A Brave New World
Disclaimer: All characters recognisably Marvels belong to them, the story to me.
Elspeth felt groggy, 'cause she'd had another of those damned migraines again, last night.
There was only one way to get rid of the damn things, too: take some stiff scrip medicine
and knock herself out, and sleep the whole thing off over the next 12 hours or so...
She rubbed her eyes and pulled off the black bandanna-blindfold thatblocked the light
from her eyes, and tried to sit up. Her head spun, as she fervently wished the room would
quit moving! This was one of the worst she'd had in months, and it'd left her weak as a
newborn kitten.
She thought she felt the faint concern of friends somewhere in her house,but her psychic abilities
were unreliable, though hypersensitive after one of her infamous 'dazzle' headaches.
What she needed was something for her upset stomach, and then some food--though that
was the last thing in the world she wanted, Elspeth knew she needed to eat, or she'd only feel
worse after the medicine wore off.
She staggered in the direction of the bathroom, and it took a few momentsfor her to realize that
this wasn't even her room... and the bathroomitself was bigger than her whole flat! This
realization sharpened herfocus a little, as she looked around for some melanoma. Someone was
playinga real joke on her, or she was having one of "those" dreams that oftenaccompanied her headaches.
She touched the cool marble, and gazed out the window to see the magnificent Atlantic sunset over the
beach. A cool breeze ruffled her long hair, serving to further orient her. It was amongst a postcard
perfect sight....
She wondered at the clarity of her sight, and touched her temples: no glasses? Normally she couldn't
make out anything clearly from more than 50 ft away with out them...
Not that this part of the 'dream' bothered her, mind you. She began tofeel more alert as she noticed
small things: the cat rubbing around herankles, the cockatoo on his roost in the corner; the feeling
that she hadsuddenly grown, and the seeming clarity of her psychic abilities...
There were people nearby, down on the beach, in fact a young couple wassharing their enthusiasm for
the romantic sunset... Elspeth blushed at whatshe felt from them, and then realized she'd actually
heard their thoughts!
She'd never gotten more than vague impressions of thoughts, emotions andsuch from total strangers before,
either. Now she was confused, this wasbecoming far to real for one of "those" dreams...She left the
bedroom and found herself in a luxurious beachhouse, and no one else was home... Her voice echoed
through out the emptiness, until sheheard an answer:
--Good evening, I see you're finally awake-- the disembodied voice replied, with a glint of humor.
--You've been sick for a few days now, I'd suggest you take it easy. We found you on the beach almost
a week ago...--
Who am I talking to? And where am I?Elspeth asked, feeling more uncertainof where, or even who she was.
--First food, then we talk.-- came the gently insistent reply, as she hearda soft humming behind her.
--Don't worry, it's just a hover chair... I don't think you should try the stairs just yet, let your
balance comeback; after all you were in bed for over a week.--
Gingerly, not wanting to believe such a thing could exist outside of herStarTrek Internet rpg, Elspeth
seated herself in the chair, and squealed when it floated over the balcony, to the first floor.It
carried her to the kitchen, where several dishes of Chinese food were seton the breakfast bar...
Well, for now I'm not going to argue with my host she thought to her self, as she applied herself to
eating the entire meal.
"Now we talk, Mr. Invisible. I went to sleep with a severe migraine lastnight, in my flat , and
now, I wake up here?? What gives?"she asked, "How do I know I've not been kidnapped? and why don't
you showyourself?"
--There is nothing to show, because I am an AI, who maintains this houseand sees to the needs
of the guests. I do not have a name, nor can I explainhow you got here, other than Mr. Carasella
found you, half drowned and washedup on the beach.--it replied.--Perhaps you would like a hot bath?
We can continue talking because I am linked to all parts of the house.--
Elspeth was won over by the offer, feeling a serious need to soak out the stiffness. She let
the hover chair convey her back to that huge bathroom,and watched at the animated 'house'
computer prepared things... Her naturalcuriosity was taking over, and if it was a dream...
Well, she was going to enjoy it.
Almost an hour later, she toweled off and found the 'replicator' slot whereHouse had assembled
the clothes she'd requested. It was definitely weird tohave a 'new' old T-shirt and bike shorts
assembled before your eyes, but whenshe went to the mirror, Elspeth let out a small scream.
She wasn't looking at her own face! Last time she checked, she was dark haired and hazel eyed, and
about a head shorter. She stared for a long moment at the reflection... She was staring at the face
of a very beautiful woman, with violet eyes and long straight hair of the same color. A woman about
her own age, but clearly not Human... upswept eyebrows, pointed ears, which struck her as looking
rather "Vulcan", and far taller and moremuscular than she'd ever been!
"House, is this real??" she whispered in shock, "This isn't some sort of waking dream?"
It answered her, as the hover chair maneuvered behind her to catch her,--No, my sensors register
you as being full awake, and in good health, Elspeth.There is nothing to show that you are experiencing
any hallucinations, either.--
She looked at hands with 6 fingers and feet with 6 toes, and fair skin witha slightly blue cast to
it... What ever she'd become, it certainly wasn't Human... She sat back, and let her thoughts drift...
What have I gotten myselfinto?? The Wiccan way always did teach one to be careful what one wishedfor,
because it might come true... Maybe I wished once too much??
Elspeth took some joy in her surroundings, but still felt naked without the glasses she'd worn for
almost 20 years, and her familiar amethyst, garnet and silver rings and earrings she was so used
to wearing. She had described them to House, and it had attempted to replicate something to
replace those things she'd lost...
--Maybe so, legs--, came a man's voice, --buchya can't complain. Yer alive,darlin'.
And yer thinkin' outloud.--
Elspeth swiveled in the hoverchair, a blush staining her high cheekbones, to see a tall,
well built young man peering at her through the curtains. She instinctively scanned his
thoughts, and realized that this was "Mr. Chapman"...
Elspeth felt the strange man's concern, it was only the 17th plate she'd managed to break in the
last couple of days... She'd gradually worked herself out of the daze, and was trying very hard to
adjust to this weirdness.She'd never, in her wildest dreams, imagined anything like this could be
happening to her! All the cool "close encounters" crap happened to every-body else it'd seemed, up
until she'd looked in the mirror and not beenlooking at herself...
House was patient, and capable of cleaning up the spills and other accidental breakages. Joey had
suggested she go into the pool and get some exercise,because she had literally grown 5 inches taller
overnight, and had the strength to turn steel rebar into a pretzel! Elspeth was finally convinced that
this was real, and had set herself to getting used to it.
She spent time working on centering, and practicing a shielding her mindfrom the 'noise' of the
numerous inhabitants of all the Isles. It oftengave her headaches from the strain, but in the end,
it was worth it. Joey let her practice 'mindspeaking' to him, and she gradually grasped the basics
of the telepathic abilities that seemed to be a standard feature in her new body. She carefully
lowered what mental shields she had, hopefully in the 'direction' of that tickling sensation...
She got a brief flood of disjointed images... and could practically cut the confusion with a knife...
for a few minutes she found herself sharing thoughts with another person--who seemed oddly familiar.
'Damn..my head.' Bren thought to himself as he struggled to open his eyes, a sweet young thing
stirred next to him. She groaned as he shifted his weightin the narrow bed.
'What, where am I?' he thought to himself as he sat up."Holy censored!!!!! What the bloody hell
has happened to me." he cried as he caught sight of himself in a mirror.
"Wot crawled under yer saddle, luv? Ye shou'na be woorin' yer baby blues 'bout nary a thing..." the
sleek redhead purred as she tried to regain last night's interest with a coy glance and her artful
disarray. "Ye sure weremore 'an this gal could h'ae dream'd uv, now whatsa matter, ducks?"
Bren pushed her away as he went about, gathering up his clothes and started dressing, "I shouldn't
have any damn baby blues....I'm an Aussie boy!!" he growled as he was pulling up his pants, "Besides,
I don't even like redheads!"
"Check yer billfold, Romeo..." she said with some exasperation, "Don' care who ye say ye're, or
where yer from, ye owe me for services rendered... Ordo I ha'e t'tell Seamus about ye?? He don' like
it, them who don' pay up!"
Bren picked up the wallet, counting out the cash for her "services" and compared the photo's to the
reflection...The girl nodded as she gave him a deep kiss, "Told ye, ducks..." Bren grimaced in
distaste as he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. He had a strange feeling about this
whole thing, and damned if he could place it...
Elspeth struggled to separate herself, and centered after a bit of effort...She still had the link
to the mind, Bren?? she thought outloud, wondering if this were the same person she'd once shared
adventures with in cyberspace-StarTrek...
'What the censored??' he thought, 'First, I wake up with a girl in my bunk, and now I'm hearing
voices in the back of my head?'
I must be loosing it! Forgive me for 'thinking' at you, but you seemed familiar... I am Elspeth, and
I'm not entirely familiar with my telepathic abilities...yet. If you're Bren, then you must be as confused
as I am right about now. she mindspoke, in a slightly English accent.
'Censored, babe. Is that you?' Bren tried to "direct" his thoughts to the warm, female presence,
'Where the hell are you? For that matter wherethe hell am I?'
She didn't notice Joey looking at her, with concern clouding her face.Nor did she notice the softly
glowing amethyst "butterfly" that centered over her face and eyes...
Ummmm.... Where are you, Bren?? she replied, I'm just outsideMalden, England...Let me see if
I can trace you, dearheart.
Elspeth shook her head to clear it, though she still felt Bren's slight presence there, because of the
mindlink. She started as Joey waved his platesized hand before her eyes...
"Don't scare me like that, Legs!" he chided her, "You musta been doin' that funny mindstuff again...
You really gotta learn to keep from spacin' out like that!"
She glared at her host, "Perhaps... But until then I will space out when and where I choose. And youd
needn't worry, I'll manage just fine by myselffor a couple of days. House will undoubtedly keep you
apprised of my state."
"Damn, I hate it when ya do that!!" he exclaimed, referring to her telepathic "prediction" of his
very words. He shrugged, as he recovered his aplumb, "But,suit yerself, Legs. I gotta go down to London,
Miz Cheney's workin' on that film, and I'm s'posed to be takin' part in it.--
"Very well, House should be able to keep me out of trouble, as it were.I'm sure I can 'path you if I
need help." she stated matter-of-factly,as she watched Mr. Chapman fold up into his Bentley convertible.
She returned to the house, wondering if she should try something.
"House, you're psibernetic... Link up with me and help me find Bren!!"she commanded, as an unfamiliar
presence touched her mind. It wasn't "warm"the way living things were, and it made her scalp crawl. Elspeth
sighed, a whole weekend to herself!! Of course, Bren would be here, but that didn't bother her. She needed
someone to talk to, and her good frientd seemed to be it. She could barely wait to see him, and could only
hope that he wasn't as drastically changed as she.
She was surprised at how well her "new" voice could sing, as she showered,and practically danced to the
kitchen... There were a lot of things that were different... She was a lot taller, quicker, and there
weren't any of the old aches she'd gotten used to. Well, no aches were good, too.
But she didn't ever think she'd get used to seeing that beautiful face in the mirror. Going from a
vague memory of Turkish/French to 6'4", pale, lavender haired, and inhumanly beautiful was more than
Elspeth could have ever asked the Goddess for. It was almost enough to make her
forget the pain of her previous life...
She carried a tray of biscuits, jam and tea toward a computer module in thecorner of the 'den'. She
was of a mind to wander the 'Web, or contact a fewpeople she knew on the 'Net. For a while, she was
just content to mouse-wander through some of the familiar StarTrek homepages she knew by heart. Her
stomach was content, and her tea should be cool enough to drink... So she called up the AOL software,
and began trying to type several messages. Itwasn't going too well, when she realized what was wrong...
She'd learned to type with 10 fingers, not 12!
Damned clumsy fingers, she cursed to herself, as she asked House to shutdown the PC... "House,
could you work on some way that I can learn to type with an extra finger on each hand?? And while
your at it, I could stand to work off some steam... point me to the weightroom??--
The disembodied voice chuckled, --Gladly, Elspeth. Would you care for Metallicaor Ethnic Middle Eastern
with that?? Just follow the lights...--She stalked down the hall, as House tried to cheer her up. The
cup of tea was perfectly tepid now, and the thick honeysweet stuff slid down her throat. She savored it's
familiar flavour, as her eyes widened. This place was full of higher tech stuff than even she could imagine.
Elspeth set the benchpress for about 38 kg. She knew she could lift that...She was surprised when she
could lift it with one hand, and barely feel it.She boosted it to 60 kg... 100 kg... and on through about
200 kg. She still hadn't worked up a sweat.
"House, Joey mentioned having a special weightset... Think I could try it? I don't really think
he'd care..." she asked, offhand.
--Certainly, it's in the next room. Floor had to be specially reinforced to take the stress of a person
with superhuman strength to use for regular workouts.-- it replied, seemingly amused. --Really intending
to pump iron today, aren't you??--
"Oh go surge," she retorted, with a grin, as she set the digital control for 250 kgs... And again,
she worked through the numbers, adding an automatic 15 kgs each time she lifted with ease... this went
on for a while, until she felt she was getting good resistance. "House, where we at??", she
asked as she felt her muscles begining to protest her exertions.
--I have calculated your optimum workout countermass as being roughly 425kgs. I have set the room
to set to your requirements when you palm the scanner. Perhaps you would like to test your agility,
so that I may suggest additions to your routine??--
She stood there, in the centre of Joey's weight room, "What?? Are you sure you haven't burned out
your capacitors?? I've never been able to lift that much!"
--I said, that you are perfectly capable of lifting well over 400 kgs. Your body is not Human, so
that shouldn't surprise you so greatly. I'm not sure what you are, but you are obviously physically
superior to what you were. From what you've told me, it should be a pleasant change.-- House
reminded her. --I should think you would wish to push you physical conditioning to the peak possible
for someone of your apparent potential...--
"I'm not saying I mind, you overheated circuit! It's just weird... Things like this don't happen
where I came from!" she replied, "Well, if I'm going to be surprised, I might as well get it all done
in a day... Lead me through your maze."
For the next few hours, House presented her with test after test: holographicobstacle courses,
endurance tests, and just about everything else she couldhave imagined... And when it was over, she
just sat in the hottub, as House thoroughly analyzed her performance...
Somewhere along the line, Elspeth watched herself doing things she thoughtonly stunt people could
get away with... And somehow, it didn't quite surprise her as much when she felt ready to go again
in an impossibly short time.... She was everything she hadn't been before this happened.
House alerted her sometime later that there was a hovercycle approaching,and she scrambled back into
the sonic shower to make herself decent...
Bren?? she 'pathed, I'll deactivate the security system. Come on up to the house...
I ought to warn you... I'm not exactly "human". she added as she camedown the stairs, and
opened the door.
"I'm not worried about that, babe. Somebody thought it'd be fun to make me a censored
Chippendale's boy, fer Lady's Sake!" he thought back at her.
The person who opened the door looked vaguely Vulcanoid, but elven, mighthave been a better word to
describe the young woman. She had deep lavenderhair in a thick braid, and violet eyes to match. She
was dressed in a stylish black unitard, with a comfortably oversize sweatshirt over it; flattering to
her lean, well muscled body. She looked down at the blonde guy, and her lovely face quirked into a
bemused expression...
Well, what do you think? she mindspoke, as though it were second nature.Not exactly who I used to
be--whoever that was--but mind you, I'm not going to complain... I think I might be able to get used to it.
Bren looked at her, shaking his head, "Well, at least you look like you,now... I just look like some
stupid blonde puta-boy. And I talk funny to boot!"
She just chuckled, her amethyst eyes sparkling with mischief, as she led her friend into the House.
Disclaimer: All characters recognisably Marvels belong to them, the story to me.
Elspeth felt groggy, 'cause she'd had another of those damned migraines again, last night.
There was only one way to get rid of the damn things, too: take some stiff scrip medicine
and knock herself out, and sleep the whole thing off over the next 12 hours or so...
She rubbed her eyes and pulled off the black bandanna-blindfold thatblocked the light
from her eyes, and tried to sit up. Her head spun, as she fervently wished the room would
quit moving! This was one of the worst she'd had in months, and it'd left her weak as a
newborn kitten.
She thought she felt the faint concern of friends somewhere in her house,but her psychic abilities
were unreliable, though hypersensitive after one of her infamous 'dazzle' headaches.
What she needed was something for her upset stomach, and then some food--though that
was the last thing in the world she wanted, Elspeth knew she needed to eat, or she'd only feel
worse after the medicine wore off.
She staggered in the direction of the bathroom, and it took a few momentsfor her to realize that
this wasn't even her room... and the bathroomitself was bigger than her whole flat! This
realization sharpened herfocus a little, as she looked around for some melanoma. Someone was
playinga real joke on her, or she was having one of "those" dreams that oftenaccompanied her headaches.
She touched the cool marble, and gazed out the window to see the magnificent Atlantic sunset over the
beach. A cool breeze ruffled her long hair, serving to further orient her. It was amongst a postcard
perfect sight....
She wondered at the clarity of her sight, and touched her temples: no glasses? Normally she couldn't
make out anything clearly from more than 50 ft away with out them...
Not that this part of the 'dream' bothered her, mind you. She began tofeel more alert as she noticed
small things: the cat rubbing around herankles, the cockatoo on his roost in the corner; the feeling
that she hadsuddenly grown, and the seeming clarity of her psychic abilities...
There were people nearby, down on the beach, in fact a young couple wassharing their enthusiasm for
the romantic sunset... Elspeth blushed at whatshe felt from them, and then realized she'd actually
heard their thoughts!
She'd never gotten more than vague impressions of thoughts, emotions andsuch from total strangers before,
either. Now she was confused, this wasbecoming far to real for one of "those" dreams...She left the
bedroom and found herself in a luxurious beachhouse, and no one else was home... Her voice echoed
through out the emptiness, until sheheard an answer:
--Good evening, I see you're finally awake-- the disembodied voice replied, with a glint of humor.
--You've been sick for a few days now, I'd suggest you take it easy. We found you on the beach almost
a week ago...--
Who am I talking to? And where am I?Elspeth asked, feeling more uncertainof where, or even who she was.
--First food, then we talk.-- came the gently insistent reply, as she hearda soft humming behind her.
--Don't worry, it's just a hover chair... I don't think you should try the stairs just yet, let your
balance comeback; after all you were in bed for over a week.--
Gingerly, not wanting to believe such a thing could exist outside of herStarTrek Internet rpg, Elspeth
seated herself in the chair, and squealed when it floated over the balcony, to the first floor.It
carried her to the kitchen, where several dishes of Chinese food were seton the breakfast bar...
Well, for now I'm not going to argue with my host she thought to her self, as she applied herself to
eating the entire meal.
"Now we talk, Mr. Invisible. I went to sleep with a severe migraine lastnight, in my flat , and
now, I wake up here?? What gives?"she asked, "How do I know I've not been kidnapped? and why don't
you showyourself?"
--There is nothing to show, because I am an AI, who maintains this houseand sees to the needs
of the guests. I do not have a name, nor can I explainhow you got here, other than Mr. Carasella
found you, half drowned and washedup on the beach.--it replied.--Perhaps you would like a hot bath?
We can continue talking because I am linked to all parts of the house.--
Elspeth was won over by the offer, feeling a serious need to soak out the stiffness. She let
the hover chair convey her back to that huge bathroom,and watched at the animated 'house'
computer prepared things... Her naturalcuriosity was taking over, and if it was a dream...
Well, she was going to enjoy it.
Almost an hour later, she toweled off and found the 'replicator' slot whereHouse had assembled
the clothes she'd requested. It was definitely weird tohave a 'new' old T-shirt and bike shorts
assembled before your eyes, but whenshe went to the mirror, Elspeth let out a small scream.
She wasn't looking at her own face! Last time she checked, she was dark haired and hazel eyed, and
about a head shorter. She stared for a long moment at the reflection... She was staring at the face
of a very beautiful woman, with violet eyes and long straight hair of the same color. A woman about
her own age, but clearly not Human... upswept eyebrows, pointed ears, which struck her as looking
rather "Vulcan", and far taller and moremuscular than she'd ever been!
"House, is this real??" she whispered in shock, "This isn't some sort of waking dream?"
It answered her, as the hover chair maneuvered behind her to catch her,--No, my sensors register
you as being full awake, and in good health, Elspeth.There is nothing to show that you are experiencing
any hallucinations, either.--
She looked at hands with 6 fingers and feet with 6 toes, and fair skin witha slightly blue cast to
it... What ever she'd become, it certainly wasn't Human... She sat back, and let her thoughts drift...
What have I gotten myselfinto?? The Wiccan way always did teach one to be careful what one wishedfor,
because it might come true... Maybe I wished once too much??
Elspeth took some joy in her surroundings, but still felt naked without the glasses she'd worn for
almost 20 years, and her familiar amethyst, garnet and silver rings and earrings she was so used
to wearing. She had described them to House, and it had attempted to replicate something to
replace those things she'd lost...
--Maybe so, legs--, came a man's voice, --buchya can't complain. Yer alive,darlin'.
And yer thinkin' outloud.--
Elspeth swiveled in the hoverchair, a blush staining her high cheekbones, to see a tall,
well built young man peering at her through the curtains. She instinctively scanned his
thoughts, and realized that this was "Mr. Chapman"...
Elspeth felt the strange man's concern, it was only the 17th plate she'd managed to break in the
last couple of days... She'd gradually worked herself out of the daze, and was trying very hard to
adjust to this weirdness.She'd never, in her wildest dreams, imagined anything like this could be
happening to her! All the cool "close encounters" crap happened to every-body else it'd seemed, up
until she'd looked in the mirror and not beenlooking at herself...
House was patient, and capable of cleaning up the spills and other accidental breakages. Joey had
suggested she go into the pool and get some exercise,because she had literally grown 5 inches taller
overnight, and had the strength to turn steel rebar into a pretzel! Elspeth was finally convinced that
this was real, and had set herself to getting used to it.
She spent time working on centering, and practicing a shielding her mindfrom the 'noise' of the
numerous inhabitants of all the Isles. It oftengave her headaches from the strain, but in the end,
it was worth it. Joey let her practice 'mindspeaking' to him, and she gradually grasped the basics
of the telepathic abilities that seemed to be a standard feature in her new body. She carefully
lowered what mental shields she had, hopefully in the 'direction' of that tickling sensation...
She got a brief flood of disjointed images... and could practically cut the confusion with a knife...
for a few minutes she found herself sharing thoughts with another person--who seemed oddly familiar.
'Damn..my head.' Bren thought to himself as he struggled to open his eyes, a sweet young thing
stirred next to him. She groaned as he shifted his weightin the narrow bed.
'What, where am I?' he thought to himself as he sat up."Holy censored!!!!! What the bloody hell
has happened to me." he cried as he caught sight of himself in a mirror.
"Wot crawled under yer saddle, luv? Ye shou'na be woorin' yer baby blues 'bout nary a thing..." the
sleek redhead purred as she tried to regain last night's interest with a coy glance and her artful
disarray. "Ye sure weremore 'an this gal could h'ae dream'd uv, now whatsa matter, ducks?"
Bren pushed her away as he went about, gathering up his clothes and started dressing, "I shouldn't
have any damn baby blues....I'm an Aussie boy!!" he growled as he was pulling up his pants, "Besides,
I don't even like redheads!"
"Check yer billfold, Romeo..." she said with some exasperation, "Don' care who ye say ye're, or
where yer from, ye owe me for services rendered... Ordo I ha'e t'tell Seamus about ye?? He don' like
it, them who don' pay up!"
Bren picked up the wallet, counting out the cash for her "services" and compared the photo's to the
reflection...The girl nodded as she gave him a deep kiss, "Told ye, ducks..." Bren grimaced in
distaste as he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. He had a strange feeling about this
whole thing, and damned if he could place it...
Elspeth struggled to separate herself, and centered after a bit of effort...She still had the link
to the mind, Bren?? she thought outloud, wondering if this were the same person she'd once shared
adventures with in cyberspace-StarTrek...
'What the censored??' he thought, 'First, I wake up with a girl in my bunk, and now I'm hearing
voices in the back of my head?'
I must be loosing it! Forgive me for 'thinking' at you, but you seemed familiar... I am Elspeth, and
I'm not entirely familiar with my telepathic abilities...yet. If you're Bren, then you must be as confused
as I am right about now. she mindspoke, in a slightly English accent.
'Censored, babe. Is that you?' Bren tried to "direct" his thoughts to the warm, female presence,
'Where the hell are you? For that matter wherethe hell am I?'
She didn't notice Joey looking at her, with concern clouding her face.Nor did she notice the softly
glowing amethyst "butterfly" that centered over her face and eyes...
Ummmm.... Where are you, Bren?? she replied, I'm just outsideMalden, England...Let me see if
I can trace you, dearheart.
Elspeth shook her head to clear it, though she still felt Bren's slight presence there, because of the
mindlink. She started as Joey waved his platesized hand before her eyes...
"Don't scare me like that, Legs!" he chided her, "You musta been doin' that funny mindstuff again...
You really gotta learn to keep from spacin' out like that!"
She glared at her host, "Perhaps... But until then I will space out when and where I choose. And youd
needn't worry, I'll manage just fine by myselffor a couple of days. House will undoubtedly keep you
apprised of my state."
"Damn, I hate it when ya do that!!" he exclaimed, referring to her telepathic "prediction" of his
very words. He shrugged, as he recovered his aplumb, "But,suit yerself, Legs. I gotta go down to London,
Miz Cheney's workin' on that film, and I'm s'posed to be takin' part in it.--
"Very well, House should be able to keep me out of trouble, as it were.I'm sure I can 'path you if I
need help." she stated matter-of-factly,as she watched Mr. Chapman fold up into his Bentley convertible.
She returned to the house, wondering if she should try something.
"House, you're psibernetic... Link up with me and help me find Bren!!"she commanded, as an unfamiliar
presence touched her mind. It wasn't "warm"the way living things were, and it made her scalp crawl. Elspeth
sighed, a whole weekend to herself!! Of course, Bren would be here, but that didn't bother her. She needed
someone to talk to, and her good frientd seemed to be it. She could barely wait to see him, and could only
hope that he wasn't as drastically changed as she.
She was surprised at how well her "new" voice could sing, as she showered,and practically danced to the
kitchen... There were a lot of things that were different... She was a lot taller, quicker, and there
weren't any of the old aches she'd gotten used to. Well, no aches were good, too.
But she didn't ever think she'd get used to seeing that beautiful face in the mirror. Going from a
vague memory of Turkish/French to 6'4", pale, lavender haired, and inhumanly beautiful was more than
Elspeth could have ever asked the Goddess for. It was almost enough to make her
forget the pain of her previous life...
She carried a tray of biscuits, jam and tea toward a computer module in thecorner of the 'den'. She
was of a mind to wander the 'Web, or contact a fewpeople she knew on the 'Net. For a while, she was
just content to mouse-wander through some of the familiar StarTrek homepages she knew by heart. Her
stomach was content, and her tea should be cool enough to drink... So she called up the AOL software,
and began trying to type several messages. Itwasn't going too well, when she realized what was wrong...
She'd learned to type with 10 fingers, not 12!
Damned clumsy fingers, she cursed to herself, as she asked House to shutdown the PC... "House,
could you work on some way that I can learn to type with an extra finger on each hand?? And while
your at it, I could stand to work off some steam... point me to the weightroom??--
The disembodied voice chuckled, --Gladly, Elspeth. Would you care for Metallicaor Ethnic Middle Eastern
with that?? Just follow the lights...--She stalked down the hall, as House tried to cheer her up. The
cup of tea was perfectly tepid now, and the thick honeysweet stuff slid down her throat. She savored it's
familiar flavour, as her eyes widened. This place was full of higher tech stuff than even she could imagine.
Elspeth set the benchpress for about 38 kg. She knew she could lift that...She was surprised when she
could lift it with one hand, and barely feel it.She boosted it to 60 kg... 100 kg... and on through about
200 kg. She still hadn't worked up a sweat.
"House, Joey mentioned having a special weightset... Think I could try it? I don't really think
he'd care..." she asked, offhand.
--Certainly, it's in the next room. Floor had to be specially reinforced to take the stress of a person
with superhuman strength to use for regular workouts.-- it replied, seemingly amused. --Really intending
to pump iron today, aren't you??--
"Oh go surge," she retorted, with a grin, as she set the digital control for 250 kgs... And again,
she worked through the numbers, adding an automatic 15 kgs each time she lifted with ease... this went
on for a while, until she felt she was getting good resistance. "House, where we at??", she
asked as she felt her muscles begining to protest her exertions.
--I have calculated your optimum workout countermass as being roughly 425kgs. I have set the room
to set to your requirements when you palm the scanner. Perhaps you would like to test your agility,
so that I may suggest additions to your routine??--
She stood there, in the centre of Joey's weight room, "What?? Are you sure you haven't burned out
your capacitors?? I've never been able to lift that much!"
--I said, that you are perfectly capable of lifting well over 400 kgs. Your body is not Human, so
that shouldn't surprise you so greatly. I'm not sure what you are, but you are obviously physically
superior to what you were. From what you've told me, it should be a pleasant change.-- House
reminded her. --I should think you would wish to push you physical conditioning to the peak possible
for someone of your apparent potential...--
"I'm not saying I mind, you overheated circuit! It's just weird... Things like this don't happen
where I came from!" she replied, "Well, if I'm going to be surprised, I might as well get it all done
in a day... Lead me through your maze."
For the next few hours, House presented her with test after test: holographicobstacle courses,
endurance tests, and just about everything else she couldhave imagined... And when it was over, she
just sat in the hottub, as House thoroughly analyzed her performance...
Somewhere along the line, Elspeth watched herself doing things she thoughtonly stunt people could
get away with... And somehow, it didn't quite surprise her as much when she felt ready to go again
in an impossibly short time.... She was everything she hadn't been before this happened.
House alerted her sometime later that there was a hovercycle approaching,and she scrambled back into
the sonic shower to make herself decent...
Bren?? she 'pathed, I'll deactivate the security system. Come on up to the house...
I ought to warn you... I'm not exactly "human". she added as she camedown the stairs, and
opened the door.
"I'm not worried about that, babe. Somebody thought it'd be fun to make me a censored
Chippendale's boy, fer Lady's Sake!" he thought back at her.
The person who opened the door looked vaguely Vulcanoid, but elven, mighthave been a better word to
describe the young woman. She had deep lavenderhair in a thick braid, and violet eyes to match. She
was dressed in a stylish black unitard, with a comfortably oversize sweatshirt over it; flattering to
her lean, well muscled body. She looked down at the blonde guy, and her lovely face quirked into a
bemused expression...
Well, what do you think? she mindspoke, as though it were second nature.Not exactly who I used to
be--whoever that was--but mind you, I'm not going to complain... I think I might be able to get used to it.
Bren looked at her, shaking his head, "Well, at least you look like you,now... I just look like some
stupid blonde puta-boy. And I talk funny to boot!"
She just chuckled, her amethyst eyes sparkling with mischief, as she led her friend into the House.