©2003 Anthryax
A man clad in
black fatigues, sunglasses, and high soft boots moved as quietly as a breath
of wind through the hall towards an apartment door. Not that you could see him,
for he was invisible, and only if you had magical true sight (or really sophisticated
vision equipment) would you have even known he was there. The man reached the
apartment door, and took out a wand. Hearing a noise inside the apartment as
he listened at the door, he paused and waited. As he waited for the sound of
woman talking on the phone to end he took a moment to wonder how he found himself
sneaking around outside a woman's apartment again.
Gavin wondered
how he had let himself be drafted into this. He thought after years of living
on the Earth he called his home, far away in space and time from Shiron, he
would FINALLY be out of the regiment. But in the Royal Regiment of Scouts a
commission was a lifetime one, and no matter where you were, you belonged to
the regiment. Even if you were dead it might not be an excuse to miss duty.
They might simply resurrect your body and call your soul back from were your
"final" reward had taken you.
"Damn that Elf,
he could at least have waited a few more days. I just got home from the last
one." He muttered to himself. Hans, his boss from his old days in the regiment,
and more recently, on a trip to a doomed alternate Earth, had been insistent.
Now here he was,
on yet another alternate Earth, looking for likely prospects for kidnapping
and transportation to whatever destination his Prince had in mind. Unlike the
last job, and more like the Earth he usually lived on, he had to be careful
here. Magic worked (mostly) but the Auditors were always present and watching.
The fate of his ex wife Andrea, who was spending a few decades as a golden statue
in a temple and forced to listen to countless pleas and prayers while she stood
imprisoned in her own golden body was always on his mind.
But the job did
have its perks. It was fun, after all, enchanting pretty young women so that
they wanted you, and then "fixing" their little flaws, improving or enhancing
their bodies until they were perfect beauties (which generally made them happy
with you even after the love spell wore off) and then transforming them for
a while into art works that he could admire for hours if he chose. Generally
they forgave him after a while, even after the mind control wore off and they
regained their own selves again. Especially when he fixed some of their psychological
problems.
It was a rush
really, almost a godlike sense of power, although it was also dangerously addicting.
Andrea, his ex wife, and Jones, his now dead enemy, had been a good lesson in
that. They had been unable to stop themselves and transforming women into statues,
mannequins, and dolls became an obsession, an end in itself, instead of just
a means to an end. The Auditors (with help from him) had gotten them both in
the end.
But back to business
he decided after a few moments of this. The young woman was finishing her call,
and had just said her goodbyes to whoever was on the other end (which sounded
an awful lot like a girlfriend based on what they had been gossiping about).
He lightly tapped
his sunglasses, activating another of its magical powers. He could now see through
the walls into the apartment itself. The apartment was typical of its type,
well furnished with a living room in front, a kitchen off to the side, and hallway
leading to the sleeping areas. And like an usual apartment housing young women
who hadn't been out on their own long, it was a mess. Which was also an important
piece of information. It proved she wasn't expecting anyone, and neither was
her roommate.
He knew from
his research that two young women lived here. They were graduate students, and
both of them were on scholarship. Annie, the pretty blonde he was looking at
now, was studying anthropology and medieval history and had a Bachelors degree
in history already. She also had done a lot of research in witchcraft and comparative
religion. More importantly, she had a substantial amount of magical talent,
dormant in this land of technology, it could still be brought out with the right
training.
After watching
her for a couple of minutes, he was satisfied that she was alone. Annie got
up from the couch after flipping channels for a few minutes, and walked toward
the sleeping area after turning out the lights and checking the door.
He waited a few
minutes more, and then he tapped the door very lightly with his wand, making
only a slight scratching sound. But it was enough to activate his spell, and
immediately, the deadbolt turned by itself until it was unlocked. The lock on
the door knob also twisted itself to the unlock position, and Gavin gently pushed
the door until it was open.
Looking down,
he grinned as a cat took the opportunity to furtively slip out the door without
giving him the slightest bit of notice.
Annie was brushing
her hair before it was time for bed. She had originally planned to go out tonight,
and had gotten dressed up earlier this evening. But her date had cancelled at
the last minute, her roommate had a rotation at the hospital and was not coming
home until later, the house was a mess, and she was tired, and after coming
home from the library and getting Pete's message, she said the hell with it.
She just didn't feel like going out tonight by herself. Discouraged, she just
wanted to go to bed and sleep until she was done. Taking off her skirt and blouse,
she tossed them on the floor in disgust.
She looked at
herself critically in the mirror. Firm breasts, good abs, and nice legs, she
admitted. She decided after a moment of careful examination that she had a pretty
face and she knew she turned her share of heads, but maybe he just didn't think
she was pretty enough, she decided with some uncertainty. Blue eyes, blonde
hair (well, blonder than it would be without help from a bottle, but blonde
enough), skin in good condition. "Not bad for 24, but I think I need some more
interesting clothes," she muttered to herself, "maybe I am just not his type?"
She was still discouraged, tonight was going to be a second date with Pete,
and she thought he really liked her. She liked him, and she wanted to think
about something else besides her studies for a while.
Gavin crept down
the hallway, making less noise than a ghost. He stepped carefully and slowly,
inching his way toward the back bedroom where a light was on. Creeping through
the open bedroom door, he heard her mutter to herself and smiled at her comment.
He had seen enough of her the last couple of days while he had been preparing.
She was a beauty all right, and would fit right in with Sarah or the other women
who were waiting for him back home. Too bad he wouldn't get to keep her himself.
Stepping out
of the bathroom, Annie looked around for her nightgown. The room was a bit cluttered
she decided, it might be time to clean it tomorrow. She had been so busy lately.
With a little smile, she picked up a oversized tee shirt instead, and picked
up some clothes on the bed so she could sit down. "Well, tonight might not have
been a good night to bring him over here anyway, the mess would have scared
him off." She said quietly, a bit of self-humor in her tone. She decided that
she was being too hard on herself, Pete had given a good excuse, and he probably
was really interested. He certainly had made it clear on their first date.
With her attention
completed diverted, Gavin decided to go ahead and act before he tripped over
something and gave the game away. Women could be just as sloppy as men when
they got too busy he decided as he carefully stepped over a pair of shoes and
a pile of books. Twisting his ring, he muttered a command word, which caused
Annie to start in surprise just as a golden light surrounded and engulfed her.
Instantly, she was still, and Gavin watched as the light faded and the spell
began to work on her.
"Hi Annie, I
am sorry to scare you, but I promise you won't be hurt." Gavin said quietly.
Helpless to move, Annie could only look around with her eyes, her face still
frozen in the expression of amusement that she had when the spell overtook her.
Gavin walked over to her, and began stroking her back and neck. It was already
starting to take on a glossy shine, and although still as smooth as silk, the
softness that had been there before was already starting to harden as the transformation
worked through her.
And then he heard
the front door open, and the sound of someone coming in. It was the roommate,
judging from the voice that called out a greeting, and he needed to get Annie
out of sight so he could keep his advantage of surprise.
Lifting up the
motionless and now much lighter Annie, he carried her into the bathroom and
placed her on the empty counter by the sink. She was now already mostly lightweight
plastic (a wondrous material Gavin had long ago decided, it would be handy on
Shiron). Her skin reflected the light in the room now, and had taken an even
almost flat tone. Her eyes were no longer darting around anymore, and had become
fixed and stared blankly in front of her. Already, joint lines were obvious
on her, and it was easy to arrange her in a sitting pose so that she wouldn't
fall to the floor.
He stroked her cheek softly and then left her to go meet Julie.
To Be Continued............