Barbie 2 Barbie visits the mall

By Rotwang (Zardreth@Cyberking.be)

Glenn felt butterflies in his stomach as he looked at the large clock on the wall. He took a deep breath and walked up to the front door. *Good Luck !* He heard the voices in his head go. He looked at the two pairs of mannequins and smiled. Four beautiful mannequins all to himself. And the neat thing was that he could talk to them. The could do more than talk, since they were living mannequins ... Linda, Kelly, Cathy and Jill were once normal women, but after they had been injected by somebody with a special fluid they had turned into living, but not breathing plastic. And for some unknown reason they could talk to him. The four woman had pooled their resources and had bought a shop and put Glenn in charge of it.

He grabbed the little sign on the door and turned it over to "open" and unlocked the door. *How do I look ?* Cathy asked Linda who stood opposite her. Both were in a wide-legged pose, arms raised. Cathy wore a short white ruffled skirt with a broad belt and a white lace blouse, while Linda wore thin black trousers, an orange shirt, showing her belly-button and a light, short leather jacket. *You look great !* Linda answered and looked at the rest of the mall. Customers would come charging in any moment now.

Glenn walked back to the counter and remembered fondly last night’s testing and dressing up games. Safe in the stock room they almost fought over the clothes and had the time of their lives. The four women seemed happy in their transformation, but Kelly and Linda seemed to enjoy it the most. "Aaaah !" He turned round and saw a man standing directly behind him. The man gave him a dark stare and looked around. "Is it him ?" He asked. "What ?" Glenn asked, having not understood the question. The man just looked back at Glenn and eyed him up in the space of one second. "I’m here to fix things !" He said. "Some idiot made a big mistake and I’m here to clean up the debris." "I don’t understand." "Dr. Baker, as you know him, stole something from me. He used it on the four women I noticed outside ..." *It’s the inventor !* Cathy thought. *How did he find out ?* *Because I know many things.* She heard his voice inside her head. Linda wanted to move, but there were people looking into the window. "You’re all safe. Nobody will notice you’ve moved." The man said. "I’ll rid you of this stuff and ..." *I don’t want to !* Kelly said. *We like the way we are.* Jill added. "Don’t worry, you won’t die, when I undo the plastization process. Besides, you don’t want to suffer a kind of punishment ?" The man said. *Punishment ?* Linda asked. "Why else would somebody be sick enough to turn people into immobile mannequins. You did the right thing with Baker ! That’s what it’s for. Isn’t that right, ‘Gertrude’ ?" Nobody heard an answer. "Who are you ?" Glenn asked. "I have many names, but you guys - and dolls - can call me Jack ..." *You invented that stuff ?* Cathy, being a doctor, asked. He nodded. "Sure." *What for ?* "As I told you before, I use it as a form of punishment." He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands. "I have a lot of people working for me, and I sometimes have ... No, I should better use - had - to punish some wayward servitors of mine, who made unfortunate mistakes. It’s pretty hard properly punishing somebody, you know ?" Linda took a gamble and got off her pedestal. Life returned to her frozen face. She brushed the hair of her wig out of her face and looked at the man. "We don’t want to change back !" He smiled. "I had already imagined so ..." He then sighed and looked at Linda, going over her firm body, firmer than it used to be. "I have been busy with other things, when I noticed Baker had taken the stuff and used it for his experiments. I liked what you did to him." He winked and raised his fist, fingers up. He opened his hand and a yellow ball of light unfurled out of his hand. "Say you’re sorry, Baker !" He said angrily at the ball of light. *I apologize deeply !* They all heard the whiny voice say. "Good !" He clenched his fingers around it and stuffed it into his pocket. "That’s Baker ?" Cathy had left her pedestal as well. "Well, his essence for that matter ..." "What are you ?" Linda asked. "That, babe, is the 64,000 dollar question !" And grinned. "Let’s say I have powers beyond your wildest dreams."

Stunned silence.

"I’m what some sentient entities throughout the multiverse would call a god !"

Stunned silence.

"Hey ?" He looked at Linda, Cathy and Glenn. Jill and Kathy were staring. "Don’t look at me like you’re considering calling an ambulance to take me to the loony farm !" He snapped his fingers at Linda. "You’re crazy !" She said. "Can a crazy man do this ..." He snapped his fingers and the four girls felt a peculiar sensation. Within seconds they looked at themselves and each other. They were real women again. Jack looked at them smugly, arms crossed. "That’s basically what I came for, but since you don’t want to be real women anymore ... Pity, but I’ll make a little addition." Another snap and they were living plastic again.

"So you mean that Baker liked dolls and wanted to make a few of his own ?" Cathy asked. Jack stretched himself and nodded. "And he’s an agent of you ?" He nodded again. "This still sounds like a genuinely bad episode of the Twilight Zone to me !" Cathy said. "Wasn’t there a mannequins episode ?" Jill asked, missing the whole point. Jack smiled and Jill blushed. "So, I guess you girls will be happy to know I’ve decided to leave you as you are and Baker is going to be punished." "What are you going to do to him ?" "Fifty years ago I would’ve made him immortal and put him in a little room five by five by five feet for the rest of eternity ... Nowadays I’ll just keep him as Gertrude for a while ... Like two hundred years ? Hasta la vista !" A flash and he vanished.

That night Kelly just couldn’t forget Jack. He was a bit obnoxious, flamboyant, but devilishly handsome. And he had such beautiful eyes ...

The next morning, Glenn gently picked up Linda and carried her to the back room. He put her down and looked at her double. A perfect likeness, but a real mannequin, wearing the same clothes. *Would you mind helping me ?* Linda said telepathically ... *I seem to be stuck.* Glenn smiled and gently reached for her arm and bent it, so he could remove her jacket. With great care, he closed the fingers of her hand and removed the leather jacket. He heard Linda giggle in his mind. Still smiling, after removing her black patent leather platforms, he reached for the zipper on her side and carefully removed the trousers, tipping her twice to get her legs free. She wore a delicate lace panty underneath and Glenn just couldn’t resist adjusting it over her firm belly and hips, caressing her casually. She still giggled, but could keep her pose perfectly. He put her arms in the air and began to remove her orange top with black trimming on the sides. Her breasts were firm enough to stay upright without any support from a bra. Long chestnut locks cascaded out of the little top as he pulled it over her head and Glenn had to adjust the wig on her head, combing it with his fingers. While he ruffled her hair from behind, she felt him run over her slender sides and reach for the panty. It slid over her legs and Glenn could admire the two round mounds of her behind. An arm lowered and slid forward, between her legs. Glenn took a step back as Linda turned around. A blink and her frozen face turned to life again. For a second she showed the illusion of life, but when you examined her, you could notice her skin was too smooth and her eyes too unreal. It was stirring to see her in this living mannequin state. Linda smiled and removed her wig, rubbing her bald skull. Glenn presented her another one with her original style. "Thanks !" Linda said. And adjusted it before the mirror. She looked and noticed something ... Bending closer to the mirror, Glenn noticed it as well.

She was normal again !

"That’s the addition he spoke of !" Glenn exclaimed. "Now we can have a normal life again !" Linda said and jumped at Glenn’s neck and both danced with joy.

"At least two of us will be here at any time to keep you company." Jill said. Linda picked up her bag and kissed Glenn good-bye. "See you in two weeks time." Jill said and waved at Cathy and Kelly.

It felt good to meet Dayna again. "You look wonderful !" Dayna exclaimed when she saw Linda. "How have you been doing ?" Dayna asked while sitting down again. Linda looked at the menu and smiled. "I feel great." "I noticed. What happened to you ?" "I made a few new friends and I have an exciting new job !" "I’m so happy for you. When your friend Kelly died, you were really down and look at you now !" Linda felt proud and smiled. She would eventually tell Dayna the truth, but not yet.

The two weeks had passed quickly, but Linda was eager to go back to the shop. The doorbell rang and Linda looked through the peep-hole. She didn’t recognize the woman but opened nevertheless. "Yes ?" "Hello, don’t you remember me ?" Linda shook her head. "Two weeks and you’ve already forgotten me ?" Linda frowned and thought hard, but the woman was completely unfamiliar. She pushed her way in before Linda could say a word. "It’s me, Jill !" She said and turned around. "Jill ?" She recognized the voice, but the face ... Changed and became Jill’s. Jill smiled while Linda stared. "How did you ?" "I discovered it accidentally ... " Jill said. "I was taking a good look in the mirror and you know I don’t like my nose and as I looked and thought, it changed ! I’ve been practicing all week !" "This is incredible !" Linda said. "And I think we all can do it ! With a little practice, we can be whoever we want to be !" "Cathy would say this is a horribly bad episode of the ..." "Twilight Zone." They said both and laughed.

"Linda, Jill ! I’m glad you’re here !" Glenn said. "I really missed you guys !" *Linda !* said Kelly and Cathy said in unison. "You two look great. That little vacation really became you, especially you Linda." "I’m not Linda." She said. "Huh ?" Glenn went. "I’m Linda." Jill said. Glenn twisted his face and looked at the girls. Suddenly they transformed in front of his very eyes. "How ... how ... you ..." Glenn was tripping over his own words. "I guess that’s one of the side effects that Jack guy told us about." Linda, the real Linda said.

Glenn and Linda got Cathy and Kelly and in the safety of the storeroom reverted to a human form. "You guys can change ?" Was the first thing Cathy asked. "Somehow we can shape our bodies into anyone we can imagine !" Linda said. "What about a supermodel ?" Jill changed into Cindy Crawford. Glenn, Cathy and Kelly’s faces twisted when they saw her. "Mother Theresa ?" Linda said and changed. Jill went mannequin and just fell over. Cathy shook her head. Glenn was asking herself if Jill was willing to be a Cindy Crawford mannequin.

That night all four girls were on display again. Tomorrow, Cathy and Kelly would get their vacation. *We’ve been like this for a whole six months, and I still feel it’s all like ...* *An episode of the Twilight Zone !* The three other replied. *Sorry !* Cathy said. *What’s this !* Kelly exclaimed. Linda looked from the corner of her eyes. A female black velvet mannequin was walking up to the window and looked inside. *Who is that ?* Kelly asked. *I have no idea ...* Linda went. *Has this Jack guy been busy or something ?* Moments later a guy in a security guard uniform joined her. He hugged her by the side and rubbed her soft body. Kelly felt jealous and hot at the same time. Within moments they were making love against the window. *Why is she dressed as a mannequin ?* Cathy asked, feeling curious, but unable to see a thing. *I don’t know, but it seems to turn on that guy, he has a big caliber hidden in his pocket now.* Kelly said. The others chuckled. Kelly and Linda looked at the couple being called away by another guard. *Why would she be dressed up as a mannequin ?* Cathy asked. *I guess she’s part of security ...* Linda said. *She dresses up as a mannequin to catch crooks ?* Jill asked. *You don’t think she dresses up for him ?" Kelly suggested. *Because if he likes mannequins, we could show him !*

*Hey, who’s that ?* Jill suddenly said, waking up the others. This time Kelly and Linda were unable to see. *He’s got a gun !* Cathy went. *That’s a ten gauge Ithaca Roadblocker !* Jill said. *A what ?* Kelly asked. *It’s a very big and very nasty shotgun.* *How do you know ?* Linda asked. *My dad used to own a gun store and the stuff tends to rub off on you.* Jill said. *What is he doing.* Kelly asked. *He seems to be staking out something on your side.* Cathy said. *Shouldn’t we do something .* Kelly suggested. *As soon as he’s out of sight one of us calls the cops.* Linda said. *He’s moving your way.* Jill said. The man pulled a ski-mask out of his coat pocket pulled it over his head. Linda noticed a guard had left the Penney’s to smoke a cigarette and was looking over the mall’s main plaza. *He’s gonna bushwhack him.* Kelly said.

Ever so carefully the man approached the guard. He raised the butt of his shotgun and rammed it down in his neck. The guard crashed to the ground.

WHACK !

A sharp blow to his head, instantly knocked out the man. Behind him, Jill grabbed the gun, while Linda checked to see if he needed a second whack, holding up a mannequin’s right arm. *I’ve got him covered !* Jill said, but visibly straining to hold up the heavy gun. *We got him !* Linda looked back at the store, when suddenly the man got up and screamed. "HELP ! NO !!! DON’T TOUCH ME !!!" He screamed upon seeing Linda and Jill. *Let’s get out of here !* Linda said. With all her might, Jill tossed the gun over the railing and into the plaza fountain, two floors down.

Linda was back on her spot in the nick of time as the guard and the female mannequin appeared. The guy was screaming and pointing at the shop window where Linda and Kelly were doing their best to look as artificial as possible.

Kelly and Linda watched as the man was put into a straight-jacket and carried away by two men in white. The guard and the mannequin looked over to Kelly and Linda. They couldn’t hear them, but they knew what they were saying. The woman pretending to be a mannequin had removed her mask and looked up at the girls. The guard, held her warmly.

"How could they make Mike freak out like that ?" He asked. "Perhaps they’re real people people pretending to be mannequins." She said. "But something spooked him. I think he only ever saw the dangerous side of mannequins." He said.

Linda noticed the gleam in the woman’s eyes ... Like envy or something ...