The Commission - 13
by Anthyrax
The Commission Part 13: The Deal
December 6 Gila Cliff Dwellings National Park 9 AM
For the first time in weeks Gavin felt like his regular self. The fatigue and stress of the deadline was finally over. Now he had only to finish with the last two women, the actresses Kate Blanchett and Liv Tyler, and he could turn his attentions back to the women he really loved.
Not that there wouldn’t be some fun in the chore ahead though.
He was alone today. Cindy was in another cabin, resting and handling communications. Grim was watching the road, on the off chance someone should stumble into the park, past the landslides and destroyed bridges they had left on the way up here. Hans was leading Sarah, Michelle, Kim and Cheryl down the road to the nearby town of Silver City. A university was there, and Hans had some sort of plan for that.
Soon the pyramids would activate and the next phase of the invaders plan would go into effect. And after that, there would be chaos. Whatever the plan, it would have to be soon.
He pulled out the first doll from his pack. The doll that had been Kate Blanchett looked peaceful, her eyes closed and her face relaxed in the sleep that he had placed her in at the theater. She was completely unaware of her change in circumstance, Gavin knew, and it was tempting to leave her that way.
But that wouldn’t do, and Caredoc would be expecting her to be as ready as the others he had kidnapped. The models, the television and movie actresses, all had to be willing slaves for as long as he wanted them. It would make them less inclined to rebel, and hopefully, make their enslavement more bearable.
Or so he hoped.
Hans had promised that they would be freed eventually, and that they would regain themselves when it occurred. They would have the best body their mortal being could have, they would live many years longer than otherwise, with perfect health, and a body that hid its aging far better than their original selves.
They would also know the pain of the loss of everything and everyone they knew, with no hope of returning home.
“Well, I suppose they could always join the Scouts,” Gavin mused, considering how useful highly charismatic and beautiful women could be after training, particularly the actresses with their training in memorization, and the models, some of whom had useful skills or education. As for the others, well, they should easily be able to get a well connected husband or lover.
How easily the mind allows itself to justify what is questionable he finally decided. One by one he pulled out the remaining dolls and set them on the table.
Picking up Cate, he set her on the floor and cast a spell. Instantly the doll began to grow until it was life sized once again. She would still be asleep when she was restored to flesh though, and it would be rude to just let her topple to the floor. She was still lightweight plastic, so it was easy to pick her up and lay her on the couch. Leaving her there, he went into the kitchen and poured the contents of two different bottles into a pair of plastic drinking glasses. The first smelled much like apple juice, and he smiled at how well Cheryl had learned the recipe. The second was different, and smelled much like wine.
Stepping back over to the coffee table, he set both glasses down. Reaching over to the nearby end table, he retrieved a little leather book, a book that would help Cate learn her new role.
All was ready.
Casting his first spell, he sat down on the coffee table and watched as the restoration spell engulfed her in a warm golden light, which then faded away. Her skin began to lose the glistening plastic look, and the joint lines faded away over the next few moments as he watched. After a few more moments, she was once again clearly human, and a short gasp marked where she again began to breathe. Watching her chest move gently, he chuckled as she began to snore quietly.
He gently shook her until she roused. Satisfied, he stood back and cast another spell, paralyzing her to prevent mishaps (such as her panicking and conking him on the head with the nearest thing in reach).
“Hello Cate” he said gently as her eyes fluttered open, and then looked around in shock. Reaching over, he lifted her from her prone position to a comfortable sitting position on the couch. “I know this is a shock, and by now you have figured out that you can’t move. Don’t worry, that will where off soon.”
He could see her struggle to move, her eyes showing the strain of the effort. After a bit, they focused on him again, and fear showed in them.
“I know you are afraid, and you have a right to be. I promise though, I will do nothing that will harm you.” Gavin continued.
She would be able to move a little, Gavin knew, and he leaned over to listen as she whispered.
“Who are you?” she said in a faint whisper, “What happened to me?”
“My name is Gavin, and I am a wizard from another world.”
Gavin watched her eyes widen in shock
“Really, it’s true. I am here actually to rescue you. You won’t believe that, but I will turn on the television and you can see why in a minute. First though, I know you are really thirsty. I have some apple juice for you, it will help. The spell I used to kidnap you will have left you feeling rather parched I know.”
“Yes, drink please.” She managed to whisper, he eyes still focused on him.
Picking up the glass, he held it up to her lips and continued as she drank it down in a series of sips.
“Excellent” he thought, “that was easy enough.”
When she was done, he took the empty glass from her and set it down before picking up the remote and turning on CNN.
He watched as she saw in horrific live and previously videotaped coverage the destruction of so much she knew. Cities laid waste, millions dead, panic, martial law, the entire affair. And most ominous of all, the total lack of communication with an area in Donner Pass, and a dozen other places around the world.
The newest story was of reports of flying reptiles, that observers reported as being dragons, seen near each of the mysterious areas of silence. And a live video feed of a giant winged shape that got closer and closer to the news van before a bright burst of fire engulfed it and cut the transmission forever.
“Well, you see there are dragons, and you must now know that there are wizards.”
Finally able to move her head, Cate could only nod in muted shock.
“Would you like a drink? I have some wine.”
Her face still wearing a look of shock, horror and grief, she nodded again weakly, too moved to speak.
She drank the potion in a single gulp, the wine flavor (and taste of alcohol) disguising its true nature.
The friendship spell that was in the first potion was working now, and her fear of him was now gone. Heartbroken, and now able to move, she reached over to embrace him, and Gavin held her close, for a moment becoming just a man comforting a woman, and letting the mission drop for a few minutes.
He held her as she sobbed, uncomfortably aware that she cried for her family and friends, now lost forever.
He wasn’t too happy with himself.
After a few minutes, he gently helped to her feet. Things were in motion now though, and she needed to eat. The potions were already at work. Her hair was already turning the blonde that it had been in the movie. Her skin was truly becoming perfectly pale, and it positively glowed with youth and health. Tiny lines were gone, and her ears were now larger and pointed, just like those of Hans, or like the fake ones she had in the movie.
The transformation from Human to Elf was well underway, and she needed fuel to replace what was being drawn from her. Within a short while, she would be a lovely, perfect Elven woman, just like she had been on screen. Just as Caredoc had required for her and her castmate Liv.
He coaxed her gently into eating, and although initially she had trouble, within a few minutes the cravings of her body convinced her to devour the large meal before her. Gavin watched her eat, turning of the television (having heard more than enough himself), and answered a few of her questions.
But only some, the rest such as what would happen to her after next being left vague.
“You have nothing to fear. You will be safe where I am taking you. And I promise you will come to enjoy it in time.”
After she was finished, he handed her the book.
“This will answer most of your questions actually. You will find a lot of piece of mind when you finish it.”
He watched as Cate, clearly intensely curious now, picked it up and began to read.
She read carefully but quickly, all of the years of reading scripts had trained her for that. As she read, the magic of the book and the new identity it was creating, merged into her mind, changing and sculpting it into her new self.
Gavin watching, marveling at how potent the magic was. He and Hans had worked out the spell years before, in a vain plan to use it to repair the damage done to Andrea so long ago. It hadn’t worked on her, but on human women, it worked very well indeed. Especially women who assumed roles, however temporary, like models and actresses. The magic seduced them into not only taking on the new “part” described, but literally becoming the character.
He had used it on his girls long ago, and knew from experience that it would were off eventually for most women (it had for all of his girls) but it very well might not for the actresses and models he had acquired on this mission.
Well, if all else failed, he could simply write another book on their original life for them to read.
Cate, or Galadriel as she now called herself (which would amuse Hans, as no Elvish woman by that name had any importance on his world, but it was a nice name nevertheless), finished reading and looked at him expectantly.
“I am going to place into a sleep now, and when you awake, you will be with your knew lord.” Gavin said gently, and offered his hand.
Galadriel took the hand regally, and smiled, and now he could see the noble and pure beauty that now encompassed the entire being of the former actress from New Zealand. He gently led her to the center of the room and asked her to stand still.
Examining her critically, he decided that a custom change was called for. Although she was still in the fine expensive formal gown from the other night, it was entirely too modern for an Elvish woman to were. But he had just the thing.
“Wait here, I will be write back.” He ordered and Galadriel stood still, standing proudly in the room.
Dashing into a bedroom, he opened the trunk that Hans had brought, and pulled out a gauzy gown of blue silk, much like the gown she had worn in the movie, although the color was more fitting for her now silvery blond hair and dark blue eyes. Returning, he offered it to her, and asked her to remove all of her clothes.
She didn’t bat an eye, simply removing her clothes and ignoring him, she examined the gown carefully to see how it would fit. Then, while Gavin struggled to keep the awe of her beauty from distracting him, she slowly put on the gown.
Galadriel was now as beautiful as his late wife, with perfect poise and grace, unearthly beauty, and she was there before him. But she was to be kept pure, and pure she would be.
Firmly suppressing emotions, especially desire, he spoke again after a moment.
“Galadriel, I want you to assume a pose. When next you awake, you will be before the Immortal who loves you and whom you love. You want to make him long for your awakening, so look your best.”
Galadriel nodded, and proceeded to assume her pose. Her chin was tilted slightly back, and her eyes were wide open, their blue brought out prominently by the blue of the dress. Her silver hair trailed down her back to her waist now, long and unfettered (having grown to the proper length during the initial transformation). Her skin, clear and pale as ivory, was accentuated by the blue dress, and the gauzy material showed enough of her beautiful (and now perfectly formed) breasts from beneath the gauze to draw attention, but not too much, to them. Her legs, also only partially revealed by the dress, were firm, and she even had pretty feet peeking from beneath the hem.
She was a vision, truly the goddess from the movie, and in spite of himself, Gavin fell a bit in love of her himself. He walked over to her, and offered her a crystal goblet. Instantly seeing what he wanted, she took it, and extended her right arm and hand forward with it, as if offering it. Her left arm trailed down her side. Overall, she looked the picture of a woman offering a drink with dignified grace.
Satisfied, Gavin took out the marble shard that would be the focus for the final spell. Touching her left hand and speaking a command word, he then stepped back to watch.
Galadriel had frozen in place, her being frozen still. A wave of pale green light swept up her arm and then throughout her body. As it moved, her skin, the clothes she wore, her hair, and finally, her very eyes, changed. Everything, even her dress and eyes, was now a perfect pale marble.
Reaching over, he stroked her cheek, satisfied to feel the smooth rapidly cooling stone.
It was done.
Silver City New Mexico, 11 AM
Kim drove silently, concentrating on the road and traffic as she chauffeured the other three women and Hans in the big Cherokee they had acquired.
Life seemed to be going on normally in the town, although the streets were far emptier than usual. After the others agreed, she had turned off the car radio, but doubtlessly most people were at home glued to the television. After all, it wasn’t every day you could watch the end of the world on live television.
She drove into the campus of the local college, Western New Mexico State University, and found a parking place near the student dorms. There were three in all that interested them, a women’s dorm, and two co-ed dorms. Inside lived several hundred college students, and Hans had a plan it seemed to get them all.
“We have only one more day, so we need to get as ready as we can.” Hans said quietly. He was well disguised today, with no evidence of his alien features visible.
Even as weird as things were on Earth at the moment, the locals would be bound to notice an Elf after all.
They walked around the campus, noting details and mentally cataloguing where things were. For the girls it was easy with a light disguise, they already looked the right age to be students, and got plenty of notice from the various male students (and faculty and staff and even from some of the girls), but not much more than any of the other prettier female students. It was a simple matter to get directions to anything they wanted, and a couple of brief interviews filled in some more blanks.
“Ok, I think this will work.” Hans remarked after a while. “We can get all three of these dorms, plus some of the other buildings including the library with a big enough portal. It won’t last long, but it will last long enough.”
“A portal to where? I thought we couldn’t connect between this Earth and Shiron. Didn’t you say that a portal between different worlds had to exist within the same universe?” Cheryl asked, while Kim, Sarah and Michelle looked on with interest.
“That is true for now. But after the wave tomorrow, that will change. Although its going to demolish the technological civilization here, it is also going to make our magic just as strong as it would be on Shiron. In fact, for a brief time, it will be far more powerful until the wave stabilizes. Just long enough.”
“And we have that much power? Even with you and Wes helping?” Sarah asked, concern and a bit of unease creeping into her voice.
“Well not exactly, close, but not enough. We will have someone helping us.”
“You mean your friend don’t you?” Michelle asked, suspicion evident in her voice.
Hans nodded.
“What is the price of that Hans?” Kim asked.
And so he told them. More trips to alternate Earths, and more women stolen to satisfy the desires of a lusty god who craved variety and tired of the women he had in his harem quickly. And then they would have to help these women rebuild their lives after that.
But they would save nearly 2,000 people. A drop in the bucket compared to those doomed, but many more than they had so far, or could otherwise.
“Actually, you are not required to do this. Only Gavin and I are. But I am asking you. Will you help us?”
Silently, one by one, the four women nodded acquiescence.
Donner Pass 6 PM local time
Cocoons were opening now in the gathering darkness. Shapes dreamed of only in legend, or imagined only on film and in books emerged now, while overhead, winged creatures, dragons, flew overhead. Trolls, Giants, Goblins, and other creatures from myth emerged, some of whom were riding nightmarish land dragon mounts or had mounted upon the backs of the flying dragons. Other shapes emerged as well, before disappearing into the deepening night, heading downhill for nearby towns in Nevada and California.
They were precursors of a nightmare worse than had been seen so far.
The pyramid was glowing again, the blackness slowly changing to white as the evening went on.
Gila Cliff Dwellings 7 PM local time
Gavin got up from the couch and stretched. He had spent the entire morning converting Liv and Cate into their new roles as Arwen and Galadriel, followed by the transformation of Amanda Detmer, four fashion models (that Sarah and the others had stolen in New York) and the singer Shania Twain (who Hans had thoughtfully picked up in Memphis somehow). It had gone perfectly, better than he expected. Apparently, the more talented the actress, the more firmly they embraced their role. He had noticed the same in Amanda (it was nice of Hans to arrange for Sarah to get her), the two Jennifer’s, Lisa and Courtney. It had gone surprisingly well with a couple of the playmates too. The other playmates, the singer, and the fashion models from Houston and New York, well, they were happy enough for now, their new characters just wouldn’t last as long as the actresses.
Now he was finished with his mission, or would be once they left this planet. Now he could concentrate on what he wanted to do. It was time to awaken Molly Malone, the intriguing FBI agent. He wanted to talk to her and he was willing to be she wanted to talk to him. Time to make that happen. He had a few hours before midnight and the meeting with Caredoc, and Hans and the girls wouldn’t be back until 11.
Besides, if they had to stay a while, that FBI assault team might come in handy if any monsters showed up in the area. And they would need her to deal with the FBI agents.