2023-02-16 16:14:59Seeing the older man was unsettled Stanley saw an opportunity to go on the offensive. "I noticed that all of the workstations on this floor are current where all of the lower floors are struggling with ancient equipment. Can you explain that?" he asked.
The man wasn't really paying attention to him as he fussed with his rings. "Their workstations are perfectly functional. There was no need to upgrade them."
Stanley looked at the man in surprise. "That decision falls under the purview of the CIO."
Mr. Pfister was beginning to look a little desperate to get the rings off but they looked stuck. He was also beginning to look a little... green. "Yes, but the PO's are approved by me so nothing is purchased without my say so. So, I decide."
Paloma took Stanley's arm and quickly pulled him away as she could see he was starting to get angry.
She got him into the elevator and they rode it up to the top floor. "We need to speak with your mother," Stanley grumbled to Paloma. She nodded and they made their way down the hall. When they got there her executive assistant, Felix, asked them to take a seat.
They must have been there for ten minutes when Mr. Duncan entered the waiting room and was directed to go straight in to see the CEO. Stanley's eyes were wide with shock as he took in the ripped state of the Security Officer's suit and a splash of what looked like blood on the man's arm and cheek. Paloma placed her hand on Stanley's arm to keep him seated and it calmed him down. Another ten minutes passed then Mr. Duncan emerged with a smile on his face. He nodded and winked to Stanley and left.
"You may go in now," Felix said.
They rose and entered the office. Ms. Villamor gestured for them to take the seats across from her desk.
They sat and Stanley immediately slid forward on his chair. When the woman turned her dark eyes on him he felt it like a physical shock through his body. She was just so lovely!
"Muh-Ms. Villamor, I d-d-don't..." Paloma put her hand on Stanley's arm and he felt himself calm. He kept his eyes on the surface of the CEO's desk. "...believe I'll be able to resolve this company's technical crisis without an immediate adjustment in policy. The CIO must be the one who decides on what purchases are made for the company's IT requirements, not the CFO." He looked back gratefully at Paloma and she smiled at him.
"I don't believe that will be an issue for us any longer. Mr. Pfister is no longer working for VRL. I believe you will find his replacement to be much more reasonable," the woman said with a wide smile.
"But- but I was just speaking with him-" he said in shock.
"And you left him in a very talkative mood. When Mr. Duncan spoke with him after you left he confessed to embezzling from the company with Mr. Hokensev's assistance. This gave us grounds to... fire him for breach of contract. He was... escorted from the building. We won't be seeing him again."
Seeing the stunned look on Stanley's face she glanced at the clock and smiled. "You've had a very busy first day. It's well past eight so why don't you head home and we'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."
"Uh, thank you Ms. Villamor. Good night," Stanley said as he got to his feet. He admitted to himself he was tired. He was eager to move forward with this project but he needed to sleep. He also had a long commute ahead of him.
Paloma followed him out of the office and down the hall to the entrance of his office.
"I guess I'll head home and I'll see you in the morning," Stanley said, fidgeting.
"See you in the morning. I'm so glad you're part of the team," Paloma said with a smile.
Stanley's head spun a little and he nodded with a grin of his own. "Thanks! Good night!"
He made his way to the elevator lobby and was surprised when the two security agents nodded to him as he waited for the car to arrive. He nodded to them in return and took the elevator to the lobby. Mr. Duncan was there and nodded to him as he left. The man was wearing a new black suit and there was no sign of the blood he'd seen earlier.
Stepping outside Stanley felt an incredible rush of joy shoot through his body. He had a job, a challenging one at that, doing something he loved and was being paid quite handsomely for it! He wouldn't be just working on one small component of the company's tech but would get to work on all of it! Not only that, he had a beautiful woman assisting him. A woman he could actually talk to without swallowing his tongue! He hoped this would help him be able to speak with other women and maybe even meet someone he could date! He walked north towards the subway station his mind lost in his memories of Paloma's smile.
He was passing an alley a short distance from VRL when a hand reached out and yanked him off his feet, tossing him deeper into the dimly lit alley. Other hands took a grip on his arms and dragged him further in then yanked him up to his feet. He was being held between two very strong people he couldn't see.
Suddenly a bright light was shining in his eyes and he blinked away the tears. He looked to see who was holding him and... he still couldn't see them. They were still shadows. His mind shied away from that as he squinted against the glare to look towards the headlights. Someone was standing between them, backlit.
Stanley couldn't see his features but he was tall and wearing a tailored suit. Broad shoulders and a slim waist. Maybe he was a swimmer? Stanley had heard that swimmers had this kind of physique.
"Mr.... Garin, is it? Stanley Garin?" The voice was deep, rich, and cultured. He couldn't place the accent.
"Y-Yes? Who are you?"
"Well, that doesn't really matter right now does it? Now that I know who you are I have what I need," the voice said with amusement.
"I- I don't understand. What do you want with me? Why are you doing this?" Stanley was starting to get scared. Today was turning out to be really, really weird.
"Give it to me!" the voice barked as he faced sideways towards someone out of view. Stanley saw his profile and the man had the perfect features of one of those Michelangelo statues.
An arm reached in towards the man holding a 4" metallic cube. The man took it and walked towards Stanley until he was just two feet away. Stanley's eyes widened in surprise. The man was beautiful in an unearthly way. He was smiling at his prisoner, enjoying the look of awe, basking in it.
"Stanley, you are going to do me a favor. Not because you want to but because you won't really have any other choice." He gave Stanley a smile as if he found himself rather clever. "You see, in this quantum paradox trap is a demon. A truly nasty one but it's my demon. It's under a binding to me so when I let it out of the trap it's going to enter your body and become you. Then you'll go home, get a good night's sleep and start your workday tomorrow as my personal minion inside VRL."
"No thank you please," Stanley said, his voice wobbling in fear. This guy was insane. Demons? Who knows what was really in that little box.
Surprise flickered across the man's perfect features and he barked out a laugh. "Oh my, that was precious! So polite! Sorry, I'm still going to do it. Nice try though." The man nodded to the people holding Stanley and they reached across to rip his shirt open to expose the skin of his hairless chest.
Stanley cried out in fear then felt the cold metal of the cube pressed against his sternum and looked down to see it. It was difficult to look at as the ornate patterns on the sides of the cube seemed to be moving in multiple directions at once. He glanced up to see the man smiling with his brilliant white teeth exposed.
Then he heard a click.
An explosion of light and electricity blew the smiling man backwards, tossing him bodily up and over the car. The headlights blew out and the alley fell into shadow and after images of the lightning.
The shadowy men holding Stanley's arms weren't so lucky. They were tossed sideways to impact the brickwork of the buildings, like bugs on a high speed windshield.
Stanley was the epicenter of the explosion and didn't emerge unscathed. The rebounding shockwave returning from the brick walls on either side of him slapped him down to the ground where he lay dazed. His eyes were rolling but when they became accustomed to the low light in the alley he saw dark figures bundling the tall man into the back of the car. Then it screeched backward out of the alley and accelerated away. Stanley felt eyes watching him and someone stepped out of the shadows and stood before him.
He had to be hallucinating from whatever explosive had been in that box. The being standing before him was red, covered in blood, and naked. Very naked. He looked up to the face and yellow eyes glowed as they pinned Stanley in place.
"I should thank you for freeing me but... that's not what I do."
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Stanley gagged on the odor of its breath. The stench of diseased rot and death dripped from the being and Stanley tried to move but his limbs weren't responding."You're small but you'll be an adequate snack." Sharp teeth flashed in its wide grin."PERHAPS I'D MAKE A MORE SUITABLE MEAL, FOUL DEMON!" boomed a voice from the entrance of the alley.Stanley turned his eyes over to see a large woman running towards them. The naked figure hissed in anger and spun, looking for an exit but the alley was closed at this end. It turned to face its attacker and leathery wings ripped from its back. It leaped into the air desperately flapping to get altitude. Shadows were filling the alley, cast there by its wide wings.The woman running towards them gave a thunderous battle cry and leapt upwards. Huge wings of white burst from her back, their light driving back the shadows. The demon hissed louder and threw something dark at the woman.A shield of light appeared on her arm and deflected the black
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Its face had Stanley's features but they were just a little longer. Still youthful in appearance but definitely no longer slim and slight. He now had a broad, muscular chest and powerful arms with three thick fingers and a thumb on each big hand. His clothing could not contain his new configuration and lay on him in torn shreds. Most dramatic of his changes was his lower half from his waist down. Densely furred and powerful, his legs had become those of some kind of goat right down to his large cloven hooved feet."What- what is he?" Paloma gasped."I think he's a Satyr but his horns are bigger than I was expecting. I've never seen one before. They- they're supposed to be extinct!" Sigrid said quietly. "He, or I think more likely someone else, went to a great deal of effort to keep him disguised. I've never seen that kind of glamor before. It wasn't overlaying his true self with a false image. It was actually altering reality around him so he could... be... a Human. That's magic at a
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Concentrating she felt the enchantment slip into its paused state. Like a falling curtain of glitter the overlay she wore to hide her true self from the world dissolved. Beneath it her skin shimmered iridescently between deep blue and black. Her hair was still the color of obsidian but it was thicker and fell to her mid-back. Horns, much smaller than Stanley's, slimmer and shorter rose from her temples and curled back. Her facial features were much the same as her glamor showed, though her eyes were a little larger and her lips were fuller and black, making her white teeth gleam. Her ears had pointed tips which aimed up and back.As his wide eyes moved down her body he froze. She was naked! Her tits were... big! Bigger than he'd seen when she showed him some cleavage. Her curves were all more exaggerated than before but he couldn't see more as she was crawling up his body. Then she rubbed herself over his torso. God! That felt so good! He was responding to her quickly.She pressed her
His Biggest Secret Chapter 9
"A SATYR?!? Oh my god! You left a young Succubus and a young Satyr alone together?!?" Camila gasped and raced for the door. "Felix! Have my car waiting downstairs! Have Mr. Duncan meet me there! Sigrid, let's go!"Paloma was so hot! Her skin tingled with need. As she was dragged from the depths of her rest her eyes cracked open and she felt eyes on her. She felt their caress on her body and she began to squirm as the tingle began to be concentrated on the sensitive flesh between her legs. She felt herself growing wet and she began to pant. She wanted him, this watcher. She felt his hunger radiating from him in waves. His hunger was raw and untamed. Unconsciously she drew her knees together and lifted her ass up from the mattress whimpering with her own need for him to touch her, taste her, and take her.She jumped when large hands gripped her hips and yanked her closer to the end of the bed. She cried out in joy when his tongue roughly stroked across her dripping pussy lips and sucked
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Stanley's initial excitement at the woman's acceptance of his idea faded as her subsequent argument sounded entirely too logical and reasonable."Let's set that aside for now. The question is, how do we help Stanley get his disguise- or alternate reality, back in place?" Camila said to calm the young man."Are you wearing an item the spell is anchored to? An enchanted ring, bracelet, or pendant? Even an earring would do," the big Security Chief suggested but Stanley just shook his head.Sigrid sat forward. "There was a strange ticking just before the conversion. The ticking sped up then... you changed.""Where was the ticking coming from?" Camila asked.The blond shook her head. "We couldn't tell. It seemed to be coming from somewhere on his body but I wasn't close enough. Paloma was closer. I barely had time to pull her away before it happened.""Paloma won't be in any condition to answer questions for a while," Camila said with a frown."I- I didn't hurt her, did I?" Stanley said he
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Camila's skin was deepest ruby red and black and shimmered even in the dim light of the courtyard. Stunningly beautiful with voluptuous curves, her sensuality pulled at Stanley's body but the fear in her eyes as she watched the crone on the steps dampened his lust.Sigrid hadn't changed but he could see her wings were pinned to her back and glowed dimly. She definitely looked uncomfortable.The change for Mr. Duncan was the most dramatic. Standing upright on wide paws with obsidian claws, his hugely muscled body was covered with blood red fur. His head was that of a huge wolf complete with a muzzle full of deadly teeth. His tongue was lolling in fear and his teeth gleamed."Baba?" Stanley turned back to his grandma."What is it boy?" she said with a frustrated tone."Please, these are my friends. They saved me tonight!" he said.Her eyes snapped to his and he felt the impact of her stare. She was looking for truth. He'd suffered this from her before so he relaxed. He knew he was speak
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Stanley sat behind his desk in his new office looking out the window. Morning sunlight streamed in and warmed his body. His human body! He saw his reflection in the glass smiling back at him.True to her word, the moment he woke up this morning when he spun the black ring on his finger as Baba instructed he felt the briefest moment of dizziness and found himself in his original human body. He'd never felt so relieved in his life! The ring had even magically resized to fit his much smaller human finger! To think he'd always had the ring there but just hadn't been able to see it. That confused him so he pushed the thought from his mind.He'd also discovered that he'd want to be naked each time he changed as the folding of reality had a nasty effect on any clothing he wore. The huge robe he'd had on when the change began showed rips and tears in it when he was human again. That sucked and needing two distinct and very different sets of clothing sucked too.He'd have to buy himself a hood
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"I understand Sigrid is going to be taking you over to a condo building at lunch to check out an available unit. All of the units on specific floors in that building are sold to people like us. This is done in every building we share with Humans as a precautionary measure. The buildings have a mix but the floors are not intermixed. Even numbered floors are for Humans. Building management in these buildings is always run by someone from the Hidden Races and they ensure this division is maintained. There are many buildings in the city like this. If this one doesn't appeal we can try to find another. I'd like to exhaust those options before risking you staying in a non-controlled building.""I lived in the attic of an old cottage in a swamp. I think anything with actual working electrical outlets will be fine," he said with a small smile. "I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for your support and guidance. I'm completely out of my element.""Outside of ensuring you switch back to
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They stopped at the guardhouse where a startled looking soldier stared at them, then just waved them through. They returned to the building with the auditorium. The Colonel, the General, Hugh, and the lab coats were waiting for them. Corporal Dane handed the camera back to the technician, who accepted it excitedly. He immediately reviewed the recording and made excited sounds to his colleagues.The General was trying to school his expression but wasn't too successful."How... how are you feeling, son?" he asked softly from his tight throat.The big marine saluted him with a wide smile. "I feel really good, sir! So much better than I was after the explosion and maybe better than my best day."Hugh's expression was satisfied. "I know a lot of other soldiers who might appreciate the same chance."Mick stepped forward. "Sir, what we saw today was just short of a miracle. His body rejected the conversion, and we almost lost him. The injury he sustained created a break in the flow, and he a
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Gordon took in the ribbons pinned to the marine's dress uniform. He'd done some pretty impressive things in his career. He stepped forward and returned the man's salute. "I'm Colonel Gordon Crane.""Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Endale."Gordon smiled and gestured to the soldiers, who were now all smiling at him. "I suppose your security clearance has been escalated to allow you to witness this, so let me introduce you to my squad. Up until yesterday, they were a group of highly trained human soldiers. We were charged with capturing a small group of Silver People. Instead, my people got turned into Silver People themselves. They're still the same soldiers, but you can't really call them human any longer. Not that they've complained.""We can run so fast!" Yablonski gushed.The squad burst into chuckles, and the marine's eyes widened at the odd sound."Maybe discipline has been affected," Crane grumbled, and his squad snapped to attention as the argument was over and the two men returne
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"I'm not at my peak either. I had to use a fair amount to deal with Carl de Bellisle. But I don't intend to fight Nuru. I don't want her job!" she exclaimed.Sigrid snorted in amusement, and the phone chirped. Camila pressed the button. "Yes?""Your 9 AM is here," Felix said."Thank you. Please send them in."Sigrid stood to face the door as Camila joined her. "Remember our visit to Walter's cavern?" the blond asked quietly, and Camila nodded as she smiled at Nuru, who strode in with her bodyguards at her sides. They shut the door.The waves of energy radiating from the leader confirmed Camila's guess that she'd been overfeeding in preparation for this meeting. She sighed, as in contrast, Camila held back on her output the best she could. She forced a smile onto her lips."Greetings, Nuru Onwudiwe," Camila began and bowed her head to the other woman."Camila Villamor, you are not presenting the excess of power you did the other night," Nuru snapped.Camila looked up and nodded. "As I
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Keeping the destination drop zone in his mind, he opened the tear, and Henry fell through to drop three feet to the grass below. The back of his head landed on the small brass commemorative plate bolted to the stone next to the bushes. Xiong winced but quickly closed the tear as he saw the beam of a flashlight approaching.He hoped their friend was okay as they'd asked so much from him. He looked back to the pile of charred remains. Something shiny caught his attention. It was up where Henry's head had been. Xiong reached down and lifted the crystal ganglion from the ground. His body must have rejected it after he was healed.Xiong couldn't inform Henry that he no longer had their transplanted capacity to wield magic. He also had no idea how Henry got it out yet completed his spell.He looked to the others. "We will bury these remains in the forest glade to honor our friend, Henry."A feeling of joy and love washed through him from the others. The Glass People loved the idea, as they
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He felt Xiong withdrawing, and through the magic in him, he picked up snippets of a conversation Xiong was having with all of the other Glass People. The volume was a bit overwhelming as there were so many voices, and they were upset. They seemed to be talking about making him a Glass Person because of his injuries. To save him. Xiong was trying to tell them it wouldn't work as he'd already been subjected to the same energies, and he wasn't glass now.Henry was beginning to get seriously worried. How badly was he hurt? He felt someone close by and reached out to the mind. It was one of the Silver People.It physically touched him, and he linked minds with the young female. Concepts and perceptions were flowing through their link. She was sad. She'd heard he was the hero who'd saved all of the people on this planet and many on Earth. He imagined looking through her eyes at him, and she allowed it.He saw his Human glamor, and he looked no worse for wear. That was a relief. He dropped t
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Crane shrugged. "I might have gotten more information, but Palmer's team decided to make his attempt at capturing my team.""You informed your team to run. They're now on the loose," Palmer asserted."No, they've gone to ground and will contact me tomorrow. They're still my squad. They remain devoted to the mission, as do I," Gordon asserted."But they won't come in," Baines growled."Yes, they'll come in, but not if they're going to be experimented on. Fully human soldiers would behave the same way under this threat, and there's no need for it. They've already proven they'll tell us everything we need to know." He locked eyes with the General. "Having a squad of bulletproof soldiers able to move faster than we can register with our eyes gives us one hell of an advantage, wouldn't you say? And remember, we know how to make more."That got through to the man."I'd personally like to speak to one of these Silver People," said the man with the crooked smile.Crane nodded. "We saw a repor
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"Status report, Mick," Crane commanded through his mic. Their radios were shielded, so they still worked.The sergeant was still a little overwhelmed by the shared emotions, but she pulled it together and answered. "Colonel. The pseudo-clouds appear to be dead. The strike zone of the last prolonged bolt is too energized for us to enter. In the center of this zone is a body. We can't get close enough to make a positive identification or to determine if the person is alive or not. It looks to be a male based on body shape and clothing. The area is sprouting new growth unnaturally fast. Grasses and flowers are actually growing before our eyes. The four Silver People we met in Tennessee were here before we arrived, and they showed us how lightning affects the plant life where it strikes."And how exactly did they do that?" Crane asked, weariness in his tone.Mick felt a little uneasy with what she was about to confess, but she pushed ahead. "Uh, it seems we can speak mind to mind if we ho
Chapter 222
As he got closer, he could feel every hair on his body beginning to stand on end. Little sparks were jumping between the strands, and he could taste something metallic. The rain was picking up, as was the wind, and soon he was drenched. The closer Henry got, the brighter the sparks snapping across his body became. It felt like his entire body was being pricked by pins and needles. The woman suddenly looked up at him and stopped with a look of fear on her face, clutching her child to her side.Henry looked closely at her and realized her hair was as soaked as his, but hers wasn't attracting the sparks at all.He looked past the woman and saw the tiny sparks leaping through the gap between himself and the approaching storm. He was a lightning rod! FUCK! He had to get away from her and the children! He spotted two young men running by."STOP!" he roared, and they froze in fear. "Help her get her children to cover!" he ordered, and they rushed to her and got her moving, one pushing her ca
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"Shit!" Crane exclaimed.Sam looked at his friends then back to the Colonel. "These things duking it out over a city would not be good. I don't know what effect the lightning would have on people, but I can't imagine it would be good." A sudden pang of guilt made him look to the new Silver People they'd made. "You should know, we get our energy from the lightning. I guess it's how we eat."Jake scowled at Sam, but he just shrugged. He wasn't about to let them starve to death.Brenda and Jeannie went back into the barn and returned with handfuls of the silver strips, handing them out to the soldiers. Brenda took the remaining strips back to the barn when they no longer melted into the soldier's skin."We have to leave," the Colonel said, looking at Sam."That's cool with us. It's up to you what happens to your people. We're just going to keep running as that's what feels best. We won't interfere with you. I'd like to ask that you do the same for us, but maybe you don't have that author
