The Dangers of Daring Officer Dolly

Chapter 11. "The Party"

by Skytower

Merry McCormick took a deep breath as Esmerelda eased her upside-down into the dye. The maids grip was strong and somehow comforting. Despite it all Merry felt she could trust Esmerelda. The pug nosed scar-faced young woman reminded Merry of someone. Someone from her closed past.

The dye came up over Merry’s forehead and she closed her eyes as it covered them. She forced herself to breathe slowly and deeply, just in case she was forced completely under the water. Merry knew that she looked strange, hanging nude and held by her ankles by a dark haired young woman. But Merry didn’t really care. Though only 12 inches tall Merry McCormack was sure that at some point in her life she had been normal sized. She knew her body was beautiful. Large breasts combined with a small waist and wide hips matched well with strong muscles and tight skin. She could insight lust at the very least.

Esmerelda pulled her out of the dye and Merry breathed easier.

"I believe this is the right shade." Esmerelda said. "At least the shade that my Mistress commanded."

"Great." Merry said resisting the urge to feel her hair. The normally blond tone matched her body but Duchess Sidonia, an evil witch who was Esmerelda’s mistress, had ordered it dyed a bright red. Merry was grateful that she had no pubic hair else Duchess Sidonia would have ordered that died as well.

Esmerelda placed Merry onto a soft towel and began to work the die into her hair. Merry sat cross-legged and did not protest. That was what came from being doll sized; you learned not to complain when others took liberties with your body. Esmerelda’s fingers moved forcefully but not painfully over Merry’s scalp. In other circumstances it might have been pleasant.

At least they were alone. They were in the room assigned to Esmerelda. It was a small room with a bed, a small chest and a vanity table with a mirror attached. To one side was the bowl full of die along with some brushes and paint. Esmerelda was wearing an apron and nothing else.

"At least you have me well covered." Merry said pointing to the line of little green army men that lined the edge of the mirror. Infantry, snipers and bazzooka men were formed into three rows, with radio men and medics behind them. To Merry the detail on the small plastic toys was incredible. She could see the small scratches on their frozen faces.

"They are my army." Esmerelda said proudly.

"Your army?"

"I made them." Esmerelda said. "Once when I was very young I took hold of something that displeased my Mistress. She smashed my fingers with a hammer and would only allow them to heal naturally. I took to carving so that my fingers would not ache as much."

"So you carved them out of plastic?"

"I was allowed to root in the trash for materials." Esmerelda said. "There were some old cups that I found."

"They’re really good." Merry said hiding her anger.

"At night, if I can not sleep, if my Mistress has kept me in human form during the full moon, I play on my bed and send them against each other."

"Oh." Merry said. I guess everyone needs a fantasy life, she thought.

"Sometimes I lay and arrange them over my body." Esmerelda said. "So that a small group holds the high ground of my breasts and must beat back the smaller group moving up my stomach. Or the smaller group charges down my stomach and battles between my legs."

Too much information, Merry thought. Aloud she said; "Well I guess that can be fun."

Esmerelda started to hum softly and her fingers worked smoothly.

"I enjoy playing with small things." She said as her fingers traveled from Merry’s hair to the rest of her body.

"I think I’m done." Merry said as the young woman began to massage her breasts.

"If my Mistress is not please she will punish me." Esmerelda said. Still she stopped. "But I believe this will satisfy her."

"Well yippee." Merry said looking at herself in the mirror. Her short hair was now the color of a shinny new penny.

Esmerelda picked Merry up and laid her down on the towel. Then she picked up a brush and dipped it into the red paint.

"Please do not move." She said as the edge of the brush touched Merry’s nipple. With intense care Esmerelda moved the brush along Merry’s large nipples, painting them the same color as her hair. Merry lay still and forced herself to breathe slowly but she could not help the erotic energy that surged through her body. When she was done with the nipples Esmerelda parted Merry’s legs and outlined a sharp V red patch there as well.

"Do no move while it dries." Esmerelda ordered.

She moved over to the bed and started to work on something else. Merry lay still and tried not to squirm. She didn’t know what kind of paint Esmerelda had used but it warmed as it dried. Her pussy and breasts suddenly got very hot. Her hair was still damp and that didn’t help at all either.

There has to be more to my life than this, Merry thought. What am I?

It was a question that Merry could not escape. Her memory seemed to play games with her, now giving her a glimpse of an experience and then taking it away. Merry felt that this wasn’t the first time she had been dressed up for a party, but when and where she had no idea.

"Do not do that." Esmerelda said sternly from the bed.

Merry jerked her hands from between her legs. The heat from the drying paint was filling the rest of her body now.

"I said do not do that." Esmerelda said as Merry ran a finger along the opening to her womb. "You will ruin the paint."

"Can’t… stop!" Merry huffed the words out. "Too… hot!"

Esmerelda grabbed Merry’s hands and held them but Merry squirmed and writhed out of her grip. Acting quickly Esmerelda grabbed the brush she had been using. With a small piece of yarn she tied Merry’s wrist to it, then moved the brush behind Merry’s shoulders and tied her other wrist to it. Merry twisted and turned with all her might but her strength was nothing against the gigantic young woman. Esmerelda took another brush and tied it to Merry’s wrist, then tied her ankles to the other end. She used four brushes and when she was done Merry found her self tied to a square. She struggled mightily yet helplessly to free herself as her bodies sex drive screamed loudly in her mind. She growled and roared in frustration as Esmerelda went back to the bed. A kind of delirium came over her and Merry looked to the army men and begged her to take her. She called out enticements and insults to their manhood when none of the toys responded. The army men stood by impassively as she suffered.

A little while later Esmerelda untied Merry and the shrunken woman sat up. The delirium of lust hadn’t lasted long, but the feelings of shame stayed with Merry. They added to the conflicting feelings she had felt almost since she had woken up without a memory.

"I wonder what normal sex is like?" Merry whispered. "I wonder if I ever had any?"

"Would you like some water?" Esmerelda asked.

"I’d like a lotta things." Merry said. She sighed. "But yea, water is good."

Esmerelda placed a small doll-sized cup filled with water in front of her and Merry drank gratefully.

"I think this is ready." Esmerelda said when Merry was done drinking. She held out a red cloak with a hood on it.

Merry put the cup down and swung the cloak over her shoulders. It fit, even if the fabric did feel a bit rough. The cloak fell to her ankles and for the first time in a long time Merry actually felt like she was wearing clothes. It was a good feeling and she welcomed it.

"I think my Mistress will approve."

"Well let’s hope." Merry said as the feeling died.

Esmerelda took off her smock and then picked Merry up. They left the room and after a short walk across the corridor entered Duchess Sidonia’s room. In contrast to Esmerelda’s small room the Duchess had a grand one. At least Merry was sure it was grand. Candles and torches lighted the chamber and deep shadows filled every corner. Merry was sure the shadows were alive and responded to Duchess Sidonia’s commands. Duchess Sidonia sat at a desk and was typing nimbly on a laptop. She was wearing a black sheer robe with a red lining.

"Ah here we are." Duchess Sidonia said. She turned and her eyes fell fully on Merry. Merry couldn’t help but blush at the frank stare. "Very nicely done Esmerelda."

"Thank you mistress." Esmerelda said.

"Put her on the bed and then help me dress."

"Is it going to be a big party?" Merry asked.

"Oh yes." Duchess Sidonia said as Esmerelda took her robe. The woman stood nude and there was no sign on her body of the centuries of life she had lived. Her gold hair was bound up around her head, showing off a delicate neck. "Ages ago of course it would have been a longer party. Before the age of the car and the plane you traveled to a party for days or weeks and stayed for that long as guest."

"Who’s going to be there?" Merry asked.

"Many who will shock you." Sidonia smiled. She stepped into the petticoat that Esmerelda was holding for her. "People are thrilled to be in the presence of evil Mystery Woman. The sad thing is that few will admit it."

"Kinda dangerous for them isn’t it?" Merry asked. "What if there is a reporter or cop in the crowd?"

"There is a reporter coming." Duchess Sidonia said as Esmerelda started to lace up a corset. "And an officer of the E.I.A."

"What’s eia?"

"E.I.A." Sidonia laughed. "The Earth Intelligence Agency, the rather covert arm of Force Group J."

"And he’ll be here and you won’t mind?"

"She." Sidonia corrected. "And no, not really. She’s been in my employ for years now. As to the reporter…" Sidonia laughed and the sound chilled Merry. "She thinks she will be un-known, but in reality I have a plan for her."

Esmerelda started to hang strings of pearls around Sidonia’s waist.

"The party is organized to preserve privacy." Duchess Sidonia said. "Everyone will wear masks and costumes. I will be at the receiving line. To get in the guest will have to kneel before me and remove their mask."

"You got a camera taking pictures don’t you?" Merry asked.

"Of course. It can be very helpful later on."

"These people are idiots if they don’t know that." Merry said.

Sidonia laughed so hard she nearly stumbled.

"Of course they are idiots." The Duchess said. "Only once or twice in a generation am I fortunate enough to find someone like Mathew."

"You really don’t like humanity do you?" Merry asked.

"No. No I do not." For the first time a serious and cold light shone from the Duchess’s eyes. "I have never liked my fellow man, not since I was a child. Weak, hypocritical, un-imaginative… these are the marks of almost all of the people I have ever met. I wish to crush them for their weakness, tear out their eyes for their hypocrisy and drive them insane in hopes that they will find a little imagination." She sighed and for a moment looked downcast. "It is a paradox really, because while I feel all of that; I also know that humanity is my chief source of amusement. I can capture and torture small animals, as I did in my youth, but humanity… Ah humanity. To see someone who once thought himself or herself so mighty reduced to groveling before me… That is a pleasure Mystery Woman that is beyond explaining."

She held out her arms as Esmerelda eased a pair of puffed sleeves over them. Merry stayed silent.

"You do not think me insane Mystery Woman? Many have called me that."

"I think it’s a strange hobby." Merry said. She didn’t think Sidonia was insane, she was just evil. "But I guess if your immortal you gotta do something with your time."

"It makes the centuries pass by a little faster." Sidonia said. She stepped back and looked at herself in the mirror. Sidonia was beautiful and beautifully dressed. She wore a wide skirt made from mother-of-pearl silk, dressed with rubies and emeralds, a tight gray corset lined with diamonds and puffed out sleeves that were laced with gold. A diamond tiara was set in her hair.

"You will also be part of the line." Duchess Sidonia said. She nodded and Esmerelda walked into a shadowed part of the chamber and returned with a ornate golden birdcage. "A little pun of mine." Sidonia said. She touched the ring on her finger and said "Wolf."

Merry winced as the storm of energy painfully changed Esmerelda from a human girl into a were-wolf. It took a few minutes and when it was done Sidonia picked Merry up and put her into the cage.

"Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf." Duchess Sidonia pronounced laughing.

Merry McCormick did not remember it but she had spent many of her teen years going to sci-fi/Star Trek conventions. She was used to people wearing strange costumes in public. But nothing prepared her for Duchess Sidonia’s party. It was held in the main hall of Count Intellect’s castle. A vast vaulted space lit by hundreds of candles. Against one corner of the vast room was a large band of the old swing era. Literally. Animated corpses wearing torn World War 2 army uniforms played on tarnished and rusty instruments. Tables laden with food were set strategically around the room leaving enough room for dancing. In the center of the room was Goddess of Justice.

She was bound face down onto a black frame that held her diagonally off of the floor. The woman’s bound legs were spread painfully wide. Her arms had been bent behind her at an angle that Merry could barely believe. A band across her forehead pulled her head back. A mask on the bottom part of her face was attached to a large horn and a pair of clamps pinched her nose shut. There was a wide variety of food set next to her and guest were invited to toss berries, nuts or gumballs into the horn. Every so often Goddess of Justice tried not to swallow but it was a useless gesture of defiance. Her breasts were even larger than normal and they dripped with milk. The humiliation was so total that Merry wondered if even Goddess of Justice could take it. She watched one of the guest walk over to the bound heroine, place his glass under her nipple and squeeze her breast. The glass filled quickly and another guest walked over and did the same thing. A few more of the guest ran their hands over her body, slapping her ass and making crude jokes. Around the hall were set stands containing trophies and bodies of all of the heroes and heroines that Count Intellect had defeated in his un-dead lifetime. It was a display of vanity, but power as well. In a glass case were the hands of Alpha and Beta. Next to it was the shield of Mr. Champion. Beside that, imprisoned in crystal, was the still living body of Ms. Iron. A demon was in the crystal with her, still raping her has he had when she was first caught.

The guests were suitably impressed by the displays. They fawned and bowed before Count Intellect. It was an orgy of sycophancy and it made Merry nauseous.

The guests themselves were sobering, hurtful and infuriating to Merry. Duchess Sidonia had promised the rich and famous and she had delivered. The guest entered through the main doors. Each one had to kneel before Duchess Sidonia who was seated on a red throne. While on their knees they had to remove their masks. To the side and slightly behind the Duchess’s throne stood Merry and Esmerelda. Merry got a full view of the guest and while some of them were strangers others shocked her.

"Ah, my girls." Duchess Sidonia purred.

A pair of twins kneeled before her. Short and slim they both had black hair and deep blue eyes. Their faces were past the cherubic stage of childhood and into the early stages of maturity, but were still cute and captivating. Merry recognized them. The Ralston twins; stars from childhood who’s squeaky clean image even the tabloids could not stain. They had started out in movies at age 4 and had worked their way through TV sitcoms, cartoons and Internet broadcast. Along the way the girls had established a merchandizing empire worth millions. They were icons to millions and symbols of good old-fashioned American values. At least they were normally. Now they were dressed as dark and light elves in tight leather and each had a whip on her belt. The leather was so tight it could have been spray painted onto their bodies. One of them led the other on a leash. Behind the bird-like masks Merry saw twisted smiles and eyes that worshiped the witch.

"Greetings mistress." They said. They looked at Merry and Esmerelda and smiled.

"Yes, I know." Duchess Sidonia said. She sounded like an indulgent aunt. "If you are very good tonight I may allow you to play with Esmerelda again tomorrow night."

Esmerelda trembled but did not show any other reaction.

"And her friend?" One of the twins asked.

"Maybe." Duchess Sidonia said. With a wave of her hand she dismissed the girls.

The next guest was a short buxom woman wearing an Alice in Wonderland dress. She had light blonde hair and brown eyes.

"My lady." She said kneeling and removing her mask. The face beneath was a round face with a slight double chin and thick eyebrows. The woman wasn’t beautiful but she could be called handsome.

"Ah Ms. Anderson." Duchess Sidonia said smiling. "I am truly impressed that you managed to get past Mathew’s security. But then you had help didn’t you?"

"I’m sorry?" the woman tried. It was a good try; there was uncertainty in her voice but no fear.

"Ms. Luella Anderson." Sidonia said. "Reporter for the London Times. Blonde really isn’t your color you know. No, don’t go."

Luella stopped and put her foot back down.

"You can’t leave." Duchess Sidonia smiled. "And besides here is your friend."

Another woman came up beside Luella and kneeled. A slim woman she wore a green body suit and over that a coat covered with twigs and weeds. Her mask was a plain wooden one. Beneath it was a calm and pretty face with green eyes that had absolutely no soul behind them.

"My lady." She said kneeling.

"My servant." Duchess Sidonia said coolly. "Force Group J?"

"Has no idea." The woman said smiling. Her smile was as devoid of soul as the rest of her. It reminded Merry of a shark opening its mouth. She looked at Luella and the resemblance to the shark was emphasized.

"Tricia?" Luella asked shocked.

"No my dear." Duchess Sidonia said. "This is not Tricia MgGuildy from the C.I.A. "This is Patricia Avriska, a member of the E.I.A."

This time Luella did back up a few steps but she bumped into Count Intellect. He was dressed elegantly as usual but his smile showed his fangs.

"You set me up!" Luella growled at Patricia.

"You wanted the Pulitzer." Patricia said.

Luella looked right and left but there was no avenue of escape.

"I’m tempted to let you wander around for a bit." Duchess Sidonia said. "Indeed I think I will. We all know who you are after all, and you are not leaving this party alive." Duchess Sidonia paused and then added. "Or dead for that matter."

"I…"

"Go away." Duchess Sidonia said pleasantly, dismissing the reporter with a wave of her hand. Luella drifted off looking everywhere for an escape route. Merry noticed that the Ralston twins followed her.

"Goddess of Justice may recognize you even with the mask." Duchess Sidonia said to Patricia. "But do not worry. Have fun."

"Thank you my lady." The woman said and a purely evil light came to her eyes.

Merry watched the crowd as the next few guests came and kneeled. Luella had become aware of the Ralston twins and was trying to keep away from them. The twins were stalking her, splitting up when necessary and always ending up either in front of or behind the reporter. Patricia had taken a seat behind Goddess of Justice and was sticking pins into the souls of the bound heroine’s feet.

The next group of guest arrived and kneeled before Duchess Sidonia. Again Merry recognized them. There were five teenagers, each wearing brightly colored spandex costumes and helmets with dark glass covering their faces.

"Ah the Power Troupers." Duchess Sidonia said. "Here to fight evil?"

Each of the teenagers removed his or her helmet and smiled at her. Merry kept silent and still but recognized them. They were the actors from the children’s television show. Like the Ralston twin’s their image was squeaky clean.

"Can’t we do some evil instead?" One of them asked and the rest laughed.

Merry kept silent and wondered how many more icons she was going to see that night.

"You know I didn’t think rats did this." Jessie said.

"Trust us to get a strange rat." Lizzie responded.

She was breathing hard and so was Jessie. For over two hours they had worked their way through the ducts and the rat had never been more than five feet behind them. Because of that the shrunken women had been forced to walk along the top or the sides of the metal duct. The magnetic harnesses they wore allowed that, but it was still a physical effort. Between them the IV bag seemed to be getting heavier.

"Maybe he’s a watch-rat or something." Jessie mused.

"He’s watching alright."

"Well we are pretty much naked." Jessie said.

"Don’t go there Jess." Lizzie whined.

"It could happen, we’re the right size."

"Please don’t go there." Lizzie begged.

"Alright, but it could happen. Are we almost there?" Jessie asked.

{Another five feet or so.}

"What do we do when we get there and Jerry is still with us?"

"Jerry was a mouse." Lizzie said.

{You are not going to have that argument again. For now we will call the rat Jerry.}

"Yes mistress." Lizzie said. She didn’t try to keep the strain out of her voice. Her arms and legs hurt. The harness that attached the IV bag to her body had been digging into her skin long enough to rub it raw. Jessie’s bizarre fantasies didn’t help her mood at all. Her sister had always been adventurous in that area, but usually only in her fantasy life. She had often spun tales that drove Lizzie to play with herself. But now that they had been shrunk Jessie’s fantasies had taken a disturbing turn.

A few minutes later they reached the vent. It was bellow them and the duct only ran on for another few feet. At the end they could see another vent but there was no light in the room beyond it. By now the light filtering in from the other rooms they had passed was gone and the shrunken women relied on the lights from their helmets. Lizzie stopped and panned her light back. Sure enough Jerry was still there. He had stopped and was industriously washing himself.

"Maybe he wants a date." Jessie said.

{His behavior is not normal.}

"Well what do we do mistress?" Lizzie asked.

{One of you will have to jump down and fight him, one good scratch from your daggers should put him to sleep for a while."

"Fight him?" Lizzie and Jessie yelped the question out at the same moment.

There was a cold silence for a few minutes. Lizzie felt her heart stop. The one thing the Giant’s did not stand for was disobedience. If they ordered Lizzie and her sister to fight and either one refused… the rat would be the least of their problems.

A shrill whistle sounded through the vent. The rat suddenly stood up, angled his head and then trotted off down the duct. He turned a corner and was out of sight.

{He might actually be a watch rat.}

{That was certainly a quick command response.}

{We should be so lucky.}

{We don’t know how long it took to train him.}

"What do we do now?" Jessie asked her sister.

{How about continuing with your mission.}

"Oh yea." Jessie said.

Lizzie and Jessie slowly climbed down the side of the vent and then sagged against it.

"My arms are sore." Jessie complained. "I thought we were in shape."

"So did I."

{So did we. Rest for a few minutes.}

"Maybe you should make us supersuits or something." Jessie said. "Like Mr. Armor has."

{No.}

"Why n…" Jessie asked.

"Jessie!" Lizzie snapped before her sister could get the question out. Jessie got the message.

"Never mind." She said.

Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow she had the feeling that even if they got this done the Giant’s would never think of her and Jessie as they had thought of Officer Dolly. But if they were careful they might avoid screwing it up. At that moment Lizzie wanted nothing more than to get back to the safety of Dollopolis.

"Who’s there?" A weak voice asked. Dim light suddenly filtered into the vent. "Please, who’s there?"

Lizzie and Jessie stayed silent but crept to the vent at the end of the duct. Through the vent they could see into Simone’s room. It was wildly decorated, with a round bed set in the center of the room. A gold and silver vanity was set against the wall and a fluffy pink carpet lay on the floor. Near the windows was a large white leather couch in the shape of a reclining cat.

The person on the bed contrasted to the rest of the room like a like a corpse at a wedding. She was thin and pale with only a passing resemblance to the photo that the Giant’s had shown them. Lizzie felt a stab of pity as the woman managed to sit up and look around the room. It was something that moved and amazed Lizzie. For most of her life she-along with Jessie- had hated anyone with money. As far as they had been concerned rich people were there to steal from, if you could get away with it. But there was something so sorrowful about Simone that denied Lizzie her envy and hate. From the looks of the room Lizzie got the feeling that Simone was a full out party girl. But now she could barely get out of bed. She was only wearing a white hospital gown.

In fact she couldn’t get out of bed. Lizzie saw the chain that ran from Simone’s ankle to under the bed. Simone was a prisoner in her own room.

{Bird in a gilded cage.}

{This is not what we expected.}

{She has deteriorated far too quickly.}

{That chain is not a good sign either.}

{Could we have misjudged Simon?}

{Possibly. Jessie, Lizzie, proceed.}

"Yes mistress." Lizzie and Jessie muttered and crawled back to the other vent. While her sister readied the rope Lizzie eased herself down to the vent. Jessie handed her the end of the rope and Lizzie tied it to the vent. Then she braced herself and held onto the edge of the duct. The vent was hinged on one side with a metal tab on the other. Bracing herself Lizzie kicked once and then two more times before the tab snapped out. The vent dropped away from her and for a moment Lizzie was in freefall. But her grip on the edge of the duct held and after a moment of swinging in the air she pulled herself up. Jessie had kept hold of the rope so that the vent would not swing wildly and hit something.

"You’re going down right?" Jessie asked.

Lizzie sighed and nodded.

The guest kept coming and coming. By now at least two hundred people had assembled in the great hall. Not all of them were human. Merry tried to follow Luella and the Ralston twins. She tried not to look at what the guest were doing to Goddess of Justice. Someone had produced a tray full of magic markers and the heroine’s body was covered in graffiti. One of the other partygoers had pulled out a lock of her hair for a souvenir and others had followed his example. One of the Power Troupers had climbed onto Goddess of Justice’s back and was pouring the contents of a wine bottle into the horn.

Merry spotted Luella as she emerged from behind a large four-armed demon. Luella was heading toward the doorway from where the were-wolfs were bringing in more food. Merry doubted that the reporter would escape that way. But Luella didn’t get the chance. One of the Ralston twins tossed something onto the floor in front of Luella. A small patch of ice formed and the reporter fell down. Before she could get up both twins had tossed lassos over her. Luella was caught but she bucked and twisted like a wild horse. The twins held on and a crowd formed. Merry saw money change hands as bets were made.

Merry’s head started to pound. A memory was demanding her attention, but try as she might the shrunken woman was not able to bring it into focus. Luella was nearly a foot taller than the twins were. Yet they were having no trouble capturing her. For a moment the memory exploded with clarity in Merry’s mind; she had been captured the same way once. The memory was gone almost as fast it became real.

The twins dragged a still struggling Luella across the room and tied the ropes to the legs of the tables. Luella was caught between them, unable to get her arms free. Once the ropes were tight the twins started to whip her. Their work with the whips was excellent. In a matter of minutes Luella’s clothes were in shreds. With a particularly skilled snap her mask was lifted off of her face. There was a gasp among the crowd as some of the guest recognized the reporter.

"Calm yourselves." Duchess Sidonia said from her throne. "Bring her here."

The Ralston twins untied the ropes from the tables and pulled and tugged until Luella was in front of Duchess Sidonia’s throne.

"Kneel down." One of them said snapping her whip at the back of Luella’s legs. Luella gasped in pain and sank to her knees. With her arms pinned and left with only shreds Luella was revealed as a plump woman. She wheezed and shook, not daring to look at Sidonia.

"Do not be alarmed." Duchess Sidonia said to the guest. Merry could feel the fear in the room. Luella’s identity had spread wildly. "I knew that this person would be here. But Ms. Anderson will never leave. Already the pilot who brought her here is dead and in London my agents have obliterated any record that she intended to go anywhere. She will vanish, as some reporters vanish from time to time."

A wave of relief-equal and opposite of the feelings of despair that Merry guessed Luella was feeling- ran through the crowd. From relief the crowd’s mood quickly turned ugly. Duchess Sidonia smiled at the anger. She let the anger become verbal and physical. Food and drink were thrown over Luella and shouts and curses were aimed at her. Luella was trying to be brave but Merry could tell she was terrified. When Sidonia held up her hand the abuse stopped.

"Let us have her mistress." The Ralston twins pleaded. Evil smiles lit up their cute faces.

"I think I will." Sidonia said. She produced a small vial from her dress and held it out to the twins. "Make her drink this."

One of the twins grabbed the vial and they both jumped on Luella. The reporter was bound but not helpless. Still it was no contest. The twins brought her to the floor with vicious kicks and while she was dazed poured the liquid from the vial into her mouth.

Luella’s form shimmered and then shrank. It was a fast process and when it was done the reporter sat up and looked around at the giants. She stood up and Merry realized that Luella was still taller than she was. She was at least 2 feet tall.

"Train her well." Sidonia said. "And then perhaps we will see who will win in a battle to the death. My little Red Riding hood or your reporter."

The crowd roared with laughter while Merry paled. She didn’t want to die but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to kill. Not in some sort of gladiatorial game at any rate.

"Wait!" Count Intellect called. He walked up to the throne, perhaps the only one at the party who would dare to do so, and he and Sidonia talked for a moment. Their talk was so low even Merry couldn’t hear them. When he stepped back there was a smile on his face that was pure evil.

"A new party game." Sidonia said. She rose from her throne and took Merry’s cage out of Esmerelda’s hands. Then she opened the cage and took Merry out. Count Intellect had picked up Luella and was carrying her to the far side of the room. He pulled the rest of the clothing from the doll-sized woman as he did so. Luella could not help screaming and her screams caused much laughter among the guests. Sidonia carried Merry to the other side. She let the shrunken woman keep her cape but Sidonia’s fingers ran softly over Merry’s body. No one moved but there was a rising chorus of curious voices mixed in with the laughter.

"The rules of this game are simple." Sidonia called out. "At one end of the room Count Intellect has placed our intrepid reporter. He has blinded her with a spell." She produced a small bit of cloth and wrapped it around Merry’s head. "I have blindfolded my little Red Riding Hood. We shall both place them on the floor at the same time. We shall then walk back to my throne and I will blindfold my wolf-girl. I will then tell her to hunt Luella. If Red Riding Hood can find Luella before my wolf-girl then Red Riding hood can remove her own blindfold. That part of the game will be allowed five minutes. The next part of the game is even simpler. She must keep Luella safe for another five minutes. If, when the clock strikes 11:00 she has kept Luella from my wolf-girl then Luella will live. If not my wolf-girl will eat her."

"But Mistress!" The Ralston twins pleaded.

"I have not forgotten you my dears." Duchess Sidonia said. "While Red Riding hood searches for Luella one of you will give her true directions, but the other will give her false directions. If Luella dies this night then I promise you to shrink any star or starlet in Hollywood. Any one you choose shrunk for your amusement. But," she said sternly, "if you break the rules you’ll get nothing. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mistress." The twins said giggling slightly.

Merry felt her world go dark and the cold feel of the floor under her feet.

"No one is allowed to move while the game is going on." Duchess Sidonia called out. "Little Red Riding Hood’s task is to keep Ms. Anderson alive." She patted Merry slightly on the rear. "Go on dear."

Merry moved. Turning to her left she started to trot. Gasps and shouts of outrage came from the guest. From the sound of it the shrunken woman guessed that heavy money had been bet on her. The band started to play Flight of the Bumblebee.

Merry trotted until she ran into the heavy fabric that covered the tables full of food. Digging her way under it she emerged into a quieter space. Orienting her way toward what she hoped was the other end of the table Merry ran flat out. There was no way she could make it too Luella in time, not through a crowd of legs she could not see. Merry knew that she would have felt like a pinball in a pinball machine, bouncing from one to the other. But the outer edges of the room were lined with tables. Merry ran into another fabric wall and she dug her way underneath it. She emerged into the party and ran toward what she hoped was the next table.

"You’re going the wrong way!" One of the Ralston twins shouted.

"No you’re not!" The same voice seemed to shout at the same time. "Go red!"

Merry ignored them. The band played on and louder and a hunting howl was added to the tune. Esmerelda was hunting.

Merry ran into the next wall of fabric and clawed her way beneath it. Merry ran faster, her cape sailing behind her and her feet hitting hard against the stone floor. She tripped and went flying, skidding along the floor and scraping her skin. But she was stopped by another wall of fabric. Merry dug underneath it and emerged into the full noise of the party.

But she couldn’t remember how many tables were set up. The tables were very long, there might have been two, and there might have been three. There was no way to tell if she was getting closer to Luella and no way to tell what Luella was doing.

"Luella!" Merry shouted, deciding to risk it. A full throated scream was quickly drowned by the guest shouting before Merry could figure out where it came from. Taking her best guess she struck out in one direction. She crashed into a leg but kept going. A snippet of a scream made Merry turn left. She ran and tripped over another foot, but this time the sound of something falling somehow worked its way through the noise. Merry leapt and rolled and heard glass crashing behind her.

"Foul!" One of the guest shouted.

"I just dropped my glass." Came an answering shout of mock innocence.

"I will allow an accident." Duchess Sidonia called out.

Merry didn’t stop. Around the guest laughed and more glasses crashed to the floor. The Ralston twins kept shouting, their soft voices somehow penetrating the crowd.

"You’re close!"

"She’s to you’re left!"

Suddenly Merry stopped dead. She paused for a moment and then took off to her right. A few steps later she crashed into Luella and they both went down.

"Shut up!" Merry ordered as Luella screamed.

"The first part of the game is done!" Duchess Sidonia called. "Red Riding Hood may remove her blindfold."

Merry tore the cloth away from her eyes and looked around. She and Luella were close to the center of the room. The floor was littered with broken glass and slick with food and drink. Esmerelda was sniffing under one of the tables where Count Intellect had first placed the shrunken reporter.

"Can you move?" Merry demanded.

"Run a bloody marathon if I could see." Luella gasped out.

"Just take my hand." Merry said dragging Luella to her feet.

"The second part of the game starts now!" Duchess Sidonia called out. She made a gesture with her hand and the blindfold on Esmerelda suddenly flew off of her. The wolf girl looked around the room and her eyes stopped on Merry and Luella. With a howl she ran for them.

"Move!" Merry shouted.

She ran half-dragging half-guiding Luella behind her. The guest may have suspected that Merry would head toward the tables again. Instead she headed into the thickest part of the crowd. She and Luella ran between legs and under skirts. Merry ran them through fields of broken glass. It didn’t take long for Esmerelda to come with in striking distance. More than once her paws barely missed the shrunken women. But people kept getting in her way and where Merry and Luella could run between shards of broken glass the wolf-girl had to avoid them. Snarling Esmerelda slashed and bit at people and the chamber was filled with screams of surprise, pain, fear and occasionally pleasure.

Merry had no way tell the time. Behind her Luella’s breathing got worse and she fell more times than she ran. Someone threw a glass in front of them. With a wrist-wrenching pull Merry tried pulled Luella away from it, but her companions greater weight pulled them off balance and they fell, skidding on a patch of wine and ending up in the middle of the broken glass. Twisting and turning her body almost in half Merry managed to avoid the shards. Luella barreled into the broken glass and one of the shards sliced her leg open.

"Damn!" Merry swore as Luella howled in pain. Merry used her blindfold to try and bandage the wound but blood seeped through it.

Merry looked up. The crowd was silent and still as Esmerelda worked her way through them. Merry and Luella were near the throne where Duchess Sidonia, Count Intellect and the Ralston twins were drinking wine. There was no telling how much time they had left.

Merry dragged Luella over to the stand where a now nearly bald Goddess of Justice was watching everything. Pulling off her red cloak Merry spread it over the shrunken woman.

"Stay put, stay quiet and try not to move." Merry said. She pulled her improvised bandaged off of Luella’s leg and smeared the fresh blood over her own body.

Merry ran and as she guessed Esmerelda was close enough to spot her. With a snarl the wolf-girl gave chase. Merry ran as fast as she could, making a straight line for the throne. Behind her Esmerelda got closer with each step. At the last moment the Ralston twins guessed what Merry was planning, but it was too late. She dove at one of them and stuffed the bloody rag into the twin’s boot. Merry kept going and Esmerelda smashed into the twin with un-restrained bloodlust.

Merry leaped onto the other twins leg and held onto the rim of her boot. For the next few minutes the world became a storm of chaos. Everyone was shouting, in fear, in pleasure and in frustration. The twin she was on snatched at Merry but Merry kept a death grip on the rim of her boot. She managed to bite the leg and was rewarded with an exclamation of shock and pain.

"Enough!" Duchess Sidonia shouted. "This contest is over!"

A wall of silence flowed through the room. The twin Merry was on stopped moving and Merry let go of her and dropped to the floor. Esmerelda drew back from the other twin. Esmerelda had attacked the one dressed in white and that twin was now in a sorry state. Her leather dress had been ripped apart revealing small but full breasts and a tight stomach, both of which were covered in scratches and blood.

"You did that on purpose!"

Merry looked up and saw the twin she had attached herself to. It was amazing to Merry that a face could look evil and yet still be cute. Still she backed up as the young woman reached for her.

"Medea!" Duchess Sidonia’s voice rang with authority.

Medea stopped in mid step and glared at Merry and the wolf-girl.

"Of course she did it on purpose." Count Intellect said smoothly. He appeared next to Sidonia holding Luella. "What better way to make sure that Esmerelda was occupied than to let her attack someone who has abused her in the past."

"You bitch!" the other twin swore starting to reach for Merry.

"Persephonie." Duchess Sidonia calmly. "The game is over."

Persephonie stopped but the look she gave Merry was one of terrible promise.

"Esmerelda." Sidonia ordered. "Take Mystery Woman and Luella and clean them and your self up. Do it quickly."

Emserelda bowed and scooped up Merry. Count Intellect handed Luella to her.

"A very pleasant diversion." Count Intellect said. "And in a half of an hour we will have the true sport."

Merry wasn’t sure what he meant but she hoped it didn’t involve her.

Esmerelda carried them into a side room. Merry guessed that the room had been set aside for guest who wanted a few private moments. There was a bed, a table with a washbowl and a chair. On the table was set a collection of exotic looking bottles.

"How bad is it?" Merry asked Luella as Esmerelda set them down.

"Not great!" Luella snapped.

"She will be fine." Esmerelda said. Her voice was distorted but Merry was able to spot a hint of gentleness. She reached over to the bottles and selected a blue one that was shaped like a ballerina.

"Not if I can’t stop the blood loss." Merry said. The slice was clean but it went from Luella’s knee to her thigh.

"She will be fine." Esmerelda said. She tipped the bottle and a little bit of the blue liquid dripped onto the wound. As the liquid flowed away it revealed healthy skin with no trace of blood.

Luella sighed and laid back as the wound vanished.

"Thanks." She said.

"Magic is far superior to science in the arts of healing." Count Intellect said.

Merry looked up and saw him standing in the doorway.

"She’s not big again." Merry said.

"She is healed." Count Intellect said. "Tell me Mystery Woman why did you save her?"

"What?"

"You have never seen her before tonight, yet you risked your life to save Ms. Anderson. Why?"

"I…" Merry faltered as she confronted the question.

"Because that’s what some people do." Luella said sitting up.

"Nobility was not the reason." Count Intellect said. "Not for her."

"I don’t know." Merry said. "Sidonia put me down, gave me a shove; she said save her and…"

"And you did." Count Intellect said. "Because you were ordered too."

"I guess." Merry said. "I’m not sure if that’s the only reason."

"It is the larger reason." Count Intellect said. "And the tactics you used to save her, the way you adapted to the threats and situation… they are the marks of a true soldier. When you serve me Mystery Woman I shall count myself fortunate."

"But…" Merry stuttered on the word. "But what about the people… I guess they were people… who made me this way?"

"Either I shall buy you or I shall destroy them." Count Intellect said. "Either way you will be mine."

He started toward the door and then paused and looked back.

"Mine, or Duchess Sidonia’s."

"Got it?" Jessie called down.

"Almost." Lizzie called back.

The closet was semi-dark with the light from the bedroom coming in under the door. It was enough light for Lizzie to see what she was doing without using her headlamp. She dangled from a string attached to her harness. Beside her at nearly the right height was the IV bag. Beside it was an empty rope. Lizzie took hold of the old one and started to ease it off of the metal stand. The stand was shaped like a giant letter ‘T’ and one side contained five IV bags. The other side contained a clipboard and a weight. The IV stand competed for space with coats and dresses. Far bellow her Lizzie could see dozens of boots and shoes.

"This is going to get heavier for a sec." Lizzie called out.

"Got it." Jessie said.

Lizzie moved the IV bag closer to the end of the frame. Then she tied the spare rope to it and pulled and tugged until it came off of the stand. It started to drop for a moment but Jessie held it steady. Lizzie grabbed the new IV and guided it to the stand. She was just able to get enough leverage to hoist it onto the metal.

"Got it!" Lizzie called up to her sister. The rope on the new IV bag went slack and Lizzie untied it. While she was doing that the old IV bag inched upward. Lizzie watched as it went up and was pulled into the ac duct. Then the free rope was pulled up. Nothing happened for a few minutes after that and Lizzie just dangled in mid-air.

"Hey, remember me!"

"Give me a sec, that thing was heavy."

"I know it was heavy. I lifted it too."

"Well I lifted it longer."

{Do not argue.}

{At least the new IV is in place.}

{We can only hope they get it into her in time.}

{Perhaps we should consider a new line of action just in case?}

{Our options are limited, but her condition concerns me.}

Lizzie wished they would switch the mike off. It was disconcerting having their words pop into her head. Jessie must have thought the same thing. Lizzie felt a jerk on the line as her sister started to pull her up.

"Wake up oh dead one." Someone called.

Lizzie’s upward progress was stopped with a jerk.

"What do you want?" Simone demanded in a weak voice.

"I’m a nurse, time for your IV." Said the voice. It was a soft voice that was full of professional detachment.

"IV?" Lizzie repeated. She looked down and saw a shadow at the door.

"Jessie pull me up!" Lizzie hissed.

"Jerry’s up here."

"So we’ll double date! Pull me up!"

Lizzie heard a slight scream and then her she fell as Jessie released the rope. She stopped with a bone-jarring jerk halfway between the floor and the vent.

"Why bother." Simone asked. "You don’t want me to get well."

"I’m a nurse remember?"

The door started to open.

{Do not get caught!}

Lizzie whimpered and looked desperately around for an escape route. There was none.

{Use your knife!}

"Use my…"

By this time Lizzie was used to obeying the Giant’s. She snatched her knife out of its sheath and sawed desperately at the rope. It gave out after a few slices with her blade and Lizzie fell. The fall only took a few seconds but for Lizzie it was a few hours. Her stomach tried to escape from her throat. Her hair whipped around her head and her body felt hot and cold as it fell through the air. Lizzie landed with barely a sound in one of the fur-lined boots.

"I have to make at least a pretense at caring for you."

Light flooded into the closet as the door was opened. Lizzie looked up to see a hand reach over and pick up the IV bag. Scared but curious the shrunken young woman stood up and peered over the edge of the boot. A tall thin woman with stringy black hair and tan skin was walking over to Simone’s bed.

"I’m going to stay alive as long as I can." Simone said defiantly. "I’m going to do it just to spite you."

"Hey it doesn’t matter to me." The nurse said. She walked around the bed and Lizzie had to hold a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping.

"I know her!" Lizzie whispered.

{Who is she?}

"That’s Slummer, Sumner… somebody. She was Mike’s supplier at the hospital. She’s a real hardcase, Mike got her fired when the cops busted him and he turned her in. She tried to kill him for that. She’s into whips and chains and that stuff."

{The situation becomes clearer.}

Simone moaned, as the IV was thrust not to gently into her arm. Sumner smiled and checked the bag to make sure it was working.

"You’re not getting my money." Simone said.

"I don’t need it I got your brother." Sumner said. "He’s a good little boy, knows what to do when Mistress tells him what to do. Now shut up or I’ll gag you again."

Simone fell silent and Lizzie realized that there was nothing she could do but wait.

"What’s Jessie doing?" She asked.

{Running away from Jerry.}

{When Sumner leaves the room you will have to work your way to another vent. We will direct you.}

"What about the vent door?" She looked up and showed them it was still open.

{We’ll close that before you leave. Now be quiet.}

Obediently Lizzie said nothing and settled down to wait. The smell of the boot was a combination of sweat and leather. Expensive leather and she guessed expensive sweat. There was also a layer of dust on the boots and the floor. Lizzie wondered how long Simone had been locked up.

It was a while before the bag was empty. Lizzie desperately wanted to ask about Jessie but kept silent. The Giant’s were quiet as well and that worried her. But there was nothing she could do. When the bag was empty Sumner pulled the needle out of Simone’s arm and dropped the IV bag into a small can on the far side of the room. Simone was asleep. Sumner checked the chain and then left.

{Follow her.}

"What?"

{Change of plan. We need to know what is going on. Follow her.}

"Yes mistress."

Not at all sure that she was going to live through the night Lizzie crawled out of the boot and scurried to the door. Sumner was just turning the corner into another corridor. Lizzie followed her.

Esmerelda had washed Merry’s red cloak but it was still damp when they returned to the party. Merry was once more in her cage. Esmerelda carried her in one hand and in the other hand carried a duplicate cage with Luella in it. Luella wasn’t wearing anything. The shrunken reporter huddled against the bars and tried to cover her nudity with her hands.

"Can we mistress?" The Ralston twins asked when they saw Luella.

"I suppose so." Duchess Sidonia said. She gestured and Luella’s cage floated over to the twins. "We all need toys to play with after all."

"Thank you mistress!" The twins gushed. Giggling they carried the shrunken reporter into the crowd. Merry heard screaming a few minutes later.

Merry didn’t say anything. She knew there was nothing she could say.

A trumpet blared loudly and Count Intellect entered the room. The guest fell silent as he walked over to the stand that held Goddess of Justice.

"Friends!" Count Intellect called. He looked to Sidonia and bowed. "Honored and revered guest. Tonight has shown us all a splendid time but now it is nearly midnight. Now I shall show you all how deeply my affection for Duchess Sidonia goes."

He ran his hand along Goddess of Justice’s breast.

"You have all seen her, you have all taken liberties with her. This is Goddess of Justice. The world knows her as a mighty heroine, on of the bedrock members of Force Group J. I know her as my captive, my plaything. Many heroines and heroes have I defeated. You can see all around you my trophies. But this one is different. For tonight, before you, I shall bring this one lower than any other."

Count Intellect bowed to Sidonia again.

"You have always been served by wolf-girls such as Esmerelda, but every twenty years or so you kill them for their base materials. Then you have to bear another. But not this time. This time Goddess of Justice shall bear the wolf-girl for you!"

He turned and clapped his hands. Into the chamber marched Sebastion. For once he looked like royalty. His fur was combed and brushed and he wore a dark black velvet robe lined with red fur. He bowed to Duchess Sidonia and then marched over and kneeled at Count Intellect’s feet.

"This is my loyal servant." Count Intellect said. The Count took a vial filled with black liquid out of his pocket and held it up for everyone to see. "This potion will make it possible for the wolf-man to mate with the human and ensure that the wolf-man’s seed will take root."

Count Intellect floated up until he was level with Goddess of Justice’s face. Smiling he poured the contents of the vial into the horn. Goddess tried not to swallow it but Merry could see she already had. Her body glowed red for a moment. Count Intellect floated down to the floor.

"Music!" He called.

The band started to play a wild jazz tune that Merry didn’t recognize. Count Intellect strode around Sebastion and tore off the wolf-man’s cloak. Sebastion was already fully erect. He stood and started to climb onto the stand that held Goddess of Justice.

"Please everyone, a little encouragement!" Count Intellect called. He started to clap his hands to the beat of the music and soon every guest in the hall was clapping along.

The clapping soon reverberated in Merry’s head. The shrunken woman sank to her knees, as her skull seemed to shatter with each clap. Bound in her stand Goddess of Justice quivered and Merry could see tears running down her face. Sebastion took her from behind with a savage intensity, matching his thrusting rhythms to the clapping.

Count Intellect pulled the horn away from Goddess of Justice’s mouth.

"No!" Goddess of Justice pleaded. "NO I BEG OF YOU! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Laughter mixed with the clapping and Merry felt the crowd’s pleasure and their lust. The pain in her head drove her further down to the floor of her cage. Barely conscious she saw Goddess of Justice beg and plead for mercy, all pride and dignity abandoned. Goddess of Justice’s body was responding. It was matching the were-wolf’s thrust with it’s own thrust. Merry could feel her own body responding, could feel a fire grow between her legs and her breasts seemed to swell in size. But all of that was overcome by the pounding in her head.

Sebastion came, Goddess of Justice came and Merry McCormick dove headlong into oblivion to escape her pain.

"It’s called, or we call it ‘Experience Resonance’."

"What’s that?" Merry asked.

"Well Officer Dolly when you are shrunk you tend to be a empathic receiver. Your tiny little brain accepts stimulation from the strongest emotion in a given area."

Merry opened her eyes and knew. She remembered everything. Her mission. The Group. Her name. Suddenly she knew why she got turned on when someone was tortured or raped. It was because the lust of the torturer was the strongest emotion present. When she was shrunk there were few defenses she could mount against such things.

{Telemetry online.}

{Memory scans in progress.}

{Tracking her location.}

{Can you hear us Merry?}

For a moment Merry couldn’t talk. Her voice refused to work right as an overwhelming sense of joy filled her. She had never been as happy to hear the Group. It was not relief that she was feeling, it was pure bliss.

"Yes!" she croaked out the words in a whispering tone. "God yes! I can hear you!"

{Glad to see you alive.}

{Shocked actually.}

{Alive and un-hurt.}

{What is your situation?}

"That wolf-guy worked for someone named Count Intellect." Merry said. "He’s got me and Goddess of Justice in a dungeon. He’s trying to impress some witch named Duchess Sidonia. They just had a hell of a party last night and Goddess of Justice was rapped by the were-wolf and is probably pregnant."

{We are sending a craft for you.}

"Where am I?"

{Somewhere in Canada.}

"Canada?"

{Yes. We are localizing it now.}

{Why are you surprised?}

"I don’t know… I just don’t think of Canada when I think of supervillains."

{Can you escape your cage?}

Merry sat up and looked around, knowing that the Group would see everything she saw.

"Yea, but what about Goddess."

{We are concerned about you alone.}

"I know but…" Merry hesitated. "Look I can’t just leave… there’s more than Goddess of Justice. There is some stuff I think I should do. Can you tell Force Group J where we are?"

{It is far too early in our plans to get involved with superheroes and supervillains.}

{But we are involved.}

"Not really." Merry said. "I’ve had amnesia until just now, they’ve read my mind and haven’t really found anything out. In fact only a few people know I’m here really."

{Do you have a plan?}

"Yea." Merry said, a plan forming in her mind the moment they asked. "And if it works no one who matters will remember that I was here or be in a position to talk about it."

{I believe that this is a time that we should let Officer Dolly move on her own.}

{Agreed.}

{She knows more about her situation than we do.}

{And we are busy keeping track of the other two.}

"Other two?" Merry asked wondering if they had replaced her. The idea hurt.

{Lizzie and Jessie.}

"They replaced me?" Merry asked stressing the first word.

{They did not replace you Officer Dolly.}

{They were just all we had when the need arose.}

{Try not to sound too hurt.}

"I’m sorry."

{Hadn’t you better start escaping? We will get a message to Force Group J, but it will take some time to make sure it is not traced.}

"Oh… right."

Merry stood up and then crawled off of her brick and onto the bar. She didn’t like the idea of anyone else working for the Group. She was their field agent. Now that she was back from the dead Merry was determined to show them that. Hugging the bar she swung around and hung in the air.

"Can you grow me to full size?"

Merry felt a ripple and a wrench as the growth took place. Instinctively she let go of the bar and landed on her feet. For a moment she kneeled. Then she stood up and looked around. The dungeon looked just as scary from her full height. Taking a moment to steady herself Merry took a deep breath and then walked over to Goddess of Justice. The heroine was bound simply for a change; a metal mask on her face and her wrist and ankles chained to the wall. Merry un-strapped the mask and pulled it off of her.

The magic that gave Goddess of Justice her powers had already re-grown her hair and the graffiti that covered her body had faded. Her eyes opened and they were clear and alert. Surprise showed on her face.

"Mystery Woman?"

Merry nodded.

{An inspired name.}

"I know who I am now." Merry said. "And I think I can get us out of here. But I want something from you?"

"What?" Goddess of Justice asked suspiciously.

"Forget me." Merry said. "Don’t mention me in any report, don’t tell anyone I was here. Don’t even think about me if you can avoid it. Make up some story on how you escaped on your own."

"Who are you?" Goddess of Justice asked. "Why ask this of me?"

"Because I’m asking." Merry said levelly "Because I have my reasons."

"I promise then." Goddess of Justice said after a long moment spent searching Merry’s eyes.

"Good." Merry said. She went over to the fire pit and picked up a poker that had been dropped onto the floor. "Now I hope those chains aren’t as strong as they look."

"Even if I forget you Count Intellect, Duchess Sidonia, Esmerelda and Sebastion will remember." Goddess of Justice said. "As well as the guests at the party."

"I was six inches tall and had red hair at the party." Merry said. She wedged the poker into the link that looked weakest and started to twist and bend it. "Besides you were the main attraction."

"I know."

"Sorry." Merry said. "What are you going to do about that?"

"I will not abort this child if that is what you are asking."

"What? And no it wasn’t." Merry twisted harder.

"I will prove to Sidonia and Intellect that no child is inherently evil." Goddess of Justice said. "I will raise this child with love and justice."

"You’re a better person than I am." Merry said. "I don’t think I could do it."

"I have seen you with Esmerelda." Goddess of Justice said. "You are as outraged at her lot in life as I am."

Merry pulled harder and the chain snapped, freeing Goddess of Justice’s arm.

"Doesn’t mean I want to bring another were-wolf into the world." Merry said. She started to work on the other chain.

"All life is precious." Goddess of Justice said. She pulled as Merry worked the poker against the chain.

"That include Sidonia and Intellect?" Merry demanded. The chain started to give and she pulled harder.

"Even those two." Goddess of Justice grunted.

They pulled together and the chain came apart.

Merry stumbled back as the chain came apart and she felt something hit the back of her head. Blackness claimed her.

Merry woke up with a pain in her skull. Her eyes quickly focused on Sebastion. He held Goddess of Justice on the floor by her neck. She squirmed while one of his hands probed between her legs.

Oh that is it! Merry thought with fury. She sprang up silently, grabbed a poker from the fire pit, came up behind the kneeling wolf and brought the red-hot poker up between his legs with all her might. The were-wolf howled in pain and fell away from Goddess of Justice. Merry followed him and kept the poker where it was. The smell of burnt flesh and fur filled the dungeon. Sebastion managed to roll away from Merry and despite the pain he sprang to his feet and charged her. The hate and rage in his eyes turned to astonishment and terror as Merry met his charge. He parried her thrust with the poker as Merry knew he would. The were-wolf dodged to one side and lashed out with his claws. Merry bent her body sideways and stuck out her foot tripping him. For a moment he was sent sprawling. Merry used that moment to whirl around. As Sebastion rose Merry faked a downward slash with the poker and then pulled back and thrust it forward with all her might. The still hot iron pierced Sebastion’s throat and came out the other side of his neck. Choking and grabbing at the poker the were-wolf fell to the floor. Merry bent over him and leaned on the poker. For a few minutes Sebastion clawed at the metal. Blood bubbled out of his mouth and nose and he gasped for air. Merry held the poker until he fell limp and his eyes glazed over.

"You ok?" Merry asked turning to Goddess of Justice.

"You could have knocked him out. You killed him when there was no need." Goddess of Justice said. She had risen to her knees and there was a disappointed look on her face.

"I think there was a pretty strong need after the tenth or so rape don’t you?" Merry asked.

"Justice must not be given as an act of vengeance or hatred." Goddess of Justice said. "Passion can not rule law."

"Lady justice gets given the way it gets given." Merry said picking up the poker she had been using to break the chains. She chose one of the chains that still held Goddess of Justice’s legs and started to work on it. "I was just lucky he didn’t turn around. Besides after the work I did with the poker I doubt he’d want to keep on living."

"He did not rape you." Goddess of Justice said pulling the chain as Merry worked at the weak link. "Why did you hate him?"

"I had my reasons!" Merry gritted the words out as she worked at the link and the link finally snapped as she finished the sentence.

"You do not wish anyone to know that you were here." Goddess of Justice said as Merry started to work on the last chain. "You killed him for that reason."

"That was in there." Merry said. "But it’s not in the top five."

"Who else do you plan to kill this night?" Goddess demanded straining against the chain.

"Just about anyone who stands between us and the exit." Merry said.

"I can not allow that." Goddess of Justice said as the link snapped and her leg was free.

"I didn’t think you could." Merry said. She quickly slipped around Goddess of Justice and grabbed her head and neck. The sleeper hold worked and after a few minutes of struggling the heroine lay limp in Merry’s arms.

{Ingrate.}

"She’s an idealist." Merry said standing up. She grabbed a chamber pot and went over to the fire pit. Opening a metal door at the bottom of the pit Merry started to shovel handfuls of ash into the pot. "I see a lot of defense lawyers like her."

{Do you plan to leave her?}

"I wouldn’t leave anyone down here." Merry said. "There’s always a chance Sidonia or Intellect could show up and since I’ve been with her Goddess has been pretty easy to capture."

{Her record as a heroine shows that is the case. The amount of times she has spent imprisoned and escaped from foes is truly amazing.}

{We wonder if she enjoys it.}

"I doubt it." Merry said. She picked up some rope that was lying by the side of the fire pit. "It’s just a part of her job."

Merry rolled Goddess of Justice onto her stomach, changed her mind and rolled her back onto her back. She tied the heroine’s wrist together, making a set of rope handcuffs. Merry started to tie her ankles and then thought better of it. Instead she coiled the rope and put it over her own neck. Then she grabbed another one and put that one around her neck as well.

{Ropes should not be able to hold her.}

"The brand on her chest." Merry said pointing to it. "It’s some sort of mystic symbol that won’t let her power reach her."

Merry stood up and gathered the unconscious heroine into her arms. Slinging Goddess of Justice over her shoulder Merry picked up the chamber pot full of fire pit ash and headed toward the stairs.

"Still I wish she had said yes." Merry looked at the long winding staircase. "It’s gonna be a long climb up the stairs."

The Giant’s had been quiet for a while now. Lizzie wasn’t sure why. But she didn’t dare speak out loud even in a whisper. Following Sumner through the house had reminded Lizzie of just how small she was. Memories of what she and Jessie and Mike had done to the shrunken woman they had caught surfaced in her mind. They generated a little shame but more fear. Lizzie remembered Sumner; Slummer as she and her sister had named the other woman. Slummer was rich, at least by Lizzie and Jessie's’ standards, but she dressed and acted like she was one of them. She’d made a play for Mike and Lizzie had thrown down with the other woman. It had been a tremendous catfight and to win it Lizzie had knifed Slummer in the back. If Slummer caught Lizzie and recognized her… Lizzie didn’t want to think about that. She wanted desperately to find out how Jessie was doing. Actually what she wanted desperately to do was get both of them back to the safety of Dollopolis.

Sumner had left Simone’s room and walked lazily down the corridor and then down a wide flight of stairs to an immense hallway with a white marble floor. From there she had walked through a dining room, a kitchen and down another set of wooden stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was a wine cellar and Sumner had gone to a giant wine barrel at the end of the room and opened it like a door. Lizzie caught up with her just as she entered the wine barrel. Getting down the stairs had been a series of jumps and bad landings. She was panting and trying not to do it loudly when she got to the door. Sumner had left it open a crack and Lizzie ran over to it. The wine barrel stood on a stand that was roughly a foot above the floor. Lizzie jumped up and caught the edge and then pulled herself up. The rough wood scraped her skin and the smell of old wine filled her head. It made Lizzie dizzy and she had to crawl through the barrel. At the back of the wine barrel was another door and that led to a dungeon.

Lizzie wasn’t sure she could call it a real dungeon. What it was, was a room that was filled with bondage gear. Lots of it. An entire wall was dedicated to various types of whips. Another had enough restraining devices to hold a small army in place. Three beds with various attachments were placed around the room. Lizzie spotted a raping machine in the corner. There were cages hanging from the ceiling, chains hanging from the walls and stocks set up near the beds. In one of the stocks was Simon. The room was decorated in muted pastels and lit by fluorescent lights.

Lizzie somehow managed to keep quiet. She quickly moved behind a pile of leather boots and ducked down. Sumner walked up to the bound Simon and smiled. Lizzie thought he would have smiled back if there hadn’t been a bit gag in his mouth. A harness of some sort framed his chest and his penis was semi-erect but held by a set of brass rings.

"Sorry lover." Sumner said. "But I had to get that IV into her."

"That’s ok." Simon said as she took the gag out of his mouth. "Give’s a guy time to think when you forget."

They laughed and she kissed him.

"Maybe you need more time then." Sumner said stuffing the gag into his mouth. Simon protested but she simply laughed and then selected one of the whips.

"Now what?" Lizzie whispered.

{Stay put and stand by. Jessie is safe.}

{And don’t get turned on no matter what they do.}

"You want me to watch them?" Lizzie asked.

{What part of ‘stay put and stand by’ didn’t you understand?}

"Sorry mistress."

Trying to get comfortable Lizzie ducked down further behind the boot and watched.

Merry set Goddess of Justice down and then sat down next to her. It had taken a long while to make it up the stairs and now they were at the corridor. Merry remembered enough from her trips with Esmerelda to know where she was going.

"How come no one knows there’s a giant castle in Canada?" Merry asked trying to get her breath back.

{How did you not know about Captain Pharaoh’s pyramid staying over the Deep Pit?}

{If know one takes a picture, know one talks and you take care to build a castle in the right type of remote place it is quite possible to remain hidden.}

{It is not like satellites regularly search Canada you know.}

"I guess." Merry said. She stood up and picked up Goddess of Justice and the chamber pot.

It wasn’t easy to creep down the corridor silently carrying all of the weight but Merry did it. The stone floor felt cold but smooth under her feet and the odors of various perfumes hung in the air. But the castle was silent. Merry wasn’t sure if the guests had left or if they were just sleeping.

The grand chamber was empty. Merry looked around at the remains of the party. In her arms Goddess of Justice stirred. Picking her path carefully through the broken glass Merry made her way over to the room where Esmerelda had taken her and Luella. By the time she entered it Goddess of Justice was awake.

"I have no wish to fight you." Goddess of Justice said as Merry eased her onto the floor.

"Suits me fine." Merry said. She took the rope from around her neck and started to tie Goddess of Justice’s ankles together.

"I can not allow you to kill anymore tonight."

"Yea that’s why I tied you up." Merry said.

"You wish to kill those who have tormented us?"

"You don’t?"

"Of course I do. But I choose to remain true to a higher standard."

"Yea, well I don’t." Merry said. "If they get in my way I’ll take them out if I can." She stood up and went over to the table with all of the bottles on it. "You stay in your nice safe place, I’m gonna stay in the gutters for a while longer."

"You underestimate yourself." Goddess of Justice said. "I sense in you a kindred spirit, one like me who seeks justice."

"Shut up or I’ll gag ya." Merry said growing frustrated. It was like trying to find a single key on a key chain.

{Is she always like this?}

"Most of the time." Merry whispered.

"I serve Athena Goddess of Justice." Goddess said. "She would welcome you."

"I serve my own set of gods." Merry growled. "Ah!"

Merry picked up the bottle that contained the healing potion and went over to Goddess of Justice. She untied Goddess’s ankles and then she used the rope to go around and under and across the heroine’s breasts, pinning her arms to her side. Goddess’s breasts were forced together combining with the rope to form a cushioned basket for the bottle of healing potion. Merry put the bottle there and checked the ropes. Goddess could reach the bottle, but not easily.

"Force Group J will get here sooner or later." Merry said dropping her last rope onto the floor. "I’m going to find a place to put you. If you put it on that brand it’ll heal and you’ll be back at full power. By then I’ll be long gone."

"You could heal me now." Goddess of Justice said.

"Yea you got that ‘no killing’ rule." Merry said. "You’d have to take me in promise or no promise."

"I’m sorry but killing Sebastion was not done in self defense."

"Yea I know." Merry said. She pulled the heroine to her feet. Then she picked up the chamber pot and gave Goddess a slight push. "Move."

"Welcome." Duchess Sidonia said when they entered the hall. She was sitting on her throne with Esmerelda beside her. "I wondered why Sebastion had delayed in returning to me. Now I know."

"I just figured that he’d come to rape her again." Merry said. "I thought you’d be too tired to play anymore games."

"Never."

Duchess Sidonia sauntered over to them. She was wearing a pale black shift that hung to her knees. Merry pulled back behind Goddess of Justice, using the woman as a human shield.

"Seeing you at full size Mystery Woman is a treat." Sidonia let her eyes linger over Merry’s breasts. "As much fun as I had with you when you were small I…"

Merry shoved Goddess of Justice to one side and heaved the contents of the chamber pot into Sidonia’s face. Goddess of Justice slipped and hit her head on the side of a table and lay still. Sidonia stumbled backward coughing and trying to clear her eyes. Merry tackled the other woman carrying them both to the floor. She wrapped her legs around the witch, trapping Sidonia’s arms to her side and held one arm over her mouth while the other wrapped itself around Sidonia’s throat.

"No more talking." Merry said as she applied pressure to Sidonia’s throat. "No more sick little games."

Duchess Sidonia choked something out and struggled against Merry’s hold but Merry held on.

"I’ve watched you." Merry said and she let the anger and hatred she felt creep into her voice. "If you can’t talk, if you can’t gesture, if you can’t see, you can’t cast spells. That’s what I held back from Count Intellect."

Sidonia’s struggles were getting weaker and more desperate. Her legs pounded against the floor and her whines were smothered screams. Next to the throne Esmerelda looked on the scene with wide eyes.

Merry stayed silent and kept putting the pressure on the witch’s neck. After a few minutes Sidonia’s struggles became weaker. Then weaker still. She surged once, then again but after the second time Sidonia lay still. Merry kept the pressure on anyway.

"She is dead." Goddess of Justice said a few minutes later. She was struggling to sit up.

"Yea right." Merry snarled. "No wonder you get caught all the time."

Even as Merry spoke Sidonia surged again in her arms. She twisted and turned her body with strength born of desperation. It was a strength that failed. Merry held her hold until the witch once more fell limp in her arms. Merry shook her once or twice; like a dog with a piece of meat, and when there was no response Merry twisted even harder. There was a cracking sound as Sidonia’s neck broke.

"Now she’s dead." Merry said shoving the body to one side. She reached over and pulled one of the rings from Sidonia’s lifeless finger. Merry turned to Esmerelda.

"NO!"

Merry heard the scream at the same time the blow hit her. The impact threw her across the chamber and into a wall. She lay there dazed as Count Intellect bent over Sidonia’s corpse.

"Impossible!" He whispered. "Not the greatest, not the most beautiful woman the world has ever known! She can not be dead!"

Merry saw Goddess of Justice start to work her arms toward the healing potion.

"She’s dead alright." Merry said getting slowly to her feet. "And it’s your fault Count."

"What?" He faced her with a deadly calm.

"You should have kept a closer eye on me." Merry said.

"On you or another!" Count Intellect said rushing toward Goddess of Justice.

Cursing Merry started to run as well. She ran across the room to the stand that held the glass case containing the hands of Alpha and Beta. Merry smashed it to the floor and grabbed the hands.

I hope this works, Merry thought as she slammed the rings together.

A fury of power and light enveloped the room. A pure white energy grew from the rings on the hands and outlined two feminine forms. It took only a few seconds for the forms to take flesh and Alpha and Beta stood in the room. Their faces a mask of hate the Power Twin’s screamed as they attacked Count Intellect.

{Now would be a good time for you to go.}

"Yea." Merry agreed. She staggered out of the hall as energy beams and curses flooded the room.

{How are you?}

"Sore."

{Can you get up to the roof?}

"Yea." Merry said. She started to walk down the corridor and then broke into a run as part of the wall was blasted away. The last glimpse Merry had of Count Intellect he was struggling wildly against the three heroines.

Merry found her way to one of the round tower stairwells and climbed the stairs until she came to a door. She pushed it open and was hit by an icy blast of wind. Outside she could see a walkway to another tower.

I actually forgot that I was naked, Merry realized as the chill wind raised Goosebumps on her skin.

"Well I’m here."

{Wait.}

"How long before it gets here?"

{Only a few more minutes.}

"Mistress?"

Merry looked up to see Esmerelda standing by the doorway. When she saw that Merry had turned around Esmerelda knelt down on one knee.

"Oh yea, I forgot." Merry said. A mix of emotions filled her as she looked at the wolf-girl. Esmerelda was still in her wolf form. She wore a simple gray shift and now that Merry was at her full height Esmerelda looked very small.

"Forgot what Mistress?"

"You." Merry said sadly.

{We don’t know what attachments you have formed over the past few days Officer Dolly but our no pets rule is still in effect.}

{We will not have you faced with another Margarita situation.}

"I know." Merry said. She looked down at her hand and realized that she was still holding the ring.

"Look Esmerelda I’m not your mistress. I’m not anyone’s mistress."

"You defeated my mistress." Esmerelda said simply. "You are my mistress."

{It is hard to argue with that sort of logic.}

"You can be free if you want to be." Merry said.

"Such as I can not be free." Esmerelda looked at Merry. "You know that."

Merry knelt down and took the wolf-girls hand.

Merry pressed the ring into her hand and closed it.

"Here is freedom. It’s something I don’t have, it’s something I had and I lost and I’m not sure I want it back."

"I can not be free."

"You don’t know that yet. I know because I had it. Maybe you’re like me. Maybe freedom isn’t for you. Maybe you’re not made that way. I know I’m not made that way. I was a looser before… I was a looser. Burned out before I was thirty… Nowhere. Nothing I believed in, nothing I counted on worked. People like me we gotta serve. We wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves otherwise. And it hurts, it kills, when what we serve lets us down. The law did that to me. But you don’t know if you’re people like me."

"And if I am?"

"Then if you gotta serve you gotta serve the right people. Sidonia didn’t qualify." Merry paused and then added. "Neither do I."

"Who can I serve then?" Esmerelda asked and Merry felt her heart break at the near panic in the wolf-girl’s eyes. Unlike Margarita Esmerelda would have no trouble with the Group. She would live with Merry and do what she was told; and maybe like it. For a moment Merry longed for that sort of relationship. She could see Esmerelda taking care of the house, maybe even going on a mission if the Group could shrink her. She’d be there at the start of the day and she’d be there at the end of the day. And she would probably be there nights if Merry wanted her too. For a moment the thought of a warm body next to her on a cold night nearly overwhelmed Merry.

She’d probably call me Duchess if I told her too, Merry thought bitterly shaking her self. Self-hatred at the fantasies that had played through her mind slapped against Merry’s spirit.

"I’m a servant Esmerelda!" Merry pleaded. "I’m just like you or your father. I just serve different… better people."

"I will serve your masters then!" Esmerelda pleaded.

"They don’t need anyone but me!" Merry shouted. Esmerelda fell back cringing at the tone in her voice.

{Getting a bit full of ourselves are we?}

"Look…" Merry started to talk and then stopped. Esmerelda was trembling in fear. Merry hugged the wolf-girl until she stopped trembling. "Maybe you are like me, but I can’t take the chance that you’re not. Look… Go downstairs. Find Goddess of Justice. She’s gonna have your sister or brother in a few months, she’ll need you. No one knows more about growing up as a were-wolf than another were-wolf. Go down there and help her and she’ll help you."

"She will not take me." Esmerelda said crying. "This she has already said. And if I have no one to serve what am I?"

"Tell her I ordered you too serve her." Merry said. "She’ll probably try to set you free but tell her that you’re free to serve her. Tell her about your life. Tell her everything. Trust me she’ll do the right thing."

"Do you think she will take pity on me?"

"Guarantee it." Merry said.

"What about you?" Esmerelda asked.

"I have masters who need me." Merry said. She turned away and hoped Esmerelda would leave.

"I would rather serve you. I had hoped that Duchess Sidonia would claim you from Count Intellect. With my soldiers and…"

"Stop!" Merry pleaded. "I know what you need Esmerelda; you need a friend. You need a sister. I can’t be that. Go to Goddess of Justice."

"She will not be my friend or my sister." Esmerelda said. "You would be both."

Merry didn’t answer and for a few minutes they stood in silence. Merry looked out of the doorway and willed the ship to come. The icy wind chilled her body and she could see her own breath.

"Human."

There was no great storm at the word. Merry turned and saw that Esmerelda’s wolf form simply faded away and the human one replaced it. The now human girl wrapped Merry up in a fierce hug and kissed her on the lips. It was a kiss of longing, of needing and of desperation. Merry turned away from the kiss and simply hugged the young woman.

"Your masters are fortunate." Esmerelda said.

"Get moving." Merry said turning away from her again. She heard a sound outside and pushed the door open father. A miniature X-wing fighter landed on the stone. "Don’t ever tell anyone about me."

Merry felt the familiar wrench as she shrunk. Once she was stable Merry ran out the door to the fighter and climbed in. When she looked back from the cockpit Esmerelda was gone.

{A very good solution.}

"Thank you." Merry said. She wondered if The Group knew that she was crying.

{She’ll be all right.}

"I know she will." Merry said as the fighter took off. "Goddess of Justice will take care of her. Force Group J has a few members her age. Moon Girl, Granite Girl… She’ll have friends." She had a brief view of the Pyramid of Captain Pharaoh heading toward the castle before the X-wing turned and shot off with a speed high enough to press Merry back into her seat. The warmth of the cockpit was welcome after the icy cold air.

"Just not me." Merry said.

{Get some sleep.}

{We are afraid your tasks are not done yet.}

"I’m not really hurt." Merry said. "I’ll be able to help Lizzie and Jessie."

{There will be more.}

{We are currently formulating the plan.}

"I’ll be ready when you need me." Merry said. She closed her eyes and let herself start to drift off. The lingering warmth of Esmerelda’s last attempted kiss stayed with Merry as she went to sleep.

…To be continued.

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