The Dangers Of Daring Officer Dolly

Chapter 15. To be or not to be

by Skytower

Merry was fighting. In her dream she was fighting in a vast ruined temple. An aura of despair filled the decayed chamber, the stones were black and the air hung heavy with foul smells that Merry couldn’t identify. She was fighting crab-like demons with shark-like faces and she was loosing. Merry saw herself felled from behind and held fast, one of the crabs thrust its claw into her belly…

Sunlight was falling onto her face as Merry woke up. The dream didn’t fade as her dreams usually did. Merry could remember it vividly. Her hand dropped to her stomach but there was no wound there. There was also no residual fear. Usually when Merry had nightmares she woke up afraid. This time it was like she had been watching a movie.

Merry sat up and looked around. She was on the small bed that she kept on the dresser. Simone had dressed her in one the small copies of the Victoria’s Secrets sleepwear that Merry had made. Merry had made the outfits because she didn’t like sleeping nude. It made her feel vulnerable. The thought that Simone had dressed her as if she was a doll made Merry shudder. She was wearing a sheer blue teddy with purple panties. Merry took a deep breath and let it out.

I did it again, she thought looking at Simone. Simone had put on the larger counterpart to Merry’s lingerie but it was a few sizes too large for her. One of her breasts had spilled out of the top and lay bear. Merry shuddered again, wondering what else Simone had done. Had she looked through all of Merry’s closet and drawers?

Merry glanced at the clock on the bed stand. She had managed to sleep for nearly two hours. Standing she got out of bed. Carefully she took off the lingerie and folded it. It had taken her months to find very expensive fabric that was soft enough for a shrunken woman to use as sleepwear. It tore easily and was impossible to re-sew. She put the lingerie down onto the bed and then stretched. Simone looked like she’d be asleep for a while longer. Merry started to climb down the ladder. She stopped after a few steps and climbed back up. Sitting down on the small bed she looked at Simone.

I was hot last night, Merry thought. Why?

Merry looked at Simone and brought a hand up to her breast. She toyed with the nipple. After a few moments her body answered the stimulation, but only her body. Merry felt none of the desire that she had felt before.

"Was I just plain tired?" Merry asked. "Or was Simone hornier than she let on?"

{A bit of both.}

{Do you wish to grow?}

"Let me get down on the floor first." Merry said, not surprised at all to get a response. At any time day or night The Group was with her. Merry wondered some time if they ever slept. "I’d like to go through my normal work out." She climbed down the ladder. "Ready."

The room shifted and Merry found herself looking down on a sleeping Simone. Merry sat carefully on the bed and reached out to stroke Simone’s head. Simone stirred and turned over onto her back but did not wake up. The movement caused her other breast to fall out of the top. Simone’s short red hair seemed to shine in the early dawn light. Her face was calm. Merry stared at her. They were different women from different backgrounds. Merry had grown up middle class; Simone had grown up rich. Merry’s body was centerfold material; Simone’s body was slim. Simone’s face was round and did not quite match the rest of her body. Simone’s ears were large and her eyes and nose seemed set too close together. She was pretty, handsome, not a stunning beauty. Merry looked at Simone’s bare breasts again. For a moment Merry thought she felt something, but it was gone. She opened her mouth to ask to be shrunk but closed it again.

Merry got up and silently put on a pair of shorts and a sports bra.

Simone walked in while Merry was working out on the weight machine. Merry was flat on her back soaked in sweat. She grunted as her arms lifted the weights.

"I’m amazed that you’re doing this after last night." Simone said. She was wearing a black bra and underwear. Merry guessed that it was Simone’s since none of hers would have fit.

At least put on a robe, Merry thought.

"It’s because I do this that I can handle things like last night." Merry said aloud, sitting up. The ground floor of her house held a kitchen, a living room and an exercise room. Before The Group Merry’s equipment had been a set of old weights. Now she had state of the art conditioning machines, but often just used the weights. "Don’t you work out?"

"I walk and I swim." Simone said. "When did you wake up?"

"Sunrise." Merry said. "I’m almost done."

"Goodness that was two hours ago!"

"I’m cutting it short today." Merry said calmly. "Because I’ve got the day shift at the mall again."

Simone walked over to her and looked at Merry’s chest.

"Fully healed." She said reaching over to feel it.

"That’s why I wanted to stay small." Merry said getting up quickly. She eased past Simone and headed for the stairs.

"I think you should be there tonight when I meet with Monica." Simone said following her.

"I think I should be." Merry agreed walking into the bathroom. For a moment she hesitated. Then Merry shrugged and pulled down her shorts. Reaching over she pressed the controls and the tub started to fill. "You never know when things’ll go wrong."

"Last night proved that to my satisfaction." Simone said.

She watched as Merry pulled off her top. There was a sudden silence in the small room as the water flow automatically stopped. Merry slowly put her top into the clothes hamper. It was an effort not to cover herself.

"You can’t mean to take a bath in something that small?" Simone asked pointing at the tub.

"You really aren’t used to the size changing thing yet are you?" Merry asked. "I’m ready to swim now." She said.

There was the usual wrenching shock and Merry was looking at a giant Simone. A tremble went through her limbs.

"Part of my workout is swimming." Merry said climbing the ladder to the tub.

"Oh." Simone said.

Merry slipped into the water and started to swim. A part of her wondered why Simone was still there. After a few laps Merry surfaced and stopped. Simone was standing on the edge of the tub. She was still taller than Merry, but no longer was she normal sized. Instead she was twice Merry’s height.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked slipping into the water.

"Ahh…" Merry couldn’t seem to form the words.

Simone slipped into the water and it came up to her chest. Her slight breasts bounced in and out of the water as she moved. Simone had large pink nipples and as she moved they caused ripples in the water. Ripples that Merry felt as if they were physical blows. Bellow the surface she was slender with a small stripe of red hair between her legs. Simone walked over to where Merry was treading water.

"You’re right, I am still new to the size difference." Simone said. "A bathtub as a swimming pool is something I never would have thought of. Don’t you feel a bit strange?"

"I got used to it." Merry said. She felt like some ancient mariner facing a kraken. "I mentioned it just before we crashed."

"Oh, yes you did." Simone looked around. She looked down at the bottom of the tub and smiled.

"Surely the Scooby-Doo character non-slip pads are a bit surreal?" Simone asked moving closer to her.

"Surreal?" Merry stuttered out the word.

Simone reached out and took hold of Merry’s shoulders. Merry felt helpless as the larger shrunken woman pulled her close.

"Sur-" Simone started to mouth the word and instead pressed her mouth against Merry’s. Merry opened her mouth to accept the kiss and for a long moment lived in it. "-Real." Simone said pulling back. Merry’s mind wouldn’t work. Simone’s mouth and tongue were simply too big. Simone was too big. But the kiss had been offered not forced and Merry had accepted. Under the surface of the water her hands moved down Merry’s back.

"No!" Merry shouted pushing away from her. Desperately she kicked and stroked away from Simone.

"Merry what’s wrong?" Simone asked. Her voice was pleasant, un-worried. "Am I too tall?"

"It’s… It’s not that." Merry said. Her body shook and her heart pounded in her ears.

"What then?"

"Simone I’m not gay!" Merry blurted out.

"What about last night?"

"I don’t know." Merry said. "It’s something to do with my size."

"You’ve told me that before and I believe it." Simone said. "But you still haven’t told me what’s wrong with it."

"What?"

Simone took a few steps back.

"What is wrong with what you are feeling?"

"I… I…" Merry trailed off.

"Nothing." Simone said gently. "It’s completely natural."

"But it’s not me!" Merry protested. "It’s a short circuit, a malfunction."

"Merry you aren’t a machine. The Group changed you, they didn’t rebuild you from the ground up."

"Then why do I only feel this way when I’m small?" Merry demanded. "They told me it was something called ‘experience resonance’, but… But…"

"But you remember it." Simone said. "And you liked it. And you feel very confused about it don’t you."

"I never… never really thought about making love to another woman." Merry said.

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Merry shouted angrily. "Why not? I just didn’t ok? I know I got a great body ok, I’ve known it since high school.

"Hard time for you?"

"Harm time?" Merry repeated. "I was fifteen and suddenly everyone in school kept looking at me. It was hard enough in high school being a…" Merry trailed off sputtering as she tried to form the words.

"Being a fangirl before you had an hourglass figure?" Simone finished for her. "I’m sure you had enough trouble with boys, let alone girls."

"That year I learned to skip gym because of the showers." Merry admitted glumly. "But I did go sometimes, and I saw as much as everyone else was seeing and I didn’t feel a thing."

"Never?"

Merry swallowed hard.

"Once." Simone pressed.

"A few times." Merry admitted. "But… But…"

"But you never followed up did you?" Merry shook her head. "You were too scared." Simone said. She waded over to Merry and the smaller shrunken woman realized she had backed up against the wall of the tub. Simone stopped. She was close enough to reach out to Merry but she didn’t. Merry felt everything now, the warmth of the water, the coolness of the plastic wall of the tub and the heat from Simone’s body: and her own fear above all of those sensations. Had she not already been in the water she would have been soaked in sweat.

"I had a far different upbringing you know." Simone said. "Private schools in Europe. Very liberated sexually. In our shower the older girls held seminars, complete with demonstrations. By the time I was old enough I knew men, women, men and women, women and women… It’s nothing to be worried about; it’s nothing to be ashamed about. It feels good, it hurts no one."

"But is it me?" Merry demanded. "The real me? Or is it the shrunken me?"

"What’s the difference?" Simone asked.

"When I feel this… this… this stuff, am I Officer Dolly or am I Merry McCormick?"

Simone shrugged.

"Again I ask, what is the difference?"

Merry didn’t answer and for a few minutes they didn’t say anything. Then Simone reached out and pulled Merry too her. Merry shrugged her off once but Simone just reached out again. She turned Merry around picked her up. Then Simone lay back and floated pulling Merry on top of her. Simone’s arms cradled Merry’s breasts while Merry’s head rested between Simone’s larger breasts. Merry’s legs dangled between Simone’s open legs. Merry didn’t struggle.

"Relax." Simone said as she guided them back and forth through the water.

Merry took a breath and tried to relax but failed.

"Your hot now aren’t you?" Simone asked.

"Super hot." Merry admitted.

"Are you really scared of what you are feeling right now?" Simone asked. "We’re both turned on, we could make each other very happy."

"Am I feeling it or am I feeling it because you’re feeling it?" Merry demanded. "I won’t take it if it’s fake."

"Fair enough." Simone said. "How do you want it?"

"What?"

"Merry you have to settle this question. I’ve known girls who haven’t and they almost always end up miserable or in a rubber room wearing a very tight jacket."

"How?" Merry asked. "How the hell do I settle it?"

Simone released her and backed away. Merry stayed where she was and looked at the wall.

"We get out of this tub, get back to full size and go to bed. Either you’ll like it or you won’t."

"Your serious?"

"Of course."

"No." Merry said backing away from her.

"Why not?"

"It still might be fake." Merry said. "It might be leftover."

"What’s the real reason?"

Merry treaded water and after a few minutes Simone sighed and moved toward the edge of the tub.

"Wait." Merry called.

Simone stopped and turned around.

"Honesty Merry. With yourself and with me."

Merry actually backed up a few inches at her words.

"In the last few years I’ve only felt… I’ve only had feelings for two people, Margarita and Esmerelda. Do you know about them?"

Simone nodded.

"Before that I was dead inside." Merry said. "I had some bad stuff happen to me in L.A. Then The Group took me. I didn’t think I’d ever feel that way again. It was different than… well in some of other missions…"

"You were played with and you responded." Simone finished for her.

"Pure lust." Merry said swallowing. "Or that’s what I told myself. But then I found Margarita… and she was small too and… God I wanted her with me, someone to talk to… but then Margarita had to leave, she couldn’t cut it, not my life. Esmerelda… God I had to shove her away when she was ready to be more than my lover. It tore me apart, what if I went through that pain for nothing? What if it was all fake?"

"You don’t want to know?"

"I don’t think I can handle knowing. What if I’m fake? What if I’ll never get a real feeling again? What if it’s what they did to me?"

Merry was crying but when Simone made a move toward her she ducked under the water and came up a few more inches away. Simone waited for a few minutes and the only sound in the bathroom was the sound of their breathing. When Simone came toward her again Merry didn’t retreat but she did turn so that her back was too Simone.

"I keep telling myself I don’t need to know." Merry said. "That I serve them and that is enough."

"You can’t live like that." Simone said. She moved closer to her and grabbed Merry under her arms; turning her around and lifting her out of the water Simone set the smaller shrunken woman on the edge of the tub.

"You have to decide Merry." Simone stood in front of her and faced her. "You have to decide if you want to live cradling those feelings and not knowing if they are real or not," she leaned forward and tried to kiss her but Merry drew back, "or if those feelings were real."

"I’m not…" Merry started to cry and Simone did kiss her. The taller woman’s tongue reached out and took away the tears.

"You’re not ready." Simone said pulling back. "But you will be, and I’ll be here when you are. I’m very fond of you, despite the fact that we haven’t known each other very long. You’re brave, loyal and you care about people." Simone kissed her again and this time Merry accepted the kiss. For a moment she hungrily returned it but Simone pulled away from her. "But the greatest fear in anyone’s life is their own heart. You have to face yours."

Simone climbed out of the tub.

"Full size please." She said.

Merry watched as Simone grew. The effect was stranger than Merry had imagined. The air around Simone shimmered as if her body was giving off tremendous amounts of heat. She blurred just for a moment and then was standing full sized and nude.

"You’re right, I’m not ready yet." Merry said turning away. The feelings in her body surged as she saw the full sized woman.

"Well when you are I’ll be waiting." Simone said. "For now I think I’ll go home. I’ll see you tonight at sunset."

"At sunset." Merry said.

Merry heard her leave a few minutes later. The echo’s of Simone’s words filled Merry’s head and tore at her heart.

"I’d like to be alone for a little while." Merry said. "A half hour."

{Very well. One half hour from now.}

Merry slipped into the water and floated on her back. With her head partially submerged the only sounds Merry heard were her own breathing and her own heart beating.

Simone met her in the parking lot of the Hawk Hill Mall twenty minutes before sunset.

"I didn’t expect to pick you up here." Simone said as Merry got into the van. "Trouble?"

"You could say that." Merry said. "There’s no time for me to get to the station and change, we’ll have to go straight to the park. Use Dender street, it’s a dead end and it’s close to the statue."

"What trouble? Were you distracted by our talk this morning?"

"No." Merry said flatly. "Toy World was supposed to get five boxes of Sonic Sam Robots in, they got 1."

"Sonic Sam?"

"Hottest toy this year." Merry said. "You have to back order it or it will never show up in time for Christmas. You want to see a pack of rampaging wolves take a look at a bunch of parents in a toy store."

Simone laughed and they drove off.

"I thought that sort of thing only happened in comercials."

"Trust me it happens." Merry said. "Ten arrests and if you think a bank robber is hard try arresting a mother who has a deathgrip on a toy." She smiled. "It’ll be a week before that place opens again."

"You lead an interesting life." Simone said stopping the van. They were at the end of a dead end street that stopped at the park. The sun was setting and deep shadows were growing in the short space of time before the streetlights were to snap on and drive them into shades of gray.

"I have something for you." Simone said handing Merry a small box with a gold bow on it.

"Thanks." Merry said. She opened the box and inside was a small tunic. "New cloths?"

"An official uniform." Simone said. "Not that I don’t get a bit of a thrill while you are in yours, and the green Tinkerbelle was alright, but this truly proclaims you as a herald of the Duchy of Dollopolis."

Merry took the tunic out of the box. The outfit was two parts, a long full sleeve green under-tunic and a shorter gold sleeveless vest with a blue belt. On the chest of the shirt was a shield, a square with a rounded bottom. The square was deep violet. In the upper left corner was a smaller square with a gold butterfly on a blue field, to the right of that was a gray rectangle with one side larger than the other. On the larger side was a figure of a golden nude woman and on the smaller side was a smaller blue nude woman. Silver lines with arrows went from the larger woman to the smaller woman. Bellow them was a large green rectangle showing a large white castle and small gold houses and bellow that in silver gothic style letters was the word: ’Dollopolis’.

"A butterfly?" Merry asked.

"Delicate, beautiful and rare." Simone said. "The perfect state mascot."

"I thought it was Mothra at first."

"You mean you thought it was a moth? The outline definitely shows a butterfly, there are differences."

"No, I meant Mothra. You’ve never seen the movies? She battled Godzilla a couple of times."

"Never saw them." Simone said. She laughed. "They actually made a movie about a giant moth battling a dinosaur?"

"Godzilla isn’t a dinosaur." Merry said quickly.

"If you say so." Simone laughed again.

Merry sighed.

"It’s a bit showy." Merry said.

"I like showy." Simone said.

"Is everyone going to wear this?"

"No," Simone said. "I’ll let fashion take its course. But for official functions and such, and this is one, I think it will be best to have dress-up cloths. If nothing else it will inspire Lizzie and Jessie’s creative side."

"What about you?" Merry asked noting Simone’s dark slacks and shirt.

"Only when I’m in Dollopolis proper."

"Well you’re the duchess." Merry said. "Now how do we do this tonight?"

"You shrink down and get dressed, I’ll carry you close to the statue. If Monica is there you go and talk to her, if she agrees lead her back to me. We will vanish into the night without a trace."

"I’m noticing a pattern here." Merry said. "I go first again?"

"My dear girl I am the Duchess, you don’t get to talk to royalty first."

Merry looked at her and couldn’t quite tell if Simone was joking or not. The soft voice combined with a near English accent made almost everything the woman said either ironic or humorous.

"You’ve really thought this through haven’t you?"

"Merry I’m going to be her sovereign, her and Snwobelle’s and Jessie’s and Lizzie’s. If I am going to have any of my own authority the social structure has to work this way." Simone gestured with her hands as she talked, holding them apart. "There has to be a little distance, a little mystery if the ruler/subject dynamic structure is going to work. They have to think that I am more important than they are, or at least that I know far more than they do."

"Really?"

"I’m already there with Lizzie and Jessie."

"Oh. So you just turn on the royal act and they buy into it?"

"It’s not an act Merry, it’s a lifestyle. Besides Lizzie and Jessie were desperately afraid of The Group, I must have appeared as an angel of mercy to them, especially when I shielded them from you."

"I wouldn’t have hurt them." Merry said coldly.

"You didn’t see the look on your face." Simone said and this time her voice was serious. "You scared the hell out of me and I wasn’t twelve inches tall."

"I’m sorry." Merry said looking away.

"Merry." Simone reached over and gently took hold of Merry’s chin. Firmly she turned Merry’s head until they were face to face. "It’s fine."

"Ok then." Merry said. "You know how to be royal?"

"You get to know a lot of royalty in private schools." Simone said. "You’d be amazed the deference still shown to royalty. I’ve seen them at work, they can be landless and broke but they still sail through life as if it is the age of chivalry. It’s a mystique they carry about them."

"And you want that too?" Merry asked suspiciously.

"I’ll need it if I’m going to rule over sixty nine young women. And the best way to get it over the next sixty five is to make sure the first four tell any newcomers that I am indeed their Duchess."

"What about me?"

Simone smiled.

"Duchess’s consort, First Knight of the Duchy… I’m still deciding. However should you become a knight the ceremony of knighthood will be very impressive." Simone smiled. "Very, very, very impressive."

"Ah… ya." Merry said. She looked at the little suit. "Well we better get started then. I’d like to shrink now."

A second later Merry was struggling out of the tent her clothes had become. With Simone watching Merry pulled the green tunic over her head. It came down to a little past her thighs. The vest was only just long enough to qualify as a mini-skirt. Merry looked up as she fastened the belt. Simone’s eyes showed with appreciation enough to make Merry blush.

"Don’t forget the boots." Simone said.

Simone put Merry down. Merry shifted uncomfortably in the uniform. The fabric was a little stiff. The seams were too thick as well and Merry resolved to show Lizzie and Jessie the special seam she had designed for the clothing of shrunken women. The black boots on her feet were the best part of the outfit. They were smooth and soft, yet firm and they came up to her knees. Merry was used to doll shoes or boots that were extremely stiff or the special shoes that she used on her missions. The last time she had worn boots this comfortable was when, as an undercover sting operation, she had gotten a pair of five thousand dollar boots as a bribe.

The sun was just setting and the lights in the park had come on. Merry walked through the wild grass that grew alongside the path. The grass came up to her thighs. The yellow light from the streetlights combined with the night dew to transform the green grass into a pale silver hue. Merry could see her breath in the rapidly cooling night air. It could have been an alien landscape, but to Merry it was familiar. She walked carefully, wary of ferrets, raccoons or any of the other predators that she was now vulnerable to.

Monica sat on the bench next to the giant statue of Howitzer Pennytorch. He had made his name in World War 1 and the statue reflected that. It showed a man standing on the barrel of a giant cannon pointing toward the enemy with a sword. The statue was gleaming brass metal, polished once a week by whomever was held in the city lockup that day. Merry remembered when she had first come to town there had been a vote and the statue had been turned around so that the sword was not pointing toward the playground. It had given some of the smaller children nightmares.

Monica sat on the edge of the bench. She was wearing a pair of black jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt. The hood was up and her dark skinned face was nearly unrecognizable in it. She shifted nervously, hugging herself. The closer Merry got to her the more scared she became. There was no way for Merry to run away or fly away this time. If Monica harbored any hostile intentions Merry was in trouble.

Still this is for The Group, Merry thought, then added, and Dollopolis.

"Good evening." Merry said.

"Jesus!" Monica jumped onto the bench.

{I wonder if she is scared of mice too?}

"You don’t have to be scared." Merry said.

"You startled me." Monica said. She reached down and picked Merry up. Merry stifled her reaction and tried her best to appear calm. "Damn you are real!"

"Yes I am." Merry said. "Don’t squeeze ok?"

"Ok." Monica said. She shifted her grip and held Merry by her legs, but did not put Merry down.

At least she doesn’t think I’m a robot, Merry thought.

"Well I’m glad you came." Merry said.

"I had to." Monica said. "A little pixie talks to you from the window you gotta talk back. Are you a pixie?"

"No." Merry said. "I’m…"

{Do not tell her what you really are just yet.}

"not a pixie." Merry finished. "I’m an agent, a herald of the rulers of a city."

"Dollopolis?" Monica asked.

"Ah… yea. How’d you know?"

"It’s written on your shirt." Monica said running her fingers under Merry’s breasts.

"Oh, yea." Merry said squirming slightly. "It’s a tunic. Anyway the ruler of the city wants you to come live there."

"Why?"

"Because you have potential."

"I do?"

"You do."

"How does she know that?"

"I don’t know, but she does."

Monica looked at her skeptically.

{Well that is convincing.}

{Simone was wrong.}

{Yes. We really should brief you before these little excursions.}

{Mention the song she posted onto the Internet.}

"And that song you posted on the net got her attention."

"Sanctuary?" Monica said.

{Yes.}

"Yea." Merry said.

"Lord I didn’t know anyone ever heard it." Monica said. "I never got no feedback."

"The Internet is like that." Merry said. "You get a lot of lookers, very few talkers."

"She really liked the song?"

"Yes." Merry said.

Monica grunted softly and leaned back.

"What’ll I do in this place?"

{Farm.}

"Farm." Merry said. She was beginning to feel like a ventriloquist dummy.

"Farm." Monica repeated and there was a wistful tone in her voice. For a few minutes she looked out at the park. "I sorta liked the farm. Least till I burned down that barn."

{We know why she did that.}

{It was not her fault.}

{She was defending herself.}

{Tell her.}

"It wasn’t your fault." Merry said. "You were defending yourself."

"How do you know that?" Monica asked, her eyes going wide with surprise. "No one was there but me and him."

"Monica when the people behind Dollopolis want to know something they find out." Merry said, wishing she knew what had happened.

"That’s what Harriet told me about Lord Aegis." Monica said.

"How’s that turned out?"

Monica laughed.

"I get food and a place to sleep."

"Nothing else?"

"We get drunk and high sometimes."

{No drugs or drink in Dollopolis.}

"Well there isn’t anything like that in Dollopolis." Merry said. "But you really won’t need to do anything like that to be happy."

"Says you." Monica said. But there was no defiance in her voice.

"You won’t be beaten."

Monica looked at her.

"You know a lot." She said.

"It’s up to you." Merry said. "Do you really want to live your life serving this Lord Aegis?"

"If I did I wouldn’t be here." Monica said sagging into the bench.

"This life would be better." Merry said and believed it. The Group would not let her down.

"Say I say yes." Monica said.

"Then you walked over there." Merry said pointing back to where she had come from. "And you talk to The Duchess."

"Duchess huh?" Monica laughed and put Merry down onto the bench. "Hell it can’t be any worse."

She walked off without another word and Merry watched as the young woman vanished into the shadows.

"Well that was easier than I thought." Merry said sitting down on the bench. "I thought I’d be out here all night."

{We knew she would go for it.}

{As we knew that Snowbelle would leap at the chance.}

{Some people Officer Dolly live lives of bleak despair.}

{Show them their dreams and they will leap into them.}

"I never guessed that anyone would want to be this small." Merry said.

{It depends on the circumstances.}

{You live a life of constant danger and peril in our service.}

{They shall live in peace and security in Dollopolis.}

{It is the life they were born to live, we are just providing the opportunity for them to live it.}

"Quiet, safe, happy…" Merry trailed off. "But serving you like I do."

{Of course.}

"Well there are worse ways to live." Merry said standing up. "And like you said they’ll be happy." Merry started to climb down from the bench and then stopped. "Wait a minute, how am I going to get home? Is Simone coming back?"

In answer the cylon fighter drifted silently out of the trees and stopped beside the bench.

{Simone will take Monica to us, you can go home and relax.}

"That’ll be a change." Merry said stepping into the crescent shaped fighter. She settled into the seat and the craft started to move.

"Can we make a side trip?" Merry asked.

The house was not a grand house, but it was a nice house. Nestled on the edge of town the house was blue and white with a white picket fence. In the front yard was an old chestnut tree and in the backyard was a swimming pool and beyond that fields of grass.

"The fifties live." Merry said seeing the ranch style house. It was the same thing she said every time she saw the house.

The Group knew what she wanted to see and the cylon fighter drifted to the back of the house. The second floor held a small bedroom and the light was on. Margarita lay on the bed completely nude. A man’s head was between her legs and Merry could hear the moans as he pleasured her. Merry felt her heart lurch as she heard the moans.

"Happily married." Merry said.

{Did you have any doubt?}

{You were at the wedding after all.}

{And that check you ran on her husband was as exhaustive as you could make it.}

{Or as exhaustive as we could make it.}

Merry didn’t say anything. She hadn’t tried to keep an eye on Margarita. But it was a small town and when she saw Margarita and her future husband in the supermarket; heard them talk about the upcoming wedding, she had to check him out. She did as much as she could as a cop. Then she went to The Group and begged. They covered ground she could not.

Chuck West, former Navy flyer, currently aerospace engineer. Handsome, no baggage, perfect. Merry still wasn’t sure she was happy about it.

"Well she is happy." Merry said again as Margarita climaxed.

{Very.}

"Can I go home now." Merry asked feeling her own body start to warm.

The craft started to move and Merry struggled to get herself back under control.

It was a silly thing to do, Merry scolded herself. Margarita had no memory of what had happened and there was no way Merry would ever tell her. But Merry sometimes would wake up and look at the small empty bed on the dresser. It was ridiculous; Margarita had only stayed with her for a short time, less than a full day really.

But it had been real, Merry insisted. Real to me anyway. Why couldn’t it have been real to her? Was I wrong, could she have handled my life?

Merry sighed. She hadn’t been wrong and she knew it. Simply seeing how fast Margarita had adjusted to a normal life was proof of that.

She’s weak, Merry thought. Too weak to stay with me.

That the thought was a lie was too obvious even for Merry to ignore. She wiped away the tears that were starting to fall from her eyes. As she did so Merry remembered the hot taste of Simone’s tongue on her face when the other woman had kissed away her tears.

It would be real to Simone, a part of Merry knew. Full sized, shrunk, straight, kinky or in a group Merry knew that Simone was open to any kind of sex. And there would be emotion there was well, not simply raw animal lust.

For Her anyway, Merry thought. I think she likes everyone. But what about me?

Merry’s thoughts were interrupted as the craft suddenly banked to the left and picked up speed.

{Simone and Monica are being attacked.}

"By who?"

{Harriet.}

{Who has gone through a few changes.}

"No kidding!" Merry said as a monitor screen lit up. It showed a harpy with Harriet’s face. A harpy was the only way Merry could have named the creature. The features on the face were Harriet’s, but only barely. Her mouth had enlarged into a sharp beak, her hands had transformed into claws and her feet into talons. Dark feathers covered most of her body and her wings were twice as long as her arms. Blacker than black runes were burned into her breasts.

"Does this thing have any weapons?"

{No.}

{Next model.}

{You will have to deal with her on your own.}
{We are counting on you Officer Dolly.}

Merry swallowed and then shook off the fear. They were counting on her. If that meant she had to take on a harpy then so be it.

Simone had gotten nearly all the way to the Pennytorch estate when Harriet had attacked. Merry circled once in the air above the scene and took it in with a single glance. The minivan was on its side. Deep rents in the aluminum body showed where Harriet had attacked. The twisted metal was ripped to shreds giving Merry a clue as to how strong she was. Simone and Monica were still in the van and while the skin of the vehicle wasn’t a problem for Harriet the solid steel of the body was. She hovered above the wrecked van and tore at it with her talons, screeching in fury as she did so.

"I can’t believe that no one has called the cops yet!" Merry said.

{She tore through the telephone lines.}

{We are blocking the cell phone and cb-bands.}

{Still you do not have much time.}

{We are ready to start your plan.}

"So am I." Merry said strapping herself into the seat. Her new clothes were stored under the seat and the rough fabric of the straps scratched her skin. She hoped it wouldn’t be necessary but if she had to battle Harriet one on one growing out of the clothes would simply shred them. The Group didn’t reply and there was a soft explosion as the top of the fighter broke away. Cold night air rushed in but Merry barely had time to feel it as the ejection seat was launched into the night. The rush of air and the impact stunned Merry for a moment and she held on as the seat rose into the air. She managed to look down and watch as the cylon fighter flew in a wide arc down and behind Harriet. The harpy was struck in the middle of the back and knocked to the ground. With a savage snarl she grabbed the fighter and threw it against the van. It bounced to the ground and stopped moving.

{The fighter is still active.}

{Your hope that it would disable her was not realized.}

"These things are never easy!" Merry swore as she un-strapped herself from the seat. "Grow me. I’ll distract her, tell Simone and Monica to get out of there. Damn! Just once I’d like to go into battle with my clothes on!"

Harriet had seen her and her wings were flapping. Merry pushed away from the seat just as Harriet started to leave the ground. There was a moment of disorientation for Merry as she grew to full size but she was used to it. Harriet wasn’t. She was only a few feet off of the ground, wings flapping at full force to lift her higher when a full sized Merry landed on her head.

Merry dug her thumbs into the harpy’s eyes and tried to wrap her legs around Harriet’s waist. The harpy screeched and her claws dug into Merry’s arms. Merry grunted in pain but didn’t let go. Instead she bent forward and bit one of Harriet’s arms. It was like biting into a down pillow with a steel rod in its center. A foul taste filled Merry’s mouth and nearly made her retch. Harriet returned the favor and Merry felt the harpy’s teeth hit the bones in her wrist. Grunting in pain Merry planted her feet and tried to tear away from the creature. She managed to get a little away but Harriet kept hold of her arm. Still screeching she flung Merry into the air and then leapt after her.

Dizzy from the pain Merry reacted by instinct. She twisted her body and grabbed Harriet’s wings as the harpy rose into the air. With Merry holding onto the wings and her weight pulling them back Merry and Harriet fell to the pavement.

Merry tore at the wings, tearing out fist-fulls of feathers but that didn’t seem to bother the harpy. Harriet pulled and twisted and for a few minutes they wrestled on the ground. Merry concentrated on Harriet’s wings, hoping to cripple her, but the wings were too strong. She managed to get her arms under Harriet’s and link her hands behind the harpy’s neck. Merry held the full nelson as tightly as she could. Harriet’s wings beat at her frantically and she rolled right and left to break the hold. The raw asphalt of the road dug into Merry’s skin but she held on anyway. She thought that they had achieved stalemate but Merry had forgotten that Harriet’s feet were talons now. When Harriet couldn’t free her arms she bent her legs back. First one and then another of Merry’s ankles were captured and Merry heard and felt it as the bones were broken. She screamed and her grip weakened. Harriet broke the hold and took off dragging Merry into the air. She twisted in mid-air and struck out. The harpy’s claws raked Merry’s stomach and then Harriet dropped her to the ground. Merry’s head hit against the curb.

With her head pounding, stomach burning and her legs on fire Merry looked up to see the harpy head back toward the van. It was impossible for Merry to stand so she started to roll toward the harpy.

{Monica and Simone are safely out of the van Merry.}

They were but they weren’t safe yet. As soon as Harriet realized that Monica wasn’t in the van she’d find her. At the moment Harriet was busy tearing into the underside of the van but that wouldn’t last long.

"The fighter…" Merry coughed the words out and tasted her own blood. Her voice failed her. "Fly the fighter into the gas tank!" Merry somehow croaked the words out through the blood that was filling her throat.

Harriet might have seen the fighter at the last minute but Merry doubted that she realized what was going go happen. There was no way to know how much human intelligence had been left in the harpy. Merry rolled away with what remained of her strength and was on her stomach when the explosion caught her. It seared her back and Merry’s strength at last gave out.

"Merry!" Simone shouted a few seconds later. She rolled Merry over.

"Don’t worry." Merry whispered. "They won’t let me die."

"Don’t try to talk." Simone said. "Monica and I are safe."

"The Group won’t let me die Simone." Merry said again as Simone’s face started to blur. "And if even if they do… so what? So what."

Merry wasn’t sure if she said the last part of her thoughts aloud or not. It didn’t matter as darkness claimed her.

…to be continued.

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