Princess slouched on her couch in a position of both annoyance and worry. Her transmutation concerns and the resultant order for testing were the key issues on her mind as she flicked through the Satellite stations in search for something decent to watch. Wednesday evening viewing being somewhat sub-par until the later hours of the night, she'd not found anything beyond the latest attempt at revitalizing an old 1980's sit-com.
So Knight Rider it was.
She slouched into what was probably more a lying down than a seated position in the chair. Her chin had quite easily nestled itself inside her collarbone and her ass had officially found the edge of the cushion. She was in imminent danger of sliding off onto the floor, but gave little thought to that as she watched K.I.T.T. transform into a different car on the screen in front of her. The cinematic transformation gave her more thought to her own problem.
She honestly didn't know what was up with her uniform. The transponder band analysis had come back clean. There was no malfunction between that and the chip in her shoe … or shoes as it were. The only viable explanation she could think of was that it could be the new civilian attire she'd chosen to wear. Perhaps the technicians had been too rushed to put it together.
A reasonable option would be for her to put on her old jeans and shirt, again, but she'd found the jeans a little too snug. Which was hardly surprising given hers and Jill's indulgences over the past several days. A fast sneak around the Internet had given her the caloric levels of the wines, beers and spirits they'd shared, and so she vowed to just work out extra hard over the next few days to try and burn off all those extra … energies.
If she could find it, that is.
She felt honestly drained of energy of late. Again, it was something to be put down to her vibrant friend's presence. Jill, having worked the bar for most of her adult life, had become somewhat nocturnal. She seemed to thrive on the nightlife and the industry of alcohol and tawdriness. Princess had a day job; she simply couldn't handle the going out all night and then working the next day thing.
She slid her back along the back of the couch, left one foot on the floor, and raised the other one to hook up over the back of the couch in a splayed and definitely unladylike position.
"I am so getting too old for this," she moaned to herself as she laid one forearm across her eyes.
Jill's voice appeared from out of nowhere. "Oh please don't say that, 'Cess. You're so much younger than I am."
Princess smiled, but didn't remove the arm from her eyes. "I didn't hear you come in."
Jill swept her hand along the back of the couch to push Princess' leg down, and leaned her forearms down in its place. "You're in another world, girl." She slouched lower to assess her friend's condition. "I heard from Mark about what happened at the school tonight."
Princess groaned. "I am so sorry I didn't call you. Jason got me out of there so quick that I think I left my brain behind."
Jill gave a laugh and shook her hand in a "forget about it" gesture. "Good thing that Mark is on the ball then. He phoned me probably just as Jason left to tell me he'd grounded you until further notice so you wouldn't be joining us."
Princess slid the arm off her eyes and blinked quickly at the glare of the light above Jill's head. She spoke even as she tried to get her eyes used to the light. "And I bet he had that self-satisfied tone of voice, too."
Jill angled her head and seemed to frown a little in thought. "No, actually, 'Cess, he sounded really worried." She swept her hair over her ear and then settled herself back into her slouch. "I know that Commander of yours well enough to pick out when he's faking it or not, and he was definitely faking it tonight."
"Faking what?"
"Faking being a Commander."
Princess slowly drew herself to a seat and petted the cushion beside her to invite Jill to sit. "How do you mean?"
Jill climbed over the back of the couch rather than walk around. She slid heavily into a seat beside her friend. "Well. You know, he tried to sound like he was being his usual stoic and matter of fact self, but you could really hear his concern." She petted Princess' knee. "That man still loves you, girl."
Princess sighed hard. "And I him – But he was the one who said he didn't love me so…"
"He said that?"
Princess nodded. "Yup."
"Are you sure you just didn't misinterpret something?" She was obviously stunned by this revelation. "I mean, Mark may claim to be the master of the spoken word, but I've seen him screw it up from time to time."
She shrugged. "No misinterpretation, Jill. He said it, point blank. "I love you, but I'm not in love with you"."
Jill groaned and palmed her forehead. "Oh he is such a liar."
Princess rolled her head on the backrest to look at her friend. "All the more reason to back off and away from him."
"Meaning?"
"Well," Princess began in as honest a tone as she could. "If he can pull a lie like that to my face, then what else is he capable of twisting?"
Jill's brows were high and she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt as though uncomfortable with the idea. "I never thought of Mark as dishonest."
Princess looked up at a barrette in Jill's hair and sighed. "He's not."
"But…"
"But I don't know," Princess conceded. "I'm so muddle-headed right now I don't know what I'm thinking or doing."
"Ooh," Jill teased through pursed lips. "Is that really a good frame of mind for the explosives genius on the G-Force team?"
"Apparently not," Princess groaned as she pressed her hands into the cushion to push herself to a stand. "I've been indefinitely grounded." She snatched the remote from the coffee table and angrily flicked off the television. "Grounded from active duty, but am still expected to show up for training, for testing, and blah blah blah."
"Such is life," Jill offered as she drew herself to a stand. "Especially yours. But, Princess my darling Royal Highness of thigh high boots and micro mini skirts. I think I have a solution to tonight's quandary."
Princess looked over her shoulder at Jill. "Let me guess. Dump the Communicator at the door, put on something sleazy and go out drinking?"
Jill waggled her brows and winked. "Oh you read my mind well." She drew a line along Princess' shoulder with her fingertip as she strode past her. "But keep the watch handy, will you? Who knows if we might have to call Jason for a late night pick-up."
~~O-O-O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O-O-O~~
The club that Jill had managed to drag Princess too was something a little more energetic than Princess had thought it would be. With a long line-up at the door that extended well beyond two city blocks, and high security at the door, the place seemed to be the hottest location in town. She was surprised, then, when Jill led her past the line and straight up to the front door for entry. The large bouncer, who looked as though he had overdosed on steroids, looked down over his folded arms as they approached.
"Line is over there," he grunted in a disinterested manner.
"We're guests of the owner," Jill said playfully. "Jill and Cheri."
"Ahh yes," he answered with a sudden smile. "He's expecting you both. You're to be escorted to the private lounge upstairs."
Jill gave an excited squeal, whereas Princess merely looked around cautiously. Jill took her friend's hand and nestled in to her side. "Oh you wait until you see inside, 'Cess. You'll die."
Princess gave a nod as a young, slim, and gorgeous woman dressed in an immaculate business suit approached and asked them to follow her. She held on a little tighter to her friend. "I've never been in a place like this, Jill. It's so …"
"Awesome," Jill finished for her. "Oh, 'Cess, they've kept you so tightly sheltered."
Princess giggled timidly. "For good reason I think."
"Oh don't be silly,' Jill purred as she took herself a step ahead of Princess to walk the stairs. "All they've managed to do is having you fishing off the Federation pier and then getting into trouble because of it. Had they let you run out and explore, then … oh." She paused as they reached the top of the stairs and entered an immaculately decorated and plush room full of beautiful people. "Gorgeous."
Princess' eyes gaped open at the deep rich purples, magentas and reds in the room. Everything looked as though it were velvet. All the wanted to do was touch and snuggle into everything. "I want to say it's gaudy, but it is just incredible."
Zoran's smile beamed through the crowd at their arrival. Immediately he was on his feet and practically glided along the air as he approached them. He took hold of Princess' wrist and kissed it softly in greeting. "Cheri. I did not think you would make it here tonight. Jill told me you were unwell and were sent home from your class."
She angled her head and watched as he gently threaded his fingers through hers and pulled her into his side. "It's an illness I seemed to have recovered from."
"That," he purred with a smile, "is worth celebrating." He took hold of Jill's hand and led them to a purple velvet couch. There were three people already occupying the seat, and they immediately moved as Zoran approached. He tipped his head to a wait girl. "You will bring champagne for my two honored guests. The best in the house, on my tab."
Jill giggled much like an excited schoolgirl around Zoran's chest at Princess. "Isn't this great?"
Princess couldn't help but feel somewhat apprehensive. While she certainly didn't immediately recognize anyone, she got an uneasy feeling about the absolute submissiveness of everyone in the room where her host was concerned. She took lead from Jill and Zoran and took a seat only after they had done.
"This is an amazing venue," she said dutifully to her host. "I don't think I've seen anything quite like it."
He drew a stemmed glass of red wine to his lips and let the lightest roll of the glass splash a mere taste across his mouth. He licked at his lip with his tongue and seemed to purr at the compliment. "That was my intention when I submitted my plans, Cheri. It was to be like nothing on this world."
Jill raised her eyes as the waitress set a steel ice bucket on the table and poured them both a glass of champagne. "It has a very Kasbah feel to it."
Zoran raised a brow. "You may need to explain that description to me, Jill."
She giggled. "All you need to do is bring me a hookah pipe and you'll be living the description."
Zoran gave a laugh. "I have no idea what that is, Dear Jill. But I will take your words as a compliment." He watched Princess' lips purse as she sipped at her champagne and looked around the room. "Are you uncomfortable, Cheri?"
"I'm feeling inadequate," she admitted shyly. "There are a lot of beautiful people here."
"Only to look at," he muttered in a dark tone. "For now I am fashion, and that tends to bring the superficially attractive people." He squeezed her hand. "You and Jill, you have the beauty on the inside."
Jill laughed. "Which is a polite way of saying we're ugly."
"Never," Zoran assured. "You are both of a beauty that none can compare to."
Jill had to laugh as she drained her glass and leaned forward to pour herself another. She leaned over to refill Princess' glass. "Drink up, Princess."
Princess half-frowned as she looked into her glass, but drew back on it anyhow. As she watched her host's glossed lips purse to sip from his glass, she began to feel a sudden unease. There was something just a little unreal about this venue that she simply couldn't put her finger on.
~~O-O-O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-O-O-O~~
Two and a half hours into their evening, and Jill and Princess had managed to drink through three bottles of expensive champagne. Princess wasn't sure if it was the electric buzz of the alcohol in her muscles or a genuine intuitive sense, but she couldn't shake the feeling that her new friend wasn't exactly everything he was playing to be.
He was an attentive host, and an affectionate individual to say the very least. At no point did he leave the two girls alone, and made sure that their every need was immediately met. He had taken Princess to a point where confusion and question simply merged with drunkenness. The concerns she may have held at the beginning of the evening of the venue were waning in time with her inhibitions, but her slight unease of Zoran still whistled about her.
It wasn't until Jill had suggested inside a whisper in her ear that she might have just been finding excuses for her attraction to him, that she had let her suspicions fade. Zoran was friendly, he was handsome, and she did find herself wanting to sit that little bit closer to him. Perhaps it was just that she was so used to only finding attraction for Mark that she was misreading herself.
It was when he leaned in to her, held her chin with his thumb and forefinger and pressed his lips against hers in a soft kiss that she fell in to him. She let her lips part slightly against his as if to invite him further. It was an invite he immediately accepted and within a heartbeat she found herself engulfed in a deep kiss that seemed to reach far enough into her that she felt instantly ill. Mark's face flashed into her mind and she pressed her hands against his chest to push herself away from him.
His blue eyes stared questioningly at her, but did not seem to show annoyance. "Are you alright, Cheri?"
She nodded and pressed her fingers to her lips to press out the tingle of their connection. "Yes. I'm okay."
"Is my kiss not to your liking?"
Her eyes widened in complete embarrassment and she shook her head as she felt the flush hotly rise through her cheeks. "Oh no, I mean, yes it is. I mean." She dropped her head. "I just need to use the ladies room."
As bad an excuse as it was, it seemed to work. He gave her a genuine smile and nodded toward the back wall. "You will find the facilities through there, Cheri."
She wanted to ask Jill to accompany her to the washroom, as per the women's code, but was halted in the request as she noticed her friend on the knees of a man in the middle of a seriously intense make-out session. Her blush deepened as she took her attention from it and excused herself.
It took every ounce of her control not to crash to the floor as another of her dizzying spells rushed up through her body and into her head. She took a couple of slow breaths and clutched at the couch until the feeling passed.
Zoran noted her blanching and touched at her hand. "Cheri?"
She closed her eyes and shook her head to regain her equilibrium. "Phew," she breathed with a faked smile. "Just how much have I had tonight?"
Zoran gave a laugh. "Obviously not enough for you to recover like that. Would you like an escort?"
She rolled her eyes and genuinely smiled. "This is something I think I can manage on my own." She shot a glare toward Jill and made her way to the back of the club.
She didn't take a lot of notice as to the markings on the door she finally stepped through, but the décor on the other side of it was vastly different to what she had just left. The corridor was dimly lit, with white walls and a pungent odor of what she assumed to be urine, it looked like a parking lot stairwell.
"Definitely not the ladies room," she moaned to herself as she turned to get herself back in to the club. As her hand found the handle and she gave a tug, she was mortified to find that the door had locked behind her. "Oh great," she moaned as she staggered on drunken legs back against the wall. "Where am I now?"
With a breath that sounded along the lines of a slurry groan, she turned and wandered cautiously along the corridor. It was dim and felt damp around her. She found herself running her fingertips along the brittle and peeling wall if only to keep her balance.
She was tempted, right now, to call Mark or even 7-Zark-7 to give her some intel on this specific location. The further she walked down the corridor, the uneasier she became. The dampness around her thickened into an acrid smell of urine, stale beer, sex, and wet dog. It took all of her training to stifle her gag-reflex at the soup of smells around her. The fight against retching dizzied her further and she had to pause and press herself into the wall in order to remain even a fraction focused.
"Oh Mark," she sighed in needy breath. "I wish you were here right now."
Her mind chided her for the comment, but her drunkenness rebutted the reprimand with a lurid excuse of desire for a seedy encounter in a dirty locale rather than a need for protection. The war between mind and drunk made her actually chuckle. The amusement offered her a snippet of stability and she found herself able to continue.
As she reached the end of the corridor, which was actually a lot shorter than it had appeared, she found a solitary door. The door had an obvious panic bar feature to it, and she knew if she stepped through it she would likely be locked from that end too. She cast her eyes back to the first door and she had to shrug.
It was better to be locked out there than in a smelly, filthy, corridor.
Before she could press her palms into the panic bar, she heard a low growl from the darkened corner. She immediately shot her gaze to the growl, which was enough to offset her balance enough to stumble against the wall.
"Who's there?" She questioned in as brave a tone as she could muster. "I warn you, I'm…" She coughed as the growl drew closer and a brown and black Pit bull dog slowly emerged from the darkness with its head down and its lip curled.
She let out a shaking and partially relieved breath. "Good doggie. No need to get all mad, I'm a friend of your daddy's."
The dog stalked closer and within a couple of seconds another emerged from the shadows.
"Oh," she managed softly. "There are two of you."
The two dogs stood side-by-side and seemed identical as they growled their authority and stalked slowly toward her. She ticked her head to one side and focused a stare at them. Training years ago had taught her that so long as you remain steeled on a dog, they'll rarely attack – she really hoped that the theory was correct as she took a timid step backward.
"Nice doggies. Nice, nice doggies."
There was a thud against the door and a sound that Princess drunken mind seemed to interpret as a woman in distress. She immediately took her attention from the dogs and looked up at the door. It shifted as though tugged on from the other side.
"Hello?" She called, suddenly ignorant to the canine threat in front of her. "Do you need help?"
There seemed to be a muffled sound to the affirmative, and Princess found herself immediately moving toward the door. "Don't worry, I'm coming," she yelped.
The dogs disagreed. As her foot left the ground to run, the first dog charged. It knocked her to the ground with a hard bump of its head into her thighs. She hit the ground and felt the stinging grip of the dog's teeth around her wrist. She let out a sharp cry as the second dog ran in after her throat.
She rolled her shoulder to rotate her body on the ground in escape and called out a drunken, desperate plea for her Commander to help her.
He did not arrive, but the swan seemed to do so. Without command or even thought, the transmutation sequence flashed across her. The change was violent enough that it caused her body to contract inward as she dry-retched with wide opened eyes.
The whimper of the dogs at their expulsion from her field of change was unheard over the honk of the Swan ringing in her ears. She tried desperately to breathe and clawed hopelessly at the ground as she waited for the sequence to end.
And finally it did.
Her breath flew into her as pants. She had tears in her eyes as she shuffled on her backside toward the wall to seat herself in the corner. She covered her eyes with her gloved hands and let them slide up into her brow to rest her head in her hands. She listened for the dogs at the other end of the hall and tried to shuffle further into the wall behind her, only managing to slide her boot along the dirt on the floor.
The dogs were okay. They were at the other end of the corridor licking at themselves in defeat.
She slowed her breathing and dropped her hands to hug at her knees. "This is nuts," she whined to herself. "What is happening?"
Her mind fell back to her initial concern before the dog attack. She listened hard to see if there were still noises from the other side. The movement on the other side of the door had stopped. "Are you still down there?" She asked timidly. "Do you still need help?"
At the silence she wondered if she had simply imagined the voice and the knocks. The idea made her swallow hard and she clenched her eyes tightly. "I'm losing my mind."
She let out a breath and rounded her arm across her face. "Transmute," she called to cancel the birdstyle.
Nothing.
"Transmute," she called again, this time with more command in her voice.
Still nothing.
"Transmute. Please, God Transmute."
The lack of illumination that was expected from a changing sequence caused the young woman to let out a frightened sob. She should never have gone out this evening. She should have just stuck with the orders and stayed at home like a good and obedient little girl. She slowly raised her wrist to her lip with the intent to call for help, but gasped at the red staining through white as her wrist bled from the dog bite.
"Oh dear," she moaned as she tugged down the glove to survey the damage. "Taken down by a dog – how utterly humiliating."
The bite was deep along her wrist. There was a perfect impression and puncture marks from the dog's teeth. Whilst the punctures were deep, however, the damage was relatively minimal. She tugged the glove back up and sat back against the wall, wrist in her hand, in the most dejected manner possible.
She barely flinched when the door opened and Jill's head popped around it. She simply looked up at her friend and poked out her bottom lip much like a hurt child. "Mark's going to kill me."
Jill's entire face lit up in horror at the sight of Princess slouched and bloody on the floor. She slid around the door and fell to her knees in front of her. "Princess! Jesus, what happened?"
She shook her head. "I don't know, Jill." She inhaled shakily as she peered to the end of the hallway. "I got lost."
Jill looked around in fear. "What? Why are you in uniform, 'Cess? What happened?"
Princess screwed up her face and shook her head. "I don't know. One minute I'm walking and trying to find a way out, the next I'm in battle gear fighting off dogs."
Jill suddenly lurched forward as the door opened and pushed her onto her knees in front of Princess. She immediately shoved her back into the door to halt the entry of whomever was there. "Just give us a minute, okay?"
Zoran's voice purred from the other side. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah," she stammered as she tried to find a way to get Princess out of there without being seen as the Swan. "Just. You know, girl thing."
He was heard to chuckle. "I will wait until you are ready, ladies."
Jill managed to latch the door back into its locked position. "Princess. You need to call Mark or Jason to get you out of here."
She hiccupped to agree and rocked onto her knees to draw herself to a stand. She still held on to her wrist. "Looks like it." Before she could call for help, however, her body lurched forward and then back toward the wall as the change took hold again. Inside a moment she was back to civilian clothing.
"What was that?" Jill asked with wide eyes. "Is that how you change?"
Princess shook her head and curled her injured hand into a curl as she brought it to her chest. "Not exactly. I'm supposed to command it, but it's just doing it on its own."
She sighed and wobbled slightly on her knees. "No wonder Mark is so worried. If that happens to you during battle …"
Princess sighed a brattish huff. "Yes, I'll blow the whole mission, won't I?"
"I think he's more worried about what'll happen to you, 'Cess, than anything else."
She slid her back up the wall to make it to a stand and shook her head. "No. The mission and the team are his main concerns, as individuals we're secondary."
Jill gave a huff and shook her head as she pulled down Princess' hand to look it over. "That's not true, and you know it." She knocked on the door. "Zoran, darling, we're ready."
He opened the door widely to let them out and gasped when he saw the blood on Princess' wrist. "Cheri! What happened to you?"
She looked up guiltily. "I got lost and ran in to your guard dogs. They did their job."
He put an arm over her shoulder. "Then you come with me and we will look in to fixing that," he promised firmly. He flicked his fingers to a wait girl. "Make sure Cheri has the strongest beverage in the house, will you? Bring it to my quarters."
Princess tugged herself backward rather urgently. "Your quarters?"
He frowned in chiding. "For no other reason than to assess your injury. I will not make advances to one so obviously in pain." He nodded to Jill. "She will be with us, Cheri. I promise you no more than treatment."
He led them both through the doorway into a den-style office to the right of the private room. As elaborately furnished as the room they had just left, this area was both an office and a boudoir. The desk was an ornate solid-wood mahogany masterpiece, and the four-poster circular bed in a matching shade of mahogany with black and purple velveteen bedding on it.
Princess found her brow rise high at the corner of the room so obviously crafted with illicit activities in mind. "My," she whimpered. "This is a very interesting room."
He sat her on the bed and smiled as he wiped at her wrist with his handkerchief. "Very few have privilege to see it, Cheri. You should feel honoured." He raised his eyes to look cheekily into hers.
Jill ignored the play and sat down beside Princess. She took out her cell phone and thumbed through its phone book. "I'll call Mark and have him pick us up."
Zoran's brow flicked high and fast. There was almost panic in his voice when he spoke. "There is no need to do that, Jill. I will have the two of you taken home in my limousine." He cast his gaze back to Princess, who was admiring him with soft eyes. "To call the ex-boyfriend is to admit defeat."
Jill's lips pursed. "Not so in this case, Zoran." She shared a look with Princess. "Isn't that right, 'Cess?"
Princess focused on Zoran so gently attending to her injury and nodded absently. "Sure. Sure."
Jill initially gasped in shock at Princess' breathed and lacking response, but quickly smirked as the wait girl entered the room with a strong beverage. "Mmm," she hummed softly. "Then perhaps it can wait a little while longer."
Zoran smiled and passed across the drink to Princess. "Allow me to make up for the behaviour of my creatures. I assure you it won't happen again."
Princess' eyes widened, but she threw her head back to shoot the drink in a single gulp – she hoped it might take out the sting of the alcohol Zoran was cleaning her wrist with. "I won't go wandering again."
He laughed. "Next time perhaps you will accept my offer of an escort to the ladies room." He dropped the bloody handkerchief onto the tray held by the wait girl. His eyes rose slowly up at her. "You know what to do with that, Miss, don't you?"
She gave a nod and quietly left the room.
Princess shuddered as the alcohol warmed her inside and offered her best friend a lazy and renewed drunken smile. "Once my new hero has patched me up, how about you and me hit the dancefloor?"
Jill actually frowned at her. "Don't you think we need to get you home?"
Princess smiled and flippantly shook her head. "Oh no," she purred. "I'm just beginning to feel good again."
Jill's eyes dropped down to Zoran. "Just what was in that drink?"
He smiled an almost dangerous grin. "Just something a little special for someone special."
