His current situation illustrated this. Because he had once slept with Julie Wellbeloved, (they were both drunk and on the rebound from someone else) he found himself unable to refuse her request that he 'drop everything' and get down to her offices in the New York "Crusader" building. He had dozens of things to do and beside being near the fiery and self-confident Julie always reminded him of how weak and unimpressive he was. He wished in his heart of hearts to be a conqueror of women, a man who could snap his fingers and have any woman he wanted. In his dreams he was Conan, he was Tarl Cabot, he was every barbarian hero who had ever dragged a captive female to his tent by her hair. But in reality he was six foot two, thin as a rake and had a mop of thin blonde hair, a big nose and glasses. He was in fact a thirty year old nerd.

At the cheery "Come I-h-n!" from the other side of the door, Victor poked his head round to see Rose, Julie's motherly secretary at her desk watering her enormous collection of cacti. She looked over her 'granny glasses' and beamed at him.

"Hello there, Doctor Barton! How lovely to see you again! Go right in, she's expecting you!"

Nodding and blushing (for no reason he could consciously think of) Victor went towards the inner office. Julie was there her feet up on the desk, eating her lunchtime yogurt and watching the midday news on the TV in the corner.

"...And finally, social news, TV presenter and veteran Women's Rights campaigner Marion Garvey, today announced her retirement and her engagement to millionaire industrialist Harry Charles. Ms Garvey resigned all her offices in women's groups and said that she would be devoting her time to her new husband. She also announced that she would be taking Mr Charles' name after the marriage. Ms Garvey who disappeared from her office in Los Angeles earlier this....".

Julie saw him and clicked the TV off.

"Victor! Come in! Sit down! How have you been?"

Flustered, Victor sat and made polite conversation, stammering and blushing as he always did when beautiful women paid attention to him. Soon he found himself sitting with a drink in his hand. Julie came to the point.

"Victor, I've got a very big favour to ask. I think I've finally got a lead on my sister."

"Well, that's good news, Julie, I'm really pleased to hear..."

"Have you ever seen this man?" She handed him a photograph of a balding man in an expensive business suit.

"N..no. I don't think so."

"Well, he's now one of the fifty richest men in America. Three years ago no-one had heard of him. Now Mr Cherak Thergo is in charge of a multi-million dollar foundation. No-one seems to know where the money comes from but if you try to investigate you get blocks on computer checks and polite requests from the government to leave Mr Thergo alone. He has lots of friends in very high places."

"What's this got to do with Beverly? And w...what's it got to do with me?"

"I saw Beverly in a limo in New York which belongs to one of Thergo's pet Senators. I traced a van that makes deliveries to the Senator's estate to the 'Institute' in the South where Thergo makes his home. I can't get close to either location...yet. But I've visited his New York office and I found this."

Julie dumped a pile of photocopies on Victor's lap. He began to leaf through and found much of it to contain reams of symbols and drawings. The notation was unfamiliar but it seemed to be laid out like mathematical proofs.

"Hmmm. This is odd. What is it?" Victor felt his nervousness leave as the talk moved around to technicalities.

"I don't know. It had the highest security rating in the computer I took it from. The files were labelled, "Beginner" and "Grimoire_One". A grimoire is..."

"I know. A handbook of magic. Hmmm. A codename?"

"Perhaps. Can you figure it out for me. I've tried but after about two paragraphs the math looses me."

"I'll take a look at it. I can't promise anything but I'll let you know. Give you a ring and you can come over for supper."

"Thanks. I'd like to Victor. Of course, this investigation keeps me tied up pretty much of the time."

That last phrase triggered one of Victor's favourite sexual fantasies: in his mind's eye he saw himself striding along a row of women chained naked to pillars. There was Julie and his next door neighbour, Susan. He turned to the slaver who stood beside him and said "Those two. Prepare them and bring them to my chambers."

"Victor, are you all right?" Julie's voice brought him back to reality and at the touch of her hand on his shoulder he turned bright red and felt a hot and cold flush run through him. "I'm fah...fah...fah...going." Wiping the sweat from his brow, Victor Barton Ph.D, physicist, mathematician, nerd and would-be barbarian hero, slunk away.

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