Madison

Part Sixteen

By D.X. Machina

The moment seemed to stretch into infinity.

Jake was looking at Liz, seeing her for the first time in more than ten years, and as his hand rose and he told her to stand down, a part of his mind couldn't help but notice that she looked exactly the same, like she hadn't aged a day. She was radiant–beautiful as ever–the woman he had loved.

And yet he saw the eyes, those cold eyes he had become so familiar with. The woman he had loved was buried behind those eyes, he knew it, but she was not coming out.

For her part, Liz was smiling, facing down her former pet and his friends. There were women with him, he noticed.

He wore a ring, she noticed.

She had dreamed often in the past ten years of seeing him again. In many dreams, she thought they had connected. Perhaps.

(Part of her knew they had. Cherished the dreams. Knew that she'd had control, sometimes. Wished she had it now.)

"You're right about one thing. It ends tonight," she said, raising her hand to strike him down. She had loved him once, but he was going to stop her.

She couldn't let him stop her.

And she struck.

The room was chaos as Liz' first strike was successfully parried by D.X. He fired back quickly with a shrinking spell that he hoped would disorient her.

"No! You can't hurt her!" cried Angela, hurling herself between D.X. and Liz. Angie began to shrink, while Liz readied an attack.

"Scott, Sarah, clear the decks," D.X. said, and the two adepts obliged. "Transport," they said in unison, moving the women out of the room and onto the sidewalk.

Liz, for her part, realized that she might be outgunned. She would have to train her pupils another time.

"It's over, Liz. Give up. We've got you surrounded." Jake was advancing on her, as his fellow agents encircled her.

"Well, well, well, Leah. Went over to the dark side, huh? How does it feel, selling out your star pupil?"

Leah winced. "Liz, you...."

"'Liz?' Aw, Jake, you told my little secret! You didn't marry Leah, did you? Convert her? No...not her. Another, though...."

"Liz, stand down. I'm warning you. I've hurt you once. I don't want to do it again."

"...yes...not the youngster there...though you're pretty, dear. No, it's...her!"

And with that, Liz struck at Teri. "Morpheus!"

Teri gasped as the spell hit her full bore. "No!" cried D.X., desperately trying to throw a parrying spell in it's way, sprinting to her side.

Teri was fighting, but she was no match. She was sinking down into Liz' curse. "And bind. For...ten years, right?"

Jake turned, his face purple with rage. "Damn you to Hell!" he screamed, and rushed at her.

"Boss, no, I need a clean–"

"Transport," said a beaming Liz, before she vanished.

"–shot," finished Sarah, as The Coed slipped away.

Jake turned back to his wife. In her place sat a simple, unadorned stone.

And he fell to his knees.

"No...Teri...."

"Damn it!" said Scott, punching the wall. So close! They'd been so close to stopping her.

But she was gone. And they might not get another chance.

* * *

Teri awoke strangely.

She was shrunk–she knew it immediately. And she'd been transformed. Damn it.

She hated transformation. She liked being a girl, darn it.

So she quickly transformed herself back.

She quickly transformed herself back.

She quickly...

Uh-oh.

She looked around at her comrades, and her husband, who looked grief-stricken–for her, no doubt. So putting aside her fears and concerns, she concentrated, and thought.

Did we win?

Jake's head rose, slightly. He'd been keeping vigil for twenty minutes, praying that what Liz had done hadn't killed his wife, had merely imprisoned her.

Such a terrible, terrible prayer.

Scott and Sarah had tried to break the spell, but it was cast in earnest by one with great skill.

"If she isn't an adept, Jake, she's damn close," Scott had said, sweating profusely and throwing himself into it again.

Jake, for his part, had merely watched, ashen, as his friends tried to save his wife.

"No, honey," he replied, softly, as comforting as he could. "We lost."

Well, thought Teri, at least there's only one casualty. What are you all standing around for?

"She got away. I–I let her get away. After she struck you...."

Everyone was watching Jake, watching him shudder at his failure.

"I've failed."

"No you haven't," said Anonymous, quietly. "She didn't kill us, didn't even kill Teri. She distracted us. It's been too long since we were at war. And we weren't prepared for a casualty."

Exactly, love. Now, can we get me changed back?

"Well," said Sarah, after seeing that Jake couldn't say it. "There's a problem with that, Teri."

I was afraid you were going to say that, thought Teri, Well, what are we standing around for? Let's get back to the hotel. If I'm going to be stuck like this, then there's no sense wasting tears on it. We've got to get Liz before things get any worse.

Jake carefully lifted his wife, and held her to his chest.

He couldn't sacrifice her. Not like this.

* * *

It was an empty classroom that the women rematerialized in. And right behind them came Liz.

"Well, that was an adventure, no?" she said, smiling. "You see, there are those who want to stop us."

"How did you–" said Angie, her heart leaping at the sight of her lover.

"I've got skills," said Liz, flippantly. "And after tonight, the rest of you will, too."

She walked to the blackboard, and began to write.

* * *

"Get 'em up. All of 'em. Every op, every spook, every coder, every cook. Get 'em all up, and get them to Madison as soon as possible. We have a Code One."

Leah Ash was not one to be questioned. She had a great deal of experience at the upper echelons of bureaucracy, and she knew how to give an order.

She was mobilizing everyone in the Society–five hundred fifteen operatives. It would take them three days to get to full strength, and it would make this a less-than-stealthy operation. But she had no choice; Liz had to be stopped.

And unfortunately, her best operative was in no shape to do it.

D.X. sat in a chair in an empty room, holding a rock in his right hand and sobbing.

I know it's hard, honey, but I keep trying to tell you that you didn't fail me! I should've been on guard. Liz was leading up to a strike on me, it's obvious in retrospect. I should've been ready.

"I hesitated," said D.X. "I had a clear shot. I could've killed her right then and there. And I hesitated."

Well, we all know that you didn't want to....

"I DIDN'T WANT YOU HURT, GODDAMN IT!"

He hung his head. In his concern for the well-being of the woman he'd once loved, he'd failed the woman he now loved, the woman who loved him.

Jake, honey, please. I know you didn't want me hurt. But if I'm going to be a rock for the next ten years, I need you not to be blaming yourself the whole time. You won't be very good company.

He wanted to laugh. But the laughter came out in tears.

* * *

"Good, good. Nice, Alicia. Angie–try to visualize a vise. It helps. Good work, Nikesha!"

Liz was strolling through the room, watching with pride as the women worked. Not all of them could do the spells, which didn't surprise her. They could still help, she knew.

If they were going to pull this off in two days, they'd have to.

"All right. Now, we'll move on to the morpheus spell." She walked back to the front of the room, and all eyes were on her. "Now this spell can really pack a wallop."

* * *

Calm down, honey, and relax. I want you to think of a happy time.

"I can't, I..."

Shhh...focus on my thoughts. Calmly. Calmly. Come back to a happier time....

Leah was working furiously to bring her husband back from his breaking point. She had to. They needed him. If she was to have any hope–heck, if humankind were to have any hope–they needed him.

Let's remember a happier time, huh? I know a good one....

* * *

They were sitting in Teri's living room, upstairs from her studio. A shattered dollhouse sat in dust and disarray.

"So that's the story, Teri. That's what happened. I'm sorry I couldn't come back for you, but...."

D.X. trailed off. It had been a long, hard day. The battle with Leah had taken a lot out of him, and he had just told Teri the story of Madison, and that had just about wrung him dry.

He started to cry.

And Teri walked over to him, tentatively at first, but then more assuredly. She wrapped her arms around him and let him cry it out.

And he cried for a long time.

But when he was finished crying, he looked up at her, and he leaned in to kiss her.

And they kissed for a long, long time.

They moved into the bedroom, still kissing, and clutching each other like they filled the gaps in each other, like one person.

They moved to her bed, still disheveled from the night before, and fell into it.

"I have an idea," he said, and suddenly he was shrinking.

"You don't have to...."

"I know," he said, as he approached the six-inch mark. It would be perfect for what he had in mind.

When he reached his desired height, he walked down to her now-bare foot. He touched the sole gently, caressing the pad lightly as he walked around it to the inside of her leg.

Slowly, reverently, he walked up the length of her leg to her knee, and then slowly up her thigh until he reached the juncture of her legs, and her enormous vagina.

He touched it lightly, kissing and caressing her. He stroked her clitoris, before pushing his way inside, headfirst.

It was a tight fit, but not unpleasant. Teri kept herself clean; the scent was inviting, not pungent. He filled the chasm nicely.

And then, he grew a couple inches.

And then, he shrank.

Teri gasped as she suddenly realized what he was doing. "Oh, Jake, you're a fucking genius," she said, leaning back and enjoying the feeling.

Jake enjoyed it too. Each time he grew and shrank, the folds of Teri's vagina caressed his member. It wasn't long before both of them came, nearly simultaneously.

He was pulled out by the feet, and brought up to her chest. She looked at him, dreamily, and they both dozed off.

Morning would come, and she would tell him that he hadn't needed to do that. But of course, he had.

* * *

Jake was calm now. Calm and clear as a bell.

He looked at the rock that encased his wife, and imagined her stuck like this for ten years.

He couldn't let that happen.

Not when he knew how to fix it.

He thought about the paper he'd found. "The usual place. The usual time. You come, alone, and I release her. No tricks. My word as it was given last time. Liz." He knew what she meant. It was 9:40 now. Just enough time to walk there.

"Teri," he said, quietly, "I love you. I'll always love you, no matter what."

Jake, what are you thinking?

"I'm going," he said heavily, "to save you."

He set her on the table, and kissed her gently. And then, with a transport spell, he was gone.

Damn it! Scott, Sarah, I need you!

* * *

The statue of Lincoln stared down over the city of Madison as it had for decades. Jake approached it with trepidation. "Liz," he said quietly, "I've come as you asked. Now release her!"

"With pleasure," said Liz, stepping out from behind the statue. "On one condition, of course."

"Name it."

"Your personal, unconditional surrender to me."

He sighed. He'd known it would come to this. "You give me your word. You'll change her back to herself? No tricks?"

"No tricks, Little One. I give you my word."

"All right," said D.X., heavily. "I surrender."

* * *

They were trying to get in touch with him, frantically pushing at his blocked mind. "Son of a bitch! D.X., what are you up to?"

Suddenly, where a rock was sitting a full-sized (albeit petite) woman appeared. "Am I back to being me?" said Teri.

"Yes," said Leah. "But..."

"Only Liz could've reversed that spell," said Anonymous. "I think I know what D.X. is up to. And I fear we're going to have to make do without him."

"What?"

"Teri," said Anon, gently, "he traded himself. For you."

Teri looked out the window. "Jake...no."

* * *

"No!" he cried, as the fingernail slashed him.

"WELL, WELL, WELL. YOU SURRENDER TO ME BUT YOU WON'T GIVE ME DETAILS OF YOUR MATES."

"That wasn't part of the bargain! I surrendered myself. The Society can do as it wishes. I will not betray them."

"EVEN IF IT MEANS YOUR DEATH?"

"Yes, Liz."

Liz smiled. "ALWAYS THE BRAVE IDEALIST, LITTLE ONE. ALWAYS THE MARTYR. YOU KNOW I WON'T KILL YOU. I'LL TORTURE YOU," she said, flicking his ribs with her fingernails. "BUT I WON'T RISK KILLING YOU, BECAUSE MY...MY SOFTER SIDE MIGHT COME OUT THEN, AND I DAREN'T RISK THAT. NO, JAKE, YOU'VE BOUGHT A LIFE OF PAIN."

She looked down at him, malice on her face. "BUT I'VE GOT TEN YEARS OF PAYBACK COMING, AND I AM OWED MY REQUITAL!"

* * *

The five senior staff members of the Society sat in the hotel room, trying to figure out how they could save their friend.

"Maybe he tried to trick her. Maybe he'll turn on her once he knows I'm safe."

"No, Teri, I don't think so. He's too honorable. If he surrendered, he'll stay surrendered."

"Sarah's right. Besides, he wouldn't risk it," said Leah. "Liz can change you back. He knows that. He's trying to give himself up to save you."

"The jerk," said Teri, eyes red with tears. "I could've lived as a rock for ten years. It wouldn't have been the best life, but...."

The words hung, as they sat quietly, until Sarah perked up.

"You know," she said, "we can't just jump there. The spells we cast won't let us jump there. But there's the bracelet...."

"Yes!" said Scott. "The Bracelet of Alteration! It's got some heavy-duty software. If the wearer was thinking correctly....Damn, that's it!"

Teri straightened. "I know just the operative to do it, too. Get the Voyeur going."

"The Voyeur? You mean the test pilot?" Leah asked.

"Yes," said Teri, grinning. "If anyone can sneak into Liz' lair without being detected, it's him.

* * *

The enormous vagina was arrayed in front of him, teasing him with its closeness. He wanted to reach out and touch it, but of course that was impossible; he was melded with the cotton crotch of the woman's panties, and she had no idea that while she ate a late dinner she was providing a show to GTS Enterprises' top test pilot.

"Priority One message, urgent," came the voice inside him.

"Damn. This was just getting fun," he said. "Now. Form change. Transport back to human form in the driver's seat of my car."

"Form change and location accepted. Transport to new area in 3...2...1...."

Abruptly, he was back behind the wheel of a relatively new sedan. "Voyeur," he said to nobody in particular.

"Hi, Voy, this is Scott Chelgren. We have a situation that requires your skill."

"No problem, chief. What do you need me to do?"

Scott told him.

The Voyeur was quiet for a moment. This didn't sound fun.

Then again, he'd come to think of these people as his friends. They certainly had done well by him.

"All right," he said. "I'll let you know as soon as I'm in position. Now. Form change."

"Choose your form. Item/Size/New Object."

"Human, 1/4 inch tall."

"Form change accepted. Choose location."

"The floor of the room in which D.X. Machina is held."

"Location accepted. Transport to new area in 3...2...1...."

And he was there.