouth."

    "Well, how's this Bill Johnson.", I said in my best imitation of Hega's voice I could do.

    "Wow that good, Mr. Carlson.", Bill said surprised by my acting.

    "Hey Bill. I am the drama teacher remember?"

    "Ya. I know. I was just a bit surprised. From the neck up you look and sound just like a woman."

    "A bald woman, Bill. Let's get that hairpiece on and get some pictures. You need to get home and get some sleep before you start hallucinating. I'm still Mr. Carlson underneath here."

    Bill removed the hair piece from its wig stand.

    "Mr. Carlson I order this from the best hair piece maker I could find. It has a lace front and a skin top. Even close up it looks great. Do you want me to glue the thing in place or just spot glue the lace on?"

    "Let glue the whole piece on, That way we can put a little strain on it without it coming off."

    Bill painted the glue onto the wig's cap and lace front, then carefully positioned over my now bald head.

    "Ya, think this is best, it will be easier to put on and take off and still get the hair in the same position next time this way."

    Bill started from the top of my head and gently pressed the hairpiece on to the latex mask. The hairs on the lace front were individual tied and when the lace was glued down appeared to growing right out of the mask's forehead.

    I took a look in the mirror. "Bill I think this is a great job. You do some of the best work I've seen."

    "I've learned from the best Mr. Carlson or maybe its Ms. Carlson now."

    "Bill get the camera and let's get those shots, I want to try to send them out before Monday."

    Bill took a few shot from several different angles in the chair.

    "Do you want me to frame these with or without your chest, Mr. Carlson."

    "Bill let me put on this sweater and take a few more of just your mask."

    Bill shot several more.

    "Let's try a few different colored backgrounds to make sure we get a nice looking set of photos. "

    Bill tried a few different backgrounds, soon the roll was done.

    "O.K. Bill thanks. Why do you go home and get some sleep now. I'll clean up here."

    "Don't you want me you help you out of the mask?", Bill asked.

    "No, Bill. It's O.K. I can get it by myself.  You go get some rest."

    "O.K. Mr. Carlson."

    Bill gathered up a few things and left.

    I walked over to the mirror, to get a better look myself.  I was the splitting image of Hega, O.K. I didn't have a pair of breasts, but from the neck up I was her.

    I looked at my watch. 3:37pm.  The Friday evening SAS flight from Stockholm was due in in about 4 hours.  Hega was on that flight.

Continued in: XCountry Act 2