From jsrose@ix.netcom.com Sun Feb 23 08:16:40 1997
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From: "Jeffrey S. Rose" <jsrose@ix.netcom.com>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories,alt.sex.stories.tg
Subject: Story - New U ch.1&2 of ?
Date: 23 Feb 1997 13:16:40 GMT
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This is the first time I've written a transformation story and it looks to
be a long one. these early chapters set up the characters and have _no_ 
sex in them. I've yet to decide just how much of a role it is going to play
in the actual story. So if you're looking for somthing to masterbate to,
you'll likely be disapointed.

If there is a more appropriate newsgroup, for this piece (even if you think
it's the trash can) let me know.

Obviously, the characters and situations presented are fiction and any
resemblence to anyone living or dead is purely coincedental.
Please feel free to post or archive with notification. Otherwise, this work
should be considered copyright 1997 Jeffrey S. Rose and no part should be
published in printed form except for review/critical analysis, or offered
for sale without consent of the author. "Time & tide melts the snowman!"
-- 
Jeffrey S Rose
(jsrose@ix.netcom.com)
"Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of.
But doit in private, and wash yourhands afterward."
                     - Woodrow W. Smith

"All humans, without exception, want love. No organic
or emotional, or psychological damage can remove 
that need. Humans can survive, albeit in pain, 
without being loved - but lock a man in a dungeon
and he will find an ant to love, or try to. The sociopath, 
who feels no emotions, wishes he could love, and 
is driven mad by his impotence."
                                                        - Michael Finn
                                               "Callahan's Secret

------------------------------
New U: Ch.1, The Job Interview, by Jeff Rose 1997
     "You did what!?", I cracked at the three women arrayed before me. I
say cracked because,
well ... Let me back up a bit. 
     My name ... 
     I'm ... 
     How do I explain this?
     
     James (Jamie to his friends) McGowan was pursuing his least favorite
pastime after joining the ranks of the unemployed: Reading the want ads. 

     General handyman needed. Should have working knowledge in Landscaping,
Carpentry, Electrical wiring & PC's/Home Electronics. Live-in.
Salary/Benefits negotiable. Call: 555-3510

     Well 30 yr. Old Jamie had been a dilettante all his life. Between his
parents love of home
improvements and his own varied work history, as long as whoever wasn't
looking for a expert in all those areas he might have found something. He
called the number listed in the paper and after taking down some odd
instructions (One of which was to draw up a diagram showing the wiring
layout for a proposed entertainment system) he found himself with an
appointment three days hence, to meet with the owners of an of plantation
house out on Rt.40.

     "So what makes you think you have the qualifications to upgrade and
maintain this place?"

     Jamie thought the interview had been traveling somewhat widely when
that question popped out of Bethany Williams' mouth. Her green eyes danced
mischievously, as if she hoped my tour of the house and it's co-owners
would make me feel I had already gotten the "Handyman" position. 

     "Well I've worked in practically every area that will need renovation
or refurbishing and I
know a good electrician who can handle some of the rewiring that will be
needed in the utilities area.The big question is why you don't hire a Major
Domo to just handle contracting everything out? With the amount of work
you're looking at, he or she (Never forget a woman can be just as skilled
as you are while in an interview. -Jamie's Guide to Job searching #12)
won't be able to do it all alone anyway.", Jamie replied. He was proud of
the fact he managed to remind his prospective employer that he was a 'Jack
of all trades' while minimizing  the 'Master of none' part of the title.
Implying that the job title was inadequate might border on the impudent,
but it also spoke of the fact he was quite aware of what the ongoing
responsibilities would be. Besides, Beth had pulled a cheap trick.

     As Bethany cocked an acknowledging eyebrow that had Jamie wondering if
I might have over stepped my bounds and prepared another volley, Anne Howe
walked in with some drinks.

     " We know that you will have to contract out some of the landscaping
and wiring, but we'd like to minimize the number of people running through
the house.", she said passing Beth a Grolsh. "Are you sure you wouldn't
like a beer? Anne asked as she handed Jamie a black coffee.

     "Thank you, but they tend to make my brain soggy and besides", Jamie
patted the slight bulge in his middle, "as much as I like the things, I
have enough trouble presenting the image of a trim go-getter."
     Jamie smiled sadly at this last self derogatory comment. While he was
not a drunk, he was very fond of good beer and at 30, he had no illusions
about his looks. At 5"10 1/2' in stocking feet and 200 lbs. his large frame
could not hide the fact that he preferred sitting in front of the tube
watching anime or playing a  video game to jogging around the block. The
thick sandy blonde hair of his youth had darkened a bit and partially
migrated. Dressed as he was, he looked like a tenured Prof who didn't
realize he was just a shade to old to be hip. 
     Just as Jamie became aware of the lapse in the conversation, the third
co-owner of the house chose that moment to make herself known, "Well I
don't know about you girls, but the boy knows his way around a sound
system.", Chris Anderson said tossing the schemes Jamie had drawn up per
their phone call."Little pricy though." she added.
     Jamie pulled another set of drawings from the portfolio he had brought
with him. 

     "Quality costs and you did ask for off the shelf components."Jamie
reminded the small
seemingly oriental woman who had managed to snatch Beth's beer, then wink
inspiratorially at Anne who grinned slightly as Beth tried not to look
irked and got up to retrieve another
Grolsh.,"Given a little time to browse Baynesville Electronics, a soldering
iron and some time in that workshop of yours and I think this one switch
box could save considerable confusion, not to mention close to one hundred
bucks in extra cables and boxes."
      Jamie smiled as Chris' face took on a engrossed look that
technophiles everywhere get when looking over a new set of specs. As she
read the papers in her left hand, Beth noticed the Grolsh dangling in
Chris' right and calmly accepted her beer back. The plans detailed an A/V.
switch box that would plug into the amplifier from her original request.
The nice part was that it included support not only for the S-Video cables
running from her VCR and laserdisc player but, would accommodate the
straight A/V. cables from her camcorder and video games. It even had a
built in RF modulator for her vintage Atari, Colecovision, Master System
and Intellivision games. The whole thing could be cross patched on the fly
and subsequently fed into her editing deck, to then be sent to another VCR
for recording.

     "The date on these plans.."Chris started.

     "I collected all the old game systems my parents couldn't afford when
I was a kid and got fed up with needing three different boxes to route
everything. By the way do you happen to have the 'Valis' Hu-Card for the
TG-16? I've been looking for one at a reasonable price for years.", Jamie
explained with a friendly grin.

     "Well I'm ready to take him on.", Chris announced and attempted to
take a swig from the
non-existent bottle in her right hand. Finding it to be missing her dark
eyes swivelled quickly to see a grinning Beth wink conspiratorially at Anne
who giggled slightly. " Have you given him the low-down on pay and bennies
Beth?", Chris asked sweetly while staring at the beer bottle being tilted
to Beth's full lips.

     "Yeah, I covered that and the non-disclosure agreement early on."

     Anne raised a hand to her two house mates and while her cobalt blue
eyes seemed as merry as ever, the rest of her face went into a deadpan that
the best poker player in the world would have problems with. "Christine,
Bethany, please. No discussion till I hear from you as department heads.",
she said in such a businesslike manner that Jamie felt his eyebrows climb
involuntarily. "Now then, Beth?"

     Beth gave Anne a startled look that let Jamie know something was
amiss. Not horribly wrong, just that what Anne had requested was a breach
of some long standing agreement between the women. 
     "Subject displays very mild manic/depressive tendencies but seems well
adjusted to the
subsequent mood swings. He also has a mild paranoid streak due to a self
esteem problem; probably stemming from an early childhood trauma. Subject's
personal life reflects the above noted problems to a tee."

     Jamie found Anne's soft touch on his forearm as he began to raise up
and call a halt to Beth's accusations. It was bad enough that she was
hitting fairly close to home, but it was obvious that they had somehow
managed to do a complete background check on him in less than three days
and he wanted out before she began poking at his lifestyle too closely. But
as he glanced over at Anne, sitting next to him, she very slightly shook
her head "no" and rubbed his forearm reassuringly. The gentleness of her
touch as she the moved the hand down to his and squeezed slightly sent such
a thrill of confusion that he lost control of his muscles and slumped back
in his chair as Beth continued. 

     "Subject lives alone and while he does have friends, none would
consider themselves to be particularly 'close'. The subject on the other
hand does not allow others close to him casually. He has shown a loyalty in
times of need that borders on the obsessive. Still, he holds himself at an
emotional distance from even these few links he has to the rest of
humanity.
     Although outwardly an extrovert, he acts this role deliberately to
guard himself from others. The few intimate relationships he has had have
engendered such feelings of despair upon ending that the past 12 years of
his life have been spent without a partner of any kind. To escape the
pressures of the outside world, the subject has read extensively, with a
particular interest in science fiction. Subject also is an avid collector
of Japanese Animation and old video game systems.
     He is politically conservative and while registered republican holds
views of a definite
libratarian bent. 
     Surprisingly, the subject holds no police record and only a couple of
driving citations.  His favorite dish is Chicken Tetrazzini and he seems to
have a distaste for domestic beer in general and any lite beer in
particular. Further details can be found in the report filed in the
computer, but to sum it all up, Mr. McGowan here should be completely
reliable. Any problems he has are not such that a few hours of therapy
wouldn't clear them up. Like most people he just wants to be wanted."

     As Beth sat down Anne took hold of Jamie's hand again and again there
was such a feeling of understanding that he didn't even attempt to open his
mouth. He was finding himself feeling very close to this woman who was
about his age and despite her trim figure, simply styled short brown hair
and blazing cobalt eyes there was nothing sexual about this feeling. He
wanted the comfort and ease of being that she generated naturally. He felt
he could see all the horror that visited everyone in the world daily, just
so long as she was there to tell him with that gentle touch to let it be.
He barely took notice when Chris stood to present her report.

     "Okay now that the tact patrol has throughly disturbed 'The Subject',
I'd like to compliment him on the breadth of his experience.  Jamie here
has sold and installed telephone and computer systems. He sold electronic
and A/V hardware for over five years and was particularly well known
amongst his customers for actually taking the time to show and explain all
the components necessary to do anything from distributing signal from a
single antenna to all the TV/VCRs in the house, to bypassing cable boxes
(naughty, naughty), to some really bizarre things that I'm not sure what
some of these customers thought they wanted. This, as opposed to simply
piling parts on a counter and ringing them up. 
     While in the military Jamie was a Photo/Video equipment specialist.
What that means is he was responsible for keeping all the A/V. equipment on
the base he was assigned to in working condition. It became a real
'jack-of-all-trades" assignment when the classes moved into building and
maintaining darkroom facilities under field conditions. Can anyone say
'carpentry and plumbing skills a must?' 
     Further, I went to his parents' house and conducted their interview
personally. 
     (Don't give me that look Anne. It was the only way to see what he
could do with a yard. )
     Jamie, on the budget your family had to produce that yard alone, your
kin should've gone into the landscaping and construction business. I
included photos in my report if you'd like to call them up.
     On the downside, Jamie has never bossed a job this big before, but I'm
sure with our
organizational help he could pull this off.
     In short; Ya got my vote kid!"
 
     That last remark kicked the analytical side of Jamie's mind back in
gear and elicited another confusion in his mind. Chris couldn't be any more
than 30 years old herself (and he was willing to push that back to 25) yet
all through her "report" she had referred to him as if he was at least a
decade her junior. The emotional side, which was still riding the swell of
well being generated by Anne, kicked an annoyed foot to the shin of its
twin, but lost its balance when Anne withdrew her hand and gathered herself
to present her report. It righted itself promptly as she scanned her two
house mates and finally settled on Jamie. 

     "Alright ladies, Jamie, normally I would have sent any outsider to
another room while we
discussed 'house business', but I wanted you to hear what we thought about
you in an unadulterated form so you would have a better idea of who we
are."

     Jamie was again put on notice that something about this setup was not
right. The little analyst in his head began setting up the equation again.
Even considering the "fixer-upper" price the three relatively young women
would have paid for this place, the house an land were still worth about
$500,000 on the open market. He was applying for a permanent position. The
girls were not planning on refurbishing the place and selling it. The
market was wrong for the expense and the location wasn't remote enough for
most of the few prospective buyers that did exist. 
     Then there was the small add-on building in the rear of the house.
Beth had explained they wanted to cover it with a deck that would
eventually lead to the pool. When he had requested entry to see what
support structures existed to hook into when planning the deck, Beth had
curtly told him he could not be allowed into that part of the house until
he was hired.
     Three beautiful women, a secluded mansion with a forbidden room, and
the non-disclosure form. Jamie suddenly began to feel like one of the
idiots in a Friday the 13th movie who after hearing about the psychopathic
killer living in the woods outside the camp, then decides to take a
midnight stroll.
     Anne crossed to the other side of the table and stood behind her
partners. Beth passed a paper across the table to Jamie and Anne explained;
"We feel you are acceptable for the position of handyman, unlike the other
applicants for this spot, you have no real connections to the government or
any large corporations, you have the basic skills needed for the task and
we like you. That last part is vital as we will all be living together and
assisting you as much as possible. We really don't want any more people
wandering about the place than necessary for reasons that will become clear
after you sign the form in front of you." 

     Jamie looked over the standardized non-disclosure form that sat in
front of him. He had
signed several others in the past, except that no reference was explicitly
made as to the name of the name of the company. Only "the Corporation" was
mentioned. He looked up inquiringly at the three ladies across from him.
     Beth nodded her head in silent approval. She knew the insatiable
curiosity over what was
behind closed doors, a typical defense strategy of mild paranoids, would
make him need to know what he couldn't know without signing the paper.
Chris just smiled at the war going on in Jamie's head between curiosity and
caution. And then there was Anne.
     Although her face maintained the same businesslike expression, her
body language was tense. Not in a predatory way, but like a mother, waiting
to see if her child would be able to take those few steps from the couch he
was propping himself up by, to her arms. There would be pain for her if he
failed, or worse, damaged himself in the attempt. 
     Jamie signed the paper.

     Chris raised a toast as Anne scrambled to wrest a bottle and some shot
glasses from the ajoining kitchen. Beth, in her first real show of
affection, lightly tousled the thin stuff on top Jamie's head. 

     "To our new employee and roomie!", Chris intoned solemnly. Then
waggling her eyebrows and thrusting her hips out;"May he serve us well!"

     Jamie choked and sputtered as Beth reached over and playfully swatted
the back of Chris' head. Anne shot the still giggling Chris a dirty look
and said;"Alright, down to business. Jamie, how old would you say we are?" 

     "Hu .. er..Couldn't we start our business relationship on a less
troubling basis?"
     "But you don't understand, our age is our business."
     "My point exactly."
     "Let me try, Anne.",Beth said as she sat down next to Jamie. "You know
our names; have you ever heard of New U."

     Jamie thought for a moment. New U Nanotech had finally justified the
investment
community's faith in biotech companies. About a year ago the three
scientists who started New U had invented a new form of nanite that could
apply chemotherapy directly to any and all cancer cells in the body. The
result was drastically smaller dosages of the caustic drugs and much less
damage to the patient. Currently their stock was one of the hottest trading
issues on the market. 

     "But isn't New U located on the west coast?" Jamie was trying to
remember the photo in the Newsweek article he had read. "Shouldn't you
three be quite a bit older, if you weren't kidding me about your names?"
     
     "You'd hardly think that Anne here will be 62 in two weeks.",Chris
said as she brought in
some microwave pizza rolls.

     "Although I don't think Jamie would be hard pressed to believe Chris,
Beth and I were room mates in college.", Anne replied.

     "C'mon, if you don't want tell me what's going on .."

     Chris reached over and Beth picked up on it. Jamie found himself being
lifted and guided
toward the closed section of the house. 

     "The Nanites we used to create the Chemo Delivery System were over ten
years old by the time the FDA began allowing testing on human subjects in
the US.", Anne said ,coming to the door with the scanner plate installed
next to it. "We've come a long way since then but, without approval there's
no way to market the stuff in the US."

     "Not to mention the fact that if you begin producing outside this
country you never know
who is going to end up with your product. Next thing you know, some
mega-corp has reverse engineered thirty years work and 'poof' there go all
those lovely investor dollars.", Beth added.

     Jamie heard three sets of clicks as several rows of bolts
automatically slid back after the scan plate read Anne's palm print.

     "When the FDA announced they were starting final testing on CDS we had
to start distancing ourselves from the lab. Then our private lives were
being intruded on by idiots and then the press got wind of what we did and
things got impossible.",Anne stepped aside and posed like an usher. Beth
and Chris escorted Jamie inside. "So we set this place up and decided to
drop out of sight till things blew over."

     "But even getting this built proved to be a major exercise in
espionage training. Fortunately we have some very low friends in high
places now.", Beth said as she picked up the story."Since the press and
competing companies were aware of what we looked like, we had to change our
appearance."

     Jamie was gazing at the facilities that surrounded him. There was a
surgical table in the middle of the room and a lot of medical equipment
that maybe his sister would've recognized sat on the ample counter space to
his right. The left hand side of the room had more counter space with
several animal cages fastened to the wall. All were empty. The far end of
the room was occupied by an elevator that looked like something out of the
"Jupiter 2" from LOST IN SPACE. 
     He was taking all this in as the "girls" continued telling him their
story. By making appropriate noises and asking for the occasional
clarification their story took shape. It was a typical American success
story. Three young women became possessed of an idea an began working on
the project as a way to have something that was theirs as opposed to the
University , or later their employer's. With Anne supplying her medical
knowledge, Beth worked to design the molecule sized machines while Chris
cobbled together the equipment needed to create the little goobers.
     In 1979 they jointly patented the design for a self-replicating
molecule and formed New U
Nanotech. Now armed with a simple nanite, Beth was forced to find a way to
bond the thing to typical Chemotherapy drugs. Meanwhile Anne defined
characteristics of various cancer cells and Chris began creating a program
that could be molecularly encoded to allow a nanite to identify the various
cancers and kamikaze attack then individually. 
     Fortunately by the time they were ready to begin producing the first
versions of CDS for
experimentation on animals, the investment boom of the 80's was on and the
Women (no longer girls) found themselves with funding and in possession a
large facility in Silicon Valley. By 1987 they where ready to patent the
CDS and submit it to the FDA for approval for human testing.
     
     The quartet was now in the lower level of the lab and Chris was
proudly showing off the
"cooker" as Anne continued the story.
     
     "So there we were with happy investors, FDA approval pending, and a
fresh contract from
Exxon to begin applying Nanotechnology to oil spills and a working CDS. But
we were rapidly coming to realize that CDS was a patch at best. It still
depended on extemely expensive and unstable compounds to cure cancer. Any
cost reduction from the lower amounts of Chemo required was rapidly eaten
by the initial cost of nanite production. Worse, the chemo treatments in
use are still as unpredictable in their effects. We had managed to deliver
the drugs to precisely where needed, but we had as little idea about
whether the drugs would work or not as before. That was when we turned our
efforts to a much more sophisticated series of nanites."

     "You see once we create the initial prototype nanite, given a growth
medium, it will begin
building more of itself immediately."Beth said as she picked up the story.
So Chris began programing them to tear apart cancer cells directly and use
the materials to build more nanites. The really nice part being that the
nanites continue to live in the host. Any relapse is effectively halted as
the first cancer cells manifest."

     "But that was only the beginning. Around that time we lost a really
promising technician to AIDS.", Chris chimed in; "He was a sweet kid who
had done nothing but get some tainted blood in those days when the Red
Cross was still coming to terms with the problem."
     "So I changed the direction of the new Nanite series. Instead of just
hunting cancer cells I went after any organism that didn't conform to the
genetic code of the subject." 

     "And promptly killed three monkeys before you came to me." Anne looked
mildly vexed ,
"Chris forgot that there are lots of beneficial bacterial that are quite
necessary to the continued functioning of a living being."

     "So,"Chris said, mildly embarrassed by the memory, "we built a second
nanite series to tag and protect beneficial bacteria. A third series was
then introduced as we found our strike force nanites were attacking normal
cells with minor defects caused by aging. That nanite checks over each cell
in the body and corrects any problems it finds. Combined, the treatment
became the basis for the way we look now." 

     Anne began calling up pictures on the computer. "The first of the new
treatment was used on some baby white mice. In the following weeks we
noticed they weren't growing. The treatment had locked the mice' cell
structure at the time of development they were at when originally treated."
     "They couldn't get sick, and as far as we can tell, barring accidents,
they can't die. But they never get any older either. The next round of
experiments took a group of apes through the same process. The result were
identical to the mice.
     "The third experiment was the one that was the kicker though. We took
one of our older
apes whom we'd raised from an infant. We had samples of blood and tissue
we'd taken when he was an infant and used that to base the nanites'
programing on. Within six months, a mature chimp whowas about to be sent
away to prevent him from accidentally hurting his keepers was reduced to
the biological age of three months."

     "So how did you acquire samples of your old DNA when you decided to
'disguise'
yourselves?", Jamie asked.
  
     "Ever heard of a friendship bracelet?" Chris asked.

     "My sister mentioned something about those once."

     "Well when we first moved into the apartment  together, we kind of had
a pre-house
warming party."

     "We got soused.", explained Beth.

     "Well anyway, by the end of the night we pledged eternal friendship to
each other and Anne insisted we all cut a Locke of our hair and make a
friendship bracelet to commemorate the event."

     "I kept mine," added Anne, blushing. " and you can't lose some hair
without losing some
DNA."

     "So  you're all immortal now?", Jamie continued.

     "I doubt it.", answered Beth, starting back to the mini-elevator. "You
can't flaunt the Second Law of Thermodynamics indefinitely. I'm willing to
bet we've traded failure of our biological systems within the next twenty
or thirty years for failure of the nanites maintaining those systems within
the next hundred or so years. Then we'll see what'll happen."

     Jamie assumed the tour was over on that note and began to walk over to
the elevator where Beth and Anne were waiting when Chris bounced up from
behind.

     "So when can we get you moved in?"
End ch.1 copyright 1997 Jeff Rose

New U: Ch.2 
Getting to know you 
By Jeff Rose

     Jamie had been working for the three (now) young owners of New U
Nanotech for about
three months. The first week was spent moving him into his office/apartment
above the garage. After that, things settled into a routine. The girls
considered themselves to be semi-retired and spent minimal time in the lab,
checking results and directing operations from across the country. The rest
of the day was either spent "off", acting as Jamie's aid or performing
normal household chores. The girls were dead set against hiring any further
permanent help and so Jamie found himself enlisted in the cooking and
cleaning as often as the rest. For Jamie's part, his days were spent
setting up the equipment in the rec room, talking to a contractor about the
new satellite system that would allow both sending and receiving for both
entertainment and business, drilling holes and running conduit for the new
LAN and at night setting up with his landscaping program and running the
result by Anne.
     He didn't mind the cleaning/cooking as he began finding himself
increasingly thinking of his employers as family. They went shopping
together and even ate together. His friends got over ogling the girls and
asking him embarrassing questions fairly quickly. All in all the only
aspect of his employment that occasionally  bothered him was the fact that
they sometimes seemed to forget he was male. Being asked to help zip up a
skirt here and catching Chris running around the house in her underwear (if
that) there, was beginning to take its toll on his nerves among other
things. It helped if he tried to think of them as his sisters. .. but not a
lot.
     He was making his presence felt as well.

     Anne was finishing up reviewing a report from the coast when Chris
came traipsing through. Although spring was definitely making it's presence
known, the T-shirt and shorts Chris had on were a little on the chilly side
yet.

     "Where are you going? It's nearly 9:30."
     "Jamie's got a copy of 'Fighting Street' for the Turbo Graphix and
said I could try it out."
     "You know there are times I really wish I never introduced you to
Pac-Man back in 78."
     "You thought it was so-ooo cute."
     "Not after the 3,000th time you forced me to play. Won't you be cold
in that?"
     "In what?"
     "To quote Jamie,'My point exactly'". Anne sniffed, "Are you wearing
perfume? Why do you tease that.."
     "At 30 years old he's hardly a boy. Sheesh! Look at us! I haven't
felt, much less looked this good in longer than that." Chris said as she
pirouetted practically into Anne's lap. "I should think that we deserve to
have just a little fun in these new bodies." She promptly collapsed into a
sitting position next to her freind."Or has it been so long since you've
had some innocent fun with a known harmless guy that you can't remember the
fun of the tease?"

     "He just reminds me of my nephew, I don't want any of us to hurt him."
Anne got a distant look in her eye, then shook her head. Jamie was not
Scott. "Or anything else. He's an employee."
     "Who lives with us and is a lot of fun to be around and helps remind
me I'm a 25 year old
again every time he blushes." Chris counted off while giggling. 
     "Alright! Alright. Off with ye, you brazen hussy! I need to file this
report then off to bed."

     Chris kissed her best friend on the cheek and made a conscious effort
to bounce out of the room. She paused at the stair though. "What happened
to Scott wasn't your fault Anne. Jamie isn't going to do that. And besides,
he's with us now!"

     Anne held herself perfectly still until she heard Chris pad up the
stairs, then shook slightly as the picture of her nephew's body floated
back into her mind again.


     Jamie had found a fellow addict for support in his video game habit in
Chris. She had tagged along on his little expedition last Saturday and he
had to admit they'd had fun poking around the North Point Flea Market. She
even understood when he showed her the stall that contained a mint copy of
the "Valis" Hu-Card for his Turbo Graphix. The $100 price tag was outside
his ability to justify even with his new job. She had offered to spot him
the cash but friend or not, that was just too expensive. "George, will
eventually figure out I'm the only one interested and cut me a deal"  
     "Or he will find someone willing to part with that much cash.",
countered Chris.
     "Then I won't be tempted to blow the money any more.", he grinned, and
dragged her to
another booth before she talked him into buying the thing.

     Right now however, she seemed  grimly determined to kick his butt from
one end television screen to the other. Jamie wasn't at his best playing
fighting games (He preferred Role Playing Games) and the way Chris insisted
they sit next to each other on the floor meant he was continually reminded
of the female beside him. Her perfume tugged at his nostrils and he felt
quite like the naughty schoolboy when he realized his left knee was
touching Chris' bare right thigh. He shifted position, but his lack of
attention to the game left him open for Ryu's dragon punch. He rallied and
was distracted again when her elbow caught his arm. He noticed then that
when she blocked, she pulled the controller into her chest, drawing the
material of her loose T-shirt across her petite breasts.
     Even though he didn't glance again, knowing that eventually he would
be caught, every now and again Chris' elbow would catch his arm and the
image of what she looked like would pop into his mind. It threw his timing
off and was resulting in an impressive run of wins for Chris. They went
through an hour of this when there was a knock on the door.

     Chris was about to suggest they throw quit Fighting Street and try
Bomberman SS when
someone knocked on the door. Jamie paused the game, smiled apologetically,
and got up. 
     Jamie opened the door. Beth was holding the tape he had lent her
yesterday. She was
dressed in a dark green silk housecoat and matching pajamas. Bringing the
cassette case up to her head and waggled it, smiling."Jamie I think you..."
Her eyes were a little puffy but Jamie saw open wide as a blush started
spreading across her cheeks.

     Chris had put Fighting Street away and began looking over the shelves
Jamie set up in his room to hold his games. Finding Bomberman, she turned
to the open doorway already aware that Beth was there from the voice. She
was surprised to see the rapidly darkening blush on Beth's face though.
     Beth looked even younger than her biological age of 30, Chris thought
as she spouted; "Beth! C'mon in, we were just playing." 
     "I, er .. was just giving this back." Beth stated, trying to regain
her composure. "Jamie let me borrow it."

     "This is just too good to let go." was all Chris could think as she
walked purposefully toward the couple. "Jamie I'm surprised at you.
Indulging Beth's perverted need for porn.", she scolded , wagging her
finger in front of Jamie's face. As the color drained from his features and
Beth's jaw dropped in shock, Chris deftly plucked the video from Beth's
nerveless fingers. 
     "Hey, I don't watch or have any stuff like that!!", Jamie protested.
Chris noted just how upset he was getting. Best to move him on before this
gets serious. Glancing at the case she saw it was an anime titled Only
Yesterday. The cover showed a young woman dressed casually, holding the
hand of a much younger girl with a slightly bewildered look. This just kept
getting better.
     "What kind of incestuous prattle is this?"
     Beth was getting irritated now. "It's nothing of the sort!"
     "We'll see." Chris tossed the video to Jamie. "You! Get some popcorn
started and load this into the VCR in the  rec room. Beth and I will get
Anne and let her decide just what kind of film this is. Jamie froze for an
instant, then left. As Beth heard him hit the stairs, she reached out and
pulled Chrisin close. "What the hell are you up to now?", she demanded.
     "C'mon, let's get Anne. She's spent the day analyzing those Pro-j
reports from Dana and
looks like she could use the kind of movie that would give 'big tough Beth'
those happy-ending-crying-eyes.", she paused outside Anne's door a threw a
mock serious look at Beth. 	"Has anyone ever toldyou what a cynic you are?"
     Beth's blush revived a bit as she grinned."Nope. Anyone told you how
twisted you are?"
     "Just you and Prof Hanson."
     "Hanson ...?"
     "You remember, our ethics prof? The one who way too into Machievelli
and Nietzsche.

     Anne was watching the news when Chris and Beth dragged her down to the
rec room. She had protested, claiming she needed to get up early and help
Jamie with breaking ground for one of the garden plots. She was surprised
to find out that Jamie had been roped into this however, with the Tape
queued up and popcorn ready. Chris made a big production of presenting the
"prosecution's case" and begging Anne to make final judgement as to the
pornographic content of the film.
     As the movie progressed, Anne had to admit it was gorgeous. She had
always thought of Disney and Bugs Bunny whenever she thought of cartoons.
But this quietly funny and genuinely touching story about one woman's
journey of self-discovery while vacationing in the Japanese countryside
with the memories of her five year old self contrasting the action, left
all three girls misty eyed. As the movie came to a close, Anne glanced down
at the Kleenex box in her lap as a hairy hand plucked a couple of tissues
as nonchalantly as possible.
     "All cynics are closet romantics.", Jamie's disembodied voice
explained flatly as the end credits rolled.
     They left the empty popcorn bowels to be cleaned the next day.

End ch.2 copyright 1997 Jeff Rose
"




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