Chapter Eight

Giselle knew it wasn't going to be easy to track down the whereabouts of Rowena, a daunting task even in the best of times. But then again, she was no ordinary Goddess, either, for as Certified Member of the Sisterhood she had countless contacts on worlds and dimensions via the vast IRT network. Furthermore, she was highly respected by the other members of the Guild - and most importantly, had the ear of their leadership caste, too.

However, none more then her sponsor in the craft - Goddess Cashia.

**********

"As was required by protocol I had to first report to the Governing Board about what was going on within the Realm. Moreover, as the Three Fates would have it the first person that I spoke to was Goddess Cashia, this being her term of office as the Head Mistress of the Table for the Goddesses. Needless to say, my patron was none too pleased to hear about my suspicions about Rowena and her true motivations for requesting entrance to the Realm. From what I could discern with my abilities she was down right incensed - and had every right to be. Where others had failed, she successfully negotiated a treaty of access with the Realm - and my nomination as the IRT Station Chieftainess within that special domain."

**********

"Zed damn it," exclaimed Cashia - fuming, "she knows better then to do this - and in the Realm of all places, unbelievable. If God AlexG and Goddess DeniseH don't nuke her into ash, I certainly will."

"I think you'll all have to take number and stand in line, I have first dibs in that matter."

"Perhaps you do, but even so my dear you did the right thing coming here and not taking matters into your own hands without clearance. I'm very proud of you - especially in the light of how you two are not the best of friends."

"Yes," nodded Giselle, "but then you know the details better then anyone."

"All too true," she sighed. "It's a pity that even within our Guild such things happen - it shouldn't but it does. And now something drastic has to be done about it and about Rowena."

"Does this mean I have authorization as Section Chieftainess to handle this matter?"

"Yes, you will by the time you leave later - so long as it’s not unethical or violates the IRT Terms of Service Treaty or the Laws of the Realm. In the case of the former, I can save your pretty ass, if the latter, well - you'll be subject to the rules of the land just as anyone else would."

She winked - it was so swiftly done and her expression never changed, yet there was the unmistakable impression of coyness.

"Therefore, I don't have to tell you that even you are not above the regulations that we all must follow as the guests of the Rulers of the Domains. Am I perfectly clear on this?"

"Yes Goddess Cashia. I understand you fully."

"Good, I don't want any misunderstandings between us - or with The Two Who Jointly Rule."

**********

"It happened so fast I almost didn't catch the signals, a tacit nod by Cashia to do what was necessary. She is most wise and proper - yet can be very devious, too. As a board member for whole of the IRT, her responsibilities come first and appearances must be maintained at all costs. In addition, once the others were assembled, such as the Goddesses Brigid, Lynn or Trish her request to the Andrulla to escort me away only confirmed it. By maneuvering the Goddess of the Valkyrie Room into my path was what I need the most - an Amazon believer in justice regardless of what was required to achieve it - so long as you weren't caught. She just knew that Andrulla was the best to assist me if what I had to do next required me to bend the bylaws a bit."

**********

"Well, I can't say as I will feel very sorry for Rowena. The recent Realm-Impérium War has left The Two Who Jointly Rule, should we say, rather stringent about infractions towards the citizen-subjects of the Realm. She must think she can skirt the edge of the law and get away with her machinations towards you and your students. A most foolish game to play while within their territory, something of which even Goddess Evilvira respects in most matters - except those that fall directly under her authority as The Mistress of the Dark and The Bane of Mortal Men."

"Not to mention she's fond of God AlexG and doesn't like to intentionally upset him."

Andrulla snorted - amused, "She's got the horny hots for him - and has for uncounted millennia. The story of those three is almost romantic soap opera in itself - a major topic of the IRT gossip rooms. Evilvira has never given up hope he'll come around to her, but as long as his beloved DeniseH is around that's never going to happen and Evilvira knows that all too well. Therefore the two Goddesses are adversarial over him and like to clash occasionally just to let off steam. I ought to know, I'm friends with both and being as powerful as I am, I've been asked to referee more then once at their Mega Deity slugfests."

"You know, I've just had an idea - may I?" she pointed at Andrulla's computer.

"Wait, before I grant you access, what are you planning?"

"Why I plan to hack into the Realm Force Intel Archives. Of all the computers we Goddesses of the IRT have at our disposal, your Amazon Princess computer is one of the very best to attempt such a covert raid and get away with it, too. So what say you Andrulla - are you in with me on this matter of justice or not?"

"By Zed, you couldn't keep me away my friend. Of course I am."

"Is the IRT-Goddess Online Hidden Mode on?"

"And our most recent encoder, too - nobody in the Multiverse can touch it."

After a few minutes of work - she had it.

"Alright, I'm off to where she's at - a Place, one I should have expected as it suits her sense of the melodramatic especially with me as focus of her venom - the Place of RISK."

"By Zed, that was fast - how did you know where to look?"

"It was rather easy, from what you said about not being a world or universe narrowed it down quite a bit, it could only be a Dimension or a Place that touch upon the Realm. Outside of our Sisterhood, only the Rulers of Domains - such as DeniseH or AlexG - are more aware of the goings on within their personal territories. I figured DeniseH would be monitoring all IRT activity since she talked to me and would have given orders to their personal servants - The Watchers - Realm Force Intel. When I entered their Library Database, there was a sign posted."

"Dearest Giselle, though we're good friends I know you're far too proud to ask me for help, so I figured you'd come looking on your own. And so . . . " Click Here

"By the way, you'd better get our gals in R&D back on the job as you will be billed for the long distance connection - there was a Thank you for using Deity Telephone &Telegraph message. Apparently you need to update your encoder, my sister - Realm Force is always one step ahead of their covert ops competition."

**********

As Dexter, Kevin and Tanya reentered the complex everything and everyone was in Kaos and not in Control. Red flashers were rotating and an emergency claxon was sounding in the background while agents, scientists and technicians were running about in all directions. If one had to draw a visual analogy, it was exactly like a scene from the James Bond movie Dr Nein.

"What the hell do you suppose is going on?" asked Tanya - deeply concerned.

"You'd think that a nuclear meltdown was occurring . . . or worse."

My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest - and there were other feelings, too. Ones I knew very well - and loved to have - but at this time of all times, no, not possible!

"No, I don't think that's the case here at all," Dexter replied almost lost in thought.

As he turned to look at them Dexter was both surprised and fascinated - for it was very apparent that the two of them were subtly growing in size! Slightly taller and slowly expanding in sculpted development - a combination of which was causing their clothing to tighten in appearance. Almost simultaneously, they both felt - and could sense what was happening to them. So subtly, it had occurred - almost automatically - without even thinking about it. An instinctive response to their environment - one that was summoned out of a deep-seated anxiety and personal need for physical protection.

"Can't you two control your abilities . . ."

"Yes - we can," Kevin answered - deeply masculine in intonation, "it's just that very strong emotions . . . good night, my voice sounds so different when this happens . . ."

"She told us," a sultry-husky sounding Tanya stated, "it was a protective survival reflex and it could be triggered at times like this - but we could control it - if we tried hard enough."

"Then do so and hurry up. It won't do any good for you two to change now - later it might be a different story."

**********

It wasn't easy, but we both focused and suppressed it - sort of like staving off a sneeze. Yet, it felt so damned natural to become larger and stronger - to evolve into a Titan and Titaness. In reality, we knew that such was our true selves now. By contrast, our appearance of physical normalcy was a camouflage cover and a useful one to blend in with the rest of Humanity - a masquerade of survival. In the end, we succeeded and both of us felt ourselves reduce, the clothing got less tight and our statures were more normal looking. Nevertheless, the feelings were there just below the surface like a penned up dam - waiting to burst free. If we ever got the opportunity to be accepted for what we were, I highly doubted either of us would go back again to being normal. But then that wasn't likely to occur - this wasn't a perfect Walgreens world.

**********

"Utterly amazing," Dexter mused, "if only I could study you two in my laboratory . . ."

At about that moment a group of black suited armed guards all carrying the latest in NAC military semi-automatic weapons interrupted our proceedings.

"Dr Dexter, you and these people will have to come with us. It's for your own safety."

"What's going on?" asked Dexter.

"We don't know but somehow the Event Horizon drive self activated itself and we cannot seem to turn it off either. It's slowly powering up for a hyperspace black hole even now. Do you think you can help us?"

"Of course, but how much time do we have?"

"No more then thirty minutes before it creates a time-displacement space warp."

"We have to stop by my room, I have to get something I'll need."

"Dr Dexter, I have to take these two people back to confinement block first."

"You can confine them in my room," Dexter snapped, "we don't have time to fool around with such things. I was told my room was super secure - hence, it's just as good as a cell."

The officer gave it a second's thought and agreed. And off they went.

**********

"I don't have much time," Dexter pronounced, "but something impossible is going on, I was told that that machine was a week away from being finished."

He was digging through his luggage as he spoke. The armed guards were just outside the doorway waiting to escort him to wherever it was they were to take him.

"The machinations of a Goddess?"

"I think so, and that means it might be beyond any of my scientific skills to turn it off. Even so I cannot have you two Metahumans running around naked, should it come to that - so here take these, one of my greatest discoveries."

What he was holding out to us were a pair of folded dark blue jumpsuit-like garments. I took the one, Tanya the other. They appeared to be unisex in design rather then the typical male and female varieties.

"Any explainations would take far too long, just suffice it to say when you grow into a Titan and Titaness they'll grow with you. Created from a hyperflexible fabric and practically - well, by ordinary standards, are indestructible, too. I call them Skinsuits since they will seem like a second skin and will contour your bodies perfectly. Hopefully, given their reactive-armor like qualities they'll help assist your natural abilities to resist punishment - only drawback is that I don't have any boots ready, but I'm working on it."

**********

Dexter raced with the guards to the scene of the possible catastrophe - a research area the size of a small auditorium. As he entered the control room everything and everyone was in panic. At the far end was the familiar sight of the Event Horizon Hyperspace Black Hole Drive. A sinister looking metallic ball within multiple donuts rings. However, Dr Zachary Smith apparently had failed to inform him that they'd made certain modifications to the original design. Rather then being a free standing object like an oversized globe with many rings they had mounted the device within an even larger vertical ring mounted to a floor platform.

"I've never seen the like."

"It's a Tunnel in the Sky, of sorts - if you will."

He turned and it was Dr Smith, looking very worried.

"We figured that if it wasn't practical to use on a starship . . ."

"You thought a stationary teleportation device could do just as well."

"Yes, think about it, no need to build massive ships. Like opening a door at one end and traveling the stars via a Molehole."

"Provided you had a doorway on the other side to return with," Dexter said acidly.

"Well, yes there is that. Nevertheless, we were no where near testing it in that manner just yet. That damned thing activated on its own and we don't know how to shut it down."

"Cut the power?"

"There is no power plugged in - period."

"Show me."

From his seated position at the computer console Dexter read the figures and the reading coming from all of the monitoring equipment. It was at times like this he wished he had his own computer with him. It was semi-self aware as well as enormous data base and research tool.

"You're right, I don't see any input of power at all. Nor are your overrides working for that reason."

"What do you mean?"

"Look here . . ."

Dexter pointed at one of the indicators - the countdown to triggering.

" . . . You're not reading this right, it's not a matter of you triggering the Event Horizon, it's a matter of someone else activating it and you are reading the results of their actions."

"That's impossible. This is the sole control center."

"Very possible, for that object out there touches upon many, almost uncountable, places. One of them is dialing us, not us dialing them."

"Oh my God, you're right."

"And that also explains the origin of the power and why you cannot stop it. Apparently you assembled enough of the machine so that someone else, somewhere else could use it as that other door to go back home you talked about."

**********

"Well," I commented, "I guess we'd better put them on as he said."

"Agreed," nodded Tanya, "they feel so soft and comfortable, too."

I started unbuttoning my shirt and she did like wise with her blouse. Then off went the shoes, pants and finally the underwear. As Tanya undid her bra, I could see that they were ever so slightly larger and said as much, complementing her on that fact.

"Thank you my darling," she beamed - deeply amused, "and your special equipment is just as wondrously prominent, seemingly filled with desire for me."

"No doubt," I blushed, "it's the excitement of the moment."

"I know, it's so damnably hard to remain calm and composed at a time like this. I feel like I'm going to burst into growth at any moment and become the Savage She-Krunk."

"Same here," I said slipping into my Skinsuit.

I could see and more importantly feel why Dr Dexter had named this item in such a manner. Once the Velcro like fasteners locked in place they flexed and stretched with the material. I couldn't believe how my delts or abs appeared with this thing on, as if it was spray painted. As I watched, the one Tanya had on hugged her body perfectly revealing ever curve, bulge, contour or even the nipples of her areolas upon the swells of her large breasts.

"God you look so sexy with that thing on - better then lingerie."

"As do you my handsome Knight. A tall champion of a Lady - and one who possesses great concealed power - the incredible superpowers of The Infraggable Kruck."

At about that moment we just were about to embrace and kiss - when the room vibrated.

"Now what - an earthquake?"

"I don't think so, but I suspect it cannot be good."

"So far outside our duel transformation abilities we've been just holding our own."

"I know, feels like we are part of a large tennis game."

"More like one between two Goddesses - and the other side just smacked the ball back into Giselle's court."

**********

When clock read zero, the Event Horizon Doorway triggered. All looked on in fear and anticipation from behind the magnetic shielding and the control room. On the floor three teams of heavily armed and armed security troops were in position to open fire if whatever, whoever came through the open doorway was hostile. The stabilized surface of the Molehole interface was mercurial in appearance - as if it was a pool of the darkest, blackest ink one could imagine.

"Timelessness personified," Dexter thought, "as a void to otherworlds."

The pristine calm didn't last for very long - suddenly, the surface rippled and something came through. They could see that it, or rather he, was undeniable Human in silhouette, if but garbed in what seemed to be the tattered remains of a military jumpsuit and white lab coat.

It was the very last person Dexter ever expected to see again - Dr Mandark Utonium.

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