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Subject: ASSTG/ASS [NEW] A Change of Direction Part 20/22 (Magic, TG)
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A Change of Direction: An Alternative Ending to Mike
Allegretto's Change of Pace

  1997 by Tigger

Based upon and derived from the situations and characters
developed by Mike Allegretto and Caitlin B. in their
collaborative story, "A Change of Pace", posted 2/16/97
on ASSTG.   Written and published  with the express permission 
of the original authors.  No archiving or redistribution of
this work is permitted without this copyright attribution
included, intact and complete, in the posting/archiving. 
Archiving/publication of this author's work on any system that
requires payment in any form is prohibited by the author and
is in violation of my copyright to Chapters 7 and beyond.

The following is a work of erotic fiction.  It is
intended for the entertainment of mature, legally adult
individuals living in areas where the possession and enjoyment
of such material is legal.  If you are not legally an
adult, or if such material is not legal in your locale, then
you are violating a trust as well as the law. Please leave
now.

The first three characters of my reply to address are random as a
result of the vicious email spam I have been subjected to since I
began posting.  Please reply to 

tigger@alices.com.

A Change of Direction
Chapter 26

Jacqui awoke slowly.  Her eyes did not want to open. 
Something sticky was pulling at her lashes.  Then she
remembered why there was the residue of dried tears gluing her
eyes closed.

Marcus.  Her Marcus was dead.  

The tears started afresh as she lay in her bed where less than
forty eight hours before, she had joyfully given up her
virginity.  And now, the man she had wanted, loved and needed
badly enough to make him the recipient of that gift was dead.

A miasma of seemingly unrelated and totally illogical emotions
swirled about inside her.  Love, despair, hope, loss, a sense
of things being right and a sense of things being wrong.  And
a sense of something else.  Something dark.  Something very
dangerous.

It was all so confusing.  How could she feel hope just now, or
that underpinning of hope?  Marcus was dead.  And yet, that is
what she felt.  One thing she had come to accept over the 21
months of being a woman was that what she felt or sensed did
not necessarily make rational sense when analyzed critically. 
Still, Jacqui had learned *not* to discount such intangible
insights anymore.  The changes in her chess play and her
divination of her Mother's intent to commit suicide were proof
that those feelings were important and that they meant . . .
something.  No, there was something going on.  Several things,
in fact, if each of those impressions meant something
different.  The strongest feeling was that the danger was not
over, but even then, the hope would not go away.

Jacqui needed help.  She was still new enough to this
intuition sense of hers that she did not know how to interpret
so much contradictory input.  She needed her Mother.  Rising,
she quickly dressed and then slipped out of her room.  Moving
quietly down the stairs, her attention was drawn to the sound
of voices in her Mother's library.  Bronwyn was here talking
to her Mother.  So much the better, she thought grimly.

She stopped just outside the door, attempting to gather
herself before facing them.  She did not want to break down
again before she had gotten out what it was she wanted to say. 
Laurie was seated at her desk, but with chair spun away from
the state of the art computer so she could face Bronwyn. 
Jacqui had to smile.  Her mother might own the best computer
money could bye, she might have high speed data lines
installed in the house, but she hated the things with a
passion.  The computer served as a word processor for her
Mother's writing and as a means to communicate with her
editors.


At least, Jacqui thought that was all she did with it. 
Although, with all that capability, it was also an ideal tool
to deal with fixing records and things like that.  At least,
that is how Jacqui would do it.  Still, that would require
very sophisticated computer skills.  Had her Mother been
pretending to be so computer illiterate when that new machine
had arrived?  If not, then the Sisterhood must have someone
inside the group who saw to the record keeping and record
changing.  Unless they did it by magic.

"It is just too much too soon to be coincidence, Laurel. 
First Roberta and now Jacqui through Marcus." Bronwyn's voice
broke into Jacqui's musings.  "Two novice members of the
Sisterhood attacked mere weeks apart.  The report from our
Sister on the investigating team said that she sensed the
remnants of power in the failed brake line.  Nothing that
ordinary police methods would uncover or even recognize, but
this woman is a sensitive.  She says it was the Dark Power
that did it, not routine wear and tear."

*THAT* got Jacqui's attention.  Roberta's death and Marc's
death had not been natural or accidental?  Quietly, she crept
back from the door and listened.  She concentrated on opening
her mind as Bronwyn had been trying to teach her to do, tried
to focus that strange intuitive sense she still did not fully
understand, but now fully accepted.

"Which marches with what Mrs. Arnold said to Jacqui.  The car
had only recently been in for maintenance and inspection.  No
problems noted with the brakes."

"The only problem is how would anyone know to attack either of
them.  There are no records which point to them being Sisters. 
Very few even know that we exist.  How could anyone know to
attack them?"  Bronwyn was frustrated. "What could possibly
point them out as members of the Sisterhood?"

A mental image of Laurie by the computer flared momentarily in
Jacqui's mind again. That *was* it.  Somehow, Jacqui was
absolutely sure of it.  Her Mother was every bit as inept as
she seemed.   Laurie did everything by rote on a computer. 
She even resisted getting upgrades to software because she
hated having to learn new things on the machine.

The idea crystalized and became firm in her mind.  Jacqui
moved out of the shadows and into the library.  "How good are
your record changing methods?" came a soft voice behind them. 
They turned to see a wan and tired Jacqui standing in the
Laurie's library door. Slowly, she moved into the room and
took a chair.

"Hello, darling." Laurie said gently.  "What do you mean, how
good are our methods?"


"How complete are the record changes you make when you
Transform someone?  How far reaching are the changes?  What
kind of checks do you make to ensure there are not any
remaining records of the male identity?"

Bronwyn shrugged. "Where ever we are living at the time, we
make sure that no official agency has any records that show
the male identity.  Schools, credit cards, banks, licenses,
social security and the like. It is not all that hard to do."
she said complacently.

"That's all?" was Jacqui's disbelieving rejoinder. "That is
really *all* you do?  Just local stuff and basic government
records?" There was no longer even a hint of doubt in Jacqui's
mind.  This was the problem.  If she had been a cat, her fur
would have been standing on end.

Confused by the tinge of contempt in Jacqui's tones, Bronwyn
answered "Well, yes.  It is all we have ever needed to do. 
Why, Jacqui? What is wrong?"

Shaking her head, Jacqui looked up. "Everything, Bronwyn. 
This is the Information Age.  Everybody knows everything about
everybody.  Or at least, they can.  Information is contained
around the country in multiply redundant systems so that the
failure of one does not cause the loss of some vital
information.  Some of those systems update automatically, some
have to ordered to update.  You with me so far?"  Still
uncertain where this was leading, Bronwyn nodded.  "Okay, what
I am proposing would take a huge amount of computing power,
but it is not impossible.  Suppose you were looking for a male
to female Transformee.  If you could keep your records intact,
all you would have to do is constantly compare your records
with someone else's records - like the old Draft Board or
Social Security.  So, if some number's gender changes, you
have a possible Sister."  Jacqui turned to his Mother.  "My
driver's license and my Social Security Number did not change
when you gave me my new ID's, Mum.  If all you did was change
it in the main computer, and did not do some type of all out
Internet-wide search, then it is a good bet that somewhere out
there is still records of John Donovan."  

The two older women looked stunned.  Then another thought hit
Jacqui.  "And that only assumes no one is looking.  If some
one is looking, he would mirror key databases, and then lock
his own system down so he could search off line, too."

Laurie was the first to speak. "You are serious about this,
Jacqui? This is possible?"

"Mum, how do you think I got the data on Wicca?  If you have
not changed every computer in the country, the information is
probably still out there and available."  Jacqui stood and
went over to her Mother's computer, and logged on to her
Mother's account.  She did not use her own since her Mother's
had the login script already set.  Once online, she set up a
quick web search looking for clues to "John David Donovan."

Grim-faced, Bronwyn watched as the screen scrolled.  As she
had been those months ago when Bonnie had watched Jacqui
worked, she was awed and frightened at this power she did not
completely understand.  The computer chimed several times,
locating information on other "John David Donovan"s before a
fateful "ding" heralded the discovery of their John David
Donovan.  Almost amused, Jacqui said.  "I'd all but forgotten
about that one.  My interest in them disappeared along with
the collection of classic comic books Mom sent away the day of
my Transformation."  The record was in the computer of a comic
book locator group, whose mission was to find and sell
collector comic books. "Anyway, you can see what I mean.  And
that did not take all that long."

Bronwyn turned to Laurie.  "That means that practically every
Sister is at risk."  She said, her voice quavering.

"I'd say the newest of us are at the most risk." Jacqui said
distractedly.  "Those who were Transformed before the early
1980's and the wide spread proliferation of small computers
are probably fairly safe."

Both women noted the use of the word "us" with surprise, but
said nothing about that.  "Then I will start by warning those
members to take special precautions, before I alert the rest
of the Sisterhood.  After that, we have to find out who is
doing this and how."

"Easier said than done, Bronwyn.  As I said, the whole thing
can be done offline.  You are going to have to hope they've
made a mistake if I am going to find them."

"You?" her eyebrow cocked in surprise.  "If *you* are going to
find them?"

For the first time she'd been told of her lover's death, a
real smile flitted across Jacqui's face. "It's not like either
of you have any hope of finding anything.  Now, the two of
you, get out of here and let me work."

"But it is my office and my computer." wailed a protesting
Laurie.

"My modem is broken.  I will use your account for the search
until I can get another one hooked up."

"Oh, go ahead.  It is not like I use the thing all that much
anyway.  I just wish my publisher would still let me send in
typed sheets instead of demanding I transmit my stuff to them
by modem." Laurie fumed.

"Me, too." Bronwyn added with a chuckle.  "Wouldn't even have
one of the things, otherwise.  Come on, Laurel.  We have some
friends to call, and we need to do it from a secure place." 
And with that, the two women left.

When they returned, they found Laurie's usually neat and
pristine library littered with paper.  Before she could start
her scold, Jacqui started on them.  "Roberta Lawler's cover
was completely transparent.  I have found innumerable
references to Robert Lawler, complete with social security
number, scattered all across the 'Net.  Whoever set up her new
identity did a lousy job.  I am convinced this is how she got
blown."

Laurie spoke first.  "And what does that say about you and
Marcus?"

"I don't know, Mum.  I tried, but I can't find the same
preponderance of evidence on me. They may have just gotten
lucky, or they may have started working off line between the
time they caught on to Bobbie and when I was Transformed."

"So, we have a leak." said Bronwyn.

"More like a gaping hole, Bronwyn.  If you are going to keep
up the Sisterhood by Transforming men in this society, you
better start working on computer security and counter
security. You simply are not protecting the Transformee's
against the threat posed by the Internet."

"But we don't know anything about that stuff." wailed Laurie.

Jacqui's voice was deathly cold.  "I do.  And I am going to
know a lot more.  Who ever is behind this killed the man I
loved.  I am going to do whatever I can to bring him down, and
to prevent him from killing any more people that I, or those I
love, care about."

Stunned by her turnabout, both women looked at each other
before turning back to Jacqui.  "Does. . ."  Laurie's voice
broke. "Does this mean you have changed your mind about
changing back to Jack?"

Jacqui shrugged.  "I had, before Marcus was killed.  I wasn't
going to give up what we could have had together.  Love is too
important.  I've learned that much in the last 21 months. 
Now, I don't know, Mum.  Maybe if I was Jack again, his dying
like that would not hurt so much.  I just don't know what I am
going to do, except that I am going to help you find the ones
who did it to him.  After that, I just don't know."


Excerpt from the Journal of Miss Jacqui Donovan

1 Year 9 Months 17 days A. T.

I am now officially overdue for the first time in my
admittedly short female life.  I also have morning sickness,
except that I have it at midnight.  My healer talents, which
don't normally work on me, can sense other life.  And inside
me, there is another life.

Oh Goddess.  I am pregnant.  Through birth control pills that
I took religiously, and condoms that I personally put on him
and tested, I am somehow pregnant.  The man I loved left me a
gift when he left me to die.  His son.

Oh Goddess, I barely know how to be a woman.  How in the name
of all that is holy am I going to be a Mother? 

Think of *something* else, Jacqui.  Emotions like that are not
good for the baby. 

Bronwyn has been teaching me to "think" to her with my mind. 
It has been handy to be able to "talk" to her as I've been
searching the Net for signs of Sisters who are vulnerable.  So
far, about six in the hundred or so I have researched have
needed fixes.  A couple needed complete changes of identity. 
But I am still no closer to finding the animal behind this.  I
don't know whether Bronwyn or Mom are.  When I ask, I am
politely told that what they are doing is "Sisterhood
business" and not for the ears of "novices".

Makes me so mad I just want to spit.

Don't really need one, but I guess I will pick up one of those
home pregnancy test kits after school today.  Professor
Stevens dropped me an email.  Seems he wants to talk to me
this afternoon about my schedule for next fall.  Good thing I
was ahead on all my work before this all happened. I still got
everything in on time and good grades.

I will need good grades, too.  I am going to help the
Sisterhood protect themselves in the 21st Century.  Their
collective computer smarts are nearly non-existent - limited
to word processing if they have any at all.  And that is
something I can do as Jack or Jacqui.

Jack could raise Marcus' child, couldn't he?  Why doesn't Jack
talk to me anymore?  I can't remember the last time he needled
me.  When did he stop?

I have to go or I will be late for school.

End Journal Entry.

*********************
"Is everything ready?" Lancaster asked with deliberate insult
in his voice.

"Yes, High Leader." came the response from the Chief. "The
sanctuary is fully operational and the professor has arranged
for her to be in his office later today.  We will take her at
the parking lot she uses after she sees the professor."

"Contingency plans?"

"Three action teams involved to provide covering fire for the
getaway, and three different vehicle changes available if
needed en route to the sanctuary."

"I don't need to tell you not to fail."  It was not a
question.

"No, High Leader, because we will not fail." was the expected,
rote answer.

"Very well, Chief.  Go get the Mother of my Son for me, then."

As the Chief left his office, Lancaster looked down at the
dossier the Chief had given him.  The slut was attractive, he
thought. It would not be hard, filling her belly with his
seed. It might even be pleasurable. And even if was not, he
spent the past months stockpiling his semen for this very
purpose.  He would enjoy watching the slut grow fat with his
son.  Sadly, she would not live long enough afterwards for him
to fully relish his victory.  He could not chance her coming
into her full power after getting to know him as well as she
would have to know him.

~-------------~

************************
Jacqui was furious as she stormed across campus toward her
parking lot.  The paper Professor Stevens wanted her to sign
was one he'd already had her sign weeks ago.  She had waited
on campus three hours after her last class for that meeting,
which the Professor himself was forty five minutes late for,
and it had been for nothing.  She could have been continuing
her search for blown covers on the Internet for the past three
hours.

Grimfaced, she stomped up to her car and was inserting the key
in the lock with something grabbed her shoulder. Before she
could react, a sharp sting bit into her left buttock.  The
world went black before she could even straighten up to turn
around.

****************
"Any casualties?" barked Lancaster.

"None, High Leader.  The capture was unobserved.  We escaped
without detection."

"Are you sure of that, or is that merely an assumption on your
part."

The Chief answered.  "It is a fact, Sir, but we took
precautions, none the less.  We made three vehicle changes and
had two different counter surveillance cars on each leg of the
trip here.  We were not followed."

"Excellent work, Chief.  How long will she be out?"

"Another three to five hours, Sir.  The drug is relatively
harmless, but it is quick acting and takes a while to wear
off."

"Excellent.  I will remain with her until she awakens.  Now,
you may go.  Ensure that our Brothers are properly alert.  The
Sisterhood may try to rescue her."

~-----------~

"Bronwyn, where can she be? It is after seven.  She is usually
home by two o'clock on Tuesdays, particularly since she has
been doing the computer security checks.  And she always calls
if she is going to be late."

"I don't know, Laurel.  I am going to alert the other Sisters
in the area and then I will meet you at your home.  We will
try and locate her once we have our Sisters with Finder crafts
with us.  Keep faith, lover.  I won't let anything happen to
your child."  Bronwyn was trying to sound more positive than
she felt.  She still did not even know the identity of the one
behind all this."

****************
"Don't try to pretend to still be asleep, slut.  I know you
are awake."  The voice talking to her was slightly familiar. 
"Open your eyes, bitch!"

The slap that followed opened her eyes quite effectively. 
Jacqui could not move her legs or her arms.  Looking down she
saw some type of glowing bands encircling her upper torso and
arms, and her thighs and ankles.  Then she looked up and saw
the hard, dark features of someone she recognized.  "You...
I... I know you.  You work with Professor Stevens..... at
school."

"Yes.  A useful puppet, that one.  Easily susceptible to the
Power of the Dark One.  Unlike you.  I cannot influence you,
and I tried while you were unconscious.  All of you men-
turned-women are resistant. I was unable to turn any of you. 
It is too bad.  For you, that is."  His face showed pleasure
that thought.  Jacqui cringed.

"Who are you?  Why am I here?"  Jacqui tried to control her
fear, tried to sound powerful instead of pitiful, but to her
own ears, she failed.

Lancaster laughed.  "I?  Who am I?  I am Erich Lancaster,
president of Lancaster Electronics and High Leader of the
Brotherhood of the Dark One.  And you, little witch, are here
to be the instrument of my total victory over your sorry
Sisterhood."  He smiled at the horror in her eyes.  "Yes, your
son will be my son, and he will be High Leader after me.  He
will have the Power of the Dark One and will be immune to your
puny magicks because he will be of the Sisterhood, as well. 
My son will span the millennia old schism between our two
factions, and will lead the Brotherhood to their rightful
victory."

Pleased to have an audience for his greatness, Lancaster
decided to tell his captive the whole of his plan.  "And then,
the Brotherhood will be free to dominate the world again. Not
through force of arms.  No, Brother Hitler taught us the
futility of that path.  We have been fifty years regaining our
strength after that debacle.  We cannot fight the entire world
on the physical level.  Our power is great, but still limited. 
Eventually the shear weight of numbers that would ally against
us would again defeat us."

"No, this time, we will win by using the power of the computer
married to the Power of the Dark One.  That is how we found
your Sisters that we captured, and how we discovered you. 
Your cult's ways of hiding identities that have changed with
their sex were adequate twenty five years ago, even perhaps
ten years ago.  No longer.  Even if you tried to somehow find
and change every record on the Internet, my records are sealed
magically."

"Now, I will use it to attack, as well.  A magically created
computer virus is ready to be loosed on the world.  Once it
infects a computer, it lays dormant until I order it to act. 
The computer does not even need to be connected to the Web any
longer so there is no defense against it.  Whole systems can
be lost, or corrupted or externally operated by me. 
Controlling computers can be made to malfunction.  The modern
world will either accede to our demands or society will end.
No electricity.  No air travel.  Communications disrupted and
lost.  It will be a return to the Stone Age because even those
tools that do not require computers to work, require something
that is controlled by a computer to work.  I call my little
virus the Second Black Plague for its effects will be as far
reaching in this time as the original Plague was in the Europe
of the Middle Ages."

"It is like cyber-biological warfare." Jacqui whispered.

"Indeed it is.  I knew you would appreciate the genius of
this.  I knew it from the way you used computers at your
school and at your home.  Ahh.  You did not know I was
eavesdropping on your accounts? Easily.  You are very
talented.  It is one of the reasons I chose you as the Mother
of my Son.  You and I have a rare combination of computer
talent and the potential to wield magic.  Very few have both,
but you and I both do.  Talents we will bequeath to our son."

"But why?  Why alert the Sisterhood with your attacks?  It
makes no sense if you already had this weapon."  Jacqui's mind
was clearing now.  Lancaster did not know that she was already
pregnant.  What would he do if he found out?  Kill her?  Or
simply kill her child and then get his child on her
afterwards.  She had to protect Marc's child.  She had to play
for time.

"Why attack your so-sacred Sisterhood of emasculated crones? 
Because the power they use to perpetuate themselves is an
abomination in the eyes of the Dark One.  Because they have
opposed us time and again in the past and have caused us shame
in the eyes of the Dark One.  You take from men the Power of
the Dark One.  I do not want them and their un-maled whelps
upon the earth when we achieve our victory.  I want them to
die knowing that they could not stop that final victory."

Jacqui's intuition flared, and she heard the unwitting
emphasis on the words "emasculated" and "power they used to
perpetuate" and "un-maled".  With all her will, she forced her
face muscles into something approximating a smile.  "You fear
the Transformation." she said with absolute confidence and
assurance.  "Its not that the Sisterhood deterred your group
in time-forgotten ages.  You are afraid.  You're terrified
that you will wake up some morning with tits and a cunt."

A vicious backhand slap rocked Jacqui back onto the cot she'd
been laid on.  "Stupid Bitch!" he roared.  "I fear nothing
about your puling Sisterhood, least of all the weak magicks of
their impotent Goddess."  He raised his fist to strike her
again, but suddenly stopped with his hand still above his
head.  He seemed to shudder and then slowly lowered the hand
as he composed his furious features.  "No.  You won't get off
that easily, little witch.  I know you don't have the power to
oppose me because you have not yet given birth or suckled a
child.  You cannot make me kill you now.  Oh, no, not until we
pull my son from your bleeding and dying body."  He turned and
strode to the room's only door.  "You will be fed and cared
for to keep you healthy.  After you finish your next menses,
we will monitor you for ovulation.  As the time approaches, we
will inseminate you daily.  I might even do it, myself,
naturally, once or twice.  You will give me my son, witch, and
he will destroy the last remnants of your cursed sect."  And
with that, he disappeared through the door, slamming it behind
him.


He's mad, Jacqui thought, but he can do what he said.  At
least the impregnation part.  As for his Black Plague, she
just did not know enough about magic to know if he could
magically activate it, but the infection was possible.

She felt so alone.  She started to think that she wanted her
Mother, but that brought on another grim thought.  That man
had already killed at least one, probably more Sisters.  If
her gentle Mother came to rescue her, there was every reason
to believe he'd kill Mum, too.

Jacqui could not stand that thought.  She herself, was
probably already as good as dead, but her capture would
probably alert Bronwyn and her friends.  Maybe they could find
clues that would lead them to Lancaster.  If they found her,
they would come running and would run straight into him, in
the kind of direct confrontation that favored the killing
power of the Dark Power over the subtle power of the Goddess.

Grimly, Jacqui tried to shield her mind.  She had to "hide"
herself away from Bronwyn and her Mother.  They had to find a
different way to Lancaster - one that would give them time to
plan, instead of reacting to her capture.  With all the power
at her command, Jacqui closed her eyes, and tried to close her
mind as well.

Continued in Part 21


I cannot email from this account, but I do verify 
Deja News has my posts on a regular basis.

I will be reposting the story, in its entirety, 
a few days following the posting of the concluding
chapters tomorrow.

The following setup will locate all of the available 
sections.  Use your browser to go to the Expanded 
Filter page with the below listed URL:

http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html

Search Criteria:

newsgroup      alt.sex.stories*  (<-- note the '*')
      or       alt.sex.stories.*	
Dates:
From:         	1997/04/05
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Author(s):     Leave Blank
Subject(s):    ASSTG*

Click "Create Filter" and follow where your browser leads.

