Alien Encounter
By Morpheus
Walter Peyton sighed and changed position. He'd been sitting in
his car seat for hours already, and he still had several more to go before
he arrived at his destination. And to make things worse, he couldn't even
pick up a decent radio station at the moment. There were too many
mountains.
The only good thing about the trip so far, was the scenery. Since
he was passing through eastern Oregon on his way home to Boise to visit
his parents, there were a lot of mountains, and even more trees. Not a
lot like where he'd grown up, but very beautiful.
Once again Walter tried scanning for a decent radio station,
grumbling as he did so. "I wish I'd bought a CD player" But he hadn't, so
was stuck with what little the stock radio could pick up.
"Damn" Walter growled, shifting position again and rubbing
absently at his back. "I'm getting too old for long trips like this" He was
only 27, but at the moment he certainly felt a lot older.
After Walter had adjusted his position, the small ache that had
been forming on his back disappeared. Comfortable once again, except
for his leg, which desperately made him wish for cruise control, Walter
continued on his way.
Suddenly Walter spotted something out of the corner of his eye,
and turned his head slightly for a better look. Two objects were shooting
through the shy, and his eyes widened in disbelief as he saw them.
"HOLY SHIT!" Walter screamed, slamming on his brakes as he
did so. The car screeched as it slid, nearly doing a 180 before stopping.
Walter stuck his head out the window and gaped at the sight in
awe. Shooting through the air at a distance, he could clearly see two
extremely unusual objects. One was a huge gold metallic sphere, that he
guessed to be maybe 50 yards across, though it could easily have been
larger. From the distance, Walter couldn't tell for sure. The gold sphere
was being followed, apparently chased by the other object. That one was
more obviously a ship, looking long, sleek and silvery.
"Jesus Christ" Walter muttered. Though he'd never been
religious, he thought that now might be a good time to start praying.
The golden sphere shot away from the other ship, but not fast
enough. The one in the rear was shooting red beams of light that Walter
could only assume were laser beams.
"It's like watching Star Wars" he whispered to himself in
amazement. Never before had Walter thought that he might see anything
remotely like that. At least not in real life.
After a moment, Walter noticed something else. Something that
made his eyes widen further. They were coming in his direction, hard
and fast.
"Oh shit" he muttered as he started his car back up, wanting to
get as far away as possible.
Walter had only made it a short way down the road, back the
way he'd come from. A strange sound, a high pitched humming seemed
to fill the air. He could hear several explosions from behind him, and
looked back over his shoulder in terror.
Suddenly the whole back window was filled with gold, and
Walter screamed as the giant globe flew over him. Walter was so
horrified as he watched the sphere, he wasn't paying enough attention to
the road. When he was finally able to tear his eyes from the
unbelievable sight, the only thing Walter could see in front of him was
the massive tree, which came up far too quickly. Then Walter saw
nothing.
After what seemed an eternity of darkness and pain, Walter
opened his eyes, groaning slightly as he did so. The pain filled his body,
and he could barely make anything out around him, but he could see
enough to realize he was still in his car, or at least what was left of it. It
took Walter several moments to realize that he seemed to be upside
down, though it didn't really matter. The only thing that did was the pain
that filled his body.
Once again darkness started to reclaim Walter, but then a strange
sound brought him back again. With the greatest effort, he was able to
force his eyes open again. Nothing had ever been as difficult as that one
simple act. For the briefest of moments, he saw a gold metal ball, the
size of a basketball floating in the air, small gold tendrils coming from
the sides. Walter barely registered it before he could no longer keep his
eyes open. He tried fighting their heaviness, but to no avail. Once again
he faded to unconsciousness.
--------------------
Walter awoke to the sound of a strange, but almost comforting
hum. For a moment, all he did was lay on his back, listening to the hum,
wondering if perhaps he was in a hospital. The memory of the crash, and
the events leading up to it were quite clear in his mind. Walter didn't
doubt that they had happened.
What puzzled Walter the most, was the fact that he didn't hurt
anymore. He felt tingly all over, and a bit odd, but not in pain.
Obviously he was dosed up with painkillers he decided. But that didn't
really explain why he felt like he was lying on something hard instead of
a soft hospital bed.
For several minutes, Walter just laid back, worrying about how
bad he must have been busted up. Would he be crippled after the crash?
He gulped in fear, then finally forced his eyes open. What he saw
seemed to confirm what he'd suspected. A white ceiling above him, with
lights glowing down. However, the lights did seem to be positioned
somewhat oddly, and even of an off color white. After staring at them
for several more minutes, Walter noticed that the ceiling wasn't flat, but
seemed to curve somewhat.
Suddenly Walter heard "Welcome...greetings....salutations" in a
mechanical sounding voice.
"What?" Walter croaked out weakly, confused by the voice.
Walter was about to sit up, but before he could do so, the surface
underneath him started to lift his shoulders up, slowly shifting him to a
sitting position. Then it stopped and he could see it. A golden metal ball,
the same one he'd seen at the car, or at least one like it. It had a large
red circle in the middle, like a giant eye that was looking right at him.
All Walter could do was stare at the floating orb in disbelief,
then he was even more startled when it spoke again "I apologize for the
inconvenience and harm that was inadvertently done to you. Your body
was destroyed because of our war with the C'taar, though I have tried to
rectify the situation and save your life"
"Wwwhhhat's going on?" Walter asked, confused and terrified.
It took him a moment to realize that his voice didn't sound right.
Not in the least. With a horrible feeling, Walter looked down and gasped
aloud at what he saw. His body....his skin...it was all white. Pure white.
White as chalk. And more than that, much more, he was obviously not
himself.
Walter saw that he was completely naked, but that wasn't what
bothered him. It was the naked body that he saw that left him absolutely
shocked and confused. Every inch of his skin was pure white, but that
was nothing. From his chest swelled two large bumps, immediately
recognizable as breasts. Female breasts. The rest of his body seemed to
follow that suggestion, showing itself to be totally and completely
female. Even between his legs.
"Oh my God" Walter gasped, about ready to panic. He wasn't
sure what he was going to do. He wanted to scream, but at the same time
he also wanted to lash out violent or even feint. Unable to decide, he just
sat there in shock, with his mouth open.
"I was trying to evade the C'taar ship that was chasing me, and
inadvertently caused your vehicle to crash. After I escaped the C'taar, I
immediately returned for you, but your body was too badly damaged for
me to fix. I didn't know enough of your species physiology."
"Who are you?" Walter fearfully demanded of the floating orb
that was talking to him, "What did you do to me? What did you do?"
"To your first question" the sphere responded, "I have no name. I
am....around you. I am what you might call...a computer. I am the ship
you are inside of."
Walter just stared at his hands, seeing that he only had a thumb
and three fingers, the smallest being absent, though no scar or sign
showed. Then he looked back at the floating ball, then the walls around
him. He shuddered at the realization that this....thing....was all around
him.
"I've been kidnapped by aliens" He whispered to himself. An
unmeant giggle escaped his lips as he thought about how he's be in the
National Inquirer. He could just see the headline now. "Man kidnapped
by aliens and turned into girl"
Then the orb started to speak again, and Walter forced himself to
pay attention. He knew very well that his life could depend on what it
said.
"As for your second query, your body was badly damaged and
about to die. Your mind however was still active, but required a healthy
body to use." The orb stopped for a moment, and the red circle in the
middle, the eye or camera lens Walter realize, shifted slightly. Then it
spoke again, changing the subject slightly. "I am a scout ship, sent along
with my pilot to investigate new planets for our use. The C'taar however,
desire these planets for themselves, and take them by force from the
Teirdei, my creators. That is why we are at war."
"But what about...?" Walter nervously gestured down at himself,
grimacing as he did so. He felt so.....strange.
"Raevel, my pilot and I were attacked by the C'taar ship a month
ago when we entered this planets orbit. They ambushed us by surprise,
using a brainwave scrambler. I wasn't prepared to shield for it, and....."
The orb paused once again, and it's voice took on a slightly sad and
guilty sounding tone "...and Raevel was destroyed. The brainwave
scrambler erased her mind. It is a very feared weapon"
Walter just stared at the orb for a moment as realization began to
sink in. "Then this..." he gestured down at himself again.
"Is Raevel's body." The orb finished. "There was nothing I could
do for her, so I put her body in stasis and hid, trying to evade the C'taar
ship. When I found you, the most logical solution was to transfer your
healthy mind into Raevel's healthy body. The most difficult task was
adjusting the electromagnetic neural transfer between your alien body
and Raevel's. Your biological brains are very similar though."
"Jesus" Walter gasped, staring down at his body with a renewed
horror. He had not only been turned into a chick, but into an alien chick
at that. "This ain't happening"
"I'm sorry" the orb said quietly, "but it is" Walter stared at it in
surprise. Was that actual sorrow he heard in it's mechanical voice?
Walter tore his eyes away from the floating ball, and forced
himself to get up off the hard surface he was laying on. He stood up
uncomfortably, feeling rather unbalanced. After a moment, he was able
to keep himself up without leaning against the bed, but he still felt rather
off balance.
Standing up, Walter tried to look over his new body more
closely, seeing that other than the skin color, and the missing fingers and
toes, he almost seemed to be human. "What the hell do I look like?" He
asked aloud, curiosity beginning to replace his horror.
Suddenly an image appeared several feet in front of Walter,
making step back nervously. The image was that of a woman with pure
white skin, and long white hair. Her eyes seemed slightly larger than a
normal humans, and a pure green that almost glowed. Her ears were also
a little bigger than a humans, and pointed at that. She almost looked like
some sort of elf.
Walter stared at the woman before him for several minutes before
realizing that this was him. Or at least what he looked like now. "Hello"
he nervous said, seeing the woman's mouth mimic the words. He smiled
and saw what looked almost like human teeth, except for the canines
which seemed slightly longer than a normal humans, and almost slightly
vampiric.
"Oh my God" Walter whispered again, slowly walking around he
image. It wasn't anything like a mirror, and almost seemed to be a real
person. But somehow he knew that it wasn't. Instead, it seemed to be
some sort of illusion or hologram, courtesy of the....ship?
As Walter examined the image, he kept glancing back down at
himself, verifying that they matched up. He couldn't help but whistling
at the woman that he stared at. In spite of her very exotic appearance, she
was also extremely attractive. She had nice sized and firm breasts, but
not too big. Her whole body was very athletic looking, but also very
sexy. Walter could scarcely believe that this could possibly be him.
It was when he stood behind the image, staring with his mouth
hanging open, that he noticed the tail growing out of her lower spine.
Startled, Walter looked in back of himself, and saw the matching
appendage. A long thin tail, that must have been 3 feet long, and with a
tiny tuft of white hair on the end of it, almost like a lions.
Curiously interested, Walter twitched it, finding that it moved
back and forth with just a thought. It was just as easy to control as his
own hand. For several minutes, he carefully touched his new tail, and
marveled at the strangeness of it all. It was almost as strange as the pair
of breasts and his new vagina, and a lot less embarrassing.
Finally the orb's voice interrupted Walter's self examination. "Are
you hungry?" It inquired.
"N...." Walter started to reply, then he realized that he was
hungry. Very hungry. He'd just been too distracted with everything else
to even notice it until then. "Yes I am" he said almost in surprise, "I'm
starving"
"Come this way please" the sphere told Walter as it started to
float towards a round door in the wall.
Walter followed the orb through the door and into a hallway that
curved somewhat. They went just a short distance down and through
another round doorway, into a new room. Walter stopped and stared,
seeing that this one had a large table in the middle of it, as well as
several stools of sorts. 3 small gold metal balls, the size of softballs,
floated around the room, using tentacles that came from them to carry
plates to the table.
Feeling rather nervous and uncomfortable, Walter sat down on
one of the stools and eyed the strange food on the plates in front of him,
and the greenish liquid that filled a cup. "What's this?" he asked in
disgust, "Can't I just get a hamburger or something?"
"That is standard Teirdei sustenance. I'm afraid that your body
would no longer be able to properly digest everything that your people
eat, though you will be able to handle much of it. This however contains
all the nutrition that your current body requires"
"Just great" Walter groaned, looking at the yellow mush on the
plate, the green noodle like things, and most of all, the slices of what
looked like raw meat. "Maybe I'll start with the Kool-Aid" he muttered,
grabbing the glass of green liquid and wincing before he took a gulp.
"Delicious" Walter admitted as he set the glass back down. It had tasted
very strange, but at the same time, familiar. Sort of like mint, but not
quite.
"Well," Walter told the floating orb, "here goes nothing" And
with that he stuck the spoonlike implement into the yellow mush and
cautiously took a bite. Again it wasn't bad at all. Though it had the look
and consistency of yellow oatmeal, it much more closely resembled
highly buttered mashed potatoes, but again that description was just the
closest that Walter could think of. The green noodles however tasted
more like spinach than noodles, but that was all right.
Finally Roger paused and stared at the chunks of raw meat, of
which was most of the food on the plate. Walter's stomach wanted to
turn at the thought of eating that, but oddly enough he found himself
almost drooling at the sight. Hesitating for a moment, he carefully put a
small piece in his mouth and started to chew it.
"This is good" Walter said in surprise. He stared at the meat for
another moment, then started to dig in, no longer caring what he was
eating. It tasted good and was filling, and that was all that mattered at
the moment.
While he was eating, Walter looked at the floating orb and said
"Hey you....um...what should I call you? What's your name?"
"I have no name" the orb responded almost in amusement.
Walter frowned, "But I've got to call you something. I can't just
keep saying Hey You"
"Why not?"
"I just can't" Walter sighed in exasperation. "How about if I just
call you....Artoo?" Walter chuckled slightly at his little joke. It was
either name the thing after his favorite movie droid, or just call it Hal.
The droid seemed a safer bet.
"That is acceptable" Artoo answered, almost sounding slightly
pleased, though Walter wondered if that was just in his imagination.
"Well Artoo, I was just thinking about what you told me earlier"
Walter gulped down another chunk of meat then looked at the sphere,
"And you said...." Walter uncomfortably gestured down at himself, "she
was killed a month ago. You mean that you've just been hiding out here
on Earth for a whole month? Why didn't you just go back home?"
Artoo was silent for a moment, then answered, "I was in hiding
on this planet, within this planets orbit, on this planets moon, and in
other places within this solar system. I was unable to go home." Artoo
sounded slightly sad and guilty once more as it continued "I am unable to
use many of my functions without the activation of my pilot. These
include my jump engines and most of my weapons system"
"Oh" Walter answered quietly, going back to his food. Then a
moment later, another question occurred to Walter. "How come you
speak English?"
Artoo was silent for a moment, then answered "I learned it from
you when transferring your mind to Raevel's body"
"You read my mind?" Walter gasped.
"It was necessary as part of the transfer, though I only retain your
linguistics and some knowledge of your culture."
Walter just shook his head. "Oh God, this just keeps getting
weirder and weirder." Then Walter looked down at his naked body and
grimaced. "Don't you have any clothes I can wear?"
"Certainly" Artoo answered, "Though Raevel only wore them
when outside the ship. However since your species is more comfortable
with garments, I shall bring some to you."
Several minutes later, a smaller sphere had brought a green and
white jumpsuit, which Walter thankfully put on. It was kind of tight, and
form fitting, but it was also surprisingly comfortable, even having a hole
in the back for his tail. The only thing missing was shoes of some sort,
though Artoo insisted that they weren't needed. Rather than argue the
point, Walter shrugged. After all, he hadn't needed them so far on the
ship.
Once Walter had finished eating, and had watched the busy
golden baseballs remove the dishes and clean the table, Artoo suggested
"Perhaps a....tour would make you feel more comfortable"
"Um....yeah" Walter answered as he began to follow the golden
sphere that had been leading him around, "It should be interesting. I've
never been on an alien spaceship before" Walter smiled faintly, trying to
keep from laughing. He'd never been an alien girl either he thought, so
today was going to be a lot of firsts.
While Artoo took Walter around the alien craft, showing him
more amazing sights than he'd ever seen before, Walter still couldn't
focus on them. Not entirely. Instead, he wondered at just how easily he
was handling his unbelievable situation. At how he'd managed to keep
from panicking.
But after thinking about it, Walter realized why. It wasn't just
shock, though that undoubtedly played a very large part. As strange and
horrible as his new situation, his new body seemed, it was much
preferable to being dead. If he had a choice between being a corpse and
being an alien girl, there was no question of which he'd choose.
With this realization, Walter smiled in relief, thanking whatever
fates had saved him, given him a second chance. He knew that it
wouldn't be easy, but the only thing he could do was accept that he had
changed, and try to adapt as best he could.
Then Walter let out a loud yawn, abruptly realizing just how tired
he was beginning to feel. He continued behind Artoo, or at least Artoo's
probe, though he wasn't able to pay as much attention to what the alien
machine was saying as he would have liked.
Finally Artoo stopped. "Your mind and body have undergone a
great deal of stress, and you obviously require more rest. I will show
you to where you may sleep"
Walter thanked the sphere, then followed it to a round door. "You
may rest here" Artoo told Walter, apparently waiting for Walter to go
inside. Walter only hesitated for a moment, then went through the door,
seeing a room that he realized was probably Raevel's bedroom, or at least
something like that.
It was not a bedroom like anything Walter had ever seen before
though. There were no shelves, personal possessions, or anything. In
fact, the entire room seemed to be nothing but a large indentation in the
floor, almost like a crater. It was half filled with what looked sort of like
white down feathers.
"Looks...comfortable" Walter said half heartedly. He was just
about to start taking off his jumpsuit again, when he realized that Artoo
was still watching him. Suddenly he felt embarrassed to do so, though
he didn't know why since he'd been completely naked in front of Artoo
just a short while earlier. Then Walter had another thought. "You said
you were the ship"
"That is correct" Artoo's voice said, coming from the wall instead
of the sphere that Walter had almost gotten used to.
"Um...then you can see inside of here right?" Walter gestured at
the strange bedroom, and the pit which filled it.
"That is also correct"
Walter took a deep breath, realizing that he might be pushing his
luck a little, but deciding that he really didn't want to be spied on while
he was sleeping. "Can you turn it off? Stop watching in here or
whatever? I need some privacy."
Artoo was silent for a moment, then echoed from the room "I will
follow your request and turn off the monitors in this room." Then Artoo
asked "Is there anything else?"
"Um...Yeah. " Walter flushed in embarrassment, wondering only
briefly if his new skin could even blush, "Do you have a bathroom I can
use?"
After Walter was done relieving himself in what passed for a
bathroom, he returned to the 'feather bed' as he'd started to think of it,
and quickly climbed down inside. The feathers were extremely soft, and
Walter just sank through them. It only took him several minutes to get
himself half buried in the feathers and comfortable, and only another
minute before he went to sleep.
Walter's sleep was fitful, filled with strange dreams. Images of
his car smashing into the tree continued to flash through his dreams, as
well as nightmares of himself being badly injured. But stranger than the
dreams of his own crash, were the dreams of aliens. Some of them
looked much like he now did, while others were even less familiar. But
even though the dreams disturbed his sleep Walter still didn't awaken
from them.
When he finally woke up, Walter was confused to find himself
buried entirely in feathers. For a moment, he just stayed where he was,
feeling extremely warm and comfortable, trying to make sense of the
strange memories that were flooding his mind. Then he remembered,
knowing that they weren't just the remnants of his dreams.
After a moment of trying to gather his thoughts, Walter sat up,
digging his way out of the feather bed. When he was sitting most of the
way on top, reclining against the edge of the pit, Walter let out a sigh and
looked around the room in awe. He still couldn't believe that he was in a
UFO.
"This is too strange" Walter whispered to himself, finally forcing
himself to look down at his own body. He'd been trying to ignore it,
trying to focus on things one minute at a time the day before. And when
he'd finally been alone and had the opportunity to examine himself, he'd
been too tired to take advantage of it. "Well I've got time now" he told
himself quietly, trying to keep his fear from resurfacing and reminding
himself how lucky he was to be alive.
For a moment, all Walter did was stare at his hand as he held it in
front of him. So human, yet so different from his own. The smooth
white skin and the missing finger when somehow felt normal to be
absent. But then again, he guessed that his that for his new body, having
only four fingers on each hand was normal.
"I guess I can get used to that" he mused aloud, wiggling his
fingers experimentally.
Then, taking his white and almost clawlike fingernails, Walter
gently ran them over his arm, amazed at the smoothness, and obvious
femininity. But at the same time, his arms showed firm athletic flesh.
His whole body did. Whoever this Raevel had been, she was in very
good shape. At least if she'd been human she would have been. Walter
had no idea if the aliens idea of a healthy body was anything like his
own.
Walter changed his position slightly, and looked at his breasts.
He could easily feel their weight, and though it was unusual, and
unfamiliar, it wasn't uncomfortable by any means. Just...strange. As far
as Walter could tell, they looked just like ordinary breasts, except for
being pure white that was. Even the nipples were chalk white.
Then, tearing his eyes away from his new breasts, Walter gulped
and looked further down. He could see his tail between his legs, and it
twitched slightly. However, that wasn't what Walter wanted to see at the
moment. He nervously looked at his crotch, at the soft white pubic hair
that surrounded a very feminine vagina.
For several minutes, all Walter could do was stare at the slit. "I
can't believe I've got a....a..." Walter stopped and shook his head, feeling
the soft white hair brushing against his shoulder, "I guess I'd better get
used to it" he shuddered slightly, "I just might have it for the rest of my
life" But in spite of his apparent reluctance, Walter was much more
curios than he'd admit, even to himself.
Finally Walter gently touched his new genitalia, and was almost
surprised when it didn't bite him. He paused for a moment, his fingers
still touching himself. It felt very sensitive. Then Walter was about to
slide one of his fingers into the opening, when he remembered his
slightly sharp fingernails and suddenly grew afraid that he'd hurt himself.
Walter slowly pulled his hand away, then got to his feet and
started climbing out of the feather pit. As curious as he still was about
his new body, he knew that there'd be plenty of time for that later. He
quickly put the nearly skin tight jumpsuit back on, then left through the
open door.
"Shall we continue with the tour?" Artoo's voice immediately
greeted Walter. "I still haven't shown you the control center"
Walter chuckled slightly at the golden sphere that had been
waiting for him. "I can't believe you waited out here just for that?"
"You forget," Artoo said, "I am already here, and there was no
difficulty in one of my probes remaining by the door"
Just shrugging in response, Walter followed behind the orb as
Artoo continued with the tour. It wasn't long before they came to the
bridge, or at least what passed as one on the ship. It was a smaller room
than Walter would have expected, and had glasslike monitors on the
walls. In the middle of the room was a large transparent sphere that
floated several feet off the floor, and had pictures flashing within.
Walter just stared in amazement at everything.
While Artoo was explaining the purposes of everything in the
room, Walter tried paying attention, but there were too many things to
see, and much of what Artoo told him didn't make any sense.
Then suddenly Artoo announced "Warning, the C'taar have found
us" Then a sudden shaking occurred in exclamation to Artoo's warning.
The alien computer told Walter they'd been hit.
"Oh shit" Walter whispered, staring at the screens on the wall and
seeing the sleek looking ship he'd seen before. And once again it was
chasing the golden ship, but this time he was inside of it. Walter just
stared at the images in terror, suddenly realizing that he could be killed
for real. For the second time because of the war between the two alien
races. "What are we going to do?" he asked, trying to keep the panic
from surfacing.
For a moment, Artoo didn't answer, and when it did, the voice
came from the walls instead of the probe. "I am trying to evade them.
The C'taar are faster and more maneuverable, but I think I can escape
them again. They are easily distracted"
Then with that, Walter felt the ship shake again. He tried to
watch as much of the chase as he could from the monitors, finding that
the sphere one in the middle of the room gave the best view of
everything around the ship.
"I can't see them in the crystal ball" Walter cried out when the
C'taar vanished from the screen, "Have we lost them?"
Suddenly everything shook again. "No" Artoo answered, "They
have just changed tactics" Then the crystal ball monitor shifted outward
and Walter was able to see the other alien ship, though it was moving too
quickly to easily keep track of. "I am going to try losing them on the
surface of your planet's moon"
"The moon?" Walter repeated in surprise. Up until that moment,
he'd assumed that they were still on Earth, but looking at the monitors he
realized that they'd been in space. "I can't believe it" Walter muttered,
"The moon"
Walter watched the monitors intently, unable to take his eyes off
of the surface of the moon as they shot past it. Never in his life had he
imagined that he'd be on the moon. It was like he was caught in some
science fiction movie. The only thing missing was someone saying
"Come over to the dark side"
After they'd been hit by their attackers guns again, Walter cursed,
"Can't we do anything?" He looked at the wall and yelled "Shoot back or
something"
Then, much to Walter's surprise, Artoo answered "As you
command"
Almost immediately, Walter saw the ship change course on the
monitors. Several slots opened up in the side and beams of bluish green
light shot out, as well as what seemed to be missiles of some sort. They
shot towards the C'taar ship, catching it by surprise as several of them
slammed into it's side, though apparently not enough to severely damage
it. However, it did seem to be enough to make their attacker back off.
Walter stared at the monitor in awe at the sudden turnabout in the
fight. After only another minute, the C'taar ship took off at a great speed,
leaving them alone.
"We did it" Walter gasped, then started laughing, "We won"
Then almost immediately, he turned to the spherical probe, forgetting for
the moment that this wasn't truly Artoo, and demanded, "But why the
hell didn't you fight back sooner?"
For a brief second, the red eye lens of the sphere contracted, then
opened back up. "Because I was not authorized to do so"
"What?"
"A I stated previous," Artoo responded carefully, "I require
authorization from my pilot before I am allowed to use most of my
weaponry or my jump engines"
"But your pilot is dead....." Walter's eyes widened in sudden
realization. "I told you to shoot..."
"Correct. You are my pilot"
Walter just stared, his mouth open in disbelief. "But I'm not your
pilot. I'm not really this Raevel person....."
"That is irrelevant. You possess her body, and it is her voice and
DNA that are required." Artoo paused for a moment, then continued
more quietly "For all intents and purposes, you are now my pilot"
"Oh my God" Walter whispered, "Then.....that means you have
to do what I order?
"Correct" Artoo said quietly.
For the next several minutes, Walter stood where he was, hardly
daring to believe it. He silently sat down into the almost beanbag like
seat that was offered to him, then stared at the strange alien technology.
Technology that he now controlled, and that any country on Earth would
do anything to possess. That much he was sure of.
After a moment, Walter's thoughts turned once again to his crash.
A faint smile formed on his lips as he thought of just how lucky he was
to have survived, even if it meant changing as much as he had. If Artoo
hadn't saved him....Walter shuddered at the thought of where he'd be. He
knew that it was partly Artoo's fault that he'd crashed, but he just couldn't
blame it. Not when it was Artoo who'd come back and saved him.
Then Walter abruptly started to chuckle as he realized that
Artoo's saving him, had resulted in him saving it. In his being able to let
it fight back against the C'taar. He smiled at the coincidence, then
suddenly froze.
"Artoo?" He asked quietly, "You knew I'd be able to give you
orders when you put me in this body.....didn't you?"
For several long seconds, Artoo was completely silent. Then
finally it answered in a quiet voice "That is correct"
Walter's eyes widened and he forced himself to keep from
jumping out of the chair. "You....you wanted me to become your pilot"
Walter said quietly. It was a statement, not a question. From Artoo's
silence, Walter knew he was right. "You wanted me.....needed me so
that you could fight back against the C'taar. And so you could go home"
Again Artoo was silent, then finally it answered, it's voice
coming from the sphere once again. "That is also correct" It was quiet,
sounding almost guilty as it admitted this. Then Artoo added "But
saving your life was also very important"
Letting himself sink deeper into the chair, Walter sighed. He
didn't know why this revelation bothered him, but it did. Maybe, he
thought, being saved by someone who was acting out of kindness was
one thing, but so that he could be used.... Walter wasn't sure that he
liked that. It made him feel....indebted. Even more than before, and not
in a good way.
Finally Walter looked up and at the alien machinery again. He
had to get away from it. He had to get out of the ship. "Artoo....take me
back to Earth. To a city"
"I would advise against this" Artoo protested, though Walter
didn't listen.
"Just do it" he demanded impatiently, refusing to look at the
probe that Artoo was speaking through.
Hesitating for a moment, Artoo finally answered reluctantly "As
you command"
--------------------
A short while later, the ship carefully descended to Earth. Their
destination was a deserted beach in California, but even so, Walter was
greatly relieved that they were going to land at night. Though Artoo
assured him that ship could easily avoid radar, Walter was still worried,
but not worried enough to quit.
As they landed on the sandy beach, the golden metal sphere
reached out with it's tentacles, and offered something to Walter. "Take
this" Artoo said, "It will enable us to continue communications"
Walter nervously eyed the gold metal bracelet that Artoo had
offered, then he quickly grabbed it and snapped it on his wrist. Much to
his surprise, the seam melded together, vanishing as if it had never been
there.
"What the hell?" Walter exclaimed, trying to pull the bracelet
loose, though it wouldn't budge. It almost seemed as if it had been glued
to his arm.
"The communicator prevents itself from being lost, though it can
be removed upon your return here. Just speak aloud and I shall hear
you." Artoo finished its instructions, then added "Good luck, and please
be careful"
"Um...thanks" Walter responded, unsure of what else to say.
With that, the platform that Walter had been standing on started
to move. To descend like an elevator. A moment later, he could smell the
salty air of the ocean, and hear the waves crashing. He could see the
sandy beach around him on all sides in the dim moonlight, and smiled at
the sight. Then taking one last look upward, towards the ship which
floated a short distance above him, Walter nervously stepped off the
platform which had settled gently to the ground.
As soon as Walter was off the platform, he turned and watched it
rise back into the air again, seemingly of it's own power. Then it went
into the hole in the bottom of the ship like the final piece of a jigsaw
puzzle, sealing itself up. Walter watched this all with complete
fascination, and even more so as the ship shot off into the sky at an
incredible rate, vanishing from sight in mere seconds.
For several minutes, Walter continued to stare in the direction
that the ship had gone off in, then he finally looked around himself. For
a brief moment, Walter admired everything around him, pleased at just
how much light there was around to see things with. Then he glanced up
at the moon, only to realize that the moon wasn't full like he'd expected,
but almost gone. It was just the slightest crescent, not large enough to
give off enough light to see with.
Walter blinked, then looked around him again, wondering at just
how clear everything seemed, and without any real source of light at that.
His confusion lasted for only a short time though as he looked down at
his chest, and then his hands, reminding himself just how much he'd
changed.
"I guess these aliens have real good night vision" Walter
mumbled aloud, feeling slightly impressed. Then taking another look
around him, Walter smiled. "Cool"
Letting out a sigh, Walter gathered his thoughts together and
started walking towards the lights of the nearby city. Whether it was San
Francisco, Los Angeles or some other city, Walter had no idea. He only
knew that there was where he wanted to go. Where he needed to go.
Walter continued towards the lights in the distance for awhile,
leaving the sandy beach and the crashing waves behind him. Even so,
he couldn't help but looking back occasionally, and looking up, almost as
if he'd be able to see Artoo with his new eyes, though he knew that he
wouldn't.
It didn't take Walter long to get away from the beach, and past the
small hills, then the closed businesses and private wealthy homes that
marked the beginnings of the city. Soon he was walking along the empty
sidewalk, heading towards the lights further in, where the people actually
were. At least the people who would be out that late at night, or was that
early in the morning? Walter didn't really know, or care for that matter.
Just as Walter was passing a streetlight in front of a bar, he
heard some snickers behind him and quickly turned around. Five boys,
ranging from their late teens to early twenties, stood in front of Walter,
strange looks on their faces. Then he noticed a nasty looking girl
standing behind them, playing with a knife as she eyed him as well.
Walter gulped, definitely not liking the situation.
"What the hell are you?" One of the boys, who was wearing
wraparound mirror shades, asked with a sneer.
Another boy, a short stocky one, glared evilly at Walter. "Some
kind of freaky chick. I mean dig that white skin.....and those fuckin eyes"
He gestured at Walter in exclamation.
"She's just some kind of albino with contact lenses" the girl said,
pushing her way up front and staring at Walter more intently, playing
with her knife all the while. Then after another moment, she frowned,
staring down. Walter followed her eyes, realizing that she, as well as all
the boys, were all staring at his tail, which had been twitching back and
forth. "That's a fuckin tail..." The girl suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"NO fuckin way" the skinny black boy said, "That's just some
costume and makeup. Like in Hollywood." Then he asked Walter, with
a malicious look in his eye "You a Trekkie freako, or maybe you're in the
movies" The others all snickered at that, beginning to advance slightly.
Walter gulped, slowly stepping backward. He nervously eyed the
gang that had started to surround him, having a horrible sinking feeling
that he wasn't going to walk away from this very easily. His heart was
racing wildly as he looked for some way to escape.
"Please let me go" Walter said quietly, "I don't have any money"
One of them, a Hispanic looking guy wearing a black trench coat
snickered. "Yeah, well, we'll just check for ourselves. And I'm sure that
you have a little more to offer as well" The girl looked disgusted at this,
but didn't make any move to stop the boys from advancing.
"Bet she's got a hot pussy" the boy in shades said aloud, licking
his lips. "Once we clean off all that makeup that is" He snickered to
himself as if he'd made some sort of joke.
Then as if that were a call to attack, the whole group came at
Walter. "Let me go!" he screamed out in panic as they grabbed his arms,
and started grabbing for his legs as well. Walter struggled as much as he
could, surprising himself as well as several of his attackers when he
managed to fling one of them away from him. Walter realizing that he
was obviously stronger than he suspected, but he didn't have time to
dwell on that, still having the rest of his attackers to deal with.
For several minutes Walter tried fighting off his attackers, doing
much better than he would have imagined. But he was badly
outnumbered, and several of them had weapons that they were no longer
hesitant to use. He managed to stop those with the weapons first,
throwing them at each other and dodging quickly out of their way,
quicker than he would have been able to with his old body, but it wasn't
enough. Finally they had him.
Walter screamed out "Let me go" in panic as they grabbed him
by his arms and legs, throwing him to the ground where he was unable to
fight back, or even get enough leverage to do anything. "Please" he cried
tears coming to his eyes as he saw one of the boys reaching for his belt
buckle. Walter's eyes went wide with horror and he struggled once
again, trying to get free, trying to get loose.
"Check her fingers" he heard one of them say in surprise.
"Who the fuck cares" another answered, "I just want to check her
snatch"
"NO" Walter yelled, somehow managing to pull his arm free
enough so that he could sit up. With his limited movement, Walter
reacted almost without thought, attacking the only way he was able. He
bit down hard on the arm of the boy with the sunglasses, feeling his teeth
pierce the boys flesh and tasting the warm blood in his mouth.
"The bitch bit me" shades screamed up, jumping backward and
holding his arm.
Walter just grinned back, feeling much better. And more than
that, the others were surprised enough that they loosened their grip
enough for him to pull free. Enough for him to get back to his feet,
though they still held on to him.
"Kill the cunt" the black boy snarled.
Suddenly the boy with the sunglasses gasped, and Walter glanced
at him, seeing that the boy looked extremely pain, and was bent over
gasping for breath. Then the boy fell to the ground, twitching for a
moment then lying still.
The girl ran to the boy's body and a moment later jumped back
up. "He's dead..." she sounded shocked, and even scared, eyeing Walter
fearfully. "She....she killed him"
"But I didn't....." Walter tried to protest, staring in shock and
fear at the dead boy. All he'd done was bit him in self defense. Then
Walter ran his tongue along his teeth, feeling the sharp canines, which he
shuddered to realize must have been poisonous. "Oh shit" he whispered.
Walter was so stunned, he didn't see the others moving, not until
he felt a sharp pain in his arm and the sticky warmth of blood. He
looked down, horrified to see a very pale colored green liquid dripping
from the cut.
"HOLY FUCK" the girl exclaimed, "She's not human. What the
fuck are you?"
Walter just stared at it himself, horrified, and then at her. How
could he answer her when he didn't even really know himself. But
Walter didn't have time to think about it as they came at him again, all of
them with their weapons out, and even worse, fear and hatred in their
eyes.
Fighting back with a renewed sense of urgency, Walter lashed
out with, trying to use is fingernails, the only weapons he had available.
They tore open the side of one boy's face, and he fell to the ground
screaming, but Walter barely saw that as he fought back against the
others, frantically defending his life. After Walter's clawed fingernails
tore open one of the boys arms, and a well placed kick knocked the
trench coated boy to the ground, the others started to slowly back away.
Walter gasped for breath, warily watching his attackers beginning
to step back. The boy in the trench coat stood up again, clutching at his
crotch and starting at Walter, hate clearly visible in his eyes. "What kind
of freaky bitch are you?" he demanded, spitting in Walter's direction.
The boy suddenly jumped at Walter once again, though this time Walter
dodged out of the way, grabbing the boy by the arm and shoulder,
holding him tight. "Let me go" the boy screamed aloud, then pulled
loose, slipping out of his coat running after his friends who had already
started to hurry away.
For several minutes, all Walter could do was stare at the dead boy
on the ground, and at his own hands. "Oh my God" he whispered in
horror, "what have I become?" He felt sick to his stomach as he thought
about it. Sure, he still felt extremely lucky to even be alive, but he wasn't
even human anymore. The fear in those boys eyes when they saw
that...it sent shivers down Walter's spine. What could he tell his friends?
What could he tell his family?
Gulping, Walter glanced around him, suddenly terrified of being
spotted and attacked again. Or worse, that the gang would be back with
reinforcements, warning others about the horrible monster in their midst.
"I feel like I'm in an old B movie" Walter muttered to himself, slipping
his captured trenchcoat on to try hiding his obvious strangeness, and then
the dead boys glasses, hoping that they'd hide his eyes good enough. He
felt horrible when he took them, as if he were a grave-robber, but then
told himself "That's nothing compared to being a killer"
Once he was ready, Walter took one more look around to make
surem that he wasn't being watched, then he started to run in the opposite
direction that the punks had taken. He only hoped that he didn't have any
more encounters with people like them, knowing that he couldn't take
much more of that.
Walter looked at all the people that were around him on the
streets, feeling partly relieved to be surrounded by people again, but at
the same time extremely nervous. He couldn't help but remembering
how that gang had reacted when they'd discovered he wasn't human
anymore. How they had stared at him in fear and disgust. Walter was
afraid that it might happen again, and with even more people around
him, he knew he wouldn't be able to escape so easily.
Taking a quick look down at himself, Walter sighed in relief,
glad that the trenchcoat and glasses hid his differences enough so that
they wouldn't be noticed. And though people definitely gave him some
odd looks, from his white skin, hair and pointed ears, they couldn't see
the more extreme oddness. The tail and green eyes.
Uncomfortably looking around, Walter started to wish that he'd
listened to Artoo and stayed on the ship. With the thought of Artoo,
Walter suddenly remembered the bracelet on his wrist, automatically
reaching down and rubbing at it. He'd completely forgotten about it until
then, it felt so comfortable there.
"Artoo?" Walter hesitantly asked aloud, hoping that no one saw
him talking to his wrist, "Are you there?"
"Yes" Walter heard Artoo's mechanical voice, "Do you require
anything?"
Walter just glanced around to make sure no one was watching
him again, then slipped into an alley so that he wouldn't be interrupted,
or observed. "Yeah" he snapped impatiently, "Why the hell didn't you
tell me I'm poisonous?"
Artoo was silent or a moment, then Walter heard it's voice again.
"Are you referring to the venom sacks in your mouth?"
"Duh?" Walter growled, "What else would I be talking about?"
"You never requested any information on your new biology"
Artoo answered, in what Walter almost would have thought was a smug
voice.
Walter just shook his head and sighed. "Well I'm requesting it
now"
"Affirmative" came the mechanical voice. Then for the next
fifteen minutes, Walter listened as the alien intelligence told him about
the Teirdei biology, and more importantly, about his own body.
Fortunately there weren't many more surprises, except one And it
unfortunately was a big one.
"Teirdei females can reproduce at any time" Artoo told Walter
"Though once every five weeks, when they are at their most fertile, they
go into peinagar." Then Artoo explained what 'peinagar' was. That he'd
go into heat like some kind of animal, becoming extremely horny for a
day or two, just before his...(gulp)...period. Walter just gasped in horror
and disgust, though his fears were relieved some when Artoo assured
him that there were medications in the ship that would prevent this for
the most part.
"Great" Walter exclaimed once Artoo was finished, "Just great"
Sighing, he reminded himself that at it could be worse. A whole lot
worse. "So, Artoo..." Walter whispered into his bracelet, "When do I go
into this....peinagar?"
Once again Artoo was quiet for several seconds, then it finally
answered "I am not truly certain. I was fully aware of Raevel's cycle, but
that was before she was.....her body was put into stasis. The....trauma
may have interfered with your cycle. If not, taking account the time in
stasis, peinagar should begin in....3 weeks"
"Thank God" Walter mumbled. Now all he had to worry about
was the period that Artoo said occurred around that time as well. That
thought really made him shudder, but he knew that it was just one more
price he was going to have to pay for being alive.
"Do you require anything else?" Artoo asked.
"No" Walter answered, "That's fine" Slowly he lowered his
wrist, then looked around the darkened alley, darkened to anyone but
himself. Seeing that he was still alone, Walter hurried out and back into
the main streets.
Once again he was surrounded by people that made him feel
uncomfortable. People walking from one dimly lit bar to another,
prostitues, and even numbers of teens who were just out looking for
excitement. However, even though Walter got plenty of odd looks, he
slowly started to realize that people weren't staring nearly as much as he
would have expected. In fact, there were other people walking around
who looked even stranger than he did. Girls with blue hair, people with
piercings and tattoo's all over their bodies, and some obvious men,
dressed in women's clothes. After awhile,
Walter started to smile faintly, almost feeling normal.
Beginning to enjoy himself, Walter watched the people around
him as he walked past them, still smiling to himself. Then, noticing that
he was hungry, Walter looked around for someplace to eat. It didn't take
him long to find a greasy fast food burger joint. "Just what I'm in the
mood for" he told himself, pulling out the wad of small bills that he'd
found in the coat pocket earlier on. He quickly scanned it, making sure
that he had enough money for dinner, then he went inside.
Several minutes later, Walter walked back out, glad that the place
was one of those open 24 hours. He quickly found a park bench on the
side of the street, and sat down to start eating. Walter took a huge bite
from his burger, swallowing it almost before he'd even finished chewing
it. As he took the next bite, he winced at the incredibly greasy taste of
the meat. "This is awful" he winced, forcing himself to swallow it
anyway. However, that didn't seem to be a very good move as his
stomach started to churn in protest. "Ugh" Walter groaned, leaning over
as he felt his stomach about to empty itself. Somehow he though he
managed to keep from vomiting, though he wasn't sure how. Giving the
hamburger a look of disgust, Walter tossed it into the trash can next to
the bench, grumbling "How do they keep in business with that shit?"
Still tasting the horrible greasy burger, Walter took a gulp of his
Coke to wash out the taste, but even that didn't do much good. The Coke
itself tasted bad as well, far too sugary and sweet. "Gross" Walter spat
the rest back out, tossing the Coke into the garbage after the burger.
Then he turned his attention to the fries, eyeing them warily for a
moment before hesitantly putting one of them in his mouth as well.
Once again Walter winced in disgust, spitting out the offending
french fry. "How the hell can they screw up french fries?" he asked no
one in particular, throwing the fries into the garbage and getting up,
wishing for some water to wash the horrible greasy and salty taste from
his mouth.
Walter's stomach was still protesting the small bit of burger,
though not as badly. He only wished that he could find someplace else
to eat. But unfortunately, he realizing that this might not be very easy.
Especially not since he remembered what Artoo had told him about his
now requiring a slightly different diet. "Artoo said I could still eat some
normal food" Walter grumbled as he walked off, "but I guess fast food
isn't included" With a sigh, Walter started to wonder again if leaving the
ship might have been a bad idea.
--------------------
After several more hours of walking, Walter was feeling tired and
hungry. He was seriously thinking about calling Artoo back down
somewhere to pick him back up. At least there he food and a
comfortable, if rather odd, place to sleep.
Suddenly Walter saw some movement, and quickly snapped his
head, seeing two teenagers approaching him. One boy and one girl, both
appearing to be around seventeen, and both with black hair, dressed in
black gothic style clothes. He gulped slightly as he warily watched them
come towards him, looks of determination on their heavily painted faces.
When they were a little closer, Walter demanded "What do you
want?" He stared from one to the other, sure that they were going to try
mugging him again. Their fellow gang members were probably around
the corner, or hiding someplace to jump him. He was sure of it.
The girl smiled faintly, though also nervously. "Please don't hurt
us" she pleaded, catching Walter by surprise.
"We know what you are" the boy said, a little fear, but also
admiration in his voice.
Walter took a step back without thinking about it. His heard
started beating faster and he quickly looked around him for the other
attackers, sure that they were about to come any moment. But at the
same time, he also watched the two in front of him, horribly afraid that
they'd seen his ship. That they knew he was now an alien and were about
to lynch what they assumed to be a monster.
"And what's that?" Walter asked, forcibly keeping his voice
under control.
The girl looked around nervously, then stepped forward,
confidently answering "A vampire" Her voice was filled with awe.
Walter's jaw dropped in surprise. "A vampire?" He chuckled
slightly without meaning to, relieved and amused, but still very wary.
"There's no such thing"
The boy looked slightly hurt, but protested "We know you are.
We heard a bunch of guys talking about you. They described just how
you looked." He stared at Walter, making Walter feel uncomfortable.
"Yeah" the girl continued, "I mean, you like killed that one guy
by ripping out his throat and drinking his blood, and threw everyone
around with superhuman strength"
For a moment, Walter just stared at her, trying to keep his
surprise from showing. Tore out someone's throat? Drank his blood?
Obviously, he realized, there had been some very serious exaggeration
going on, and he wasn't at all sure he liked it. Especially not when it
meant that there could be a mob to drive a stake through his heart around
somewhere.
"Don't worry" the girl assured Walter, "We won't tell. We're
vampires too"
"Vampires....?" Walter looked at them, feeling slightly confused.
Obviously they didn't plan on hurting him, but they didn't seem to be
quite right in the head either.
"Not real vampires" the boy broke in, "But we're with a....club,
and a bunch of us drink a little bit of each other's blood. We all admire
your kind"
"Oh great" Walter muttered under his breath. "Now this is just
what I need"
"If you're hungry" the girl volunteered nervously, "any one of us
would be happy to...feed you."
"And if you need a place to sleep today" the boy broke in, "No
one would find you there. Please, let us help you"
Walter sighed. "I'm not a vampire" he told them again, "I'm
just....wearing a lot of makeup" He gave them a smile that he hoped
would convince them of his sincerity. Unfortunately, he saw that they
just winked back conspiratorially, not believing his denial in the least.
Sighing again, Walter just shook his head and gave up.
Seeing the two eager young goths in front of him, Walter couldn't
help but smile faintly, deciding that maybe he could use there help. Or at
least the sleeping quarters that they offered. He was tired. But as hungry
as he was, there offer of....food, didn't sound very appetizing.
"I'll accept the place to sleep" Walter told them, barely believing
himself for saying so. "But I've....." he hesitated for a moment, feeling
slightly guilty, "already fed tonight"
They just nodded knowingly, they announced "This way" and
started off down the street. Walter didn't believe himself for doing so,
but he quickly followed behind.
Within minutes they'd gone down an alley, and arrived at what
was obviously an underground club of some kind. A small sign above
the door proclaimed "Club Drac" though it was obviously easily
removed, and probably was every day. Walter followed his escort down
the stairs and waited as they knocked on the door, then whispered
something to the person who cracked the door open. Then before he
knew it, he was led inside.
The room itself was fairly dark, even though there were colored
lights in the ceiling, many of which Walter realized where black lights.
Several dozen people of both sexes were around the club, some dancing,
but many sitting with others around small tables. And every single one of
them was dressed in black, mostly goth style, but a few like stereotypical
vampires. He even saw people with red eyes, which he immediately
recognized as fancy contacts, even if they did look real, and a large
number of the people even seemed to have fake vampire fangs.
The girl leaned over and whispered to Walter "Most of them are
posers, but a couple are into the real scene"
Walter just nodded and looked around. Then suddenly feeling a
little mischievious, he pulled off his sunglasses and let everyone see his
green eyes. He got a number of appreciative looks, and one girl quickly
asked him where he got his contacts. He just grinned back, making sure
to show his real fangs, then looked around again.
"This way" the boy told Walter, gesturing frantically towards the
back of the room, "There's a back room, with no windows that locks
from the inside. It should be perfect for you to sleep in" Walter just
nodded.
Then a moment later, Walter stopped "Actually I'm kind of
hungry" he said without thinking. Then seeing the odd, nervous looks
that passed between the two, he quickly assured them, "Not that. I want
something....." Walter searched for the right word, not wanting to give
them the wrong impression, "solid. Something normal" They looked a
little disappointed at that.
Walter sat down at one of the tables, remembering his
misadventure with the fast food, and not wanting to repeat it. He tried
thinking of what he might be able to eat, and remembering the meal
aboard the ship, requested "Plain white rice and a steak" Again his two
hosts looked disappointed, until Walter thought more carefully about the
meal, and reluctantly added "And make the steak raw" That however
seemed to really appease his hosts, and the boy hurried away to get the
food, while the girl remained with Walter.
Neither said anything for awhile, and feeling rather warm, Walter
removed the coat. No one except the girl noticed his tail, and though her
eyes went wide, she didn't say a word. Walter just smiled at her and
smugly thought. "This will show you how much you know about
vampires"
Walter leaned back, watching the people around him, finding it
almost odd that no one was treating him like a freak when he so
obviously was. In fact, the only comments he got were about how
"realistic" his 'costume' looked, except for one girl who was obviously
jealous and rudely told Walter "Your costume looks so fake. Can't you
do any better than that? I mean, green eyes and a tail, common" That
just made Walter laugh out loud, much to the annoyance of the girl
who'd tried insulting him.
The girl that was Walter's host was sipping at a glass of red
liquid, which he guessed to be either a bloody mary or red wine. When
she noticed him watching her, she suddenly looked embarrassed and
admitted "We don't usually drink the real stuff from glasses, especially
not with all the posers around" Walter just nodded faintly. "Besides,"
the girl continued, "we have to get out the clean syringes and stuff"
Finally the boy returned, with the meal that Walter had requested.
White rice, and raw steak. He looked at it hesitantly, then cautiously
took a bite of the rice, not wanting a repeat of his earlier meal.
Fortunately though, the rice went down easily, as did the steak.
Obviously he'd found at least some of the foods that he could eat, but
Walter hoped that he'd be able to eat more than just that. A lot more. A
diet of plain rice and raw meat didn't sound the least bit appetizing,
especially if it turned out to be all that he could eat.
When he'd finished, Walter yawned, ignoring the stares from his
two followers, then announced "I'm about ready to go to bed"
"But it's still an hour till sunrise" the girl protested.
Walter sighed, then thinking quickly, told the girl "Eating real
food takes a lot out of us, but it's worth it" The girls eyes widened at
that, as did the boys, but both seemed to accept it, much to Walter's
relief. A minute later he'd been led to the back storage room where they
performed their own ritual, and left alone.
After locking the door, Walter glanced around the small room. It
had several tables low to the floor, as well as several mattresses on the
floor and pillows for sitting on scattered all over. "Not the Ritz, but It'll
do" Walter said, holding back another yawn.
Once he'd stripped off his clothes, Walter looked around
nervously, suddenly realizing that there could be some kind of spy hole
with them watching him. But somehow, he didn't really think so, and
decided to ignore his fears. Instead, he just sat down on one of the
mattresses, relieved that it was a lot cleaner than he'd expected, even
having a somewhat clean blanket spread out on top of it.
He bent forward, easily touching his toes, and amusing himself
slightly with just how much more and agile his new body was that his
old one. And even though he only seemed to be 5 foot 6 or 7 now, he
also seemed to be just as strong as he had been before. Probably even
stronger, though not by too much. And certainly not by the superhuman
levels that his followers seemed to believe.
Walter yawned again, and tried getting comfortable on the