Never Meddle In The Affairs Of A Woman, Part II free porn video

Never Meddle in the Affairs of a Woman "For they are subtle and quick to anger." Part II By Zapper *** Part I Previously *** James, while attempting to help Kristina soon found himself in her beautiful blonde body. Her request seemed simple enough, "Live my life for two weeks and then we'll swap back." She'd taken Holiday time from work and James fully intended to avoid Kristina's friends and family for the next two weeks. James quickly discovers that avoiding Kristina's best friend, Lana, is next to impossible and that being a young, sexy, blonde woman isn't so bad. However, things don't work out as planned when Syndicate Security pick James up for questioning. Despite her best effort the Syndicate is suspicious and sends a second team to bring James in for additional questioning. Acting on Kristina's advice James resists, violently, and is now on the run. Fleeing the United Kingdom and James is trying to hook up with Kristina before the Syndicate catches up with her. While on the run James starts to get visions in the form of dreams, these visions have a prophetic quality and come in handy. Now, caught between magic she doesn't understand and an evil secret organization bent on world domination, James must adapt to her sexy female body and use every bit of training and cunning she's capable of, if she wants to survive. And now, the conclusion to, "Never Meddle in the Affairs of a Woman". Author note: 1. This story was written in response to Marusya's writing challenge and was written with her help and daily involvement. 2. I need to send a shout out to my beta readers - Mr. 20 Inch Biceps, Eric, Hutcho, and BobH. Thank you - without your help this story wouldn't be nearly as good. 3. An extra thank you to Mr. 20 Inch Biceps - proofreading isn't much fun, I know, and the dedication and effort you put in to finding and fixing issues with this story is deeply appreciated. 4. I strongly recommend you read Part I before reading Part II. *** Chapter Nine "Fun on a Train" *** 'Late lunch or early dinner?' I wondered as I dug into a veggie wrap. "At least I can still eat fries. What I wouldn't give for a nice steak right now." I glanced at Kristina's phone for the tenth time. I still didn't have anything from Kristina. I felt very exposed at the moment. I didn't have any proof that the Syndicate had the expertize to track me using technology, but I hated taking the risk. "Alright, Jimmy-boy, what are the priorities?" I said, thinking out loud. "One. Survival. Two. Link up with Kristina. Three. Get your body back." I took a sip of the diet coke that had accompanied my meal. "Assets?" I looked over at the backpack, "Three days' worth of clothes." I then surveyed my computer and phone, "Decent comms." Inside Kristina's purse were credit cards and an ATM card. "Adequate funds." I paused to spend a few seconds eating and then returned to my planning. "Liabilities. Any use of comms or electronic funds risks exposure." Then I looked down at my body, "Physically, very limited direct action capability." I finished the wrap and checked my phone, still nothing. "Time to focus on survival," I said to the empty room. 'I need resources with lower exposure risks,' I thought. I glanced at Kristina's ATM card and credit cards, a trip to the bank was in order. There were other options for getting untraceable funds, but everything that I could think required me to break the law in some way. And while survival was more important than keeping a clean record, those ideas held risks. I also knew I was on the clock. I'd left a dead body in Kristina's apartment. I wasn't sure how the law in the UK would go on this one. It was obvious that they'd blown my door down and I'd had to defend myself. I'd wiped the broom down and screwed the head back on before leaving so the weapon might be a bit of a mystery. Or not. I was pretty sure that if the situation were, in any way normal, Kristina should have stayed and called the police and claimed self-defense. So, what was the risk? Best case, the Syndicate cleaned it up. Not wanting the exposure from a failed kidnapping attempt and the death of one of its employees. Worst case, the Syndicate tampered with the scene to make it look like I was a murderer... er... murderess. Most likely? I had to admit that I didn't know. I lacked the information I needed to make the assessment. "Okay, Jimmy-boy, hope for the best, plan for the worst. You've got a few hours and then assume there is a warrant out for your arrest. You need to fall off the grid quickly." Done eating I grabbed my gear, I'd seen a bank on the walk to the hotel. Time to get as many Euros as possible. *** The trip to the bank was uneventful if a little nerve wracking. I couldn't tell if people were looking at me because they thought I looked odd, or out of place, or if this was just the way the world reacted to a beautiful woman. I'd made the max withdrawal on all the cards and Kristina's ATM, this resulted in several hundred euros. It was starting to get dark when I made it back to the hotel. I was feeling full of nervous energy so I figured a workout was in order. I'd brought sweats and spent the next two hours going through a routine that left me gasping for breath. Once done I went to the shower and got the water running and just then I heard my phone ring. I rushed back to the living area and picked it up off the desk where I'd left it. It was my number so I pushed 'talk.' "Kristina?" "Yeah, James, it's me. What's so urgent? What happened?" It was my voice, but it sounded tired. "After you left the Syndicate showed up at your place. Two thugs with guns blew the door." "Oh, my God! Are you alright? How did you get out?" Now the fatigue was gone from his voice and I had his full attention. "Yeah, I'm fine. I took them down and ran. I'm in Brussels right now. Where do you want to meet?" There was a pause. "You took them down?" The disbelief was a little insulting. "Yes, I took them down. I killed one and left the other tied up." "You KILLED one?" The shock in his voice was clear. "Are you telling me you killed someone?!" Now there was shock, horror, and disbelief in his strong voice. "Kristina, calm down and focus," I said as calmly as I could. "They blew down the door with a breaching charge and were carrying guns. I didn't think they wanted to have a lovely chat over tea." I said the last part a little more harshly than I intended. "We need to talk about this, but save it for later. Now, WHERE do you want me to meet you?" There was a long pause, and then my former voice sound calmer, "James, I'm sorry to have dragged you into all of this... I never thought they'd try to kill you... uh... me." "Kristina, we can talk about this LATER, right now, I need you to focus. I've got to keep moving. I'm too exposed and too public to sit still. If I do they'll probably catch me." "Okay, can you get to Berlin?" "I think so." "Alright, I'll text you an address. I've got a friend there, Jenny H?mann, she'll help you... er... me." "Fine. Have you figured out how to swap us back?" "Uhm, no, but I've learned a lot. I've got some new friends, they've agreed to help us. They're kind of the opposition to the Syndicate. Look, I'll explain everything when I see you. I should be able to be there in two days." "Alright, I'll see you in two days!" Then I pushed the end button. Less than thirty seconds later my phone buzzed and I looked at the text message: Kristina: Stirnerstra?e 33b, Berlin Me: Got it. Shutting off my phone. I'll call or text you in twelve hours. I found a pen and paper on the hotel desk, jotted down the address and then killed the phone and popped out the battery. I had two days to get to Berlin, well, staying at a friend's house would be much better than a hotel. I glanced at my watch, it was starting to get late. 'I bet they've got trains leaving here at all times of day.' I thought. An all night train trip would be perfect, if they had one. I jumped into the shower trying to ignore my body and just focus on getting clean. My hair had gotten sweaty and stinky so I washed as quickly as possible, hoping that I wasn't adding to much risk. Something just told me that I needed to be out of here as soon as possible. I was still uncomfortable with the girl routine, but I reminded myself that I need to blend in. Looking small, harmless, and female was now my best protection. If it took an extra twenty minutes to blend in with the rest of the female population, so be it, it might save my life later. As it turned out it took almost a half hour to blow dry my hair, and another fifteen to put on a touch of makeup and get into a set of traveling clothes. By the time I left the hotel the temperature had dropped and I was wishing I had more than just the light leather jacket I'd taken from Kristina's place. I tried to hurry, but I'd worked out pretty hard and I soon had to slow down and pace myself. I got to the train station without any incident. It was now after 21:00 and I discovered there was an overnight train that departed at 23:41 and arrived at 08:13 in Berlin. Luckily there were plenty of seats, I got a funny look when I paid cash, but from this point on I planned to limit my use of anything that could be traced electronically. Hopefully, the syndicate wasn't powerful enough to access government records, or they'd see that I'd entered Germany. With nothing else to do I found a shop selling magazines. The latest Field & Stream, magazine was out and the cover article talked about Elk hunting. Just as I reached out to pick it up I spotted the nail polish on my right hand. It was slightly chipped from my failure to properly take care of Kristina's hands, but it was an instant reminder of who and what I was. A cute, blonde, sitting in the train station reading a hunting magazine would be a little odd. In resignation I looked around for a fashion magazine, if I couldn't read something fun, then I might as well do some research. I took my time looking through the magazines, I had plenty of time to kill and this gave me a chance to people watch while I looked. There were people of all varieties moving through the train station and I realized that this was a place that never really slept. I could see families arriving and meeting loved ones, young people obviously intent on exploring Europe, and others who appeared to be traveling for business. In many ways it reminded me of an airport, but it had an older feel, as if the period of time that had given birth to the train station was very different from today. There were plenty of modern things, so maybe it was just my American perspective that colored my impression. I finally settled on a fashion magazine and then impulsively grabbed the issue of Field & Stream. I figured I could put the one inside the other and then people would think I was reading something on fashion. The woman at the cash register was a little older than me and looked bored as she rang up my purchases. It almost surprised me that I didn't even get a second look. The wait proved uneventful and even though I didn't get a sleeper car the seat I had was quite large and reclined with a leg rest coming out so that it was almost in a bed. As luck would have it another woman, traveling by herself took the seat next to me and then a group of nuns filled the next two rows. 'Good,' I thought, 'no kids and maybe some divine protection.' The train pulled smoothly away from the station and I closed my eyes. The last twenty four hours had taken a toll on me and I could feel my body wanting to shut down for some much needed rest. *** I don't normally dream. However, since becoming Kristina my sleep had been filled with dreams. It was no different now. It started out with me, in uniform, in the field. It was a training event, land navigation, our team was moving toward the objective when the ambush happened. Everyone reacted with precision each person knew their job and went at it, except me. I knew that if I got down on the ground it would get my dress dirty. Then I sort of blinked in the dream, instead of wearing the full battle rattle I was expecting I had on a frilly white dress. "What the hell?" I looked around but the fire fight had continued while I was distracted. The team was moving forward breaking out of the ambush; Sgt. Davis looked back at me. "Frost, get your butt in gear or you'll get us all killed." Then he looked ahead just as his MILES (Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System) gear went off. "Fuck, now I'm dead!" he said and glared at me. "Well, are you going to get that pretty little butt moving or not? We didn't train you to sit around and let the enemy come at you. Attack the ambush!" I tried to explain that I was a girl and that I wasn't in the service when the dream shifted. I found myself back in Kristina's apartment. The door was wide open as a group of men in suits entered. The thug I'd tied up was free and he met them at the door. I couldn't hear anything but they pulled out a long canvas bag and rolled the body of the second thug into it, zipping it up. While they were at work I saw someone else had taken my door off the hinges and to my surprise they had another door they were already fitting onto the apartment. Then one of the guys, older, with a touch of grey in his rust red hair, froze and looked around. At last, as if sensing me, he looked in my direction and said something and his eyes started glowing. At that I panicked and tried to run, and the dream faded away. I found myself still in that same white dress, but now I was on a train. Not the same car that I was sleeping in but rather the dining car, and there were four men that drew my attention as they ate. They all had the look of low level crooks and it made me wonder what they were up too. If I were to guess they were locally hired cheap muscle, but for what? "The boss said she'd be on this train," the oldest crook said, and took a long pull from his beer. "What're we supposed to do, again?" the smallest of the group asked. "Easy, find her, and at the next stop escort her from the train. Then we just hold her and call the boss in. She said, that she'd pick the girl up herself." The crook of African descent spoke up, "Too, easy." And cracked a couple of knuckles. "What if she causes a fuss?" the small guy asked looking a little worried. "That's what we've got this for." The leader held up a small glass jar with a clear liquid. "The boss said put some of this on a rag and then hold it to her mouth. After she breathes it in she'll do anything we ask." The little guy sat up and a creepy grin filled his face showing off rotten teeth. "Anything?" Now all four were grinning, "Yeah, and the boss said that she wants the girl, alive, but she didn't say anything about us not having some fun with her while we wait." *** With that the dream faded and I found myself shivering as I sat up. I looked around the dark passenger car and didn't see anyone moving. 'Was that a dream? Or something more than a dream?' I wondered. It had, and it hadn't, felt like a dream. The quality had been dream- like, but it had been so vivid and there was no doubt in my mind that the guy in Kristina's flat had seen me, somehow. Did that mean those criminals were actually on this train? As quietly as I could I collected my gear and moved into the aisle, the best way out of an ambush was to push through it. If I just waited for them I was doomed. I'm good, but even in my body, I wouldn't have wanted to take on four guys at once. Now I didn't even want to fight one of them if I could figure out a way around it. I hadn't done any exploring when I'd boarded the train and now I regretted that, it's always good to know the ground when you're facing a fight. I turned right and decided to try going forward to see what I could find. As I moved through the compartment I spotted a couple, obviously together since she was snuggled into him, sleeping. On the seat next to the woman was a large hat, without slowing down I snagged the hat and as soon as I opened the door into the next car I put it on. It didn't really fit me but I could use the floppy brim to hide behind, it was a poor disguise, but it was something. It took me a few minutes to figure out that I was headed to the dining car. I pushed the door open and when I spotted the four guys I felt my blood run cold. They looked just like they had in my dream! I didn't know what was going on but I turned around and headed back the way I'd come. As I did out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the guys point in my direction. "Shit!" I knew better than to run, but I moved as quickly as I could. As I passed the sleeping couple I dropped the hat back onto the empty chair. If they'd seen the hat, maybe this would slow them down. I doubted it, though. I passed through several passenger cars and paused only to grab my gear before continuing aft. When I saw the sleeper cars I cars I was tempted to break into one of them. I shook my head, dumb idea, although the fearsome foursome had no idea if I'd booked a sleeper or a seat, I was suddenly sure they had a way of checking. I just needed to find a place to hide. I kept going further and further back, not seeing a good hiding place. At last I got to a door to a car that wouldn't open. 'Crap, I've reached the end.' I thought, and in the dim light provided between the cars saw that this was the baggage car. I tried the handle again, and it didn't budge, then in desperation I dug into Kristina's purse and pulled out a credit card. I pushed and pulled the door a couple of times to see how much slack was in the lock. Satisfied, I leaned against the door and then pushed my credit card in, wiggling it against the bolt. It was lose, with, a little luck... It took several tries but then I slipped the card between the tongue and the lock, and the door pushed open. I moved into the dark compartment and was instantly struck by how cold it was. This part of the train wasn't heated! I pulled out Kristina's key ring, attached to it was a small flashlight and I used it to look around. The passenger's luggage was neatly stacked waiting to be off loaded at the proper destination. Just then I heard someone rattle the door to the baggage car. I could see shadows through the frosted glass window in the door and I moved away between a set of shelves. Could it be the thugs who'd spotted me earlier? I wasn't sure but I was hoping that they didn't have the same idea that I'd had to pick the lock. Then the rattling stopped and I let out a sigh. 'Alright, Jimmy-boy, time to get off this rolling death trap. As soon as the train stops, get off and let it take those creeps as far from you as possible. There are other ways to get to Berlin.' I thought to myself. I sat my backpack on the floor and used it as a seat while I leaned against the wall behind me. "Well, this isn't first class, or even coach," I said to the darkness, "but at least it's dark, quiet, and safe." I wrapped my arms around myself trying to conserve heat and started shivering as the cold began to soak in. As I shivered I looked at all the luggage around me, I was willing to bet that somewhere in all of that baggage there was a coat. Just then there was the sound of a key turning in the lock and I barely had time to pull my feet in when the door opened and someone flipped on the overhead light switch. "Now, which bag is yours?" I peaked between the luggage racks and saw a man in the uniform of a train conductor looking over at the short crook from the dinner car. Next to him was the slightly taller guy who'd remained silent during the conversation. "Be a good chap, and stand over there please. Be quiet and don't move, we'll just be needing a bit of a look around." The short guy said, and I could see a handkerchief in his hand. The conductor moved over and stood where he was told like it was the most natural thing in the world. 'Shit, shit, shit, shit,' I thought. 'My dream was right!' There was absolutely no way, I was going to allow them to use whatever it was, that they'd put on that hanky, on me! I slowly moved to a low squat and got ready. The short guy led the way down the narrow walkway between the shelves. When he was a few feet away I moved. I stepped into the aisle and shouted, "Surprise!" I threw my backpack at his face and caught off guard he brought his hands up to block. That gave me the target I'd wanted and I planted a front thrust kick with all the power I could generate into his groin. The nice thing about boots, from a fighting perspective, is that the toes and heels are great weapons. The hard toe of my leather boot made solid contact with his groin and he folded over. The back of his head was a perfect target for an ax kick, I just had to be careful since the aisle was too narrow for a normal wind up. Instead, I stepped back and did a sliding front leg ax kick that used the heel of my boot to make solid contact with the back of his head. He hit the ground, hard. The second thug looked at me, shock written plainly on his face, what I wouldn't have given for a nice 9mm at that moment. I moved over the semi-conscious guy on the ground and tried a step behind side thrust kick. He just moved back out of range. Now I was in the wider area of the baggage car and he grinned at me. "I always liked girls with some spunk." He lunged forward and grabbed my left wrist. Big mistake. I kicked him with my right leg in the left shin, he did the normal thing, bending over slightly in the direction of the pain. His grip also loosened just a little. I reached over to grab his wrist with my right hand and ducked under the arm that had been holding my left wrist and then spun around in a tight circle so I ended up facing him. As I did I applied a Sanyko lock. He tried to turn toward me reaching out with his free hand to grab me and I stepped back with my left foot creating a little separation between us and then, with my hips and legs behind the move, I used all the force I could generate to sharply twist his wrist into him. The crack of his wrist breaking reminded me of the sound a bat makes when it hits a ball. For most people, unless they've made pain a friend, on a daily basis, that first blow, slap, or joint popping out of its socket, is uniquely painful and shocking experience. Pain and I are old friends, in fact we're on a first name basis, evidently that wasn't the case for tall, dark, and silent. "Arghhhhh..." I let go of the now broken wrist and not wanting to risk breaking a hand on his head, did a front heel kick to his jaw as he stood there hunched over cradling his arm. I felt my heel make a satisfying crunch and he dropped onto his side. The first guy was starting to move so I rushed over to where he'd dropped the hanky and put it over his nose and mouth before he was fully aware of what was going on. It took second but I saw a change come over his body, it was as though all the tension fled, he just sort of relaxed. I moved the hanky away. "Sit down, and don't move." He drew his legs under himself and sat cross-legged. I moved over to the conductor who was just standing there watching but not moving. "Give me your keys." Woodenly he unclipped a large key ring and handed it to me. "Go back to your seat, sit down, close your eyes and take a nap. When you wake up you'll be back to your normal self and not remember any of this, got it?" He seemed to focus on me and then nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." With that he shuffled out of the baggage car closing the door behind him. I cringed a little at the ma'am but ignored it. The second goon wasn't moving yet but I went over to him and used the hanky on him. I could see his body relax as whatever it was took effect. I didn't know if he could hear me but I figured it couldn't hurt. "Sleep. Forget everything you saw inside this baggage car." A second later a soft snore escaped his lips so I crossed my fingers and went to the short, sexual predator. I studied him for a minute, he had sandy brown hair, his dark brown eyes were glassy, and he looked like he could have a few less beers in his diet. "Tell me your name." "Patrick MacDonald." "Okay, Patty, why were you looking for me?" "Because Big John got a contract to grab you." "Who put the contract out?" "I don't know, some broad, I didn't talk to her, or see her." "Do you know anything else about her?" "John, thought she was hot, but said she had the eyes of a killer." Then he grinned, "John's got her phone number, we're supposed to call her once we've got you." "Okay, Patty, I want you to get up and go over to your buddy over there and spoon him, and take a nap." For a brief second I'd considered having Pat fuck his buddy and let him have those memories. Particularly, when I thought about the dream and what it would have been like for me to have been at the mercy of these guys. But I didn't do it. It would've been unprofessional, and besides, it would have made me responsible for a rape. Pat moved over to his buddy and laydown snuggling up to him. "Oh, Patty, when you wake up, you won't remember anything that happened in the baggage car. You came in and then just woke up. Understand?" "Yes, ma'am." Then almost as an afterthought, I did a quick search of my two goons' pockets. I ignored their IDs but took all the cash. They each had a pair of knives and tall and silent had a Leatherman. I stowed these in my backpack. Then very carefully I put the hanky in a side pocket. I wished I had some hand sanitizer because I didn't want to risk accidently smelling my own hand! For now there was nothing I could do so I started looking around. That's when I spotted the hanging bag with the large Roman Cross embroidered on it. One of the great things about transportation security these days is that you can't lock your checked bags. I opened the hanging bag and grinned. "Bingo!" When I left the baggage car I was wearing a full nun's habit. I stopped at the first bathroom I found and checked myself in the mirror. I couldn't believe how much the clothes changed my appearance. I made sure to wash my hands twice before leaving and rather than return to my compartment I picked an empty seat just a few cars from the baggage car. It wasn't long after I'd found my seat that the other two thugs made their way back toward the baggage car. I hoped they had a plan for getting the door open. I grinned, remembering that when I'd left I'd put the key in the door, and then using the Leatherman's plyers, twisted the key in the lock breaking it. Opening that door would take a lot of work now. 'Unless someone thought to use a credit card,' I reminded myself. About twenty minutes later the train pulled into the station at Hagen. I slipped off the train, it was very early and I moved quietly through the train station to a spot where I could watch the platform without being observed. I saw the leader of the thugs get off and look around, then just before the train pulled out he got back on board. He looked red-faced and frustrated. Once the train was gone I let myself breathe a sigh of relief. I went through the station and found a security guard by the main entrance. He saw me coming and nodded. "Guten Morgen, wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?" "I'm sorry, I don't speak German." The guard smiled. "Ja, what can I help you?" "Is there a twenty-four hour rental car service, here?" "Ah, nein... sorry." "Is there a hotel close?" "Ja, go out turn right, zwei blocks, nice hotel." "Thanks." "Bitte sehr," he said, and tipped his hat. I found the hotel and even though it looked old enough to have survived WWII the guy at the counter accepted cash. Once in the room I collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep dreamless sleep. *** Chapter Ten "Got to Love the Autobahn" *** Normally, I'm a light sleeper. I can count the times I've slept so deeply that it felt like I was climbing from a deep, dark, comfy, pit into reluctant awareness on two hands. This was one of those times. At some point during the night I'd rolled onto my left side, away from the window, so now I rolled onto my back and glanced at the curtains that diffused the sunlight streaming in. For a time I just lay there, enjoying the comfort, not wanting to move. Then I felt a cramp and pressed my hand into my stomach. 'What now?' I thought, and then it hit me. I'd been laying here, enjoying the simple comfort of being warm and I hadn't been consciously aware of my female body. Was I now so comfortable as Kristina that I no longer noticed the differences? "Fuck, just two more days, and then I'm back to being me," I said, although a part of my mind reminded me that Kristina hadn't said that she'd swap us back, only that she'd meet me. I became aware that I needed to pee and was a little alarmed that my bottom felt wet. "Ugh." I groaned and threw back the covers and climbed out of the bed and headed to the bathroom. Sitting down to pee was still annoying, but it had become a familiar annoyance. I did my business and patted myself dry, but when I went to pull up my panties I saw that the crotch was dark with blood. In horror I looked into the toilet and confirmed the impossible. I was bleeding from Kristina's pussy! For a moment I couldn't think and then I just sat there and started laughing. Here I was, trapped in the body of a twenty six year old woman, running from some kind of organized criminal group, with magic issues, and to top it off my plumbing had picked this moment to start bleeding! My chuckle turned into a belly laugh that bordered on hysterical, as a comment from Jill popped into my head. "How can you guarantee that you'll have your period? Go on vacation." I pulled out a wad of toilet paper stuffed it into the crotch of my panties and pulled them up. I knew I'd seen feminine hygiene products in Kristina's purse so I went in search of them. It took me far longer to get ready than before. It was like my energy level had just been drained, I even blew off working out for the first time since I'd been in this body. Then when I'd tried to pull on a pair of jeans, they'd just been too tight, it was like my lower body had blown up like a balloon overnight. I only had one dress in my limited supply of clothes, grabbed more on a whim than anything else. It was purple and was made of some kind of soft material. I'd also grabbed a set of black tights to wear under the dress and much to my surprise, I discovered that this outfit was actually comfortable. Still, I felt totally humiliated it felt like I was wearing a diaper! My male pride wanted to revolt at wearing a dress and then I felt another cramp and I realized I was in no position to even have male pride. When I made it to the lobby I was happy to see that it was empty with only a female clerk behind the counter. She looked up as I approached and gave me a bright smile. "Guten Morgen. Kann ich Ihnen helfen?" "Ja, ich spreche kein Deutsch." Then I continued, "Can you give me directions to a place where I can rent a car?" "Yes, if you go to the train station, keep going straight the auto rental is on the far end of the station." "Thank you," I said and turned in my key. It was warmer now that the sun was up and I got a better view of the town. There was a part of me that just wanted to rush, get the car and get going. However, the part that was coldly logical knew better than to draw attention, 'slow and smooth,' I thought. As I walked I was also aware that my backpack was stuffed now that I also had the nun's habit packed into it. I felt a little guilty about steeling the clothes and had left a handful of euros in the hanging bag. I'd also considered leaving them at the hotel, but who knows, they'd proven a good disguise once, so I might need them again. I spotted the train station I couldn't help taking another look around, this was where I'd ditched the thugs and if they were smart they'd go back and start checking their back trail. Of course figuring out the stop where I'd jumped off would be tough, but they obviously had some resources, they'd found me despite my efforts to keep a low profile. The most likely reason was they were monitoring my credit cards and saw that I bought a ticket on that train. If they were even more powerful then they'd be monitoring my cell activity. Even worse was the possibility that they could access government records and see where and when I'd crossed a border. Then I froze for a second as a new thought hit me. What if it was none of the above? What if they were using magic to track me? How would I even know? My heart started racing and I took a deep breath and resumed my walk. I had to be aware of that possibility, but since I didn't have a way to counter it, I dismiss it for now. "Focus on what you can control," I told myself. Just as I passed the busy main entrance I saw a sign for 'Hertz' auto rentals. "They've got a Hertz?" I couldn't help grinning at the company's familiar name. As it turned out renting the car was both easy and frustrating. I had all the necessary identification from Kristina's purse and I filled out the paperwork. However, even though I wanted to pay with cash, they insisted on running a credit card. If the Syndicate had the ability to monitor my credit activities they'd know in a few minutes that I'd been in Hagen, Germany. Once again I felt like I was on the clock. The only good thing was that I could use the GPS to calculate a route for me to Berlin. It was after 13:00 by the time I got on the road and even though I was hungry I wanted to get a few miles between me and the rental agency. I spent a few minutes to study the route. The most direct route was too obvious. According to the GPS I'd be there in just under four hours. However, I was betting the Syndicate would be watching that route soon. So what if I took a roundabout way? *** The more roundabout route took me through Leipzig and then up to Berlin from the south. It would take me about six hours to get to Berlin but a long drive was nothing new to me. By 16:00 I was getting close to Leipzig and feeling a little light headed from low blood sugar and I was sitting in what felt like a soggy diaper. I saw an exit that looked promising and got off the highway. Leipzig is a good sized city and the signs showed plenty of places to eat and then I spotted a sign for a Rastst?tte. As I pulled off I saw what reminded me of a combined, rest area-truck stop in the States. There was even a Shell station for gas. Once I filled up I parked my car by the restaurant/store and headed in looking for the restroom. By this time picking the ladies room over the men's room was almost an afterthought and when I got into a stall I wasted no time in taking a look. "Ugh, this is disgusting." The damn pad attached to the crotch of my underwear was completely saturated, 'I guess I needed to change them more often.' Luckily only a little blood had leaked. I peeled the pad off and wrapped it in a thick wad of toilet paper and attached a fresh one. "This is gross enough, but I had no idea it also smells bad." As I sat there I realized that I had a headache and the cramps I'd been ignoring while driving were worse. I'd needed to find something to help with the discomfort. I'd seen what reminded me of a drug store when I'd come in, hopefully they'd have something I could buy. I finished up in the stall and dropped my messy trash in the bin and then went to the sink to wash up. I was sure that somewhere out there God must hate me. I felt another cramp and my dull headache felt even worse. I left the restroom and went into the restaurant marked "Serways" and looked around. It reminded me of a cafeteria. Instead of getting a young perky hostess take me to a booth, I had to get a tray and pick food off the line. I got a cup of soup and a salad and then dragged my exhausted body to a booth where I slumped, feeling totally drained. Then I thought to check Kristina's purse. The only thing she had was aspirin, but at this point I was happy to have it. I took two and then slowly started eating. Between the food and the psychological effect of having taken some medicine I was starting to work my way up to human, by the time I finished lunch. Just then an older man, wearing shabby clothes, and surrounded by the sickly sweet aroma of body odor slid onto the bench across from me. He gave me a yellow toothed grin and before I could ask what the hell he was doing he said, "Morning, James, how they hang'n. Well, I guess, you wouldn't know, at the moment. Hehehehe." "Kristina?" The old guy nodded. "Yup, I got up a little early and when you're phone went to voice mail I decided to try contacting you this way." "Do you know what you look like?" "I saw the guy before I touched him, why?" "You must not be able to smell in astral form, cause, you stink!" The guy got a strange look and then he lifted an arm to take a whiff. "I don't smell anything." "Maybe that body's sense of smell is broken. Hey, I thought you couldn't just possess people?" "I normally wouldn't be able too. But one of my instructors, after I explained what happened with Lana, told me that the weaker willed a person is the more susceptible they are to being influenced. Then he went on to say that over use of drugs and alcohol increase the risk of becoming a victim of a Spiritual predator. So I saw this truck driver sleeping in his rig and wondered if I could possess him. He was a lot harder to get into than Lana, but once I got inside, I've got full control." "Is his mind, sleeping? Like Lana's was?" The guy nodded. "Yeah, so how goes the trip? I was surprised that you weren't at Jenny's place. I thought, you'd be in Berlin by now." "I ran into a bit of unpleasantness on the train and had to get off in Hagen." I could see Kristina take a breath to ask me what happened so I lifted a hand to stop her. "But I've got a more important issue." Then I glared at her, "Why didn't you warn me that I was going to start?" At this, the man looked confused. "Start? Start what?" "Yes, start! As in, I'm having your GOD DAMN PERIOD!" I said, it softly but my voice held a good deal of intensity. The man's mouth fell open, then in a distinctly feminine move he clapped a hand over it to keep from laughing, although his eyes sparkled and danced while his shoulders shook with suppressed mirth. "It's not that funny! Damn it! Stop laughing." I felt like punching him in the nose, or crying. "Actually, it is pretty funny," he said. "I don't mean to be a bitch, but do you know how many times I've wished that the man in my life could go through a period, just once, so he'd understand what I have to go through? Now, here you are, having my period for me." Then he broke into another fit of giggles. "Awfully... kind... of you," he said between giggles. I didn't know what to do, all of a sudden, more than anything else I just felt like crying. I knew this was my body's reaction to the situation, but it felt so real to me. Then there was another part of me that could see how this might be funny, but at the moment I failed to appreciate it, and had no intention of admitting it! Finally there was the cold, professional side of me that saw this as a big distraction from what was really important. "If you aren't going to give me any advice dealing with your body's cycle, then we should move on to business. Four thugs tried to kidnap me from the train. I think I lost them, when I jumped off in Hagen, but then I had to rent a car. I should be in Berlin by seven." The laughter left the man's face and there was suddenly a sympathetic look. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that, of course I'll help you. Are you using a tampon?" I shuddered at the thought, "Are you asking me if I've stuck a sponge up YOUR vagina? No, it seemed, I don't know, kind of gross. I'm just using a pad." The guy nodded, "I normally prefer to use a pad. It's a little messy, but putting a tampon in can hurt. Although, if you have to run, or do anything physical, it would be a good choice." "What about medicine?" "I usually just use aspirin." I nodded at that and looked down into my empty coffee cup. "What do you mean four thugs tried to kidnap you?" "On the train. The Syndicate had arranged for four guys to grab me. They even had some kind of potion they intended to use on me to get me to do what they wanted." With that I leaned over and opened up my backpack and pulled out the hanky. I passed it over to Kristina. "Don't smell it, one whiff and you'll sort of zone out and do whatever I ask you too." The old man poked it with a finger and stared at the hanky for a minute before looking up at me. "I can't tell you what spell is on it, since the spell has mostly dissipated. It will be totally gone in the next couple of hours." Then the guy shook his head. "I'll ask my teachers about this. Anything else?" The way Kristina asked the question made it sound slightly accusatory. "I didn't kill anyone if that's what you're asking," I said feeling a little annoyed. There was a long moment of silence. "Are you on your way to Berlin?" Kristina shook his head. "No, I don't fly out until tomorrow morning. I'll send you an email with my itinerary so the next time you log on you'll have it." Then suddenly he reached out with a rough hand and grabbed my arm, "Look, James, I didn't mean to make your feel bad earlier. Going through your first period is a big deal, it's the moment you truly become a woman. Congratulations." There was a small quirk at the corner of his mouth. I couldn't decide if I wanted to hit him or hug him. I certainly didn't want to 'become a woman' and I didn't really want to be welcomed into the 'sisterhood' particularly if it meant bleeding from my bottom. Instead, I just let it pass. "I should get back on the road. Do I need to call Jenny?" "No, I sent her an email. She's expecting you tonight." "Oh, any progress on the spell to swap us back?" For the first time the old guy looked embarrassed. "Uhm, no. Apparently what happened to us is really, really uncommon. In fact, the Society was very upset about it. I guess the Syndicate figuring out a way to swap bodies is considered a major magical breakthrough and an escalation in the shadow war. Then add in the fact that they've figured out how to freeze a complex ritual magic into a crystal and it's another major escalation. The Society was very upset with me for using the crystal to swap with you." Kristina looked down, "If I'd have known then, what I know now, I probably wouldn't have done it. I screwed up by not bringing them the crystal." This last part was said softly and I could hear the pain in Kristina's voice. "Do you think they'll figure this out?" I asked the question quietly but for the first time the idea that I might be stuck in Kristina's body hit me. It was not a good day to be thinking about being stuck as a female! "Yeah, actually, I do. James, these guys are really good, they know what they're doing. It might just take some time." I stood up. "Alright, well, it's time for me to get back on the road." Then a thought hit me. "Oh, I was wondering, whatever happened to Lana? Did you get her home safely? Is she alright?" "Yeah, I managed to get her home and in bed before I lost control. Going by how hammered she must have been the night before I'm pretty sure she slept it off for the rest of the day. I wrote a note in my own handwriting saying that the company had called me off my holiday in order to go to the Continent for a conference, replacing an ill colleague. That should hold her off for a while. Before I left I saw that her aura was restored, so she's going to be okay." "Alright," I said with a nod and started to turn away. "Oh, and James," I looked back at her, "for the moment, it's your vagina." Then Kristina burst into a fit of unmanly giggles. *** Driving on the Autobahn was different, and similar to driving in the States. Speeding down the highway was nothing new, but because everything was in kph instead of mph my sense of how fast I was going was thrown off. Instead, I just tried to flow with the traffic around me and hoped that I was doing the right thing. By 18:30 I started seeing that I was getting close to Berlin based on the signs and the fact that the speed was now limited to 120 kph. I used the GPS to help me navigate toward Stirnerstra?e 33b. I was a little late spotting the exit and had to jump across two lanes to make the turn and then I was on the off ramp. The suburb just south of Berlin was busy and prosperous. At seven thirty at night there was plenty of traffic and the lights from restaurants, businesses, and shops spoke of a lively neighborhood. Suddenly, the lights in my rear view mirror sent my heart racing. 'What the hell,' I thought, as I pulled over. For a minute I wondered if the Syndicate had found me, but then I dismissed the idea as unlikely. I could see the door open and close as the cop got out and made his way toward me. My mind was racing, the last thing I needed was a ticket or anything that marked my location within a computer system. I glanced down thinking furiously and my eyes locked in on my cleavage. Almost as if watching someone else's hands I reached up and undid the buttons at the top of Kristina's dress. I quickly brushed it back to display the swell of Kristina's breasts and then pulled the ponytail out of my hair letting it fall lose around my shoulders. A second after I finished there was a light tap on my window and I hit the button to lower it. "Guten Abend, die Dame. F?hrerschein und Fahrzeugpapiere bitte." I glanced up at the officer. 'Good lord, he's tall!' I thought. "Ah, Entschuldigung, ich spreche kein Deutsch. Sprechen Sie Englisch?" I said, stumbling through my limited German. I couldn't help notice that he was about Kristina's age and that his eyes were glued to my chest. Then his blue eyes caught mine and he smiled. "I speak, Englisch, ein bisschen." "Uh, just a second," I said and dug into Kristina's purse. "Here's my license and rental agreement. I believe insurance was included in the rental," I said handing him Kristina's driver's license and the paper work that came with the car. "Danke, I be right back." With that he took my documents and returned to the patrol car. "Okay, Jimmy-boy, what did you do? You weren't speeding, you've got all the paper work," I said to the empty car. What if there was an arrest warrant out for me? I needed to keep him as distracted as possible. Just then I heard the crunch of boots on gravel and looked up to see the cop's short blonde hair moving in the breeze. He'd removed his cover when he went to the patrol car and now he was smiling at me. "Frau Curtis, your papers." His white teeth flashed as he handed me back my license and rental agreement. "Do you know why I stop you?" I 'accidentally' brushed his hand with mine as I took the documents. I took a deep breath, pushing up into my bra and looked at him through Kristina's lashes. "Uhm," finger twirls in hair, "I really don't know." I let go of my hair and allow my hand to brush my cleavage before dropping it to my lap. I could see his eyes tracking my hand as I spoke. There was a pause and then it was like his brain kicked into gear. "When you left the Autobahn you cut across three lanes without using signal. You must use turn signal for each lane change. Safety. Is very important." He stumbled slightly and I wasn't sure if it was my flirting or him struggling with English. I tried to will up some fake tears but nothing happened so instead I went for contrite. "I'm sooo sorry officer. I was just in a hurry, I'm visiting a friend and I almost missed the exit. It won't happen again." At this the cop leaned in, his eyes locked onto my chest. "Yes, I can see how it would be... confusing for a stranger." I nodded in agreement and I wondered if I pushed my chest out any farther if I'd lose a button. "I let you go this time, but no more leichtsinnig... uhm... thoughtless driving." I nodded and raised my hand to draw an X over my exposed bosom. "Cross my heart. I promise." For a minute I thought he was going to ask me out on a date but then he nodded. "Drive safely." Taking this as my signal to leave I rolled up the window and put the car in drive and slowly accelerated away. I could still see him in my review mirror and for a minute wondered how the real Kristina would have handled that situation. Then I dismissed it from my mind. I needed to get to Jenny's place and get off the grid. It took another fifteen minutes to find her house and as I drove up the street I couldn't help noticing that I was in one of those neighborhoods like you see in the movies from New York. Every house was built right against the next and each one was identical. Four to Five stories, thin, and indistinguishable from its neighbors. I found a spot to park on the street and grabbed my stuff and walked up to the house looking around. The area looked neither rich nor poor, just a solid, city, middle class, a working neighborhood. I got to the door and saw that there were buttons with each flat labeled. I saw the one for Jenny and hit it. "Hallo?" "Jenny? It's me Kristina. Can I come up?" "Kristina!? Of course!" I heard a buzz and the door clicked open. *** Chapter Eleven "Magic, it's a Bitch" *** I pushed through the door and started moving up the stairs. The building had been segregated into what looked like two apartments per floor. I made it up to the landing on the second floor when a blonde, shorter and a little chunkier than me rushed out of an apartment. "Kris! It's so good to see you." I had to drop my bags to return her hug. Based on her enthusiasm she must really be happy to see Kristina. "It's been too long! Come, come in." Before I knew it she'd grabbed the backpack I'd dropped during our hug and headed into an apartment. I followed and couldn't help noticing that this was an older building with clean but worn looking furnishings. I shut the door behind me and saw that the long entry hall had a door to the left and right, since the doors were standing open I could see that on the right was a bedroom filled with feminine touches - little throw pillows, stuffed animals, and several plants. A little farther down on the left was a door to what looked like a bathroom. Jenny continued down the hallway her flight attendant uniform cut tightly enough to give me a good idea about her figure. The hallway opened into a living area with a kitchen on the left. She sat my backpack down next to the sofa and picked up the clicker to the large flat screen and shut it off. Then she turned and gave me a bright smile. "Are you hungry? I take it you've been driving most of the day?" The open hospitality and friendship on her face made me feel guilty over the fact that I was deceiving her. I wasn't really her friend Kristina, yet I had to play the role I'd been assigned, so I gave her the best smile I could. "Starving. How have you been?" "Great, just give me a moment to change and then I'll fix us a couple of salads." She moved toward the bedroom and said over her shoulder, "You know where everything is, just make yourself at home." I glanced at the TV, I doubted that she'd want to watch the things I typically watched. Besides, getting American football on a Berlin cable station was unlikely. Instead, I ignored the TV and tried examining the apartment to see what I could learn about my host. The heels of my boots made a clacking noise on the hard wood as I moved into her kitchen. I ran my fingers lightly over the worn granite counter top. Then I randomly opened one of the white oak doors and saw that I'd discovered Jenny's plates. To my left I spotted a wine rack and after a few more minutes of searching I found a bottle opener. "Well she said to make myself at home." With that I opened a bottle of Merlot and started searching for glasses. It took three tries to find her wine glasses and then I poured two leaving one on the counter while taking the other to the back window. I discovered I could look out the back window of her apartment into what must be some kind of community park or garden right behind the building. This late in the year everything was in but I figured during the summer it was probably a nice place to sit. "Hey, Kris, I see you found the wine." I turned around and was a little surprised at the transformation. The pretty, professional looking flight attendant had changed into a girl next door in jeans and a sweater. Jenny scooped up the glass of wine and took a sip. "Mmmm... So, what brings you to Berlin? Not that I'm complaining." I froze for a second and then gave her the best Kristina smile I had, "Ah, work, actually. They've got a branch here and I'm supposed to be doing training for the next week." I did my best to make the lie sound believable. A week of training would give me time to hang out until Kristina got here and an excuse to disappear during the day. "The company will pay for a hotel, but I thought I could crash with you for a few days." "Of course you can stay here! Although, the couch isn't as nice as a bed." As she said this Jenny moved into the kitchen and started pulling things out of the refrigerator. "Do you mind making yourself useful?" "Of course not." With that she started handing me vegetables, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, and an onion. "The knives are in the drawer behind you." I watched out of the corner of my eye as she pulled out a cooked chicken breast and stuck it in the microwave to reheat, and then dropped a couple of eggs into boiling water. "So, how are your mum and dad?" "They're doing well." "Really? That's great! I thought your dad was having trouble after the surgery?" I didn't have a clue what she was talking about but tried to adlib it, "Yeah, at first, but he's doing much better now. Although, I've not seen them for a couple of days. Work has been super busy." The microwave buzzed so she got out two bowls and another cutting board. I was almost finished with the veggies and saw Jenny quickly slice up the chicken. "How's your job?" "I'm still out four days a week. You're lucky you caught me. I leave the day after tomorrow and will be gone until next Monday." Lettuce went into the bowls and I noticed, with a twinge of jealousy that the sliced chicken all went into one bowl. I started handing her the veggies. "I can check into a hotel if that would be easier." Jenny gave me a quick look, "Nonsense. You can stay here while I'm gone. No reason to use a hotel." By now the eggs were done so she drained the water and quickly peeled off the shells before slicing them and adding them. "Cheese?" I nodded and Jenny dug out a half wheel of Parmesan and used a hand grader to shred it. "There's dressing in the door of the refrigerator." I opened the door and saw several bottles. I grabbed the light vinaigrette and looked at Jenny. "That's fine." So I brought it over to the now finished salads. Jenny had also cut two chunks of bread from a single loaf and added that to the side of each bowl. For a second I had to fight down the temptation to grab the salad with the chicken, but I knew better. 'Why the hell did Kristina have to be a vegetarian?' I thought, snagging my bowl. I followed Jenny over to the living room area and sat at one end of the sofa. Jenny settled into the opposite end tucking her feet up under her and gave me a bright smile. For the next couple of hours we ate, finished the wine, and I did my best to evade questions. I could tell that my lack of understanding was causing her to become a little confused but I didn't know what to do. Finally in desperation I asked if I could use the bathroom and get ready for bed. That did the trick and she disappeared into her bedroom to find me a blanket and pillows for the sofa. I went into the bathroom and closed the door with a feeling of relief. The image of the blonde woman staring back at me from the mirror was still strange. She looked tired, 'I guess that's why Jenny bought my story so quickly.' I thought. I started in on the still weird nightly ritual required to maintain this body. I washed my face, brushed teeth and hair, and got rid of the damn bra. I silently cursed whoever had come up with the concept of bras! Why the hell did all of Kristina's feel a little small? Then it hit me. "I bet her breasts swell up a little while she's having her period." That reminded me I needed to use the toilet. So I hiked up the dress and dropped my tights and panties, and was greeted with a disgusting mess. The pad was completely saturated and blood had leaked into my underwear. I would need a fresh set before bed. Then I realized at this rate I'd be through all of the underwear I'd brought from Kristina's before she arrived in Berlin. As I sat there on the toilet wrapping the pad in toilet paper I grimaced. 'How long does a period last,' I wondered. A part of me knew it was normally about four days, but I didn't really want to think about that right now. I glanced over at the old fashioned looking tub. Jenny had added a hose and curtain to turn it into a shower, but I looked at it a little skeptically. I guess I'd have to figure it out tomorrow. I pulled a fresh set of underwear from my backpack added the required feminine hygiene product and got dressed. I was glad I'd thought to bring an oversized t-shirt from Kristina's for sleeping in, it would be much more comfortable than sleeping in a dress. By the time I left the bathroom Jenny had done a great job of transforming the couch into a bed. And even though it wasn't that late, the alcohol from the wine combined with the stress of the last couple of days left me feeling tired ready to go to sleep. "Kristina." I looked over at Jenny. She'd obviously heard me leave the bathroom and followed me to the living room. "Yeah?" "I've got to be up early tomorrow. But I should be home by four. I know a great little caf?, why don't we plan to go out for dinner?" "Sounds fantastic." I said, trying to fill my voice with an enthusiasm I didn't feel. "Okay, it's great to have you here." With that she gave me a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow." "I'm glad to be here. Thanks for letting me crash." *** I didn't have any trouble falling asleep, but when I did I started dreaming immediately. The dream was full of color and sound and the feeling of an unidentifiable menace. Then I was running, at first I was in my normal body charging through a forest, the branches and brambles of trees and bushes slicing into me as I fought my way through. I burst into a clearing and as soon as I did my clothes transformed into a sundress and to my horror my body shifted to match. In the middle of the sun bright clearing was a blanket with a basket and a man. I, unwillingly, approached something just drew me to him despite my reluctance. Then as I got closer he turned to face me. It was the handsome cop from today. He stood up and gave me a friendly smile, his eyes locking onto my chest. "Hallo, Ich habe auf Sie gewartet." Then he gestured to a spot next to him. Even though I didn't speak German I somehow knew that he was inviting me to sit down and eat with him. "Yes, thank you." I felt myself nod, even though I wanted to say no, for some reason I was helpless within my dream. He took my small hand in his much larger one, and I felt a thrill run through me. I knew on some level that I was tall and strong for a woman, yet next to this guy I felt like a little girl. It wasn't something I was comfortable with, yet I smiled up at him. He sat down and I settled in next to him, tucking my legs under and to one side while smoothing my dress artfully around me. From somewhere behind him, he pulled out a bottle of Champaign and with a smooth motion popped the cork sending it flying into the distance without a care. "Sekt?" "Yes, please." He quickly poured two glasses and when he handed me mine our hands brushed. I felt a thrill shock through my system. 'Why, the fuck, is this guy affecting me so much?' I wondered while blushing at the contact. I took a sip of the light bubbly wine and instantly felt it go up my nose causing me to sneeze. "Geht es Ihnen nicht gut?" The concern in his voice was endearing as he moved closer to me gently patting me on the back. "It's just Champaign, it sometimes goes up my nose," I said, and then flushed. "I'm sorry." "Kein Problem. Sie sehen sogar h?bsch aus, wenn Sie niesen." With that he reached up and brushed my cheek with his hand. Once again the feeling of his warm masculine hand sent a thrill through me. Then he leaned in and I froze. His eyes were so blue it was like looking into the sky and then his lips brushed mine. I was intensely aware of my body, and how it was reacting to his. My chest felt tight and my nipples were like twin bits of stone and I knew the ache and moistness in my groin had nothing to do with my period. Then he leaned away and I had to catch my breath. "What's your name?" "Ich hei?e Martin" Suddenly I felt like I needed to be honest with Martin. "Uhm, I know we just met, and this is just a dream, but I'm not the person that you see." He leaned back looking amused. "Sie sind also keine sch?ne Engl?nderin?" All at once a shadow raced across the clearing and I shivered as the shadow touched me and then I glanced at Martin and he changed. His body morphed becoming smaller and his clothes shifted from casual collared shirt into a stained t-shirt and jeans and his hair darkened with grey touching the temples. By the time the changes were done I saw that I was sitting next to the lead thug from the train. He looked around confused and then when he saw me he grinned evilly. "Kristina, we've been looking for you, love." I shuddered and moved away from him as he leered down at me. Now the feeling of being small and protected shifted into being threatened. "Stay away." Then I added, "This is a dream, you're not really here." At this he blinked and looked around. "A dream? Really?" I didn't know exactly what was going on but I willed it to change, and the dream shifted. I couldn't tell where I was but I was suddenly thrilled. Maybe I did have some control over this strange dream. I glanced around and saw that I was standing in some kind of executive office with a full wall of windows overlooking a forest scene. I heard the buzzing hum of distant voices and turned to my left to see a conference table and a group of men and one woman. They were all wearing suits and looked like they were standard corporate types. The man at the head of the table was in his early fifties and looked very fit. His rust red hair had a touch of grey but the iron look of discipline around his eyes gave me the impression he wasn't someo