The Dangers of Daring Officer Dolly

Chapter 39. "Spies."

by Skytower 

Merry swallowed back her fear. She stood in the laboratory in Pennytorch mansion and looked at the tiny woman in the tube. The Group stood around her and their quiet attention worried Merry. She had once been the tiny woman in the tube and at their whim she could be again. Deborah and Delilah were twins, slim with blonde hair. They wore matching lab coats, blue slacks and white shirts. Merry spared a quick glance at Delilah's eyes. If Delilah was mad Merry could tell by the way her eyes tended to crackle. They were calm but Merry still didn't relax. This was the place where her life had changed. This was the place where Merry McCormick had been taken and altered. The horror and dread of those first few months would always haunt her. These four people had shown Merry that she knew nothing about reality and how the world worked. The lessons had been brutal. Over at a console Molly sat and studied read outs. Molly's brown hair was a mop around her head and she wore a pair of pink and blue stripped overalls and a T-shirt. Beside her in his usual jeans and a T-shirt with slick black hair was Tremont. There was no one on Earth who scared Merry more than these four people. The lab itself was scary to her. Merry had seen countless horror and science fiction movies, to her a mad scientist lab was part of the scenery. But there was a difference here. The lab was full of blinking lights and consoles and chemicals bubbling away in beakers, but in a movie it all eye candy. Here it was all real. Here she could smell the chemicals; sickly sweet and acrid. Here she could feel the heat and hear the quiet hum of the computers. Everything in the lab did something. How it did it and why it did it was a complete mystery to her.

She had gotten back from her mission, given the maimed shrunken woman to them and then changed into a pair of shorts and a halter-top. Usually when she got back from a mission the Group let her go either to her own house or into Dollopolis with Simone. Since they saw what see saw and heard what she heard there was never a need for a debriefing. Not this time and that worried her.

"This is what she looked like." Tremont said. "And will look like again."

A holographic image floated in the air. It showed a medium sized Asian woman with small breasts, slim hips and a flat wide face. She wasn’t strikingly beautiful but she was by no means ugly. Her face had a charm to it, a girl-next-door look. Merry suspected that growing up this girl went with the In crowd. Not as a leader but as one of the ones who got along with everyone without effort. "She was beaten and raped. A lot. Poor thing. I think I'll make some improvements as we heal her," Tremont mused "maybe a better nose, bigger breasts… Those nipples... I’ve been wanting to do some body sculpting."

Merry looked at the nipples. They were small with dark areolas and tiny nubs. Tremont’s preference went to larger breasts with wider areolas and more pronounced tips. Merry’s breasts were perfect to him. Merry hoped that who ever she was wouldn’t mind the changes.

"Apparently she is a hooker." Molly said. "Probably picked because she looked like the Red Dagger."

More holograms appeared in the air above the tube. Police reports as well as birth, hospital and driving records.

"Well she certainly got more than she bargained for." Deborah said.

"Some supervillains like to use superhero doubles to train their henchmen." Delilah said. "It's becoming a trend."

"There’s something wrong." Merry said looking at the records.

"What?" Deborah asked.

"I think these records are faked." Merry said. As usual when she was working to help them her fear faded. It was something Merry wasn’t consciously aware of. She pointed to the one closest to her. "This one reports that she’s been hauled in on every single vice sweep in the past year, but there are no single arrests. And that’s it, no DUI, no theft, no drug pick-ups… No hooker is this clean. And her hospital records show no beatings. Prostitutes can’t go two months without being beaten up. And even though she's lived in Seattle her whole life she's only been picked up since the last year, hookers start early and she's twenty five? There should be more than just one years worth of arrests."

"We missed it." Molly said. "I guess nothing beats the experience of a former police officer."

"Who is she then?" Tremont asked.

"More importantly is she after me?" Merry asked. "Could someone really clever have put her on that ship for me to find?"

"Highly un-likely." Delilah said.

"There is no way anyone could have known we’d pick up that transmission." Deborah agreed.

"I think it more likely that she was put into the Diamond’s employ to spy on them and perhaps get some information on the new Criminal Enterprise organization." Tremont said.

"That would make her an intelligence operative." Molly said.

"If that’s true she’s deeper under cover than anyone I’ve ever heard of." Merry said. "She had to let herself be beaten and raped. A police woman couldn’t do that officially."

"National." Tremont said.

"Perhaps international." Molly said.

"It’s not like there aren’t a lot of agencies in the world." Delilah said. "It's a veritable alphabet soup out there."

"But who is she working for?" Deborah asked. "And how can we use her to our advantage?"

"Hello." Simone called walking into the lab. She was wearing a blue dress and black boots and Merry felt better immediately. Simone hugged her and then looked at the tube.

"Is this her then?"

"Yes, but we are not sure who she is yet." Deborah said. "Merry spotted the falsities in her official report and that means some intelligence group owns her."

"Still think that it was a good idea to save her Dolly?" Delilah asked.

"Yes." Merry said.

"But why did she have to kill everyone else on that ship?" Simone asked.

Her courage always astounded Merry. She’d been burning to ask that question since she had gotten back and been afraid too.

"To provoke Goddess of Justice." Deborah said. "Despite the deal she offered Dollopolis the intelligence operatives of the world are still after Merry."

"M.I.-5 and the C.I.A. have dedicated task forces actively searching for her and Dollopolis." Delilah said.

"As do many other countries." Tremont said.

"A total of ten traps have been set for her that we know of." Molly said.

"I don’t understand." Merry said. "The deal was I help Lady Highfield get her daughters back and Dollopolis gets refugee status. The intelligence groups should have backed off after that."

"They did officially." Tremont said.

"But the covert branches have not stopped." Molly said.

"And their attention is becoming annoying." Delilah said.

"It is restricting our activities." Deborah agreed. "There have been times in the past nine months when we didn't dare send you out."

"How will this help?" Merry asked.

"Goddess of Justice will be forced to call you on this." Deborah said.

"And when she does Simone can confront her with the traps and demand to know what she’ll do about them."

"But what can she do?" Merry asked.

"Not very much." Delilah said.

"And that will give Simone the opening to tell her that Merry will easily kill if she feels threatened." Tremont said. "That you took out those forty-nine people because as far as you knew they had someone from Dollopolis and you couldn't risk it being a trap."

"And that will cause the covert crowd to pull back a bit." Molly said.

"Will it?" Simone asked.

"Deep down after all these are people who are dedicated toward helping their countries." Deborah finished. "It will not help them if they die and if they believe that Merry is ruthless enough to kill on a wide scale it will make them move more cautiously, giving us room to work. Covert agencies work in the shadows, provoking Mystery Woman to the point where she kills a lot of people would bring un-wanted light to their activities. We must bring this about even if it means involving Merry with more and more of the superhero crowd."

"What about Lucy?" Merry asked. "I..."

Merry forgot what she was going to say as a spike of pain hit her chest. She’d never felt anything like it, it was as if someone had stuck an ice cold branding iron into her body. There was no way to even scream before she blacked out.

Merry's eyes snapped open and she sat up startling Simone.

"Prudence!" Merry shouted. She started to get up and was only vaguely aware that Simone was holding her down.

"What?" Simone asked.

Merry blinked and looked around. She was lying on the table in the lab, but at the same time she wasn't. She was lying on a hospital table, an operating table and surgeons were working on her body. She could feel their desperate energy as they strove to save her life. She could also feel the pain as they reached into her body through the open wound. It was a pain that Merry had never even imagined as her organs were moved to one side and a sharp needle and thread were used to bring two halves of her lung back together. She couldn’t breath enough... she couldn’t...

"Merry?" Simone asked.

The sound of Simone's voice was enough to pull Merry back to herself. She breathed deeply and fell back onto the table.

"Prudence was wounded." Merry said. The memories flooded into her, memories that weren't hers. "Some sort of fight over the Diamond's and Black Death… Mercenaries… Ms. Dream was about to get a spear in the back when I… when Prudence dived in front of it. The spear hit her heart, the mystical one that Ida gave her. It's cracked. Another one hit me… hit her in the stomach. And then in the leg."

Merry sat up again.

"I need to go to her. Ida and I are the only ones who can fix that heart."

"How do you know this?" Molly asked.

"I…" Merry stopped and when she started to talk again her voice had taken on a pleading tone. "I just know. It's like I was there. I can feel the heart, oh Goddess I can feel it! I can't let her die!"

"Will of the gods." Tremont remarked.

"Ida did warn us when Merry saved Prudence that they would be linked." Molly said.

"Prudence has been wounded before but never in the heart." Delilah said. "But Ida could save her."

"Ida seems to want Merry to do it." Deborah said.

"Why?" Simone asked.

"Next time we see her we'll ask her." Merry said standing up. "But right now I've got to get to Prudence."

"First let's find out where she is." Deborah said.

"And adapt our plans." Delilah added.

"Don't worry Dolly." Molly said.

"We don't challenge the will of the gods." Tremont finished.

"Go and put on your Dollopolis First Knight outfit." Delilah ordered. "We'll be ready by the time you get back."

Merry ran out of the room, not realizing that Simone was right behind her calling her name.

Sometimes the best disguise was the least disguise. The hospital in Seattle where Prudence had been taken was well guarded. Lucy Rothschild was taking no more chances with the safety of her daughter. Alpha and Beta were stationed on the roof. There was a scanner between them that could have tracked a fly at two blocks and instantly generated a force field around the hospital if that fly was considered dangerous. Massive Guy's eight foot stone body stood like a golem at the entrance. It all boiled down to a big sign that read 'Stay away from my daughter!'. Even the best stealth ship in Dollopolis wouldn't get near the place.

So Merry put on a red wig, dark glasses, and a dress that added thirty pounds to her frame and walked with a cane into the front door. Once inside she went looking for intensive care. Merry walked carefully and yet casually down the corridors of the hospital. It was early in the morning and people were starting to come in for work and leave for work. People were coming in to visit or see the doctor themselves. Merry easily blended in.

After the battle of Sloclum lake Ms. Dream, Gadget Gal, Massive Guy and Prudence had been escorting the Diamond’s and Black Death to prison when they were attacked by his sister Dark Spear leading the Dread Destructors. By the end of the battle Gadget Gal was seriously hurt with a spear to the leg and a broken jaw. Ms. Dream was mildly hurt, Massive Guy was ok and Prudence had taken one of Dark Spear’s spears in the chest, another in the stomach and another in the leg. Dark Spear was a half demon and her spear was a mystical weapon. It had cracked the crystal heart in Prudence’s chest.

Merry was worried, not only for Prudence but for everything. She'd been so determined to get to Prudence Merry had barely noticed Simone trailing after her. It was only when she had stumbled and fallen and Simone had helped her up that Merry realized she had been ignoring her lover. Simone said it was all right but Merry wasn't sure. She didn't want Simone to be jealous. Simone said that she wasn't, that she understood but Merry wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything. She'd killed forty-nine people and that wasn't going to go away. The nightmares when they came would be intense. Merry dreaded the fact that she would have them more than she would suffer when she did have them. But had she hurt Simone’s feelings? And what was the Group planning now? Would she work more closely with superheroes? How could she do that and not give her secret away? How could she do that at all? What good was a twelve-inch tall person in a world where supervillains threw cars like baseballs?

Merry stopped outside of the door to intensive care and surveyed the scene. There was a waiting room across from the doors and a receptionist that looked ancient sat behind a glass window. Everyone had to go through her and Merry saw her turn people away with one hand hidden. She was ready to trigger an alarm.

Never simple, Merry thought as she ducked into a ladies room. She checked for cameras and then went into a stall. The dress came off easily and she hung it on a hook. Then she unscrewed the cane top and took out a small usb memory tab. She placed that on the toilet and hung up the wig and put the glasses into the dress pocket. Then she shrank down. Underneath the dress she had worn her Dollopolis outfit. Merry thought she looked silly in it but it was Simone's creation and that was that. It consisted of black slippers, green pants with a silver belt and a sleeveless top with the crest of Dollopolis on the chest. To finish the outfit Simone had added a green archer's hat with a feather in it and a green domino mask. The one saving grace was that it grew and shrank with her. Merry paused for a moment, public restrooms were always a startling sight when you were only a foot high. Luckily this one was clean. At times in the past Merry had shrunk down only to be attacked by hungry cockroaches. This place was safe though so she went to the door. It hadn’t latched and Merry was able to pull it open. The corridor was busy as Merry hoped it would be. People in hospitals were absorbed with their own problems, they didn’t notice much beyond them. In a busy corridor no one would notice her even if they did see her. After a few minutes an orderly wheeling a gurney moved past and Merry ran and leapt onto it. She was only going to stay with it long enough to get close to the intensive care doorway; hide and then jump onto a gurney going into the section, but this one surprised her by going in anyway. Once inside Merry waited until she felt her heart jump and then leapt off. She walked into a room knowing that Prudence was there. The room was small with a window looking out over the parking lot. Prudence was on the bed surrounded by monitors. The place was done in green and white with a blue drop ceiling. It was depressing. Then again Merry had never been in a hospital that was cheerful. They were designed to be too cheerful and they always fell flat.

Esmerelda was in the room too. She was in her human form wearing a dark sweater and jeans. Esmerelda was asleep in her chair and on the floor was a law book. Her nose twitched as Merry walked toward Prudence and instantly her eyes opened. They were the same clear brown that Merry remembered.

"Merry!" Esmerelda said in a voice full of surprise and pleasure.

"Lift me up to her?" Merry asked.

Esmerelda picked Merry up and placed her next to Prudence. When she was asleep Prudence always shrank down to twelve inches tall. It was one of the reasons the doctors had trouble treating her. How she had stayed full sized long enough for the surgery Merry had no idea. Merry went over to her and pulled the towel away from her body. The spear had entered just bellow the 'B' shaped scar that Ida had given her when Prudence’s original heart was destroyed. A thick bandage covered the wound.

"No breast milk this time." Merry said. She squeezed Prudence's hand and felt it squeeze back. "Live my sister. You don't go till I say you go!" Merry placed her hand on the 'B' shaped scar on Prudence's chest and let herself relax. She let out a deep breath and as the breath left her body Merry felt herself leaving it as well. The last bit of her felt her body fall against Prudence’s tiny form. She flowed into Prudence. Merry could see her entire body including the crystal that was the young woman's heart. It was cracked and blackening. A mystical weapon had done this. One fueled with dark power. Merry felt her self flow over the heart, felt her energy waver as the crystal used it to re-grow and repair itself. The darkness fought her but she snarled at it and it fled. She felt Prudence's frustration and despair and her lack of self confidence. Merry joined with her for a moment, comforting her and then withdrew.

When Merry opened her eyes again she was laying in Esmerelda's lap.

"You healed her." Esmerelda said wiping a tear away from her eye. Merry realized that she was crying too.

"Yea." Merry said sitting up and wiping the tears away. She felt dizzy for a moment but it passed. She looked over at Prudence. The girls brown hair was long now and her round face looked much like her mothers. She'd put on some muscle since Merry had last seen her and lost some of her youth. Merry had healed her but it would be a while before she regained her strength. She looked like a doll with her skin pale and her breathing barely noticeable. "When the heart was hit I felt it, I had to come to her no matter what the risk."

"What risk?" Esmerelda asked.

"Everyone's been trying to catch me Esmerelda." Merry said sighing. "Trap after trap after trap. Simone would only let me come to save her after she saw the news reports about the battle."

"We would never try to trap you." Emserelda said.

Merry shrugged.

"Maybe. This could have been a trap that you guys didn’t know about. It could have been set up from the start of the battle." Merry buried her head in her hands and ran them through her hair." Then she looked up at Esmerelda.

"You look good." Merry said. The scars that had once marred Esmerelda’s face were gone, her black hair was past her shoulders and the look of fear was gone from her deep brown eyes. Esmerelda was blossoming into a beautiful confident young woman. Merry was thrilled and sad at the same time. It had happened without her. "Damn good. Are you happy?"

"Yes." Esmerelda said. "I'm twenty-two now."

"Sorry I wasn't there for the party." Merry said. Esmerelda was a were-wolf, before Merry had killed her mother-the arch witch Sidonia-Esmerelda's life had been destined to be a short one. At twenty one she would have been murdered and her body harvested for magical spell components.

"I wish you had been there as well." Esmerelda said. "I'd hoped you would come that night."

"I'm sorry but it's dangerous for me to be out of Dollopolis." Merry said.

"You don't trust Mrs. Rothschild?" Esmerelda asked sadly.

"Nope." Merry said. "I did once and that's about all you get from me. Simone does, I guess."

"But..."

"Look I don’t really remember everything about Faerun, I took too many blows to the head, but I do remember that Lucy promised to protect Simone and Simone nearly died. I had to rescue her and the only thing Lucy did was sit on the sidelines."

"She did her best." Esmerelda said.

"It wasn’t good enough." Merry snapped. "It seems to be good enough to save her world but not mine. I don’t trust her."

"Yet you pushed me into her life."

"I know that." Merry said. "I trusted her then."

Inside she was fighting with her own feelings. She'd been lonely and hurt when she had refused Esmerelda's offer of companionship. It was before she had even met Simone. But Esmerelda’s offer was an offer that would have left the young woman no room for growth. She would have simply replaced Merry for Sidonia and Merry was horrified that a part of her still wanted that. Even now she wanted nothing more than to crawl across Esmerelda's body and enjoy herself. To teach her about how wonderful life could be. But that time had passed, someone else had done it and Merry felt jealous. As much as she tried to defeat it the envy stayed with her.

"I know now that it was the best thing you could have done for me." Esmerelda said. "I have a real family now. But… Merry… I miss you."

"I miss you too." Merry said. "But you have Prudence now."

"And I love her." Esmerelda admitted.

"Love her or love her?" Merry asked. It was amazing that she could feel jealousy but she did.

"We haven't decided yet." Esmerelda said. "She fears what others will say, she fears that it is only a part of you that loves me that is still in her… It is very hard for her. She fears her mother's life, but she fears walking away from it as well. We have slept together but we have not made love. Sometimes I ache for her, but other times I wonder and doubt."

"Not easy for you either."

"Prudence wants to talk to you. Everyone in Earth Force wants to talk to you. Merry you could have us all as friends and allies. Why do you close us out?"

"It's how I live." Merry said repeating words that she had heard often from teen run-a-ways that she had caught. "You live on the run you live alone. The fewer people who know me on sight the better chance I have to stay alive. It's no different here than on my world."

"It is." Esmerelda insisted.

"Ten traps in eight months Esmerelda." Merry said. "And they haven’t been made by ICE. They’ve been official types. I’ve nearly been caught a few times. Despite what Lucy said about refugee status. I can barely step out of Dollopolis anymore."

"You're famous." Esmerelda admitted. "But that is all the more reason to have friends. Mrs. Rothschild has taught me what it's like to have friends Merry, I'd like you to know."

"I have Simone." Merry said. "She’s all I deserve and she’s a lot more than I deserve."

"But…"

"Esmerelda I have to go." Merry said. Inside her heart was breaking and she knew that she couldn't keep this conversation up much longer. "Put me down."

"You can wait, Mrs. Rothschild will be back within the hour."

"And I'll be far away by then." Merry said. "She let Simone get hurt."

"Merry…" Esmerelda put her down onto the floor. "That ship… You killed forty-eight people."

"Forty-nine." Merry said. "It was another trap Esmerelda and I was lucky to show up before it was really set. Another trap and I'm sick of them. People push me I push back. I push back harder. It was either make sure I could get away or maybe not get away at all. And who ever I rescued wasn't even from Dollopolis. While I’m dealing with the traps I’m using up time I could be spending looking for other survivors!" Merry had gotten mad enough to shout and stopped herself. She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. It was so easy now to take the anger she felt at herself for lying to Esmerelda and make it seem as if she were mad at the traps. Merry hated that it was so easy. "In the ladies room down the hall you'll find a memory tab with a file that has her picture in it. At least as good as we can get it until she's healed. Maybe you guys can figure out who she is. Give us a call."

"Is she alive?" Esmerelda asked.

"Yea, in the temple. Simone's working on her." Merry started toward the door and then turned back. "I'm glad things are working out for you."

"Please stay." Esmerelda asked. "Merry Lucy Rothschild is the best woman on the planet, she can be trusted."

"By you maybe." Merry said.

"She needs to talk to you. Merry please..."

"I'll see ya."

She darted out the door before Esmerelda could say anything else. Merry moved down the corridor carefully, fighting away the bitter tears that wanted to come. They nearly came anyway and only a close call with a nurse shocked Merry back to her senses. She'd almost been spotted. But she guessed that grief was so common in a hospital that even a twelve inch tall woman wouldn’t be noticed when she was crying.

Merry managed to get back to the ladies room, put on her wig and dress and glasses, took her cane and stumbled out of the hospital. It was only when she was in the car and Simone was driving them away did she break down and cry. She shrank out of the disguise and crawled into Simone’s lap. Simone stroked her hair as they drove and after a while Merry fell asleep and faced the nightmares.

It was one of the few times in their relationship that Ms. Dream had found Goddess of Justice overcome by events. They sat in Prudence's hospital room in their civilian guises. Lucy Rothschild was a short woman with long brown hair and a young round face. The face was a miracle of magic, a side effect of her being champion of Athena. It showed none of the wear and tear of her over fifty years of life. She wore a sensible brown business suit that made her look like the lawyer she was. Mary had dropped her own Ms. Dream guise and was wearing a Star Wars T-Shirt and a pair of jeans. The first few minutes had been reserved for Lucy's joy at finding her daughter well. Mary and Esmerelda had hung back, not wanting to intrude. Mary had felt that joy as well, the spear that had hit Prudence had been aimed at her after all. It was a score she planned to settle with Dark Spear the next time they met. Then Esmerelda told them about Merry's visit. Mary suspected that Lucy was as close to beating her head against a wall as she had ever been in her life.

"Traps?" Lucy burst out. "By Athena who is trying to trap her? And by the Eternal Flame of Justice why does she think that I have anything to do with it!?"

"Easy Lucy." Marry said putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Keep your voice down we're in a hospital."

Lucy took a deep breath and relaxed a bit as Prudence reached out and took hold of the little finger on her mother's hand. She was too weak to grow to full size.

"You're right." Lucy said. "But Mary I thought we were past it all. When we last talked Simone was ready to trust us. She helped us more than she needed too."

"Yea, that was Simone." Mary said. "Not Merry. Hell Simone had to go into her head to erase what happened on Faerun, who knows what that did to her. She may not remember everything but she remembers that we coaxed Simone out of Dollopolis and Simone was captured by ICE. You know Merry, that’s enough for her."

"I found the tab that Merry told me to look for." Esmerelda said holding up a crunched piece of plastic. "But I think someone stepped on it."

"Gadget Gal may be able to find a way to read it when she recovers." Lucy said. "It's obvious that I still have some work to do as far as Merry is concerned."

"Some work?" Mary laughed. "Lucy their paranoid and xenophobic and that's only their culture, Merry takes those traits on as a personal motto! Give it up already."

"No." Lucy said simply. "No I will not."

Oh hell there's that tone again, Mary thought. Lucy had found another mountain to move.

"You're wrong about her Aunt Mary." Prudence said. "She was in me, I felt her soul. She's good; she's noble… Its in there I know it. But she’s scared, she’s so scared you can’t believe it."

"Scared or mad?" Mary asked. "I’ve been in her mind Prudence and I saw anger all over the place but I didn’t see fear."

"Can a person have a scared soul and an angry mind?" Esmerelda asked.

"Between the two there must be a mid point we can reach." Lucy said standing up. "I’ll try to find out who has been laying traps for Merry. Prudence when you recover enough come home, we need you to contact Dollopolis." She turned to Mary. "Mary can you try to find out more about what this new Criminal Enterprises was up to? The Dread Destructors showed up far too quickly for them not to have been nearby."

"I’ll snoop around." Mary said nodding.

"Good." Lucy said taking out here cell phone. "I suppose my first step should be with Colonel Davis."

"Oh great, Mr. Warmth." Mary said.

"I don’t believe you’ll find out anything Lucy." Esmerelda said. "I’ve thought about it and I think that who ever is trying to trap Merry is part of a covert operation."

"Even they keep records." Lucy said. "I made that deal Esmerelda, I gave my word. I will not see that broken a second time."

Monica stood in the thrown room of Simone’s castle and listened calmly as Simone and Merry explained what they thought was going on. Privately Simone was very proud of Monica. Monica had been the first person brought into Dollopolis after Lizzie and Jessie. Rescued from a religious cult and a life that had almost been designed to crush her Monica had survived and flourished. She was doing what she loved: farming and writing and singing songs. She was the person in Dollopolis closest to the cats and she was the one who had asked for a temple for Bast to go along with the one that Lizzie and Jessie had asked for Ida.

She was also one of the ones who didn’t know the truth about Dollopolis. That worried Simone slightly, but not that much. Monica had early on learned to live in the moment. She was warm, well fed and had friends. As long as that was true Simone doubted that Monica would care about anything else. She didn’t want to ever leave the shrunken city.

"So when do you think she’ll make her move my lady?" Monica asked.

"I don’t think she will have the chance." Simone said. "The picture we provided Mrs. Rothschild should have her identification in a day or two at the most."

"Unless who ever sent her has decided to abandon her." Merry said. "And in that case I’d say no more than a week."

"I agree." Simone said. "We know that she isn’t from Dollopolis, but her records are fake. She must be a spy. But we do not know for who yet."

"A cop." Monica said nearly under her breath. Merry winced at the tone in her voice. Not enough for Monica to notice but enough for Simone to notice. Merry had been a police officer. She didn’t liked it when people used the word ‘cop’ as a profanity.

"Perhaps." Simone said. She stood up and put her arm on Monica’s shoulder. "We really don’t know at this point. I want you to be careful Monica. I don’t like doing this, you’ve always been safe here and after your old life I feel that is what you deserve. If she is a spy then she’ll make her move, but I don’t want you hurt when she does."

"Don’t worry about me my lady." Monica said. "I can play the game."

"I believe you can." Simone said. "That is why I have sent Jessie and Lizzie away on a mission and why Snowbelle will not be here while she is. But be careful Monica. This might be the type of person who kills easily."

"I will be my lady." Monica said.

"And I have confidence you." Simone said. "But to be on the safe side I have given you an advantage."

Vicki woke up very slowly. She was drifting for a long time between being awake and being asleep. Times of her life drifted in and out of her mind. Her childhood, her high school, being recruited in college for the C.I.A. (only spy novels ever called it ‘The Agency’) and her third mission...

Vicki opened her eyes instantly as the third mission flashed into her memory. Even before her eyes fully focused she reached up and felt her face. It was there, it was whole.

"You’re fine." A voice to her right said. Vicki looked over and screamed. Beside her was a black woman twice her size. She scrambled away from the woman and fell off of the bed.

"Take it easy." The woman said. "Your safe."

"I am?" Vicki asked. Her hands went to her face again feeling desperately to see if it was still there.

"Here." The giant woman said handing her mirror. When Vicki didn't take it she put it on the bed and pulled back.

Vicki hesitantly picked up the mirror and looked at herself. Her face was whole. It was more than whole it was better. Her jaw was stronger now, her ears... pointed? And Furry!? What the hell was she doing with pointed ears? Her nose looked a bit smaller too. Her eyes weren’t black anymore they were green? Vicki blinked a few times but there it was; her eye staring back at her. Not the round pupils of a human but the sharpened oval pupils of a cat! A dark sharpened oval floating on a field of hazel green.

"Where am I?" Vicki asked. "Who are you?"

"You're in Dollopolis." The black girl said. "My name is Monica, what’s yours?"

The question froze Vicki’s brain for a moment. In that moment, in that split second Vicki’s mind nearly told the truth, but her training and the rules that she had devoted herself to stopped her. She was deep under cover, so far undercover that an entire life had been created for her. That had taken a lot of time and effort and expense. She couldn’t throw that away. But there was no fall back ID. And how much did these people know about her life?

"I can’t remember." Vicki said. And then she repeated it again in a more panicked tone of voice. "I can’t remember!"

"Take it easy." Monica said. "You can't remember anything?"

Vicki shook her head. The woman was twice as tall as she was, full bodied with long straight hair. She was wearing a pair of overalls and a T-shirt. "You’re ok." She said again smiling to reveal perfect white teeth. "You're safe."

"What happened to me?" Vicki asked.

"I better let the Duchess explain." Monica said. "Wait here."

She got up and walked to the door and Vicki looked around. She was in Dollopolis! There was rumored to be an entire floor in the covert opps section that wanted to find this place and she was here! If she could bring back more than they knew... Her career would take off like a rocket.

The room was larger than she would have thought. Vicki thought back to the briefing about the shrunken city given to all agents. This was a perfect match to the room that the Obrien’s had been given. She got up and stumbled to the window. Outside was a city on a giant 'U' and it was a city made up of nearly every architectural style Vicki had ever seen. The outer rim was mountains, the inner one a river. But there was something that the Obrien's had left out, or that hadn't been in Dollopolis then. By the base of the U was a platform with a giant green ship on it. It seemed gigantic anyway. The ship was barrel shaped with a snub nose and reversed wings. Thunderbird 2. A facsimile of it at least. The ship was missing parts of the hull and looked like it had been through a battle.

The door opened and she whirled around. Only then did Vicki remember that she was nude. That wasn't too bad, but the two women who walked in behind Monica startled her. The first was a tall (Tall? If Vicki was in Dollopolis she was shrunk, how tall was she?) blonde. She was wearing a green pants with a tunic. The blonde wasn't carrying any weapons but if she was Mystery Woman then Vicki knew that she didn’t need any. There was a wary look on her face. Vicki realized that this was the woman who had rescued her. Her mind was clearing quickly and the memories were flooding back in. The woman behind her was even more startling. She was twice as tall as the blonde, twice as tall as everyone else in the room.

Except me, Vicki thought. She swallowed in fear. She was half of the size of Monica who was half of the size of the woman. How small was she?

The room was built for the giant woman Vicki realized. The bed, the dresser, the mirror, it was all built for her. Vicki swallowed in fear again. She was a child's doll in a very large world and she was naked and helpless. Her only hope lay in the moral character of the people in front of her. The tall woman wore a deep blue gown with a silver belt and a tiara of gold and jewels sat on her red hair.

"Hello." The red head said. Her voice was soft and had a slight English accent. It had to be Simone.

"um… Hi?" Vicki said. She backed up a little vainly trying to cover her body with her hands. "Where am I?"

"You are in Dollopolis." Simone said. "To be specific you are in my chambers in my castle in Dollopolis. How do you feel?"

"Why are my ears pointed?" Vicki asked. She backed up a bit more and found herself against the wall. It was cold stone and she found that chill mirrored in Mystery Woman's eyes. "And my eyes! What happened to them?"

"The Temple of Healing isn't always perfect with people from your world." Simone said. "The spells I use to power it can be affected by random factors. In this case something in your body triggered various changes in you. Some ancestor of yours I expect once had a liaison with a magical creature. A satyr or a wood nymph perhaps. The spells triggered dormant aspects of your bloodline."

"Uh-huh." Vicki said running her fingers over her ears. Was that fur she felt? Fur? "Why am I so tiny?"

"You’re body needs to heal and that is best done when it is small. It may reverse over time." Simone said. "However you are alive. Surely that over rides a mere cosmetic difference."

"Uh… yea." Vicki said. Cosmetic? She was a freaking doll with pointed ears! "But how did I get this way? Who am I? Who are you?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" Mystery Woman asked.

"I was in a cage." Vicki said. "And some guy was pointing something at me." Vicki felt her face. "My god he melted my face!"

"Don’t worry." Mystery Woman said. "He’s dead and he died painfully."

"Come and sit down." Simone ordered going to the bed. "Merry continue your work, I do not think she is dangerous. Monica bring her something to wear."

"Yes my lady." Monica said.

"I’ll be close by." Merry said.

They both left and Simone sat down on the bed. Vicki watched her wearily.

"If you were in any danger it would have happened by now." Simone said. "Come and sit down, tell me what you can remember about yourself."

It was a command and Vicki walked slowly to the bed. In her mind she was running through scenario after scenario and none of them were ending well. If she were the same size she could take Simone and Monica in a fight, but that would leave Merry. The woman had an impressive kill list and her psych profile though limited had stressed how she reacted when someone attacked Simone. Physical force was out. But her new life hadn’t included any relatives, so suddenly regaining her memory and asking to be taken home was out too. She had to play the scenario as it was dealt and hope for a chance. She briefly considered going with the truth but that wouldn’t have been following procedure. These people had saved her life but Vicki had sworn to follow the rules. And she still knew a lot about the inner workings of the C.I.A., what if Dollopolis wasn’t trustful?

Vicki sat down on the bed and pulled the sheet up to cover herself. She studied Simone’s face as she talked. It was impossible to ignore the height difference but she tried. There was so much to the woman!

"I don’t remember much besides the giant with the gun." Vicki said. "I think... he shrunk me before that."

"You are still shrunk." Simone said. "By Earth measurements you are six inches tall."

"I am?" Vicki asked, with no effort at all she put amazement into her voice.

"Yes. This is Dollopolis after all, no one except myself is taller than twelve inches."

"How come you are?" Vicki asked.

"I am the Duchess." Simone said. "By right of birth I can be any size I wish."

"Oh. Can I ever be normal again?"

"Your size probably, but the rest I'm not sure of."

"Oh."

"Can you remember anything at all about your life?"

"No." Vicki lied. Simone stared at her and if she had any telepathic ability at all Vicki was dead meat. But no revelations came from her.

"Well we have sent your picture to some friends on Earth, they may be able to find out your identity. Until then you may stay with Monica, she can use some help on her farm. Do you know much about farming?"

Vicki had been brought up in the suburbs in Los Angeles, the only farms she ever saw were in movies.

"No." She said. "At least I don’t think so. What can I do at this size?"

"She'll find you something." Simone said. She stood up as Monica came into the room carrying a large white shirt. "Take charge of her for me Monica, Merry and I have our hands full with Thunderbird 2."

"Yes my lady." Monica said.

"Should I call her that?" Vicki asked after Simone left. She put on the shirt and it reached just past her thighs. The material was scratchy and her nipples were more sensitive-and larger! Not only her nipples but her breasts-than they had been. Were her hips wider? And she was hearing things differently. And her pubic hair was fuller, thicker and shaped like a ‘V’ instead of the stripe she had always had. What the hell had they done to her body?

"Only if you stay." Monica said.

"Can I?" Vicki asked.

"Once we find out who you are and everything you can make up your mind." Monica said. "You'll have to ask the Duchess and the First Knight though. Come on, I’ll show you around on the way to my place."

Stepping out of the castle was like stepping into a fairy tale. Vicki gasped and found herself taking a step back. Simone stood by Thunderbird 2. She had grown to full size and was lifting one of the ships engines off of it. Behind her a blue sky showed two pale white moons, one larger than the other.

"It’s ok." Monica said steadying her. "Thunderbird 2 was damaged during the last mission and the dry dock is full."

"How big is she?" Vicki asked.

"I guess about five four." Monica said taking here hand. "Come on, it’s not good to stare."

Vicki tore her eyes away from the now giant Simone and allowed herself to be led. Her hand felt very small in Monica's and fear was still trying to force its way into her mind.

"Where is the drydock?" She asked.

"Out of the city." Monica said. "Beyond Duchess Simone’s castle. We aren’t allowed there."

"Why not?"

"Too dangerous." Vicki said. "A lot of the work is done by robots and they don’t use our kind of air."

"What other kind of air is there?" Vicki asked.

"Some chemical stuff." Monica said.

She led them down a stone path to a set of stairs and then down the stairs. The stairs led to the river that lined the inner edge of the U and there was a small rowboat moored there. Monica helped her in and then picked up a paddle. She started to paddle and Vicki stared at Simone. There was something on a primal level that was so wrong about a giant woman. Something very frightening. Monica wasn’t as bad, but Simone...

"Careful." Monica said.

"What?"

"Keep looking at the Duchess like that and you'll get in trouble with the First Knight." Monica said. "And that's not a good place to go."

"I'm sorry." Vicki said. "I'm just completely freaked out… things aren't supposed to be as big as she is."

"She's not big." Vicki said. "You're small. It takes a bit of getting used to."

"How did you get here?" Vicki asked. She was looking around, trying to remember every detail. Trouble was there weren't that many details to remember. Beyond the platform that held Dollopolis was nothing but darkness. The sky was slowly turning toward late afternoon, but the two moons in the sky showed that it wasn't Earth. There was no way to tell where she really was.

"They asked me." Monica said.

"What if I never remember?" Vicki asked. She was playing for sympathy, Monica was her only source of good info and she needed to be close to the girl.

"Well if you don't want to stay here the Duchess can always dump you with Earth Force." Monica said. There was a slight edge to her voice. "You won't remember much of anything about Dollopolis but you can go if you want. If you think our home is so bad."

"It isn't that." Vicki said quickly. "I just don't know right now. I don't know anything!"

"It's ok." Monica said calmly. She had responded to the panicked tone in Vicki's voice as Vicki had hoped. She rowed on after that and Vicki kept quiet.

I have to be more subtle, she thought. She looked at Thunderbird 2. If that thing had a working radio…

Wait and plan, Vicki told herself. Wait and plan. Remember your training. I wonder if Monica goes for girls? She has to, there’s only women here. Didn’t the briefing say that? Might be my best move.

Monica continued to paddle and Vicki continued to plot her possible escapes.

I have to be subtle, she thought. I have to be like a shadow, I have to be...

She screamed as the giant black cat trotted by the river. The cat paused and looked at her and took a step closer to the river.

"Calm…" Monica started to speak but fear took over for Vicki and she dived off of the boat and into the water.

"Whoah!" Monica called. She reached over and grabbed Vicki's ankle and stood up. Maintaining her balance Monica lifted Vicki out of the water and dropped her back into the boat. Then she sat down and grabbed her. Vicki sputtered and twisted and tried to leap out again but she was helpless in the larger woman’s grip. Monica dragged her back into the boat and wrapped her in a bear hug. Vicki squirmed but that merely caused Monica to hold her more snugly. After a few moments Vicki realized that at her reduced size there was no chance of escaping the hug.

"Calm down!" Monica said firmly. "That's just Sparky."

"It's a giant cat!" Vicki shouted. "And I'm the size of a mouse!"

"They don't eat people." Monica said.

"They?"

"Look." Monica pointed to another cat. Then another. "They won't hurt you."

"Sure?" Vicki said.

"I'm sure." Monica said. She picked up the paddle and started to row again. Vicki pressed into her as they went by the other cats. There was no need to play act now. She was genuinely terrified. She'd read the briefings, they'd said cats lived in Dollopolis, but it was another thing to see them.

"What do they eat then?" Vicki asked.

"They fish in the river." Monica said pointing over the side of the boat. Vicki looked and saw dark and light forms swimming in the water. "You better not try to swim in the river again, some of the fish do eat people."

"Right." Vicki said.

Monica paddled nearly to the end of the U and pulled the boat over to a small dock. A stone path led up a hill to a blue and white two story farm house and beyond it Vicki could see fields of various colors.

"That's where you live?" She asked.

"Yep." Monica said with pride as she tied up the boat. "It was black at first but I like blue and white."

Vicki followed her up the path and into the house. A wooden mailbox was set on a post by the path and it read simply ‘Monica’.

"You get mail here?"

"Magazines." Monica said. "The Duchess shrinks them down for me."

As soon as she went in the front door Vicki froze again. The house had been cut in half. To her right and left were rooms, a living room and a kitchen and in front of her were stairs leading up to the second floor. But the far walls were not there. She looked out onto more fields.

"Where's the rest of it?" Vicki demanded. A railing was set where the wall would be.

"This is it." Monica said smiling. "It was made so that the Duchess or Merry could grow to full size and break up fights. You want something new to wear? That shirts pretty wet."

"Thanks." Vicki said. She followed Monica up the stairs and into the bedroom on the left. The door was open to the right and Vicki paused for a look. Inside she saw that it was another bedroom. This one was large and held a harp and a piano as well as a bed. That was all she saw before she had to follow Monica into the other room. It had a bed, a closet and a dresser with a mirror and a chair in front of it. There was another door that led to a bathroom. That at least was a completely enclosed room. Monica opened the dresser and pulled out another T-shirt.

"Here you go." She said tossing it to Vicki.

Vicki peeled off her T-shirt. So many things were hitting her mind at once and she was barely coping. It was very humbling, after her training Vicki had thought herself ready for the world. She'd really thought so after the time spent on the Diamond's boat. But this was blowing her mind and try as she might Vicki couldn't get it to work right.

She gave a slight scream and backed up as one of the cats trotted over to the open side of the house and sat down. Fear took over and green eyes filled Vicki's field of vision for a moment.

"Her name is Vicki." Monica said. "She'll be here for a while."

The cat seemed to nod and then moved away.

"Sparky's always curious." Monica said.

"You talk to him?" Vicki demanded.

"Most of the time." Monica said. "Come on, get dressed, we got tomatoes and lettuce to pick. Maybe some apples too. Lotta work to do this time of the month."

Vicki quickly struggled into her T-shirt and then followed Monica down the stairs.

They started picking in the late afternoon and were still with it about an hour after sunset. There was enough light to keep at it because a third moon had risen in the sky between the other two. Vicki was tired when she and Monica finally quit for the night. She had picked tomatoes, apples and lettuce, dug up carrots and peanuts and radishes. Monica seemed to expect her to work and work hard, there was never any threat of punishment if she didn’t, but the size difference was always there. As the darkness closed in Vicki followed Monica up a little rise that over looked her farm. Monica sat down and leaned against a tree.

"Wait a minute it's dark out." Vicki said.

"Yea, so?"

Vicki blinked. She could see the landscape as if she were looking through a flimsy lace curtain.

"I can still see."

"Well the moons are up."

"No I mean I can see!" Vicki said.

"Oh, the Temple of Healing probably gave you some night vision." Monica said casually.

"It can do that?" Vicki asked.

"Duchess Simone said that it could sometimes." Monica said. "Remember?"

"Oh yea."

"I don't think you should worry about it."

I've stepped into a really strange place, Vicki thought. I switched to this nightvision thing without even realizing it! What the hell have they done to me?

"You work like this all the time?" Vicki asked while she studied the landscape. It was beyond strange to be able to see in the dark. It wasn’t like a night scope, she could still see colors.

"It's not work if you like it." Monica said.

"It’s a lot of fruit and vegetables." Vicki said. "Don’t you have cows and chickens and stuff?"

"No one here eats meat." Vicki said.

"No meat?"

"Nope." Monica said. "It’s kinda hard to eat something when you’ve been on a plate or two yourself."

"I… What's that?" Vicki asked.

A forth moon had risen. This one looked like a giant green cat's eye.

"Bast's moon." Vicki said smiling proudly. "I asked for that."

"You asked for it? You can ask for moons here?"

"The Duchess will give you what you ask for." Monica said. "If she can."

"So it's not a real sky?" Vicki asked. There was a wealth of devotion in the way that Monica talked.

"It's real enough for me." Monica said. She stood up and picked Vicki up in her arms. "Come on, time to get cleaned up."

Vicki didn't protest but she couldn't get over how easily Monica lifted and carried her. She was like a doll or a child, there had been no hint that she could say no. While Vicki was being carried another realization came to her. She could smell Monica. It wasn’t only that they were both sweaty and dirty, it was the fact that Monica’s scent was clear to her. And somehow she knew it. What else had happened to her body? Vicki ran her hands over herself. What kind of freak was had they turned her into?

Monica carried her down the rise and through a set of hedges to a small pond. There was an island in the middle of the pond with a pyramid on it. As they got closer Vicki saw that the pyramid was set on top of a smaller building. Each corner of the pyramid was set on a white column and at the bottom of each column was a statue of a sitting cat cast in gold or silver. Multicolored lights and music came from inside the building. The music was a lively tune played on some sort of string instrument.

"This is Bast's pond." Monica said. She pulled off her clothes. "When she wants me to come here her moon rises."

"Bast?"

"A goddess." Monica said. "Of pleasure, of cats and life and music. I found her through Sparky and I love her."

"So… she'll be here?" Vicki asked.

"She already is here." Monica said. "Come on in."

Realizing that if nothing else she needed a bath Vicki struggled out of her T-shirt and walked into the water.

By now she had gotten over a lot of her shock and her mind was working again. Or rather she was forcing it to work again, focusing it on something familiar. She had to find a way to contact the C.I.A. and tell them where she was. Information on Dollopolis was a high-find target and Vicki needed that kind of credit. At least if she wanted to keep her career going. Vicki felt that she’d blown it on the Diamond’s ship and she wasn’t ready to let go of her career just yet. Besides this place was freaked!

So when she got into the water she faked being a bad swimmer so that she could grab hold of Monica's body. Monica took it in stride but either she didn't notice the attempted seduction or she did and wasn't interested.

The water at least was warm and after the work Vicki was grateful for it. Nothing looking like a goddess showed up and Vicki was grateful. She wasn't a theologian and she hadn't been raised in a religious house. She knew that some of the supposedly mythical gods were active on Earth. Goddess of Justice got her powers from Athena and there were at least two other heroes that claimed to represent some other gods. That didn't mean she wanted to meet one. There was no way to lie to a goddess, or at least that was the accepted fact. Vicki didn't want to test it. As small as she was the thought of making these people angry wasn’t what she wanted to do.

She followed Monica onto the shore after they were done and was about to ask about eating themselves when the black cat walked onto the beach.

"He's safe right?" Vicki asked.

"Oh yea, he's safe." Monica said walking toward the cat. "And right on time."

Vicki watched in horror as Monica first bowed to the temple and then laid down on her stomach in front of the cat and stretched her body out. The cat put his paw on her legs and began to lick her back with his tongue.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Vicki screamed.

"Better than an herbal wrap." Monica answered laying on her stomach. She sighed and stretched. "It’ll make you feel ten years younger. I got some oil at the house we can rub on later. Makes you feel like you got new skin."

"We?" Vicki demanded.

Monica pointed and Vicki saw that a second cat had come onto the beach. She screamed and ran back into the water. The cat sat down and watched her curiously.

"No way!" Vicki shouted. "No freaking way!"

"You don't have to." Monica said turning over. Sparky began to lick her stomach and breasts.

"Then I won't!" Vicki said. To hell with her career, some things just weren’t worth it.

"I hope Bast doesn't see that as an insult." Merry said.

She and Simone were on the mountain range overlooking Monica's farm. Merry had been nervous about Vicki seeing this part of Dollopolis. They had been halfway through building a temple for Ida when Monica had asked for one for the cat goddess. The Group didn't say how the cat goddess had found her but they gave the idea a green light instantly. They all had built the temples together and it had been one of the happiest weeks of Merry's life. For the first time they were all there, even Snowbelle and they worked and laughed together. At the end of each day they had sat on the grass and talked and laughed. Simone had even let the girls have wine, something she almost never did. Lizzie and Jessie were working on statues of the goddesses.

"She won't." Simone said. "You have to realize Merry that the poor girl is freaked out."

{What puzzles us is why Bast is interested in Vicki.}

{Tremont's little job with her eyes was more of a joke than anything else, like the ears.}

{She looks better with them.}

{Agreed.}

"Will you let her keep them?" Merry asked.

{We might.}

{They work far better than her old ones did.}

{But if Bast is curious about her we may have little say in the matter.}

{Is Bast looking for someone like Goddess of Justice?}

"I wonder what the C.I.A. would think of that if it happened?" Simone wondered.

"They might not mind." Merry said. "No one’s ever thought of Athena as a security risk. But I wonder what Vicki will say if Bast approaches her?"

No one had an answer to that so they stood and watched in silence.

Vicki had no idea how long that the cat licked Monica. She did know that it was impossible to take her eyes off of them. And her ears brought Monica’s soft moans and Sparky’s purrs to her with crystal clarity. After a while Monica started to sing and the tune sent tremors up and down Vicki’s back. When it was over Sparky stood up and trotted off of the beach. The other cat followed him. Monica stood up, stretched (in what struck Vicki as a very cat-like move) and gathered her clothes. After the cats were gone Vicki climbed out of the water and picked up her T-shirt.

"Well you're all pruney now." Monica said looking at her.

"I'm sorry." Vicki said.

I should have joined her, Vicki thought. Damn it I missed a chance to get close to her. But those cats! They could… those teeth!

"Come on before you catch cold." Monica said seeing her shudder. She spread her shirt over Vicki’s shoulders. At Vicki’s size it was almost a cape and it smelled of Monica.

"Do they do that to you all the time?" Vicki asked as they walked into the half house.

"A lot yea. But they only do it by the temple when Bast's moon is up." Monica said. The lights in the house came on as soon as she opened the front door. "I think there's some sort of ritual Bast wants us to follow but I'm not really sure yet. She’ll let us know when she’s ready."

"Does everyone do this?" Vicki asked.

"I do it the most." Monica said. "But yea, everyone does it now and then."

"It's just weird to me." Vicki said.

"Yea, it would've been weird to me once too." Monica said. "Get some sleep, maybe your memory will come back tomorrow."

"I hope so." Vicki said.

The climbed to the top of the stairs and Vicki realized that there might be one more chance.

"Um... You need help with that oil?" Vicki asked.

"Sure." Monica said smiling.

Vicki followed her across the hall and into her room. Besides the bed, harp and piano there was a desk, a dresser and a full length mirror, a radio and a yoga mat on the floor. Against the wall was a giant blue Ipod. Vicki blinked and realized that it wasn't giant, it was normal sized. The Bose speakers filled up the walls. The desk was covered with sheet music and magazines. The address labels on the magazines each simply read ‘Monica’. They were nearly all music and farming magazines. Vicki memorized the titles, maybe that would help someday.

"You play?" Vicki asked.

"Oh yea." Monica said. "And I'm writing too. The Duchess is letting me turn the history of Dollopolis into an opera. It’s hard because they’re still looking for the Hall of History. It was lost when the duchy jumped worlds."

She went into the bathroom and came out with a small glass bottle. She handed it to Vicki and knelt down.

"Don't use a lot." Monica said.

"Ri… Right." Vicki said pulling the stopper out of the top of the bottle.

Monica's body was solid dark muscle. Vicki did the best she could as she applied the oil. She could have made it if Monica hadn't been twice her size. But she was and Vicki just couldn't figure out how to seduce her. She'd been taught in the covert training course, but that was for women who were the same size. There was just too much of Monica and Vicki had no idea where to start. She ran her small hands over Monica's firm breasts but Monica showed no real reaction, nor did she show any as Vicki's hands ran over her stomach and legs. Vicki could feel herself getting turned on but Monica might as well have been mahogany for all the reaction she got. She simply sat there on her legs, bending now and then to make it easier for Vicki. The scent of the oil was vaguely cinnamon and lemon and it mixed perfectly with Monica’s scent. The combination aroused Vicki.

Everyone here is supposed to be gay, Vicki thought as she gave a bit more attention to Monica's breasts. The ashen nipples did respond but not very much. What am I doing wrong? Is she freaked out by my new body as much as I am?

"Good evening Monica."

Vicki jumped and nearly dropped the bottle as Simone walked into view. She was giant size and scary.

"Good evening my lady." Monica said. "The harvest went good today, we'll get it to the storehouse tomorrow."

"Good." Simone said. She turned to Vicki. "And how are you?"

"Ok I guess." Vicki said.

She couldn't help a little scream as Simone reached into the house and picked her up. Holding her in one hand Simone pointed a black box at her with the other. There was a slight hum from the box but Vicki didn't feel anything. Simone ran her thumb up and down Vicki's body. After a moment Simone put her down.

"Physically you're fine, but your memory loss may be a psychological part of the trauma. I'll check on you tomorrow. Good night Monica."

"Good night my lady." Monica said.

Simone vanished and Monica stood up.

"Thanks for the rub down." Monica said. She picked up the bottle. "You could use one too."

"Uh?" Vicki asked.

"Come on." Monica said lifting Vicki up in her arms. She carried Vicki into the other room and put her on the bed.

Vicki’s heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to explode. Desperately she reached for her training but it seemed to slip away from her. Monica handled her as if she weighed nothing. She rolled Vicki onto her stomach and spread the oil on her back and legs and butte. It was a sensual massage and Vicki had enjoyed those before. But this was different. Monica’s hand was large enough to cover her entire back, her palm rode up and down Vicki’s body in a firm, powerful movement that made Vicki feel even smaller than she was. With a casual movement of that extra large hand Monica squeezed Vicki’s butte cheeks together. It was only for a moment but Vicki felt her entire body react.

Then Monica turned her over.

The sensual high was in full ascendance now. Vicki blushed as they both saw that her pussy was wet and dripping. But Monica didn’t say anything. Her large dark hand merely flowed over Vicki’s body, between her legs and around her small breasts. She massaged Vicki’s feet and Vicki moaned. Monica even massaged Vicki’s new ears with her finger tips and Vicki felt her body burn with desire.

Then suddenly it was over Monica stood up.

"Good night." She said. "You get a good nights sleep and tomorrow we’ll get the food into the storehouse."

"Wa... Wait!" Vicki pleaded. Her body was screaming for some sort of release. "Can you... Can I... I don’t want to be alone. Not now, not after..."

"Well ok." Monica said. She got into the bed beside her and pulled Vicki close. Vicki tried to kiss Monica’s breasts but Monica held her back.

"But..."

"Here." Monica said gently. She reached between Vicki’s legs. Her fingers started to work into Vicki’s wet pussy. "But it’s only for tonight."

"Thank... Thank you." Vicki whispered as her body carried her away into bliss.

{She isn’t very good at this.}

{No, not at all.}

{Even with the improvements Tremont made to her body she stumbles about like a drunken sailor.}

{Inexperience or bad training?}

"Both." Merry said as she followed Vicki. It was the fifth night and so far Vicki had slipped out of Monica’s house and gone looking around each night. So far her nightly excursions had produced nothing but a tired body and a frustrated agent. In her nightly rounds Vicki had been down to the river and up to the mountains but that was all that they allowed her to do. A giant cat was usually asleep by Thunderbird 2 and when it wasn’t Merry was there working. They were making sure that she couldn’t try anything until Lucy called. What puzzled Merry was why Lucy was taking so long. Even if the agency that owned Vicki didn’t want her back the police record was easy enough to find.

Vicki reached the rim of the mountain range and looked into darkness. Merry heard her cursing and then stepped back into the shadow of a tree as the spy moved on. The Group had modified Vicki’s body, she could hear far better than before, she could see in the dark and her sense of smell was better too. But she had no idea how to use any of her new senses. So far she had done nothing but follow the standard undercover rules. She had tried to get close to Monica and had succeeded more or less. Merry had to smile when she recalled Monica laughing as she described Vicki’s clumsy attempts at seduction. After that first night Monica had made sure that there was distance between them, frustrating the young operative even more. Monica didn’t really like girls that much; Snowbelle being the only exception and even then they had yet to make love. At least as far as Merry knew. Simone knew of course but Merry wasn’t going to ask. She didn’t feel that it was any of her business. Simone held the theory that love was beyond sex but Merry wasn’t sure. At the same time Monica took full advantage of the girl, working her hard all day and into the night. Even so somehow Vicki found the energy to explore Dollopolis at night. And she didn't give up trying to seduce Monica. Merry saw that as a sign of desperation or lust.

Still if it was desperation Merry could understand why. And she could see signs of a capable operative there. Nascent and flawed but with better training she would be alright for light duty. Who ever had sent her into the Diamond’s ship was either desperate or didn’t care. She had even used a rope to try and climb down the outer edge of the mountains, something that was nearly suicidal.

Merry stood still as Vicki gave a small scream. One of the cats had come across her and Vicki froze. Merry smiled. When she had first been shrunk cats had been one of the major dangers she had faced. It had taken a few missions to learn that they could sense fear and react to it. Standing still would not have helped Vicki with an ordinary cat, but this one only paused and then moved on. This sort of thing happened a lot on her nightly excursions and Merry was sure that the cats were enjoying themselves. She was also sure that Bast was watching the operative. But that wasn't something she was going to worry about. Since that first night Bast's moon hadn't risen.

Vicki sighed and started to move again. Merry smiled as the spy started to head toward Thunderbird 2. Then she moved quickly to head her off. Merry had to admit that she too took a bit of pleasure out of frustrating the young woman so much. Vicki would just get close enough to Thunderbird 2 to think she was home free and Merry would pop out of a hatch or move out from behind it.

Spying isn’t supposed to be easy, Merry thought as she circled ahead of Vicki. If anyone told you otherwise they were fools or fooling you.

{Simone is getting a call from Earth Force.}

{They have finally figured out who Vicki is.}

{Merry you can let her into TB 2 at last.}

{We’ll need you at the castle.}

Merry nodded and moved faster.

The last time they had seen Simone she had been weak and barely able to walk. Now she seemed perfectly fine. Her red hair shined and there were no lines on her face. At least no lines from wounds. It was obvious that she wasn’t happy.

Hell I wonder if they know what happy is, Mary thought.

Since she had joined the ranks of superheroes Mary had been through a lot and had seen things that were so strange they nearly defied description. But so far Simone and Dollopolis matched any of them. Just the fact that to talk to Simone they had to have Prudence bring in her eagle-a model of a spaceship used in the old Space 1999 program-get inside and start it up was strange. It was stranger with the model sitting on the solid oak conference table in a room tastefully decorated with oil paintings and deep wood paneling along side a panoramic ocean view. The room wasn’t made for toys.

After a few minutes they had heard a small whine and a small hologram of Simone appeared in front of the small craft. She was wearing a blue gown and sitting on her throne drinking tea. Since they had no idea what time it was in Dollopolis Lucy had decided to call Simone as soon as she confirmed the information on Vicki. The sun was just rising when they had received the police reports.

"Good morning Mrs. Rothschild." Simone said pleasantly. The hologram doubled in size until it was two feet tall. "Good morning Ms. Dream."

"Good morning." Lucy said.

"Hi." Mary said.

"I am glad that Prudence has recovered."

"So are we." Mary said.

"I take it that you have at last found out who my mystery guess is? I’ve healed her but she seems to have lost her memory."

"The memory tab Merry left in the toilet got stepped on." Ms. Dream said. "And Gadget Gal wasn’t in shape to do anything about it till yesterday."

"Ah, sorry." Simone apologized.

"Her name is Vicki Huang." Lucy said. "She was a prostitute who was hired by the Diamonds."

"They have a strange way of treating their employees." Simone said. "Are you sure of her identity? She does not seem to be the type to sell her body."

"I’m sure." Lucy said. "We think that she was hired because she looked like a heroine; the Red Dagger. They were using her to train their men. But the Diamond’s changed their plans and decided to use her as a way to get into a new criminal organization that is forming."

"Well Merry took care of that ambition." Simone said and there was a satisfied tone in her voice that Mary knew Lucy didn’t like. "I will tell Vicki of her identity, she may wish to remain here but if she wants to go home I will arrange it."

"Simone about what Merry did," Lucy said. "there is a problem with it."

"Really? What?"

"She killed forty eight people on that ship." Lucy said.

"Forty nine." Simone said. "The traps have been thick and hard Mrs. Rothschild and Merry is no longer in any mood to be gentle."

"Those traps are not our doing." Lucy said.

"I believe that, Merry does not." Simone replied. "And I must confess that I thought there would be at least some slackening of effort to catch her after our deal was formalized. I understand that you are not powerful enough to enforce the deal, but I was lead to believe that your United Nations was. And I still fail to understand why my little duchy is so hunted."

She was calm and matter of fact but Mary could that Simone was tense. She could feel it from Lucy as well. Simone seemed to realize that Merry had gone too far, but what could she do about it?

Come on Lucy, Mary thought. Finesse it like you always have. You can do this.

"The governments of the United Nations did agree to my plan." Lucy said. "And for the most part have upheld it, but in many governments there are rogue organizations who don’t really follow any rules of law. Those are the ones who have been laying traps."

"Then what is the value of our agreement?" Simone demanded and now she was obviously angry.

"The agreement was a good start." Lucy said. "It managed to remove the idea that Dollopolis as a possible threat to world security. I hadn’t realized at the time that the covert departments in many countries would continue to pursue you. I promise you Simone I had nothing to do with any of these traps."

"I believe you." Simone said after a breath. "But that means nothing to Merry. I deal with frustration better than she does, but then I do not expose myself to danger. Glue traps, animals hunts and gas attacks have been aimed at her in the past year. Merry is not entirely convinced that you have nothing to do with it."

"I don’t. And I understand your situation." Lucy said. "But she killed forty eight people."

"Forty nine." Merry said. There was a blast of static and Merry appeared next to Simone. As usual there was a hard angry look to Merry’s face and Ms. Dream didn’t need her powers to feel the angry aura around her. She was wearing a black T-Shirt and pants. She was half of Simone's size. "It was a trap Lucy and I’ve had it with traps!"

"Not everyone on that ship was out to get you." Ms. Dream said.

"I didn’t know that." Merry said. "Enough of them were anyway. I intercepted the transmission, scanned the ship and saw enough firepower to take out a small city. Should I have given them the first shot? Hell I lost a ship getting her out of there!"

"Merry you could have called us for help." Lucy said.

"Help?" Merry burst out. "You!? Lucy every time I go near you I nearly get killed. The last time Simone nearly got killed! You think I’m going to ask you for help?"

"Calm down Merry." Simone said putting a hand on her shoulder. It helped a little but not that much.

And this is the person Prudence thinks is scared, Ms. Dream thought. Lucy was handling the anger with her usual composure but Ms. Dream knew that it hurt her.

"Merry I can understand why you feel that way." Lucy said. "But this is a very large and a very complicated world. This is not your world."

"I thought it was one of my people." Merry said. "Do you know what they did to her on that ship?"

"Yes." Lucy said. "And we've had that argument before Merry. But you left that ship adrift at sea flooded with deadly radioactivity."

"That was the point!" Merry shouted. "I didn't have time to kill everyone myself, I had to make sure that when I got away they couldn't come after me."

"What if that ship had drifted into a port? What if another ship had heard their distress call and tried to board them? Then innocent people, truly innocent people would have been hurt, perhaps killed."

"Even the worst radiation detector in the world would have warned them." Merry said. "That ship was white hot ten minutes after I left it."

"If they had one." Lucy said.

"What?" Merry asked. She and Simone looked at each other.

"Mrs. Rothschild are you telling us that ships in your world do not carry radiation detectors?" Simone asked.

"Not all of them." Lucy said.

"You’re kidding." Merry said. "Back on our world if a captain went out without one his crew would have mutinied. Next you’ll be telling us that ships aren’t armed."

"They aren’t for the most part." Ms. Dream said.

"So what happens if they are attacked?" Merry said. "Come on, you have pirates on your oceans."

"If a ship is attacked in international waters they call for help and the nearest naval ship comes to their aid." Lucy said. "That is in accordance with international maritime law."

"You have a sea law for the entire planet?" Simone asked truly surprised. "A single set of laws?"

"Yes we do." Lucy said. "And this is what I mean, Merry you do not know our world, you can not operate on it as if it is your world. There are laws here that must be obeyed."

"What about deals?" Merry demanded. "You said I'd be free to search if I got Lady Highfield's daughters back. I've faced a lot of traps over the past year Lucy."

"That is not my doing."

"Isn't it?" Merry demanded. "You two faced…"

"Merry enough." Simone snapped and Merry fell silent. "Mrs. Rothschild has told me that is the shadow men that are setting traps for you, not her."

"Shadow men." Merry ground out the words with hate. "Then what's the problem with me killing them?"

"Ok, hit the pause button for a moment." Ms. Dream said. "Shadow men?"

"On our world there was a level of government bellow the nobility." Simone said. "They dealt with the day to day running of the various kingdoms. As enforcers they used under cover operatives: spies. We called them Shadow Men and their pursuit of Merry was… intense. They were governments within governments, much as the groups that Mrs. Rothschild has described, and one of the few groups to capture her from time to time."

"They didn't hold me." Merry snarled. "Not for long, but long enough. If you have them on this world then I know what to expect now and I’ll take care of them." She smiled. "And I have some choice ways of taking care of those people!"

Oh wonderful, another mental mine exploded, Ms. Dream thought. She could tell from the way that Merry spoke that another in a long list of traumas had been revealed. Her hate was palpable.

"Merry on our world each country has a set of spies." Lucy said. "And with in those spies are often rogue groups that don't obey the laws. They are not the Shadow Men of your world, you can not simply kill them."

"Then what do I do with them?" Merry demanded. "I'm not going to go through the trouble of knocking out forty nine people Lucy, or fifty or a hundred. If someone from Dollopolis is in trouble I'll do what I have to do."

"No matter who might get hurt or killed?" Lucy asked.

"Have I ever killed anyone who didn't deserve it?"
"I don't know." Lucy said. "Have you? From what I have found out ‘Bloody Merry’ left a trail of destruction across your world, when you destroyed a city was it a city full of evil people? Right to the last child?"

It was a good thing that holograms couldn't attack because Merry looked mad enough to tear into Lucy at that point. Once again Simone put a restraining arm on Merry's shoulder but this time she had to pull her back. It helped that Merry was a lot smaller than she was.

"Can you tell me that anyone on that ship would have just let me walk away?" Merry demanded.

"Probably not." Lucy said. "But did that give you the right to kill them?"

"Survival and power gave me the right to kill them." Merry growled. "When someone from Dollopolis is in trouble that’s what I go by. Nothing else matters."

"Mrs. Rothschild we seem to be at an impasse." Simone said. "Merry must continue to search for survivors and you are powerless to stop your shadow men from trying to trap her. I can understand things from your point of view but we have very few options here. I can not afford to loose Merry because she is following your laws and her foes are not."

"Simone there are other options." Lucy said. "If Merry feels that she is walking into a trap then let her call me. Earth Force will go with her."

"That means I'd have to trust you." Merry said coldly.

"I haven't earned that yet?" Lucy asked.

"I…" Merry stopped and seemed to stumble back but Simone held her up. "By the Law of Family you are my mother, by that law I have to trust you. But experience tells me something else."

"One mistake." Lucy said and her voice showed the strain she needed to keep it under control. "I broke my word once and paid dearly for it."

"I'm not talking about that." Merry said. "I'm talking about Simone. You promised to take my job when I helped Lady Highfield and she nearly died anyway! Simone nearly died! Now if I get killed following your stupid laws what happens to her?"

"I would do my best." Lucy said. "I can not make a guarantee that she would ever be hurt. No one, not even you can make that guarantee."

Merry fell silent and looked away.

"Ok, ah how about this." Ms. Dream said. "Lucy aside what about Prudence and Esmerelda? Do you trust them?"

"Yes." Merry said. She looked at Ms. Dream. "I trust them and I trust you."

"Me?"

Merry nodded.

"How about that and I wasn't even trying." Ms. Dream said. She was being as flip as she could but Ms. Dream knew that Merry’s words had hurt her friend. "Let's go with this then; if you think a traps ahead of you call us, me, Prudence or Ezzy will come. Lucy can stay out of it until you trust her." If you ever do, Ms. Dream thought silently. And we can always add to the list later. Hell we might have to go through Earth Force one person at a time. And if we do, we do. This cat and mouse game of yours is getting old. "The covert groups that might grab you would think twice about doing the same thing to us. We're too high profile."

"It would seem to be a solution to the problem." Simone said. "And you have longed to spend more time with Prudence and Esmerelda."

"I guess." Merry said.

"It is settled then." Simone said. "Merry the next time you search you will not take any action until you have consulted Earth Force."

"What if there is no time?" Merry asked.

"Then you may take action so long as it is not lethal in nature." Simone said. "So long as you or the one you are rescuing is not in mortal danger. And even then you are not to kill wantonly and if you do kill Mrs. Rothschild will judge whether it was done with or without cause."

"What?" Merry burst out. "No! No way!"

"It is in accordance with the Law of Diplomacy." Simone said.

"Not if you take into account section 717." Merry said. "I’m First Knight. The Laws of Diplomacy don’t apply to me under the exception in that section."

"Section 717 does not..." Simone stopped and looked up. "If you will excuse us for a moment Mrs. Rothschild."

The images blinked out.

"I bet if we keep quiet we can hear the shouting." Ms. Dream said.

Lucy took a deep breath and slumped back in her chair.

"You're getting there mom." Prudence said coming out of the ship.

"By Athena that woman drains me." Lucy said. "And I will not have it."

"Short of making love to her Lucy I don't think you'll get her trust back." Ms. Dream said. "It was one thing to break your word, it was another to get Simone in trouble. You remember what she was like when she got back form Faerun and what she did to Teleport-Her?"

"Yes I do." Lucy said sadly. "And that is the reason I will not have her anger or hatred last. I will show her what true justice is Mary, I'll teach her that lesson if it takes me a thousand years! Merry is too capable to be left to the whims of her emotions."

Simone held onto Merry until her lover stopped shaking.

"Goddess I hate myself." Merry swore. "Putting them through that… I swear Simone I'll kill myself if she ever finds out the truth! I swear it! I'd never be able to face any of them!"

"Easy dear." Simone said hugging her again. She could almost feel the nightmares gathering in Merry's head. Simone wasn't happy about the way they were fooling Mrs. Rothschild either, but she wasn't as tortured about it as Merry was. It was something that had to be done and that was that as far as she was concerned.

"Why are we putting her through this?" Merry asked wiping away her tears.

{Because it was necessary.}

{The traps must stop.}

{And this is the best way to stop them short of you joining Earth Force.}

{Which you may end up doing anyway.}

"Me in Earth Force?" Merry asked and Simone heard fear and hope in her voice. "I could never... not day after day being with them... lying to them... I just couldn’t."

"But how will this stop the traps." Simone asked. "These searches Merry supposedly go on are fictional, any real mission you send her out on can’t involve Earth Force."

{They are fictional at the moment.}

{That will not last.}

{We are working on it.}

{For now we have to continue to lay the groundwork.}

{And it must be a legal fiction.}

{And more importantly it can not be easy.}

{In the past we have shown Lucy and her friends how dangerous Merry can be.}

{Now we must force the C.I.A. to realize it as well. They in turn will warn other intelligence agencies.}

Simone looked at Merry and Merry shrugged.

"So what next?" She asked.

…To be continued.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER  SCARLET'S SANCTUM MAIN PAGE   SKYTOWER'S MAIN PAGE NEXT CHAPTER