Chapter 38

The wizard and Danielle led Arma to a couch, where she sat down. The
wizard pulled up a chair to sit facing her, and Danielle went to make
some iced tea. The wizard adjusted his robe in his chair so he wasn't
sitting on quite as much of it. "There, that's better," he mumbled to
no one in particular as he straightened up and looked Arma in the eye.
She had a confused expression on her face. "I imagine you have some
questions, hmm?" he chuckled as he leaned back in his chair, folding
his hands over his almost-portly stomach.

"Yeah. I was wondering how-"

"Quite simple, actually," the wizard began answering before she could
finish getting the phrase out of her mouth. "You have to consider that
although you had protected yourself against technological assaults
from virtually every front, your defenses against magic were just
about nonexistent. In fact, if you didn't have the natural talent for
it that you do, your case would have been irrevocably unrecoverable."
He raised his eyebrows in a mock-reprimanding expression. "I hope
we've learned our lesson, here."

"Yeah, but who-"

"The 'Order of the Dragon,' as these people like to refer to
themselves, is a wayward order of ancients who seem bent on
resurrecting something sinister; something somehow related to the
Annunaki, I believe. They've been known to work with Ms. Tabor in the
past, and aren't above calling on infernal assistance to achieve their
goals."  The wizard looked as if he had swallowed a bitter pill, and
then continued. "My guess is that your little jaunt on Venus set them
onto you. Surely you must have considered that NASA satellites weren't
the only things capable of seeing what was going on over there."

"But I disabled-"

"Yes you did, but that isn't my point. The point is that just about
every ball-scrying Jane-witch and Joe-warlock within three dimensions
eastenate and westerwise from this one noticed what you've been
doing."

"But I thought that-"

"Apparently not well enough, hmm? And it didn't take a genius to
figure out that someone had gotten their hands on something that we,
as a wizarding community, until now considered a harmless threat.
Somehow you've managed to begin to turn it into something else, and
people have noticed."  The wizard gave Arma a long, serious look. "And
it was only a matter of time before someone took exception to that.
After all," he added with a good-natured chuckle, "mucking up reality
is supposed to be our territory."

Arma nodded with a rueful smile, and looked down with a sigh at her
'new' body. "I'm not sure I'll be able to get used to this," she said,
gesturing at herself. "Particularly, these," she added with a laugh,
while briefly gesturing at her huge tits.

"Well, I'm sure you'll manage. Even without access to your Field, yes
I know about it, don't give me that look young lady, you may have some
options."  The wizard pulled out a little black book from one of his
bathrobe's sleeves, and wetting his thumb on his tongue, leafed
through its compact pages until his eyes lit with recognition of
whatever it was that he was looking for. "Ah, here it is." He looked
back at Arma. "I just happen to know someone who might be able to help
you harness that latent magical ability I told you about earlier. She
specializes in late bloomers, if you will. Are you interested?"

"Well, I guess I-"

"Very good. I'll tell her about you. She should contact you shortly.
Now if you'll forgive me, I think I have a customer. Good luck!" the
wizard smiled as he waved his hand in front of Arma, causing Arma's
vision to blur out of focus, before it refocused with her sitting back
at the table she'd been at in the food court yesterday, just as people
began coming in at the beginning of the day.

Arma noticed she had a cute leather purse over he shoulder. Curious,
she opened it and looked inside. She noticed it had some feminine
products, and a wallet. She took out the wallet, and noticed it had a
driver's license with her picture, with her name listed as 'Arma Von
Rhein.'  She smiled, and then noticed there were a few hundred dollars
cash in the wallet, as well. "Well, at least I won't starve," she
giggled as she closed it up, stood up, and walked to a pay phone.

As time had been passing, Arma had noticed her thoughts becoming less
and less muddled. She realized that her name didn't sound quite right,
and eventually realized it was because her name was actually Aram, not
Arma. "Hmm."  She tried using the Field to communicate with her AI
system on AC2, but didn't have any luck. However, she could feel
something at the edge of her perception, just out of reach, that
seemed to call to her in a new, yet familiar way. She tried reaching
for it again, but after a few moments of failing to make contact with
whatever it was, she shrugged it off with a laugh, and picked up the
pay phone.

She dialed a number she knew would get her through to the AI system on
AC2. It was less convenient, but it had been installed for non-Field-
sensitive people who needed to contact the citadel by a StarBell
Corporation communications subsidiary. Of course, they had no idea
where it connected to, except for the fact that it was relayed via
satellite signals to some undisclosed, shielded location. The other
end picked up, and a smooth, genderless voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Yes, this is Arma, er, this is Aram Von Rhein. Or, this used to be
Aram Von Rhein. I need a portal sent to my old apartment, or something
to pick me up, anyway."  There was a moment of silence on the other
end of the line, before the voice responded.

"A pair of 'travel agents' has been dispatched to Aram's apartment.
They'll facilitate your traveling needs. Have a nice day."  The other
end hung up, and Arma dropped the phone back into its metal cradle
before turning and exiting the mall.
 
 

Chapter 39

Saine and Cosaine walked through the security portal and into an
unimpressive apartment in an equally dull city. "Ugh," Saine winced as
he looked out the window onto the street below. "What is this place?"

Cosaine, on the other hand, found it fascinatingly revolting. "I
dunno, but it's kind of interesting, don't you think?" he smiled, as
he traced his finger across the top of an appliance, coming away with
a thick coating of dust on his finger tip. "Ahh," he said, wiping the
dust off with his thumb. "Anyway, we won't be here long. The traveler
should be here soon."  Saine nodded at this statement with a wry grin
as he continued to look outside.

"I think this might be her," he said as he noticed a beautiful raven
haired woman get off a bus, and walk into the front of the building.
An instant later, a door bell sound rung through the apartment.
"What's that?" Saine asked as he walked towards the door. He
approached a small intercom, and pressed a button that looked
interesting.

"Hey, unlock the door, okay?" he heard from the other end of the
intercom.

He jumped back just a little, before pressing the button again and
speaking to it. "And how do I do that?" he asked.

"There's a button to the right of the one you're pressing right now.
Press that."  Saine looked at Cosaine, who nodded with a shrug of his
powerful shoulders, then he pressed the button, and heard a buzzing
sound over the intercom.

"Thanks. I'll be right up," the voice said over the comm., before
cutting out.

"Well, that was easy," Saine muttered as he heard footsteps approach
from down the hall. There was a knock at the door, and Saine figured
out how the locks worked in short order, opening the door in only a
few moments. "Welcome," he said as a beautiful woman walked inside,
looking at the both of them as she strolled into the center of the
room.

"And who are you two?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm Saine."

"And I'm Cosaine."

Arma looked at the two men, both prime examples of their gender. Tall,
strong, and very easy on the eyes. Their pointed ears were hardly
noticeable beneath their lustrous blonde hair. Despite herself, Arma
found herself getting slightly physically aroused from their presence.
"Well, are we set to go?" she asked, before she could get herself into
trouble by dropping to her knees and taking one of their long, hard
cocks into her warm mouth... She shook her head to rid herself of
those thoughts.

Saine nodded, and Cosaine smiled as he brought forth a portable portal
and set it on the ground by the window. "Portal activate. Destination
AC2."  A rectangular glowing area quickly rose from the cylinder, and
an image appeared on the other side of a sterile looking room. "After
you, ma'am," Cosaine gestured to the portal, and Arma stepped through.

It felt like stepping through a thin sheet of water as she passed
through, but found herself completely dry on the other side, as she
stood in the processing room. Although she could feel her nipples
standing at attention, and a slight twitch in her panties as her hard
cock strained to tear itself free from its silken confines. She looked
over her shoulder at the glowing doorway, slightly embarrassed of her
thoughts. But she couldn't deny that the pressure of her hard penis
against her moist pussy was very distracting as she swished over to
sit down at a bench against one of the tall white walls in the boxy
room. She noticed no doors were evident. Her mental wanderings were
interrupted by a genderless voice emanating from the ceiling.

"Welcome to Aram Citadel 2. Please relax while we scan you for any
harmful elements."  There was a brief flash in the room, then the
voice continued. "Thank you. You are free of any harmful elements, and
in perfect health. Please move through the airlock so the next
travelers can use the room. Have a nice day."

Arma laughed a little, then got up and walked through a door that
appeared in the middle of the wall across from her. Once she was
through, the other door of the airlock opened, and she stepped out
into a large circular courtyard made of white marble, replete with
Corinthian columns supporting an elegantly designed veranda around the
edge of the area. "Home at last," she breathed with relief as she made
her way into the outskirts of the city.

She felt a certain pride as she looked on while all the sylvan went
about their daily lives with obvious joy in what they were doing. It
was like a big party, and she was given beautiful native flowers as
gifts from both men and women as she walked through the charming
streets. Shades of red, blue, yellow and white, the full blossoms
smelled sweet and fresh as they rested in the loose garland which was
freely draped around her graceful neck. To her left, she saw a quaint
looking public house, with a few patrons inside sampling the local
nectars. Curious, she walked inside and sat down at one of the tables.
Once at the table, a holographic menu rose from the table in front of
her, and she selected a Jula Nectar Quaff by passing her finger over
its image. Then she passed her finger over the 'hide menu' tab. The
menu retracted to just a small tab at the center of the table, and her
Jula materialized to the right of it.

Arma slowly lifted it to her nose, and inhaled the heady scent of the
nectar. It smelled of honeysuckle. She ventured a small taste, and her
taste buds were treated to a blissful delight of flavor as the light,
airy coolness of the nectar slid down her throat. "Mmmm," she moaned
appreciatively as she set the glass back down on the table, to sit and
savor the taste for a moment before continuing. She closed her eyes
for a few moments, and leaned back in her chair. When she opened her
eyes again, there was a young sylvan male standing across the table
from her.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked with a charming smile. She smiled back,
and he sat down across from her, placing his drink down in front of
him. He closed the menu that popped up, and leaned forward, resting
his trim, muscled arms on the table. "I can't say I recognize you. My
name's Kyros," he said, offering his hand to her. She shook it gently,
like a woman would. He laughed, tossing his silky blonde locks out of
his face, and then gazed at her intently with his deep blue eyes.

"Oh, my name's Arma," she giggled, realizing he'd been waiting for her
to introduce herself. "Sorry, I've had a strange day."

"I can only imagine," Kyros replied with a good-natured laugh. "You
aren't sylvan, are you?"  It wasn't really a question. Arma nodded in
agreement.

"Nope. Actually, I'm not really sure what I am right now."

"Well, welcome to our world, then. None of us are really set in
anything, yet. Sometimes it seems like one big free-for-all, but some
of us seem to know better," he smiled, taking a sip from his drink
while glancing over the top to maintain eye contact. "I think you'll
fit right in, really. Do you know where you're from?"

"Well, I used to, but this is a new body, actually."  She blushed with
embarrassment at the absurdity of her situation. "I was magicked into
this one."

"Well, whoever did the magicking apparently has good taste."

"Well, I think it was supposed to be a punishment, actually," she said
with a tilt of her head before taking another sip of her drink.

"Well certainly not for the rest of the world, anyway," he joked. For
some reason, this caused Arma to blush. "Sorry if that embarrassed
you. It wasn't intended to."  He leaned back a little, still keeping
his hands on the table and playing with his glass. "Well, Arma, I
don't know much about you, but I'd like to change that. Do you suppose
we could get together again some time soon?"  He had a hopeful
expression on his face as he asked this. "I have to return to my post
a few minutes ago, but I'd very much like to see you again."  He
offered his hand again, and Arma shook it once more.

"I'd like that," she said, surprising herself. "Although I might have
a different name next time we meet, the way things are going lately."
They shared a laugh at this, and Kyros nodded as he bade her farewell
and left the establishment.

"Just remember, the name's Kyros!" he called out with a grin as he
walked out the door onto the street.

Arma smiled as she sat back in her chair, sipping her nectar. 'This
could be interesting,' she thought to herself as she let herself relax
in her chair, enjoying the ambience.
 
 

Chapter 40

Deep in a secret bunker in a remote, and highly classified military
station, a bored technician noticed a hitch in a computer readout.
"Well, that's odd," Sergeant Harris muttered. "No, that couldn't be
what..." he trailed off as realization settled in. "I've gotta tell
someone!" he muttered in alarm as he quickly picked up the phone that
connected directly to the main office of his project. "Get me the
project leader," he barked into the receiver as he scanned the readout
once more, to assure himself he wasn't imagining things. After all,
how the hell could this have happened? Before long, a gruff bass
voice, sounding like its wielder could chew nails and spit them out in
pieces, got on the line.

"Well, boy, what is it?"

"Sir, uh, General, there seems to be an issue with our eyes in the
sky."

"What are you talking about? I was just in a briefing, and all our
satellites were working fine. You better not be wasting my time."

"No sir, not those. The Magellan fleet. You know, the ones around...
um, Venus."

There was a weary sigh from the other end of the line. "Well, how'd
they break? Was there some sort of cosmic storm, or meteor or some
bullshit?"

"Uh, no sir."

"What then?"

"Uh, they aren't broken, per se."

"Well then what the hell's wrong with the damned things?" the general
barked.

"They seem to have been, um, tampered with. Their feedbacks are on a
sophisticated loop cycle."

"A what? How the hell is that even possible? I thought they couldn't
be reprogrammed. If they can, there's gonna be some scientists walkin'
with a frickin' limp for the rest of their damn lives!"

"Uh, no sir, they aren't reprogrammable... not by remote, anyway.
You'd have to do it manually."

There was a pregnant silence, with nothing to be heard but the light
static on the line. "What are you saying?" asked the general at last.

"Well sir, pardon me for saying so, but fuck SETI. We've got
confirmation right here."  There was a brief pause.

"I see. I'll start an investigation. Send copies of your data to my
office, and then keep the originals in the base's vault for now. If
this pans out, then good job. If this turns out to be a hoax, I'll
have your sorry ass transferred to working as a male prostitute for a
bunch of gay Eskimos in Nome, Alaska. Tyburn out."  And the line went
dead.

"Understood, sir. You pompous goat-fucking ass," Sergeant Harris
muttered into the dead connection. Sergeant Harris looked at the
readout one more time, shook his head with a big sigh, and walked
upstairs to carry out his orders.