Collaborative Fiction: A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day....
By Crossroads (ID: 11004), Krystal Fae (ID: 10962), Catalyst (ID: 21306)




Allyson glanced up at the television screen across the bar. Instead of the usual sports recap shows on at this time of night, they were covering the recent announcement of the upcoming Stellar War sponsored by BADGE. Allyson finished making the drinks for the table of loud and annoyingly trendy young businessmen in the corner and handed off the tray of drinks to Jackson, one of the servers.

“Seriously,” she thought to herself, “who are they kidding? Everyone knows only people impressed with themselves order martinis at 1:30 am.”

Aloud, she yelled, “Last call!”

Wiping down the bar top, organizing the drink well, and refilling her coolers occupied the remainder of the night as they prepared to close the bar up for the night. Jackson was just closing the entrance doors when a group of eight men pushed in, knocking him to the floor. From the way they were dressed, it looked like an episode of "What Not To Wear." An eye-tearing mix of frat boy "whatever is most clean" and "wannabe hipster from WallyWorld" clothing on what were obviously hired muscle.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but we are closed,” Allyson announced firmly.

“Aw c’mon, sweet-cheeks, you can give us few beers, can’t you?” Said the obvious leader of the group while a couple of the others helped Jackson up off the floor and dusted him off.

Fighting to not roll her eyes, Allyson stated, “I’m sorry sir, but it after 2:00 AM and the law prohibits us selling alcohol after 2:00AM.”

“Oh. I see...It seems we have a misunderstanding. I didn’t say we were going to buy the beers, just that you can give them to us,” sneered the leader. Then the thug next to Jackson sucker punched him in the gut, sending to the floor, retching.

Four of the other men spread out and cornered the two other servers , Ruby and Giselle, while the other two went back into the kitchen area, coming out a few moments later with Marcus, the chef, and Alex, the night manager, at gunpoint.

The leader smiled a menacing smile and asked, “How about that beer, babe?”

“Crap.” Allyson thought as she obediently drew a Miller Lite from the tap. “Damned if I’ll give him one of the expensive beers....” Turning from the tap with mug in hand, Allyson seemingly tripped over the fatigue mat behind the bar, spilling the mug of beer all over the front of the lead thug’s not-very-expensive shirt. The thug jumped back, cursing and wiping at the beer. While all the attention was on the thug’s antics, Allyson hit the alarm button under the counter to summon the police.

“You bitch!” yelled the thug, and Allyson looked up just in time to see him pointing his gun at her. “Let’s see what Witchy-poo gave us to play with, eh?”

As the thug fired at Allyson, time seemed to slow down. She saw the other thugs raise their weapons and take aim at her coworkers. Relying on training and reflex, Allyson opened portals beneath her friends’ feet before the thugs could pull their triggers. She saw each of them fall through the portal and immediately closed them up. They should be safe since the portals deposited them in the lobby of Harrah’s on Poydras Street, a few blocks away.

At the same time she created an invisible dimensional shield in front of the gun pointed at her. The bullet should harmlessly evaporate when it hits the barrier. As the bullet exited the barrel of the gun, she could see it was glowing purple, which surprised her. She’d never seen a bullet glowing purple before.
Her second surprise was when the bullet passed through the shield without any effect at all. It was as if the shield wasn’t even there. Allyson started backpedaling, but she was trapped behind the bar and couldn’t go back any further. She quickly put up secondary barrier which was as effective as the first and then she was out of time. Trusting that the armor woven into her hero suit under her uniform would stop the bullet, Allyson closed her eyes and braced for the impact.

The suit made her bulletproof, but the impact still stung like hell. The bullet struck her in the shoulder, the impact spinning her around into the shelves of liquor behind her, sending bottles and glass shards everywhere. Allyson felt herself falling to the ground. However, she felt strange.

“Funny, I thought that would hurt more...it always does in training,” Allyson thought, trying to catch herself on the counter. “‘Why can’t I stop falling? Why aren’t my arms working?” But she kept falling.

After what seemed like an eternity she stopped falling, but she still felt strange. She could hear the gang yelling, wondering where everyone went.

“Where the hell did that stupid bartender go?’ she clearly heard the lead thug say.
Allyson opened her eyes and found herself looking at the underside of her bar and inanely thought, “Damn, so that’s where that jigger went! I've been looking for that for a week.” Everything looked strangely colorless, but bright, in shades of blue and grey. She felt no pain, so she assumed the suit did its job and stopped the bullet.

Suddenly, the lead thug came around the end of the bar and said, “Well there you are my pretty little pet!” and reached out to grab her.

Allyson yelled, “Don't touch me, you wannabe hipster!"

Except that all that came out was "MROOOOW!"

-Oh, hell no!-

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day....
(Part 2)
By Crossroads (ID: 11004), Krystal Fae (ID: 10962), Catalyst (ID: 21306)

As thug number one reached for Allyson, she was frozen in shock. The thug picked her up by the scruff of her neck and held her up for the others to see.

“I don’t know what happened to the other losers, but we proved that the weapons the Sorceress gave us work as expected, “ the thug told the others. “Let’s get out of here before the cops wonder why this place is still open.”

“Whaddya going to do with her?” asked one of the other thugs.

“The boss said to bring the bartender back with us. But after the boss is finished with her, I think I’ll keep this pretty little kitty cat as a pet. If there’s anything left of her that is! All right, boys, the Sorceress hired us to create chaos. So let’s go create chaos!”

Allyson was stuffed inside a cloth bag as the thugs left the bar. She tried fighting the thug off, but was only successful in batting at him with some cute little paws. Once inside the bag, she felt herself being handed off to another thug.

“Here. Hold on to her. The boss will flay us alive if we lose her.”

“What the hell happened?” Allyson thought. “I’m gonna break every bone in his body when I get out of this! I can’t believe how he picked me up! By the neck! Oh, I’m gonna......! Ok, ok...calm down, Ally, calm down and think.”

Allyson took stock of the situation. She felt herself being carried around, the bag was swinging to and fro, causing a little bit of motion sickness in Allyson. Concentrating on what she heard the thugs saying, she realized that magic was responsible for her current condition. Although she wasn’t able to do it herself, she knew of several practitioners of magic at BADGE

“Ok, I can ask someone at BADGE who uses magic...assuming I can get there and they realize I’m not just a cat! First things first, let’s get out of this bag.”

Visualizing the dimensional barrier, Allyson was relieved that she was able to access at least some of her powers. Hopefully she could use them all, but the time for experimenting was later. This was the time for escaping. She reached for a familiar spot on the dimensional barrier and suddenly found herself in her apartment. It looked incredibly strange from the angle she viewed it at now. Everything looked big and imposing.

“Damn, I really need to sweep under the furniture. OK, time to contact BADGE.”

Softly padding to her bedroom, Allyson stopped at her dresser and looked up at the drawer that held her backup BADGE communicator. “Why does it have to be so high up there? OK, I can do this.”

Jumping onto her bed, she immediately jumped to the dresser. “Dang that was so easy! I like the way this body moves. Let’s see if I can open that drawer.”

Try as she might. Allyson could not open the drawer. Either the angle was wrong or she just wasn’t strong enough. Sitting on dresser, she looked around for anything to help her. That’s when she first saw herself in the mirror. She knew that she had been transformed into a cat, but had somehow ignored what that meant and just did what she could to keep herself safe. But looking in the mirror and having a golden-eyed calico cat look back at her threw her completely for a loop.

Allyson stared at her reflection for a few moments, partly admiring the sleek beauty of her feline form and partly wondering how the hell she was going to get out of this.

"I guess shaving my legs today was a waste of time..."

Thinking she could just use her powers to portal the communicator out of the drawer, she began envisioning the inside of the drawer and all its contents and formed a portal underneath them. Suddenly all the contents of the drawer fell onto her bed.

Jumping back to the bed, Allyson pawed through the belts, socks, and scarves until she located her communicator. Just as she found it, she heard her apartment door burst open and recognized the voice of Thug Number One berating his followers.

“Search everywhere! The Sorceress says this is place she would likely go first. Don’t hurt her, but don’t let her get away. When you find her, activate the bracelet you were given, it will block her power if you can grab her. Jerry, you guard the door.”

Jerry protested, saying he wanted to be the one who caught her.

“Not a chance, you idiot! You’re the one who let the cat out of the bag in the first place! Just shut up and make sure we aren’t disturbed.”

“How the hell did they know where I lived?” Allyson thought. “Well, they are definitely after me.”

Jumping to the top of her armoire in the corner, Allyson hid behind the fake plant she had there just as the thugs came in the room. She watched them as they searched her bedroom, pulling out her dresser drawers, emptying her closet and armoire, and looking under her bed. One creep spent way too much time going through her underwear drawer until Thug Number One smacked him on the back of the head and told him to focus.



Thug Number One was looking at a small crystal in his hand and said, “This spell says she’s here somewhere....oh look, a BADGE communicator. I think we’ll just take this; maybe Gamer G can do something with it, if Morganna lets him.”

He continued looking around and Allyson tried to make herself as small as possible behind the plant. “Time to go, I think...” She began to picture the dimensional barrier and reach for the spot that marked BADGE Headquarters.

“There she is!” exclaimed Thug Number One and Allyson jumped off the armoire right at his face, with her claws extended. Thug Number One screamed like a girl, covered his face with his arms, jumped back, and fell onto the bed.

Just before Allyson hit him, she disappeared in thin air.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day....
(Part 3)
By Crossroads (ID: 11004), Krystal Fae (ID: 10962), Catalyst (ID: 21306)

Allyson couldn’t jump directly inside BADGE HQ. They had technological and magical defenses against infiltration via teleportation, dimensional travel, phasing, ghosting, and just about every manner of penetrating a target you could think of. Some of the BADGE operatives higher up the food chain than Allyson could travel directly to locations inside the facility, but all Allyson could travel to was the underground parking lot and staging area. Security systems would definitely detect her arrival and then she could get some help.

She appeared in the staging area as expected and breathed a sigh of relief when the place did light up like a Christmas tree, lock itself down, and swarm her with a dozen flying robots armed like M1 Abrams. That means the security system recognized her power signature. Allyson strolled over to the elevators and realized she had a problem.

The elevator required an access card, which she didn’t have on her...well she did, but since it was transformed with her, she didn’t think that counted. It also required a palm print. The scanner was only four feet above the ground and she could easily jump that high, but she was also lacking a palm. She didn’t think a paw print was going to cut it.

As she was contemplating her next move, several heroes from Thrill☠Kill☠Kult approached the elevator. They were deep in conversation about tactics for the upcoming Stellar War and didn’t even notice the cat sitting there. ☠☠Sinister☠☠ activated the elevator and everyone stepped inside, with Allyson following them.

The elevator stopped on the Training Concourse, and everyone filed out. ☠☠Sinister☠☠ turned and looked down at Allyson and said, “Where are you going little one?”

Surprised that he actually did notice her, Allyson said “What?” which came out as “Mrf?”

“Well, as the HQ security systems didn’t vaporize you and also allowed the elevator to move, I assumed you had authorization to be here. So which floor do you need? Research?” asked ☠☠Sinister☠☠politely.

“Meow,” Allyson replied, just as politely.

“OK, good luck then!” ☠☠Sinister☠☠ pressed the button for the Research Level and waved goodbye. As the elevator doors closed she could hear him yelling at his squad. “Seriously, you losers didn’t even notice a beautiful calico cat sitting in the staging area and getting on the elevator? You need some serious training!”

Arriving at the Research Level, Allyson exited the elevator and was floored by the amount of activity going on, all in preparation for the League War, she assumed. Dodging feet and trying not to get her tail stepped on, Allyson looked for someone to help her, but all she got were scratches behind the ears and under the chin (very nice, but not helpful) and petted by numerous people in lab coats. No one seemed to realize who she was or that she needed help and she didn’t know how to tell them.

Allyson wasn’t looking where she was going and bumped into someone’s legs. Looking up, she saw a pair of outstandingly toned legs attached to a person of unearthly beauty. Power radiated from her, visible to Allyson’s cat eyes as a soft blue-green aura. Awed by her presence, Allyson meowed quietly.

Krystal Fae looked down at the calico cat and smiled.

“Hello, Crossroads! Are you channeling some Fae powers from another dimension?”

“You recognize me?! You know who I am?!” Allyson exclaimed, which came out in a series of meows, squeaks, mews, and other sounds.

“Of course I can. By the way, that is a beautiful cat form you chose. I love the color pattern,” complimented Krystal. “Also, you don’t have to try vocalizing your words, it just won’t work and you’ll sound like more like Donald Duck than a cat if you keep trying. Just form your thoughts clearly and I’ll be able to pick them up easily, at least while you are close by.”

“Oh. OK...um, I didn’t choose this form. Someone did this to me!” thought Allyson. She summarized what had happened as quickly as she could. “Please, can you turn me back into a human?” she pleaded.

“I see....well, it shouldn’t be a problem to return you to your natural form. Just hop up onto this table and we’ll have a look at you,” Krystal said as she indicated a lab table a few feet away. Krystal ran her hands down the outfit she was wearing and was suddenly wearing a stylish tweed suit and a white lab coat and sporting a set of square half-rim glasses perched on the end of her nose.

“Come along, don’t dawdle,” she said in a very crisp and Mary Poppins-like tone.

Allyson eyed the table suspiciously, but jumped up anyway and sat down primly.

“Why do I feel like I’m at the vet?” she thought.

“Don’t worry, this shouldn’t take too long and will be painless. If you’re good, I’ll even give you some fish treats!” Krystal teased.

“Ha ha ha,” thought Allyson tonelessly.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 4)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306
 
"I don't understand why that spell didn't work...", Krystal said about 45 minutes later after 6 prior attempts had also failed to return Allyson to her human form.

 "Tell me again EXACTLY what happened, and if you can remember, everything that was said."

Allyson recounted the incident, and this time, she remembered that a sorceress named Morganna had been mentioned.  

 "Morganna, you said?"

Allyson confirmed the fact.

Krystal's countenance turned decidedly grim

"So, my old nemesis rears her head at last."  

"Now I understand why the charms I have attempted haven't worked... This will require a few hours of specialized research."

 Krystal gestured, and a quartz crystal on a slim platinum band appeared in her hand.

 "May I?" she inquired.

"I suppose..." thought Allyson.

 Krystal slipped the bracelet around her neck like a collar.

 "This will allow me to telepathically maintain contact with you, act as a locator 'beacon', and project an energy bubble sphere if you should need its protection... Just visualize a bubble.", Krystal said.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day
(Part 5)
Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306
 
Krystal hurried off to her own lab to access her own research records and materials.
 
Allyson looked around and realized that she been running around for a few hours. She didn’t see any clocks in here, but estimated it was about 6 AM, New Orleans time. Even so, the research area was quite busy, with an assortment of scientists and technicians analyzing one piece of equipment or another.
 
While it all seemed terribly fascinating, Allyson did not have very much of a science bent, so she was quickly bored. She also realized that it WAS 6 AM to her and she was feeling exhausted. She had been up since 4 PM yesterday afternoon and her bartending shift started at 6 PM. She was tired and hungry, although she had no idea what she was going to eat in this form. She also realized she had to go to the bathroom....great; could it get any more embarrassing?
 ______________________________________

“I swear, I told Robbie that we needed to have a date night soon and he goes and schedules a Lazer Tag session for us, “ Lisa complained as she was brushing her hair. “That’s not a date. I mean, it doesn’t have to be dinner and a movie, but starting a date by getting hot, sweaty, and tired is not the way to a girl’s heart! Getting hot and sweaty should come at the end!”
 
“Seriously, Lisa, why do you even stay with that loser?” Sarah asked, watching her friend in the mirror. “He’s a complete dweeb, not very hunky or athletic at all, and you could do so much better. I know a guy in research who is good-looking, smart and in great shape. He was just down in medical to get some scratches and burns treated. I need to introduce you, expand your horizons.”
 
Unexpectedly, a toilet flushed in a stall behind them. A calico cat strolled out from under the door of a stall and jumped up on the counter. The cat awkwardly washed her paws with soap and water (luckily the sink and soap dispensers were motion activated). After using the automatic dryer to dry her paws, the cat jumped down and walked to the door.
 
Looking back at the two ladies, the cat said, “Meow?”
 
Lisa walked over and held the door open for the cat, who strolled out with another meow in thanks.
 
Sarah looked at her friend and said, “What was that? I mean a cat, obviously, but using the bathroom here at BADGE?”
 
“Yeah, I saw her over in the research wing with Krystal Fae,’ Lisa explained. ”Turns out she’s a super who got transformed by magic. Some lab tech started trying to pet her and pull her tail. She didn’t like that very much. He’s the one you probably met in medical.”
 
“Oh.”
 ______________________________________

A little while later...
 
"It took me longer than expected to find these yellow sapphires, polish them into lenses and enspell them, but they allow me to see the bullet residue which is maintaining the transformation," Krystal said.
 
Catalyst was walking through the lab area and heard Krystal’s explanation.
 
Catalyst asks "Why didn't you just ask to borrow my Hyper-auric lenses in my spare pair of goggles? I had to design them to be able to see what you were doing with those engine prototypes."
 
Krystal, in an extremely rare 'D'oh' moment, face palms herself, and says, "Because, Catalyst, I'm too used to being the only available source of magical tech.... However, since you are here, can we ask for your assistance?"
 


Absently stroking the cat on the lab table in front of him, Caatalyst said, “Happy to help if can. What the problem?”
 
Krystal brings Catalyst up to speed with Crossroads transformation, the fact that there may be more transformed people in New Orleans, and that the culprits were still on the loose, as well as the reappearance of an old foe of Krystal’s and how dangerous Morganna is.
 
Catalyst quickly jerked his hand away from the cat when he realized it was, in fact, a fellow hero.
 
“Apologies, Crossroads, no idea, that you...umm.... fur is very soft and silky, by the way,” stammered Catalyst
 
Allyson looked up at Catalyst, pushed at his hand with her head, and purred. Krystal said, “Crossroads said that it was okay, she found it very soothing. You can keep doing that, just don’t let it get around.”
 
“Umm, okay.”

       
 A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day
(Part 6)
Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

        Going back and forth between Earth and the BADGE laboratories via Krystal’s teleporting spell left Catalyst’s stomach very queasy. He promised himself he would take time and craft a dimensional-inertia dampener to negate the effects. Right now, between his bouts in the second round of the Stellar Battle and studying the new orbital space arena itself, Catalyst needed to inspect the scene of Crossroad’s magical transformation.
        “I need to requisition transport,” Catalyst asked one of the members of building’s staff. “Where do I do that?”
        “Why?” The technician asked, a bemused smirk playing on her face. “Can’t you fly there yourself?”
        Catalyst shook his head. “No.”
        She laughed. “That’s a first. A cape that can’t fly. Come on, I’ll take you there.”
        Following her, Catalyst made a mental note to add a jet pack to his growing list of equipment to develop.
        Within the hour, Catalst had been loaned a transport vehicle and traveled to New Orleans to the bar where the assault on Crossroads took place. Not a drinker himself, it wasn’t often he found himself in such locations. He didn’t have anything against alcohol based on moral reasons, but consuming it had an adverse reaction with the workings of the cybernetic device implanted on the back of his neck which allowed him to hear.
        “Can I help you?” A young woman approached him.
        “A glass orange juice, please.” He requested as he pulled out a stool at the bar. The attack happened at night, so with no physical damage to the premise, it seemed business returned to usual the following day.
        Crossroads had informed Krystal, and Catalyst through her, that her identity as a cape was not commonly known to the staff at the bar. The BADGE mystic provided Allyson’s work with a plausible excuse for her absence: Cat-scratch disease, or bacterium Bartonella henselae, from a young feline Allyson had been bit by in the alley behind the bar.
        Using that as a foundation, Catalyst had a plausible reason for performing an investigation. He took out his wallet and flashed his BADGE affiliate’s license to the young woman when she returned with his beverage. “I’m here from the health department, looking into a potential bacterial infestation.”
       “Let me get my manager for you, sir,” she stammered.
       “It shouldn’t take but a few minutes to complete.” Catalyst scrunched his face an gave his best nonchalant shrug. “I’ll be done before you’ve even had a chance to find them. We’re inspecting all the food establishments in the area.”
       She still looked concerned. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk to him?”
       “It fine, really.” He pulled out his spectral analyzer and switched it on. It chirped and whirred to life while a couple LED lights flashed beneath the buttons. “All have to do is turn this on, point it around a bit, and take some readings.”
       “Well, OK,” she said. Another group of people stepped into the bar behind him. “If you say so.”
       She walked off to greet the new visitors, waving as if she knew them.
       Catalyst trained the device where the gunmen stood and where Crossroads had been struck by the purple bullet. Working with a telepath made finding the sites easy, as Krystal had shared the recollection Crossroads had of the event directly to him for viewing. As he scanned, a distinct path of disrupted reality lit up on his screen. There was a residue from the bullets path to where Crossroads stood and a second trajectory leading to the floor near where the gunmen stood.
        Already knowing where the bullet had traveled, Catalyst followed the second trail. At the end of it, wedged beneath a brass bar running near the floorboards of the bar, he found a bullet casing.  With a pair of tweezers and a plastic bag, Catalyst retrieved the item and studied it. Around the rear, flat end of the casing, intricate symbols and a pentagram had been carved into the metal.
        He then pulled out what appeared to be a small lint roller. Running it through the area where the residue still hovered in the air, he collected particles of it on the special paper which attracted extra-dimensional micro=. Carefully tearing of the top sheet, he placed it in a second baggie.
        The waitress gave him a strange look as she walked by.  
        “All done,” Catalyst said as he returned to his stool and sipped his juice. He chewed at his bottom lip as a thought crossed his mind. “She described the thugs as frat-boy muscle. That doesn’t seem like the type of person to have much self-control.”
        He took out his communication device and tapped into the New Orleans police computer network, looking for the record for logged calls to the switchboard. He patterned a search to classify the root complaint of each call and give a percent-based analysis of the upswing of certain topics and location of those topics over the last month.
        As he predicted, calls to animal control had quadrupled ever since the night of Crossroads’ attack. He emptied his glass and placed a bill large enough to leave his server a generous tip beneath it as he departed, talking under his breathe to himself. “Krystal is going to have to make a lot of potions to fix this problem. She might need a bigger cauldron.”

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 7)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

"Can you do it or not... I broke you out of Purgatory
 because you're supposed to be nearly the best hacker on this pathetic dimension.", said Morganna.



"Look, it's not just hacking one of the most cybernetically
 secure facilities on the planet... I had to build your android
 duplicate of her, program it with her mannerisms and
 speech patterns, and now I'm trying to
 teach it to hack that super-secure system on its own... geeze,
 Gimme a minute or two, willya...", whined Gamer G.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 8)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

League Wars 4 was finally over.  While Allyson was happy with her league’s performance, she did regret that they didn’t bring home the gold, yet again.

“Stealth 51 was just too beefy to handle; wish we could get access to their armorer.  Their gear was definitely top shelf.  Well, that just means we have to work harder to be the best heroes we can be...would have been nice to get those nifty helmets, though.

Allyson was beat.  Between the League Wars competition itself, the excitement of creating dimensional portals to an asteroid several million kilometers away, having all available energy projecting hero on the station fire through her portals at engines on the asteroid that was going to collide with the space station, and just the effort to walk around all these people and not get stepped on, Allyson had no energy left to dimension hop back to HQ or even her apartment. She needed a catnap and decided to hitch a ride on the shuttles returning to Earth.  Maybe she can find one headed for Hawaii; that would be nice!

Alas, a shuttle to Hawaii was not to be.  The one she got on deposited it’s passengers at BADGE HQ.  From there, most of the heroes left using their own unique modes of transportation. Some used vehicles, such as motorcycles or hi-tech hero-mobiles full of gadgets, their own waiting jets, some visible some invisible, or jet packs and rocket boots. Others used their own travel powers using wings, both angelic and demonic, or telekinesis or some magical or Morphon ability to fly.  Some ran with incredible speed and some just faded from view.  

Allyson could have also just dimension skipped or even folded space to create a portal, but she was still tired and didn’t even know where she should go.  Her apartment was out since they thugs and Morganna obviously knew where she lived.  But she didn’t want to hang out at HQ.  That would just be pathetic.  There probably wasn’t anyone around after the League War besides Director Nova and all his robots, anyway.

“Well, my brain is too active to let me sleep, even though as a cat I’ve found I can sleep anywhere, anytime.  What else can I do?’ Allyson pondered. “Wait, Catalyst said that there was an increase of Animal Control calls in the French Quarter the night they attacked the bar.  Maybe I can go and help sort through the shelters and get the people who have been changed sorted out. But how?  It’s not like I can get anyone to listen to me except a telepath.”

Allyson did try communicating with a few cats since she was changed, but they didn’t seem receptive to her thoughts or meows.  Of course, they didn’t seem to pay attention to her at all, but that could just be normal cat behavior.  Who knew?  Dogs just wanted to chase her, squirrels ran from her, and mice just hid.

She was able to hold a grey-space meeting with some of the other Allysons, but it wasn’t very productive.  When she opened her eyes in her grey space, she was still a cat.  That startled her.  She assumed that she would appear normally, but it looks like this magic was much more pervasive than she imagined if it was affecting her mind’s image of herself.

It got worse when the other Allysons arrived.  They arrived in animal forms. Several tiny ,yappy dogs were present as well as several other types of pets.  And cats of all breeds, from Siamese to Maine Coon to the standard domestic shorthair.  In all, there were thirteen cats, including Allyson herself, seven dogs, ferrets, two guinea pigs, three hamsters, and two turtles.

All had similar tales to tell of what happened to them.  Some were caused by a technological weapon and some by a magical weapon.  Each was trying to figure out why while working with their universe’s version of BADGE.  Some were working with analogs of who appeared to be Catalyst and Krystal, from the mind images they shared, but none of them had found a cure or an answer yet.  Some had talked to other Allysons that had not been transformed, but they could offer no help.

Since she couldn’t do anything for herself, Allyson decided to do something for the people affected by this.  Communication was going to be a problem, so was identifying which of the animals picked up by animal control was actually a transformed human.  Those people must be going out of their minds with fear, not understanding what happened and being locked up in animal shelters.  It’s a good thing that Allyson bumped into Krystal, who could read minds and recognize a magical transformation on sight.  But she was busy, as was Catalyst.  They were working the other end of this, trying to deduce what Morganna was up to and stop her.

But there were other telepaths she knew, like Starmaster, but he was away on assignment.  However there was one she met a day or two ago that might help her.  Allyson turned and headed for the elevator.  The band that Krystal gave her identified her to the security systems and actually activated the elevator doors for her. She was able to press the button for the Research Level using a tiny paw sized portal to the button itself.

Exiting the elevator, she was surprised to see it just as busy now as it was before the League Wars.  It looks like research never stops in Research.  Allyson padded down the aisles of work benches and piles of gear looking for a particular young research scientist.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 9)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

“So can you help me?” Allyson asked.

“I don’t see why not and I would love to help you!” said Leslie, caressing Allyson’s back and maintaining the contact she needed for her telepathy to work.  “My research isn’t on a critical topic and is at a standstill until I can get some samples of flora from South America.  What do you want to do when we find the victims of these transformations?”

“I would like to get them separated from the animal populations in the shelters and get them here where they can be safe and taken care of.  We would need to requisition the facilities and help to do that,” stated Allyson.

“Well, we can probably repurpose the Animal Study section of the research lab to hold the victims in isolation until we get them changed back,” Leslie suggested. “We would keep them separated so that interaction between them can be minimized.”

“Why should we keep them isolated?”

“Well, studies have shown that in cases of physical transformation to a smaller animal lifeforms, there may be some loss of conscious control as animal instincts may become more dominate.  This is due to the brain of the life form being smaller than the human brain.  While memories are able to be held in the smaller animal brain, sometimes, depending on the will and self-image of the transformed, the normal thought processes become muddled and confused.  The longer that a person remains changed, the more likely it is that they start to lose touch with their humanity and become more animal like.”  Allyson looked aghast at that statement. “ However the process normally takes weeks to months, so everything should be fine. It’s a good thing it’s Fall, otherwise....”

“Otherwise, what..?” asked Allyson with dread.

“Well, most animals breed in the spring.  So if it was spring right now, it could get... very awkward for some of the transformed,” said Leslie, somewhat delicately.

Allyson stared at Leslie in horror.

“We need to get down there and help them!” Allyson almost yelled.
________________________________________

Get permission from Operations Control for the mission and reprogramming the robots in Animal Studies to take care of humans transformed into animals wasn’t a problem.  Director Nova sent a message to Leslie and Allyson commending willingness to oversee the mission and sent the Mission Protocol to them, which included a promotion to Special Field Agent for Leslie, along with a very official looking badge and some gear that seemed to excite Leslie.  He also had the robots already reprogrammed and remarked the Animal Studies lab as the Transformed Humans Recuperation Unit.  Crossroads found it interesting and somewhat worrying that there was a protocol to cover mass transformations of humans into animals.

“Oh, don’t worry, Crossroads, “Leslie said reassuringly. “The protocol covers transformations of humans to animals, inanimate objects, mutant-monsters, toxic-monsters, gestalt-monsters, even into other people or beings.  Director Nova doesn’t like to be caught without a plan for every occurrence.”



Leslie requisitioned a BADGE transport with enough lift capacity for a regiment.  Luckily, all BADGE employees were certified on all vehicles in BADGE in case of a mass evacuation incident.  That way everyone could pitch in to help where needed.  After a quick change into a standard-looking federal agent suit (black blazer, white shirt, black slacks, black sensible shoes, and dark sunglasses), Leslie piloted the shuttle out of the BADGE hangar and headed for New Orleans.

“Catalyst reported that three animal shelters were used to house the nearly 80 extra animals that were reported wandering around the French Quarter the day after you were transformed,” said Leslie.  “He also reported that he will build a portable scanner for teams to use to find any transformed that were not picked up.  But we’ll just concentrate on those we can get secured right now.”

Sitting in Leslie’s lap to maintain contact while Leslie flew the transport, Allyson suggested, “Land the transport at Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park.  We should be able to hit the three animal shelters quickly from there.”
________________________________________

In the end, it was actually very easy to tell which of the animals in the shelter were transformed humans and which where actual animals. Leslie was able to go to each shelter, show her BADGE credentials, and visit the holding areas for the captured animals. Real strays, for the most part, eagerly threw themselves at their cage doors when Leslie offered them a treat.  Transformed humans cowered in the back of their cages and whimpered.

When they saw this, Allyson’s and Leslie’s hearts broke.  Leslie softly whispered to each of them, “If you’re human and understand me, come to me and we’ll get you out of here.”

Each transformed human warily approached Leslie’s outstretched hand.  As soon as she touched them, Leslie was able to reassure them that she was from BADGE and they would get them out of there, fed some real food, and find a way to turn them back into humans. She was also able to get their names and other pertinent information, as well as what happened to them.  The stories were distressingly similar, they were out with a group of friends, had just left the bar, and suddenly someone was shooting at them.  Next thing they knew, they were a cat (or dog), and were running away from other cats and dogs, confused and scared).  Then the pound picked them up.  

For some reason the real animals ignored them or shied away from them, as if they sensed something wrong with them.  None of them could communicate with anyone else.  They didn’t understand animal speech and couldn’t make human sounds.  Having someone to finally talk to was an immense relief. They had to learn how to use litter boxes and choke down dry pet food or starve. The ones who were turned into dogs had it a little worse.  People kept trying to take them for walks so they could do their business, but if they tried to get away or barked too much, they were muzzled and put back into their cages or sprayed with water to calm them down.
Leslie, with Allyson’s portals had all the transformed humans back on the transport and ready to leave in just a few hours.  Making sure everyone was secured in their cages, Leslie apologized to the 78 transformed humans and said they would be out of their cages in an hour or so.  She then got into the pilots chair and did her pre-flight check.

Once finished with pre-flight, Leslie turned to Allyson and asked, “Ready to go, Crossroads? Crossroads? Allyson?!”

But Crossroads was nowhere to be found.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 10)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

Meanwhile, back in Morganna’s evil lair....

"How in bloody hell does Krystal do it? These spell-crystals shatter by the 3rd or 4th hit from any energy weapon... or they 'overload' spontaneously about an hour and 45 minutes after activation....", Morganna muttered "... well I can't do any better in time for the infiltration... just have to hope it's long enough..."

Setting the magic crystals she had been working on to the side, she turned and addressed the group of thugs kneeling before her.

“You had one job, Darius, one job!  And you couldn’t even do that right,” Morganna fumed. “All you had to do was shoot that pathetic little bartender, grab her, activate the crystal I gave you to block her powers, put her in the bag, and bring her back here.  But no!  You had to go all thuggish and threaten like a dime store gangster. Give her time to alert the cops and to save all her co-workers, you know, the HOSTAGES you could have used to ensure her cooperation.  Sure you were able to turn a bunch of people into pets, including some cops.  Big whoop!  I need the bartender and her power! “

Morganna began pacing menacingly back and forth in front of her kneeling minions

“Then you couldn’t even get her at her apartment.   All you got out of it was a stupid BADGE communicator!”  Morgaqnna threw the offending communicator across room where it bounced off the wall – BADGE communicators are very rugged.

“What was the problem, Darius?’ Morganna asked in a deceptively seductive tone. “Why couldn’t you do one simple thing for me?  I thought you loved me.  I thought you adored me.”

Darius nervously responded, “It wasn’t my fault, my lady.  I gave the cat to Jerry and he...AAAARRRGGGHHHH!” Lightning arced and played over Darius’ body as he screamed and writhed in pain. After a long moment, the screaming stopped.

“Darius, do not blame others for your failures,” Morganna told the charred and smoking corpse on the floor. “Get rid of him and bring me that cat, unless you need more incentive?”

Trying not to vomit at the stench , the other thugs dragged the body of their former leader away.

“Oh, Jerry?”

Jerry stopped and stiffened.  Turning around and kneeling in front of his mistress, he said, “How may I serve you, Mistress?”

“You’re in charge of capturing that bartender.  I know it will be hard, she is a cat now and there are thousands of cats roaming New Orleans.  But this should help you a little.” A square, flat crystal, about the size of a smartphone appeared in Morganna’s hand. “This will let you know when she has returned to New Orleans and track her location and movements.”

“You won’t disappoint me, will you Jerry?” asked Morganna in dangerously seductive tone.

“No, my Mistress! I will bring her back to you without fail”

“See that you do...”

________________________________________

Crossroads watched as Leslie made sure all the cages were secured in the shuttle’s hold.  She felt guilty that Leslie had to do all the physical labor in this partnership, but the absence of opposable thumbs pretty much limited the help she could give her.  She promised herself she would treat Leslie to the best spa in NO and the best dinner available anywhere!  After all, Chef Emeril owes her one and this would be a great chance to have a great meal at his place without breaking her bank account.

“God, I hope that’s everyone who was transformed. It would be horrible if anybody was still lost out in the French Quarter...” Allyson thought.

Suddenly a bright, fast moving dot moved across the ground in front of Allyson and without thinking, she began chasing the dot, trying to catch it.  Pouncing on the glowing dot, she opened her paws slowly to see what it was, but it was gone!

“What the...?” Allyson thought in surprised. She then realized she was acting just like a cat would, chasing a bright glowing dot from a laser pointer. Disgusted with herself, she turned to run back to the shuttle when she was suddenly grabbed. Startled, she reached for the dimensional wall to skip somewhere else, when her access to the wall was abruptly cut-off.

“Not this time, little kitty!” said Jerry, wearing a bracelet with a glowing crystal and holding a glowing Allyson tightly.  Suddenly she felt the sting of a needle in the back of her neck. As the world faded to black around her, she heard Jerry say, “Nighty-night, Crossroads....”

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 11)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306
       
Catalyst found being in the BADGE lab, working on the magical debris from the attack on Crossroads, relaxing. The league war had gone well but he would rather defeat a complex equation rather than an opponent on a battlefield.
       
        The particles left behind were very interesting. They didn’t make any sense, as they seemed to be fairly inert. Beyond the dimensional energy that clung to them, they didn’t seem to be doing anything at all. He placed some onto a high-intensity microscope slide. After adding the cover plate, he set the slide onto the microscopes scanning platform and clamped it in place.

        He turned to a screen on his computer and linked it to the microscope. At low level magnification, nothing interesting appeared at all. He focused the lenses and increased the magnification level.

        “Now that is odd.” Catalyst switched to a recorded view of his sample, wanting to verify what it was that he thought he saw.

        In the solution he used to hold his sample between the slide and cover, there were fresh scratches being cut into the glass. He tightened the scanning field into the damaged areas.

        At one-billionth magnification, using visual enhancement technology built into the powerful microscope, Catalyst found tiny robots moving even smaller limbs in intricate patterns. He couldn’t be sure, but some of the motions seemed very familiar. He signaled Krystal Fae on his BADGE communicator and sent her a video clip of the nanites.

        The difficultly they might be having in reversing Crossroad’s condition might be due to the fact something was actively working to maintain the spell.

         He added a short text question to the footage. “Can robots use magic?”

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 12)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

"It depends...", Krystal answered.

"...to process Mana directly, not to store it or convert it to another energy-form, requires a living 'mind'
 ...certain bio-metallic compounds do exist, but in dimension H-R, they are rare in the extreme...
 even rarer are bio-ceramics.", she continued.

"It would take a truly inspired... or truly insane... mind to constr-", Krystal frowned, and raised her BADGE communicator.  

"10962... please verify status of Prisoner F-13610 at Purgatory..."

"Prisoner is... Purgatory reports that cell is inhabited by a humanoid robot with Fulcrum's likeness...", answered Krystal's robo-assistant.

"Oh, s#!t!!", said Krystal.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 13)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

“How did you know that would work, Jerry? What made you think of using a laser pointer?” Morganna asked her minion.

“My Lady, I learned in college that a cat is a predator and that no matter how domesticated they are, they cannot ignore something that triggers their prey drive, it is involuntary,” answered Jerry, kneeling before her with Allyson in a pet carrier beside him.  “I gambled that Crossroads wouldn’t be able to ignore the laser simply because she wasn’t expecting it and couldn’t immediately stop herself from chasing it.  She would eventually realize it, of course, but we were able to get her away from the shuttle and grab her before she did. “

“Very good, Jerry!  It’s a good thing for you, you listened in class,“ Morganna complimented her minion.  She looked off into space for a moment, nodded sharply and said, “Take your team and report to the labs.  Dr. Fulcrum needs some things moved around. Leave the cat.”

“As you command, Mistress,” Jerry said unctuously as he backed down the dais, away from her throne. Turning when he reached the main floor, he motioned for his team to follow him.  They reluctantly complied, for no one wanted to work for the mad scientist, because his workers usually ended up as one of his failed experiments.  But one glance at the spot where Darius last stood was enough to get them moving.

“Now, my pretty kitty, I have plans for you!” Morganna arose from her throne and began walking towards Gamer G’s corner of her universe, the cat carrier floating behind her. “He better have finished with my little toy.  The confusion in North Onnotangu will serve as the perfect distraction.  I must thank Krampus and that fool Skelanimal for their help...hmmm...perhaps a nice fruit basket?”

“What?” asked Morganna, “No answer?  Please, child, I know you are awake.  I can read minds just like that half-breed bitch Krystal.”

Allyson opened her eyes and sat up in the carrier.  She had been feigning unconsciousness since arriving where Morganna had here evil lair. She really didn’t learn much, except how easy it was for her to be caught.  A freaking cat toy? She hoped none of her teammates learn of this!  Hearing Dr. Fulcrum’s name, though, did give her a little frisson of fear. He wreaks havoc whenever he is out of Purgatory Penitentiary.

“I won’t help you, you crazy witch!” Allyson thought loudly with as much disgust and derision as she could put into it.

“Oh, my dear Mademoiselle Robichaux, I don’t need your help!  I just need your body, “ Morganna said with a little chuckle full of malice that made Allyson’s fur stand on end.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 14)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

Morganna passed one of the en-spelled crystals slowly over Allyson's feline form.  

"This is recording your 'power signature'... I think that is how you Morphon-powered
menaces put it... with this, my little 'toy' can slip into BADGE and get me the things  that
I need to complete the plan...", said Morganna.  

"I'd thank you, but that really isn't my nature, now is it?", she said with a sinister smile.  

"Now be a good kitty and take a nap." She said, with a gesture and a muttered word that caused Allyson to lose consciousness once again.

109 posts
A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 15)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

    Leslie searched for Crossroads for several minutes, growing more and more agitated as each second passed. Off on her first field mission and she lost her partner.
    She pulled out a datapad and scrolled the names of BADGE operatives. She needed some big time help but feared reporting her failure to Director Nova. In the background, a chorus of unhappy animals began to grow.
    Leslie’s chest tightened and breathing became difficult. She turned on the intercom to the back of the BADGE shuttle and snapped at the contained creatures. “Calm down back there. I need to think.”
    She came across the contact link for Krystal Fae. She and another BADGE agent had been helping Crossroads. Who was it? Someone new she knew she should know, but couldn't put a finger on.
    A lone cat loudly hissed in the back.
    “Cat, hiss as much as you want. I’m doing my best. Wait. Cat…hiss…” Leslie took a deep breath as her memory was sparked. “Catalylst. That was it. Alan Marcus.”
    She tapped the communicator app and linked the three of them together on a group call.
    “Hello?” Krystal Fae answered, followed by a similar response shortly after by Catalyst.
    “This is Leslie. I’m in New Orleans, helping Crossroads. I mean I was,” Leslie stammered. “She asked me to come with her to help gather the transformed people and rescue them from the animal rescues—”
    “Slow down Leslie,” Krystal calmly spoke to Leslie via the comm unit. “I can tell you’re distressed. Does Crossroads have a message for us? She can contact me directly through the collar I gave her.”
    “No, she can’t,” Leslie blurted. “Well, maybe she can but if she hasn’t, I don’t know. It all just happened.”
    “What happened, Leslie?” Krystal asked. Silence filled a heavy pause between the next time Krystal spoke. “I can’t reach Crossroads telepathically. What happened to her?”
    “That’s what I’m trying to tell you!” Leslie yelled. “She just disappeared. I don’t know where she is.”

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 16)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

"Calm down, Leslie... We need information, not panic.", said Krystal sternly, appearing in the shuttle behind her with a small ***BAMF***.

"Agent Fae... are you ok? You look a little... I don't know... sick.", said Leslie.

"Teleportation is not my favorite method of travel for the last few weeks, that's all...", answered Krystal.

"Now, let's have a look... good...  the shuttle's sensors were active and visual recording captured something... playing back...", said Krystal.

The video feed showed Leslie loading carry-cages from several veterinary offices in the first panel, it was clear outside the shuttle in the second, then after several minutes a loose cat, recognizable as Allyson, padded down the ramp. A shadowy human figure from the tree-line appeared, and a bright dot of light was shown leading Allyson away from the entrance towards the figure. Shortly, a thug leaped from behind a tree and jabbed the distracted feline in the neck with a hypodermic. The cat went unconscious and was carried back into the trees towards the laser-pointer wielding group leader.

"I do believe she was taken, Leslie... probably to Morganna.", said Krystal.  

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 17)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

Allyson, wake up!  Ally, come on, wakey wakey!

Allyson stirred slightly.  Some voice was talking to her, she could faintly hear it, but she was so tired she couldn’t focus on it. She began to slip back into the comfort of the darkness.

Allyson! Don’t go back to sleep, this is important!  Come on!  Allyson Marie Robichaux, wake your ass up! *THWACK!*

Allyson awoke with a start and an aching head, like someone just smacked her in the back of the head, hard, but inside her skull instead of outside it.  She was about to open her mouth to complain when the voice decided to interject again.

Allyson, don’t make a sound!  We don’t want them to know you’re awake, said the alternate Allyson in her head.

Right.  Okay.  I got it.  Still a prisoner in a cat carrier. Allyson mentally replied. What’s going on?

Just be quiet and listen, what you’re about to hear is very important, Alt-Allyson told her.

Allyson took stock of the situation,  She was still in the cat carrier, but the carrier was now on a shelf in the back of what appeared to be a fairly well equipped laboratory and workshop. She could see Morganna at one of the worktables talking to someone in a lab coat.  Pointing something out to Morganna, LabCoat moved to one side of the table and she recognized the mad genius Doctor Fulcrum, immediately.  Allyson could also now see what was on the table, or rather who!  Krystal Fae was lying on the table, apparently unconscious.

Oh my God!  They got Krystal!  I have to do something!  thought Allyson, panicking slightly. If they could take down Krystal, she had no real hope of threatening them. Especially as a cat in a cage!

Alt-Allyson soothed her and said, Just be quiet and listen....

“....programmed it with all her mannerisms and speech patterns,” Gamer G said from a corner of the lab she couldn’t see. “I had to guess on what knowledge to load in, but I gave it a database consisting of everything we know of BADGE such as heroes, known personnel, leagues, results of all past League Wars, recent events, arrest records, rescue actions, knowledge of the world,  science, etc. We’ll have full access to what it sees and hears and can even override her programming from here if needed.  It shouldn’t have a problem accessing and hacking their systems from inside the facility.”

Doctor Fulcrum reported, “It has been fully loaded with the enspelled nanobots and programmed with the information you have given to me on magic, so it can cast spells, but of limited duration and power.  Enough to convince people she is Krystal Fae, at least for a short while. All it needs is your power crystals.  I have designed power regulators that will improve the efficiencies of the crystal and provide power for up to three hours. And if scanned it will mimic the power signature of the cat you gave me.”

Morganna smiled evilly, “Thank you for your work, gentlemen.  It looks perfect.”  Waving her hand three glowing yellow crystals floated into view. “Here are the crystals.  Please get them installed.  I want to get my Krystal into BADGE HQ as soon as possible.”

Fulcrum reached out and touched some controls on the work table the body was on. Then, to Allyson’s horror, the doctor peeled back the skin of Krystal’s face as if it were a mask.  Allyson finally realized that it actually was a mask. Behind it was a bundle of lights and wires and a cradle for one of the crystals.  Fulcrum placed a crystal in the cradle and then pulled the mask back down.  Gripping the body by the shoulder and the waist, he pulled the torso open and installed the other two crystals in cavities built to hold them.  Closing the body back up, Doctor Fulcrum handed a small tablet to Morganna.  

GamerG said, “All you need to do is push that button on the controller and your little toy will be activated and will respond to your voice commands.”

Morganna giggled and pushed the button. “Arise, my slave.”

The Krystal Fae puppet opened its eyes and sat up.  Swiveling its body, it swung its legs off the table and stood up.

“Kneel before me and swear your fealty!”

The ersatz Krystal knelt before Morganna and bowed its head, “I live but to serve you my Mistress.  What is your command?”

The laboratory echoed with Morganna’s maniacal laughter.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 18)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

        The pressure was on. Allyson, Crossroads, had been kidnapped by Morganna and her henchmen. Catalyst thought back on the time when his mother had been ‘missing’. He vividly remembered the constant ‘what ifs’ that ran through his head when her space station had first been reported missing.
        He shook his head, pushing away his childhood’s greatest pain, not wanting to get lost in those memories. There was a hero in need. Crossroads might be capable of many incredible feats, but as far as he knew, she was also a cat playing the part of a mouse in an evil, extradimensional woman’s schemes.
        Looking at the sparse materials he had to work with to find Crossroads, Catalyst took a seat on a stool and tried to look at them with a fresh mindset.
        The debris he found at the bar where Crossroads had been shot had helped identify some information as to what Morganna’s spell bullets did. They delivered nanobots that maintained a magical spell on the target. He found some decaying nanobots on the shell of the bullet that struck Crossroads. It seemed that if the sorcery wasn’t being maintained by the tiny machines, they were programmed to degrade and self-destruct.
        The engineer in him admired the craftsmanship. The merging of magic and electronics was a study he only recently began to see the benefits of. Krystal had shown him some technology she developed which used spellcraft to negate the second law of thermodynamics. Scientifically, every mechanical system suffers from the building of entropy, or wear and tear because of stresses to the system over time.
        With magic, Krystal had been able to shunt the excess heat energy generated from an engine that she had been developing into a different dimension. He remembered her smug smile as his proverbial jaw hit the floor when she gave him a demonstration. This energy would typically build up and cause stress that eventually lead to a breakdown. In order to compensate, different devices that could also break down would be needed to counter the entropic effect.
        One spell did the job without any additional counter measures. The trouble was, Catalyst didn’t understand the magical side of these problems as well as he did the mechanical processes.
        “What do I do?” Catalyst had been focused on finding an answer of finding Crossroads for hours, ever since Leslie called to report the…cat-napping?
        Catalyst bonked his forehead with his palm. “Eureka.”
        He picked up his comms device and tapped to connect with Leslie, who had been instructed to continue with Allyson’s project of bringing other transformed people to a BADGE facility. Each of these people had been struck with a similar spell bullet. Since they were still animals, that meant the nanobots were still functioning normally on them.
        If he could retrieve some, he could delve into the programming used for the nanobots operating systems. That was a problem he could deal with.
        Leslie answered. “Hello? Mr. Marcus?”
        “Yes,” Catalyst replied. “It me. Can you bring me some…” What should he call them? People? Animals? Transformed? Victims? “of your guests?”
        “I just finished unloading them,” she said. “They aren’t very happy. We’re trying to feed them, and it isn’t going well. They know, and I know, they are people, but they are developing some assertive animalistic tendencies. Every last one of them is demanding to be fed FIRST!!”
        Catalyst heard a loud crash and several dogs began barking, then accompanied by cats hissing, and finally Leslie crying in frustration. “Emeril worked really hard to make these meals for you. You don’t know what you’re missing out on.”
        “I need get some—”
        Another bout of barking, hissing, and clanking of metal bowls bouncing on floors came over the communicator. Leslie released an aggravated scream this time.
        “I come to you.” Catalyst hung up, picked up his laptop, and headed out the laboratory door. “Easier, I think.”
        As he hurried down the hallway to the elevator, he called Krystal Fae.
        “Yes, Catalyst,” Krystal said. “I hope you have good news. I could use some right now.”
        He filled her in on his theory and his destination.
        “That’s brilliant,” she replied. “Morganna likely never expected anyone other that Crossroads would be the target of her special bullets. What are you thinking you could do with active nanobots?”
        He waited and let a couple of women exit the elevator after the door opened. “Hack them.”
        The two women turned and looked at him strangely.
        Catalyst entered the elevator car, turned around and grinned as he waved to them as the doors closed.
        “I don’t think destroying them would do much to cancel the spell unless you managed to pull every last one of the nanobots off a victim.” Krystal’s voice echoed in the confines of the elevator car. “I think there are better options to consider.”
        Catalyst shook his head at his communicator. “Not hack, destroy. Hack programming. You told me the magic works because they are all working in tandem. They must be communicating with one another somehow. If they can talk to each other, maybe we can use them to talk to others farther away. Maybe even to ones in Morganna’s lair.”
        “Like I said,” Krystal said with a smile in her voice. “You are brilliant. We would need to find a way to boost their signal, but I think it can be done.”
        “I can boost signal.” Catalyst said. “That I know I can do.”

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 19)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

Krystal entered the  Transformed Humans Recuperation Unit (formerly Animal Studies Unit) a few moments before Catalyst arrived.

Leslie was backing towards the entrance, sobbing and covering her ears. The cacophony of animals demanding attention was worse than a Saturday night at the Fight Club.

Krystal seldom used dramatic sonic attacks, but it was the only way to get through to these 'animalized' people quickly. Krystal gestured and there was a nearly ear-splitting high pitched tone heard throughout the unit, followed quickly by a 'loud' telepathic demand for 'SILENCE!'

Every voice in the area, including Leslie's, was immediately stifled.

"That's better...", said Krystal, as Catalyst came through the door at a run.

"MY GOD! WHAT WAS THAT?!", he yelled.

"Just imposing a little order on the chaos.", said Krystal quietly, as she spun to face him, her glasses dropping to the floor.

Catalyst picked up the glasses gallantly and said "Sorry Krystal, they broke in fall... you have spares handy... or just conjure new ones when necessary?", as he started to hand them to her.

Krystal chuckled for a moment, and said, "Look through them..."

Catalyst did so, and with a puzzled expression said, "These just plain glass... Why?"

Krystal smiled and said, "A little trick I picked up from a college professor before I found out about my fae heritage... as a woman, especially an attractive one, you're often not taken seriously by male colleges unless you appear 'studious'...".

Thinking back to his own much more recent college days, and how most of the guys treated the women there, he grinned for a moment and replied, "Guess so...".

"Now... let's get those nanos...", said Krystal.

A Little Magic Can Ruin Your Whole Day...
(Part 20)

Krystal Fae, ID 10962
Crossroads, ID 11004
Catalyst, ID 21306

After spending the next hour vacuuming half the collected animals/transformed humans, Catalyst removed a long cylinder from the device at the end of a long hose. A digital display registered over thirty-billion nanobots within the capsule.  He carefully place the container inside a carrying case on a wheeled cart, taking every precaution he could to ensure the safety of the staff at BADGE headquarters. "So tiny but so terrifying."

Leslie finished washing her hands nearby and walked over to Catalyst's side as she dried them with a paper towel. Her shirt white shirt was coated in animal fur and contained multiple snags in the fabric. Many long tears in her sleeve from claws and sharp nails completed her disheveled look. "That is now number three on my list of things I never imagined doing when working here. I'm going to tip my dog groomer double what I have been next time I take Stinky in for a haircut."

"Stinky?" Catalyst asked.

"Stinky." Leslie licked her lips as she held back a laugh. "It's one of those had to be there moments."

Catalyst tilted his head, his curiosity building. "Is pet a skunk?"

"No. A dog. A mastiff, actually." Leslie sighed and rolled her eyes. "When I brought her home a few years ago, to my parent's house. I gathered everyone together. My mom, dad, brothers, and sister. Even both sets of my grandparents came over to meet our new pet. I let her out of the cage and the first thing she did after she walked out was fart. Not a little, puppy fart. A hazardous chemical, chase everyone out of the room fart--"

A beeping alarm chimed and the display on the cylinder began to flash red. Catalyst leaned over to read the display. "Not good. Not good. Farts later. The nanobots are dying."

He rushed with the cart out of the room, leaving Leslie with all the animals once again. She turned around and faced the collected feline and canine carriers. "I'm definitely calling in some interns to help clean out these litter boxes and take the dogs outside."

******

Catalyst ran through the corridors, swerving to miss the agents walking the halls and waving his arm. "Coming through. No time. No time. Watch out!"

Most everyone he passed gave him a wide berth. Those who didn't got bumped or their feet ran over.

The display on the cylinder's panel read 73%. In less than ten minutes, one quarter of the nanobots had ceased to function. By the time he made it to Krystal's lab, the display read 61%.

"What's wrong?" Krystal stood up from her seat. "I'm not quite  finished with the algorithms yet."

"No time," Catalyst said. "No time. Nanobots dying without a target for their programming."

Krystal motioned for Catalyst to hurry over. "Get them in the circle here. I've aligned the micro-receivers for optimal signal capture."

Catalyst removed the cylinder and inserted it into a fitted housing. A light switched on as soon as it snapped in place. The panel read 56%.

Krystal and Catalyst worked at separate work stations, searching for a broadcast frequency between the nanobots. Being so tiny, their signal output would be near impossible to find.

"I can't find one?" Catalyst asked. "You?"

"I haven't either. Without a subject for their magical program to target, maybe they don't have any information to share." Krystal posited. The panel dropped to 48% on its display.

"How would the nanites sense their target? Visual? Touch?" Catalyst's eyes went wide. "All the targets became small furry animals."

"Yes, we know that already, Alan," Krystal stated.

"Furry. Static discharge from the hair. It might be enough to not only act as a generator for the nanobots, but as a indicator." He typed in some commands into his device and a tiny electrical buzz sounded from the capsule. "I need to match the range of tolerance."

By the time Catalyst found the proper bio-electric current range, the numbers on the panel fell to 14%.
He slumped back in his seat when the nanobots stopped deactivating.

"Good job," Krystal said. "But there aren't enough for the receivers to pick up signals from now."

Catalyst pursed his lips as he thought. "Maybe with help, they can." He moved Krystal's side and put one finger on the band containing the micro-receivers on the cylinder housing. His breathing became slower as he concentrated on his Morphon power. His Catalyst effect.

On Krystal's computer screen, the input sensitivity exponentially increased by factors of one-hundred. The machinery registered multiple merged signals from inside the capsule. Krystal focused the frequencies until she found a constant, steady pattern of the nanobots synching with one another as they incanted a transmogrification spell. "That's it. We've got what we needed to hack into their programming."

"Good." Catalyst  nodded as he continued to control his power. "Krystal?"

"What do you need? Is everything OK?" Krystal asked.

"You tell me. Why there a heartbeat coming from inside your belly?"

"Are you telling me you can hear my heartbeat? I knew your prosthetic was sensitive, but I didn't think it could hear that well at a distance."

"No." Catalyst shook his head. "I hear your heartbeat all the time. Slower than most peoples. Less intense. Now I hear another heartbeat. Tiny heartbeat below the other one. Wait." Catalyst looked at Krystal as her face paled. "Your heartbeat getting faster now. Why are you scared?"