Andersonville 29 – Terror From the Sky

by Kelly Davidson

 

Fade in -- North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Cheyenne Mountain Command Center

General Grim walked swiftly down the carpeted hallway flanked by two high-ranking Colonels who served as his aides. His mood matched his name. Anyone who dared wake him in the middle of the night had better have a good reason, and this one certainly fit the bill. Over the past two days his facility had tracked an object just beyond the orbit of Neptune. Normally it would've been impossible to pick up something so far away if not for the noise it generated. The object omitted some kind of high-energy static; it's origin and purpose unknown. In fact the signals weren't even directed at the Earth. Several of NASA's satellites currently on their way to other planets had picked up the noise. The object, whatever it was, remained just on the outskirts of the solar system, traveling between the orbits of Neptune and Pluto at what scientists determined was almost one tenth the speed of light. One thing for sure, it wasn't from Earth.

NORAD experts studied the signals intensely. Was it a welcome message from an alien civilization, or a probe searching for life? The answers were inconclusive. Then 12 hours earlier the object had gone silent, bringing up even more questions. Had its power failed? Did it crash into an uncharted asteroid or leave the solar system? There was no way of knowing, other than sending one of their own satellites out to search for it…at least a 12 to 20 year trip depending on which launch method was available. And with space being so vast, they would have better luck searching for a needle in a field full of haystacks.

Less than an hour ago the point had become mute. The object reappeared again, this time in orbit above the earth. The phone call General Grim had received told him the package was on the roof. Being an unsecured line, nothing else was said to indicate the true danger of the situation. The general dressed quickly, met his two aides outside his car, and drove like a madman to the base; making the normal 35 minute trip in 28 minutes flat. When he entered the conference room his men stood, and only sat after he did.

"What's the situation?" the general asked coldly.

"At 23:36 our time, the object reappeared in our orbit sir," a tall, lanky major stated. "It could've been there longer. We didn't know it was there until it started transmitting a signal. Then five minutes ago it made a maneuver to enter our atmosphere.

"Where is it going?"

"Uncertain, General. We believe somewhere over the southeastern United States. I've already alerted the bases in the area. However, it could alter its course and land somewhere else. We'll know more soon." As if on cue the major's phone beeped which he quickly answered. A few words were exchanged before he turned it off. "It changed course General. The object is now heading north. Best estimate, it'll come out somewhere over the Dakotas."

"If it lands," someone else interjected. "For all we know it may keep flying straight to Asia."

"What happens if it's dumping toxic poison into our air as it does?" an Air Force general brought up. "I recommend we 'intercept' it sir." He stated the word 'intercept' in the strongest, possible terms.

"We don't even know what we're dealing with," another general shouted. "Supposing you shot it down and when it crashes, it releases some kind of gas that's deadly to our people? We could have a real disaster on our hands. Sir, I recommend that whatever the object is we monitor it and see what it does."

"And if it's a bomb," the Air Force general stated coldly. "More people could be killed by waiting."

"How long before it passes through our atmosphere?" General Grim asked.

"Ten more minutes sir," one of his men answered. "It's crossing over the UK now." For once everyone was silent.

"Alert the bases," General Grim ordered calmly. "If the object does land I want the area secure. No civilians, media, or pictures, is that clear? Break the cameras if you have to, but make sure nothing makes the front page. Let's do our job people. Dismiss."

The majority of the soldiers rushed out the door to their stations while others remained behind, most of them generals from other services. They would stay with General Grim until the crisis was over to offer their opinions. The General stood and walked over to the coffee pot, motioning for one of his aides to follow. When they were out of earshot of everyone else he whispered, "Call Dennis Butz and tell him to get his ass on a plane. I want him sitting down in front of me in two hours, is that understood Colonel Blackstone?"

"Yes sir," the man replied firmly. Without even saluting the colonel left to follow his order. General Grim grabbed his mug and poured himself a cup of hot coffee. He needed it at this time of the morning. The General thought about his upcoming meeting. He hated Dennis Butz. No, that wasn't right. The general didn't trust him. Dennis was an alien trying to fit into his world and doing a lousy job of it. He was too secretive about his people's past, and General Grim didn't like being kept in the dark. It made him believe that the Titan was hiding something. Well this time he was going to get some answers. For too long he had pussyfooted around trying to be diplomatic like the president had requested. The time for diplomacy was over. A Captain interrupted his thoughts.

"Sir, the object is landing."

"Where?" General Grim asked, suddenly feeling foolish that he had been standing there for so long daydreaming. What else had he missed?

"Northern Wisconsin, sir. About 10 miles west of the city of Ashland, which is located on the Lake Superior shoreline."

"I thought it was supposed to be coming down in the Dakota's, Captain!"

"It must have braked coming in, sir. A helo just dropped Delta force off near the landing site to secure the area. More reinforcements should be arriving in fifteen minutes. We have a secure line with the Delta force commander if you want to talk to him, sir."

"Pipe it down to my phone," the general ordered. He took his seat while the captain made the arrangements. Less than 30 seconds later the hookup was made. General Grim punched the speaker button so everyone could hear.

"This is General Grim," he stated formally into the voice box. "Who am I speaking with?"

"This is Lieutenant-Commander Sims, Delta Force leader, sir!" There was static on the line, and the captain worked his controls to clear it up.

"What's your situation, commander?"

"We've found the object, sir. It's some kind of craft made from what looks like a blue plastic material. Its…bubbling, sir."

"Bubbling?"

"Yes sir, I repeat, it's bubbling…at least on the surface. It's about the size of a small car, maybe just a little bigger. It's shaped like an egg. No signs of exhaust vents or doors."

"How many men are in your squad, commander?"

"Seven, including myself sir. We weren't expecting to go out. Most of my men are on a weekend pass."

"Understand, commander," General Grim answered. "I've been informed re-enforcement's are on the way and should be there in twelve minutes. Can you keep the area secure until then?"

"Not a problem, sir. The objected landed in a remote area. The nearest road or house is more than a mile away. We'll make sure…"

Suddenly General Grim heard a man screaming in the background. This was followed by shouts mix with more screams, and the sound of a rifle being fired. He heard one man yell for God to save them before going silent. Then there was nothing.

"We've just lost contact, sir," the captain working the communications stated.

"YOU THINK!" General Grim screamed furiously. "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED? IT SOUNDED LIKE THEY WERE ATTACKED!" Quickly the general regained his composure. "Warn the men going in that the landing zone is hot. Tell them to shoot to kill, and repeat the order to them – SHOOT TO KILL!"

Fade out…

**********************************************************

Voice of Linda Anderson - They say to judge someone; you must first walk a mile in their shoes. When I first came here, I regarded this town as a prison. In many ways that's still true, but only if you look at it superficially. Years later, with the benefit of hindsight, I can now see the town for what it is; a last attempt to bring peace between the Titans, the Olympians, and us, the human race. If the town succeeds, the people imprisoned in Peace River will finally be free and there will be peace. If it fails, the resulting war could end the world as we know it. There are some on all sides of this conflict who have their own reasons for seeing the project fail.

These are the stories of the men and women who made a difference during those dark days, and shaped history. It's also about those who had to face their deepest, darkest problems and what they gained from conquering them. It's a place of second chances, hope, and peace. The name of this town is Andersonville.

**********************************************************

Andersonville 29 – Terror from the sky

Written by Kelly Davidson

Edited by Geoff

 

This story dedicated to my kids, who keep me young despite my age.

Fade in…

A lone soldier led Dennis Butz down the dark path. He had been briefed, but the people who had done so knew very little. No one seemed to have any idea of who or what they were dealing with. If they had come to him before this had happened, the director could've prepared them. Instead he had been kept in the dark until now.

'That had to be General Grim's decision,' Dennis thought. The man was finding fault in everything he did, from his operation of Andersonville to sitting on the toilet and taking a dump. Now things between them were going to get worse. The general would be even more un-trusting of him at a time when he needed to trust him the most. The next 24 hours would be critical.

As he stepped past the trees into a small field Dennis spotted the remains of the once beautiful craft, still bubbling. One man was trying to retrieve a sample of the metal, but everything he used dissolved. The highly corrosive acid ate through everything, and Dennis knew by morning there would be nothing left of the ship.

'Why here?' Dennis wondered. It was cold, and they didn't like the cold. Was it to set up a base of operations near the Olympians? That had to be the reason. Rattle their cages a little.

"The old goat was right," June Herns noted as she walked up next to Dennis. The director was surprised to see her, and Juno explained. "I sensed it coming down and used my own authority to get here. Didn't they tell you I was coming?"

"It seems General Grim wants to keep me in the dark on this operation," Dennis stated.

"It stood close to here," June told him, looking around. "I can feel it's slimy presence."

"We'll find it, Juno. All I have to do is convince someone to give me some men. Let's go."

They headed toward a small, black container that a helicopter had dropped off just a few minutes before. Already men were hard at work connecting hookups and stringing wires to make the command base active. A tall, muscular sergeant was close by watching the activity and issuing commands.

"Sergeant, I need to speak to the person in charge."

"That would be General Grim, sir. He's just coming in." The soldier pointed toward the dark corner of the field, and Dennis could make out the outline of a helicopter that had just landed. Moments later a jeep pulled up near the crash site, and General Grim with two men stepped out to look at the remains.

"Come on," Dennis told June as he made his way back to where they had once been. General Grim was talking to one of his men when they showed up. "General Grim, I need to speak with you."

The general glared at Dennis for a moment, and then motioned him to get in the jeep. "This way," he proclaimed. They drove the one hundred or so yards back to the new command post while his aides trotted behind. When they pulled up the Sergeant stepped forward and saluted him smartly.

"The command post is up and operational, sir," he announced in a professional tone.

"Very good, Sergeant." General Grim returned the salute and went inside. Dennis took one more look at the operation going on around them. There were hundreds of men with guns around the perimeter, but he doubted if anyone was out searching for it. Maybe that was a good thing. He went in, followed by Judge Herns and the General's two aides.

The command post was made up of two different rooms. The larger of the two held all the maps and communication equipment, and was manned by three young soldiers. They wore thick headphones, and were in constant contact with each platoon leader. One of the solders was talking to the general, who seemed quite aggravated by what he had to say.

"They'll have the maps here in an hour, sir," the young corporal was saying.

"Goddamn it, I want them here in thirty minutes – along with the person who's responsible for supplying you with the wrong maps. There's a big 'fucking' difference between Kentucky and Wisconsin and I'm going to point that out to him."

"Yes sir," the corporal nervously snapped to attention and then got back on the radio.

"Goddamn idiots," the General swore. "Someone was in too big of a fucking hurry and gave them the maps for Ashland, Kentucky."

"Forget the maps," Dennis told him, wondering why generals cursed so much to get their point across. "I need about thirty men to go after it."

General Grim eyed Dennis with contempt. "You need? This is 'my' operation, Mr. Butz. Before I give you anything 'you need' we're going to have a little chat. In here." He motioned them to the smaller room that served as both a kitchen and a conference area. There was a metal table bolted to the floor, along with six comfortable chairs. Dennis, Juno, and General Grim took a seat while his aides stood rigidly by the closed door.

"I stopped by the infirmary to see for myself, because I couldn't believe the reports. Do you know what I saw, Mr. Butz?"

"I can guess," Dennis replied. "Your men looked like statues…their skin hard as rock…only your instruments indicated that they're still alive."

"Like living stone," the general stated in mild horror. "LIVING STONE!" What they 'fuck' happened to them?"

"General, I don't have time to explain this right now. If we don't move fast your people will be in grave danger."

"We'll move when I say 'we' move," General Grim stated with angry impatience. "Six are of my men are…'hell', I don't know what the fuck to say is wrong with them. I don't know if they're dead or alive. Another man is missing. So before I risk any more of my men I want some 'fucking' answers. What the HELL am I'm dealing with here, Mr. Butz?"

"You say a man is missing, general?" Juno asked in surprise.

General Grim shot the judge a careful glance. "Yes, Juno, or do you prefer Judge Herns?" Clearly he wanted it known that he had no beef with her.

"Perhaps Judge Herns is better, so your men don't overhear," she replied. "Do you have a profile on the man who is missing?"
"It's at the base, why?"

"I need to see it, General. It may give us a clue as to how powerful it is."

"How powerful 'what' is?" General Grim asked firmly. When neither one answered, he stated, "Look, I'm not doing anything until I find out what's going on. Now someone start talking."

The two looked at each other, and Juno nodded. Dennis cleared his throat and asked, "What do you know about the Medusa, General?"

The general leaned back in his chair and eyeballed the two. "Just what I've read from the books you recommended. She was a woman of great beauty, until one of the Olympians changed her into an ugly monster. Her hair became snakes, and it was said that if any man looked at her face they would be turned to stone."

Dennis smirked. "Such is the authenticity of myths. The truth is much different. You see Medusa isn't the name of a person, it's a race. They're a pale, blob-like creature about the size of a breadbox."

"Sounds like something I scrape off my shoe after I step on a slug," the general commented dryly.

"Not all beings look like you and me, General," Dennis snapped. "The Medusa are extremely intelligent and can adapt to almost any environment. Their strength is that they can blend in, but that is only the beginning of their powers." The director stopped talking for a moment as if he were choosing his next words carefully.

"Before we came here, the Medusa were our allies in the war against the Olympians. You see, the Medusa and Judge Herns people are natural enemies."

"Why?" General Grim demanded to know.

"I can't tell you," Dennis answered in a defensive tone.
"Oh for crying out loud Dennis," Judge Herns sighed angrily. "If you won't tell him I will. You see General Grim, the Medusa adapt to their new environment by becoming one of native residents. They find a host and take over their body. That's what happened to your missing man, he's under the Medusa's control. I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to save him."

"You mean he's dead?" the general asked in anguish.

"No." Dennis answered for her. He hesitated then added, "But he might as well be. Once the Medusa is killed your man will die. He's sort of in a suspended state. He doesn't know what's going on."

"They're very particular about who they choose," Judge Herns expounded. "That's why I'm surprise the Medusa chose a host so quickly. I guess it got lucky."

"I still don't get it? Why does it need a host in the first place? Will it die if it doesn't?"

"No," Juno shook her head. "What you have to understand General is that the Medusa are a very paranoid race. They don't need a host to survive. They do all this to…to execute the next phase of their strategy."

"And what would that strategy be?" General Grim asked in an uneasy tone

Dennis answered the question. "It will seek out a mate. When it finds one, the Medusa will produce slave slugs that only it can control. The slaves will go out and infect others, bringing the person under the Medusa's control. Slowly but surely it will build an army to surround and protect itself with. A normal Medusa can control seven to eight thousand beings, but it's not uncommon for some to have the ability to control ten thousand or more. When the slaves take over, they read the host's memories and act like that person. You could talk to one for over an hour and never know it was a slave."

The jaw on the general's face grew tight. He stared at Dennis with cold, angry eyes like someone who wanted to snap his neck. "What about my six men at the infirmary? What did it do to them?"

That's the other part of the myth," Dennis explained. "The part about if you looked at Medusa's face you'll turn to stone. In addition to controlling thousands of individuals, the Medusa can preserve others in case of an emergency. A normal Medusa will have up to 3,000 stored and kept close by. That way if there's a battle and a few thousand are lost, the Medusa can activate it's reserves without having to search for replacements."

"You sick, perverted bastard," General Grim cursed. "You allowed them to do this to our people without protest. You turned a blind eye to all this while these creatures enslaved ten thousand or more of my people!"

"Times were different, general," Dennis said impatiently. "Your people back then were different."

"How 'different' you Titan mother-fucker?" General Grim raged. "What, we take showers everyday and wear shoes, and they didn't? We drive cars instead of riding horseback? What makes us so different – so much fucking better 'today' that we've earned your protection? Why was it okay to use and abuse us back then but not now? I want to know why you think we're so worthy of your help today when it wasn't offered centuries ago!"

"As I said before, times were different,' Dennis repeated heatedly. "Look at your own history General Grim. During World War II the thought of a black man ordering a white man around in the military was unthinkable. In fact African-Americans didn't fight in the war until the later years, and none had any leadership positions over white soldiers. Most served as cooks or dug graves. Yet sixty years later you, an African-American man, order and control the lives of hundred of thousands of men of all colors. What makes you better than those men who served in the military back then?"

"We're talking about apple and oranges, Mr. Butz. That situation was based on bigotry."

"So was ours," Dennis tossed back at him. "The truth is, we thought of humans as being inferior to us back then. Some we regarded highly, but most weren't. Unlike you, we didn't have new generations to replace the old prejudice. We had to learn and see the errors of our ways. Tell me General and be honest here, how different would your world be today if the people in the 1940's were still alive and in charge? Would you still be standing here talking to me? Would there be any high-ranking African-American's officers in your army?"

"No, not likely," the general admitted disgustedly. "Maybe a few captains – given the privilege of serving coffee or tea at the meetings. It's the new generations that will reap the rewards from our efforts."

Dennis nodded. "It's not like that with us. We're the men from the 1940's. There is no new generation to pass on our hopes and dreams of a better world. We had to change our way of thinking, and like humans that doesn't come easy. Not for us or for the Olympians."

Taking a deep breath, Dennis continued. "When we arrived there were three Medusa's, but only one had the power to control humans. Its name was Kilameton, and it took control of a pretty female from a nearby village. As I said, we didn't have a high regard for human's back then so we didn't care what it did. Then the Olympians arrived. You have a saying – 'the enemy of your enemy is your friend.' Since the Medusa's fought side by side with us in our past war, it seemed natural for them to help us again."

"But why you, and not the Olympians? Why are the Medusa's natural enemies with them?"

"Because General Grim," Juno answered for Dennis, "the Medusa found us a most compatible host. Some races are better suited for them than others. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, we're a '15', while the Titans are only a 2 or 3. They came and conquered millions of my people before we found out what was happening. To fight them, we first had to find them. So our scientist developed a drug that would increase our senses to detect a Medusa. Unfortunately it worked too well. Not only could we detect them on our planet, but also several light years in space. To feel them is…it's a very uncomfortable feeling General, like a nightmare. Worse, the effects were passed on from generation to generation, in some cases increasing in intensity.

"Once the Medusa were exposed, it was easy to find and kill them. That's when they threw their slaves, our own people, into a war against us. Fifty million Olympians died in that four-day war, because the slaves had access to the same weapons. What saved us was that we didn't have to kill all the slaves. Once the Medusa is killed, it's slaves also died. After we won the war on our planet, we went after them in space. That's when the Titan's showed up to help the Medusa, and we've been fighting ever since."

"That's not entirely true, Juno," Dennis said defensively. "We attacked you only after we found out what you were doing to 'our' people."

"It was you who introduced space travel to the Medusa. That's what brought them to our planet," she snapped back. "You're responsible in the end for what happened to us – so we used your people to fight them."

"Like you want to use us now?" Dennis questioned strongly. "Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. You and I both know why Judge Jasper doesn't kill my people. There can only be one reason. Besides, we had no idea what the Medusa would do after they left the confines of their world. They weren't paranoid when we first met. And it was only after your people destroyed an unarmed star liner carrying a group of Medusa and Titan children, while our leaders were negotiating an end to the war between you and the Medusa, that we attacked. Three thousand innocent people, almost a thousand of which were Titan children that your intelligence knew were onboard…but your 'brave' captain took the shot anyway. Of course we attacked – what would you have done?"

"SHUT UP!" General Grim roared. Both Dennis and Juno looked at him in shock that anyone would dare tell them to be quiet. "The two of you can fight about this later. Right now it's 'my' people that are in danger, and I want to know what the 'fuck' I can do about it! So where do we fit in on this 'Medusa scale'?

Dennis faulted to gain control of his anger. Old hatred never died, it was always there, waiting to resurface if given the chance. No wonder Crius wanted them dead. It had been a long time since he had felt this way.

"Your race is a seven, at least that's what Kilameton told me before it was killed."

"How did it die?" General Grim wanted to know.

"That's the last part of the myth," Juno explained. "You see, we knew where Kilameton was hiding, the problem was getting close enough to it. Just as we could sense it, it could sense us. So we staged a battle, to pull it's slaves away, and sent in a small group of warriors led by one, brave man."

"Perseus!"

"Correct, General. He was able to sneak up behind the Medusa and cut off its head. As soon as he did, all its slaves died. To honor what he did for us, we gave him a place in the stars."

General Grim shook his head in disbelief. "That's an incredible story. So why do you suppose this Medusa showed up?"

The director got a little uncomfortable at the question. "After we crashed, Kilameton tried to get in contact with its people. It looks like it may have succeeded. If a message was sent in the conventional way, it wouldn't have reached their home planet until recently."

General Grim's anger returned. "Why didn't you tell me about this years ago?" he demanded to know.

"I had no idea that it succeeded," Dennis countered. "It tried for years without any luck. I figured it failed."

"You should've told me anyway!" the general bellowed. "You should have told me about all this, before I sent seven brave men to their deaths!"

"And you should have told me about the signals from the spaceship days ago," Dennis shot back. "If you had I could have told you what was going on and prevented all this."

"Actual General, the six men in your hospital aren't dead," Juno interrupted. "Once we kill the Medusa, those men will return to normal in 24 hours. It's the ones the Medusa will infect if we don't stop it that are in danger. Once they're taken over by a slave slug their life's are over."

General Grim nodded. At least there was good news about his men. All he had to do was find it…and he would find it. "You say this Medusa is looking for a mate. Since it's taken a male host, it must be looking for a female."

"Not exactly, General," Dennis interjected. "The Medusa picks its mate based on the energy aura around the person. If that happens to be a male, it will simply transform them into a female of it's choosing."

"What is it about your people and sex changes," the General grumbled. "Do all races have this ability?"

"We taught them how to do it," Dennis said.

"Of course," General Grim answered sarcastically. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Changing a person's DNA is rather easy," Judge Herns jumped in. "They would've found out from us anyway if we hadn't stopped them."

General Grim stared at Judge Herns respectfully. "Will you help us, Judge?"

June nodded. "I'll try…but I'll be honest general, my abilities are limited to only about a mile or so once it's on the ground. However, there are others in my town who've been feeling the Medusa's presence for months. I can talk to them, but I must warn you General Grim. They're not happy with your country's alliance with the Titans."

"Tell them neither am I!" the General frowned. Dennis glared at the man. "In the meantime, I'll get you a helicopter to circle the area and see if you can pick it up. Even at a good run our man couldn't be more than 5 or 6 miles away. We may get lucky.

"Providing it hasn't been picked up by someone," Dennis pointed out.

General Grim looked at his watch. "Who would be out at this time of the night?"

******************************************************

The Medusa knew it was in danger. It could feel the presence of an Olympian close by. Clearing the woods it came upon a hard, paved path going in both directions. The Medusa searched the memory of the person who had been called Robert Sprint to see what its purpose was. The path was called a road, and it was used by cars to travel on. The humans traveled from place to place on the ground? The Medusa concluded this was indeed a strange world.

In the distance something shinny caught it's eye. Two lights moving toward him in the darkness. Yes, that had to be a car. He had to stop it, but how. Searching the man's memory once more, the Medusa came up with a plan.

**********************************************************

The light-blue Honda crept slowly down the road. Inside the four teenagers, 2 boys and 2 girls, strained to see something above the treetops.

"Do you see anything?" the male driver asked.

"Nothing," stated the other boy sitting in the passenger seat.

"Maybe ET went home," one of the girls in back giggled.

"Then why did all those helicopters suddenly appear?" the driver asked. "Look, there goes another."

In the distance they could make out a military helicopter heading toward the area where they had seen the mysterious object go down. At first they thought it was a meteorite, but when those helicopters showed up they suspected it was something much bigger. They drove toward the area, hoping to get a glimpse of whatever it was. Instead the only things they saw were bare trees in the winter snow and those dark-colored helicopters.

"Hi Mike, check it out," the male passenger told the driver. The teenage driver looked ahead, and spotted a man stand in the road with his flashlight pointed at them. In the other hand he held a rifle.

"What the hell is going on?" Mike cursed. He pulled up next to the soldier who was waving at him to stop and rolled down the window. "What do you want?"

The soldier peered inside the car and looked at the occupants. Mike could tell from his uniform that this soldier was in Special Forces. The soldier waved his gun at them and ordered, "Get out."

"What?" Mike asked in surprise. "Fuck you! We didn't do anything wrong."

"Get out," the soldier said more forcefully, and then pointed his gun at the driver's head.

Mike swallowed hard, and looked over at his friend, Tim. His eyes were wide, and he looked as scared as Mike did. The girls were silent for once, too frightened to say anything. Mike opened the door and slowly got out, followed by his girlfriend, Nancy. Tim exited on the passenger side, with his girlfriend Jamie holding on to him for dear life.

"What's going on," she asked in a low, frighten voice.

"Just do as he says babe, everything will be okay," Tim whispered to her.

The soldier lined them up in a row, and then looked at them carefully – first Mike followed by the two girls and then…Tim. He liked what he saw.

"You," he pointed his gun at Tim. "Step away from the rest."

"Why? I didn't do anything," the teenager protested.

"You have been chosen," the soldier simply stated.

"Chosen? Chosen for what?"

"You will be my mate," the man replied. The four teenagers looked at him funny.

"Fuck you!" Tim spat. "I'll rather be dead than…than…SHIT!"

The soldier reached his hand over to pull Tim from the others. Mike saw his opening and went for it. He lurched for him, but the soldier's training kicked in and he moved fast. He brought up his rifle and smacked Mike hard in the face. The teenager fell to the ground dazed.

"You mother-fucker!" Tim yelled and advanced. The soldier brought his rifle around and pointed it right in the teenager's face.

"I can always find someone else," the Medusa said coldly, then added, "Follow my instructions and your friends live. Disobey me, and I kill all of you. Move over to the side of the road."

Seeing that this man meant business, Tim reluctantly did as he was told. The soldier looked at the two girls who were too afraid to move. "Stay there," he commanded them. "If you run, I will shoot you…then I will shoot your friend."

The two girls whimpered and held on to each other. The soldier turned back to Tim, and held out his hand. "Take my hand," he said sternly.

Tim did, and suddenly sparks flew from where they touched. The soldier held on tight and smiled while Tim and his friends watched in horror. A glow appeared around Tim's hand that quickly moved up his arm and engulfed his entire body. Then he started to change, getting skinnier and shorter. The soldier pulled back his hand and watched the fruits of his labor take place.

"What's happening?" Tim cried, as his body began to take on a more feminine form. His hair turned honey-golden blonde like his girlfriend, and grew past his shoulders. In fact other things about him started to change to resemble her, from her deep, blue eyes to her better than average breasts. Oddly, other changes resembled Mike's girlfriend, Nancy. He got her lips, cheeks, nose, and legs. When the transformation was complete, Tim looked like a cross between the two girls.

"Oh my GOD!" Jamie screamed hysterically.

"What is it…what's wrong?" Tim asked in a panicky tone.

"You're…he…Tim…you look like a…a…a girl," Jamie stuttered while holding her hand over her mouth in horror.

"What…NO!" Tim screamed as he ran his hands over his face and down his breast. Jamie and Nancy weren't the only one's crying now.

"You need new clothes," the Medusa said in a matter of fact tone. "I need you to look…" It searched the soldiers memories for the right word, "'sexy'…so we can propagate." He turned to the two girls, and pointed his gun at them. "You two…take off your clothes. Do so or I kill you."

The girls whimpered, but did as he ordered. They took off their heavy jackets and the Medusa compared the two. Nancy was wearing blue jeans and a cotton shirt while Jamie had worn a short, blue dress. The Medusa searched the memories of the soldier and found the dress appealing. After the girls had stripped down to their underwear, something else the Medusa had to search his memory for, it observed what they had on. One of the girls was wearing a pair of cotton panties and a plain bra, while the other wore a silky and lacier brand. The Medusa pointed its gun at Nancy and said, "Your underwear…it's very pretty. Take it off and put it in the pile."

"No…no…please," she whimpered both in fright and shame.

"Do it!" it ordered in a more threatening manner. The girl obliged, crying as she did. The Medusa was surprised to see how little courage these humans had. Even his new mate just stood there whimpering like a whipped pup.

"You will be used later," the Medusa said calmly while pointing its hand at the two girls. A dart flew from its fingertip and struck Jamie in the chest. She screamed, but it was short lived. Her skin suddenly became hard, as a stone shell grew from the spot where the dart had pierced her skin. In a few seconds it had encased her entire body. Nancy saw what happened and screamed loudly and hysterically. The Medusa pointed his finger at her, unaware of the new danger. Mike had recovered from the blow and had seen what had happened to Jamie. Distract by the transformation, the Medusa failed to see Mike stand. Just as it was about shoot, the young man jumped on the Medusa from behind.

"RUN!" he yelled to his girlfriend as the Medusa struggled not fall. Nancy didn't need any more encouragement. She ran for the woods screaming while Tim continued to stand there in shock. He had just pulled his hand back from inside his pants. It was gone – all gone. He was…he was. Tim couldn't even say the word 'girl' to himself.

Mike was strong, but the Medusa had the edge. It was quickly able to point it's finger at the teenager and shoot. The young man fell back and turned to stone – a bewildered expression on his face. The Medusa looked around for Nancy but she was gone.

"You…you bastard," Tim shouted seeing his friend standing there like a statue. A helicopter flew by less than a mile away.

"We will talk about his parents later," the Medusa said, unaware of what Tim had meant. "You will come with me."

"The fuck I will!" Tim yelled with so much anger that tears fell from his eyes. "What did you do to my friend?"

The Medusa frowned, and grabbed Tim's hand. "Get in the car." The young man found himself doing as his captive suggested without a struggle. The Medusa walked him over to the passenger side of the car and sat him down. As soon as his hand was released however, Tim had control over his body again. He tried to stand up, but this time the Medusa slapped him hard across the face. Tim cried out in pain.

"You will sit there," he ordered, then slammed the door. Tim broke down and started crying. His captor got in and looked at his new mate. "Do not cry young girl. I will make you the queen of our new world." The Medusa put the car in gear and drove off.

*********************************************************

"Down there!" Judge Herns told the pilot. She pointed at the dark road below.

"I don't see anything," the spotter wearing the night goggles yelled over the noise of the chopper blades. He looked closer then said, "Okay, now I do. Take her down."

The pilot dove and in seconds had his bird resting on the ground. Six soldiers jumped out and scanned the area, followed by Judge Herns. Immediately the helicopter took off so it could circle the area looking for trouble. The soldiers approached two figures in the dark.

"My God," one of them said as he touched the stone face. "We're too late. They look like kids." The sound of someone crying made them spin around.

"It's okay," Judge Herns reassured them as she held up her hand. "This isn't what we're looking for." She approached the side of the road and stared in the direction of the crying. She could sense great fear.

"We're not going to hurt you," she told the frightened child. "We're here to help. Come out please."

"I…I can't," the girl sobbed. "I have no clothes. That soldier…he took them." Judge Herns could detect shock in the teenager's tone, and took off her coat.

"You must be cold my child. I'm coming in there with my jacket. I'm not going to hurt you, Nancy. I only want to take you to a place of safety."

"How…how did you know my name?" she asked as Judge Herns approached.

"It's okay, child," Juno replied softly as she wrapped her heavy coat around the frozen girl. "I'll explain everything later."

"My…my friends," she started to whimper. "He…he…look at what…" The girl was in too much shock to finish the sentence.

"I know, Nancy. I'm going to help your friends, but first you have to help me. When did this happen?"

"About…ten minutes ago maybe. He has Tim. Tim is now a…a…giiiiirrrlllll." Nancy started sobbing in disbelief. Juno held the distressed girl tightly, and rocked her gently back and forth.

"Shhhhh…it's okay, Nancy. Take a deep breath and try to focus on my questions. Can you tell me what kind of car he's driving, and which direction he's going?"

"Blue…Honda. It's my…my car. My father gave it to me. I was letting Mike drive it. My father told me not too…but I disobeyed him. When he finds out…when he finds out he will be so…mad." The girl placed her face against Juno's chest and started crying uncontrollably.

"Commander," Judge Herns called out. A tall, dark man approached. "Call General Grim. Tell him to find out what the license plate number is of a car owned by Nancy McBride. Then have him issue an APB to all the local law enforcement agencies and have them set up some roadblocks. If we're lucky, we might catch it before morning.

"Yes, ma'am," the soldier replied. Quickly he pulled out his radio and called it in.

******************************************************

They searched through the night but it was fruitless. There were too many back roads in the area, and the Medusa knew staying on the main road was too dangerous. As the hours ticked by it became apparent their target had gotten away. Before sunrise the military was already starting to pull out. By this time the starship had dissolved into a pile of ashes that were quickly swept up by the scientists for study.

"How long have we got?" General Grim asked.

"It'll take a few sexual encounters for the Medusa to get everything just right," Dennis explained. "The new womb will have to be modified to support its slugs. Say 12 hours on the inside, 24 on the out. After that it'll take 48 hours for the slugs to mature. There are usually about 100 slugs in each birth. The Medusa won't be choosy at first. Anyone who is big and it feels can protect it will do. After the birth its mate will have to rest at least 24 hours before she can get pregnant again…then the process will repeat itself."

"Damn!" the general cursed. "We have to stop it before that happens. Judge Herns, I need you to talk to your people and get me their help."

"I'll do my best, General. I need to get back to Andersonville."

"I'll have my helicopter take you."

********************************************************

Dennis and I sat in his car outside the home of Vesta, one of Jupiter's sisters. Like the other houses in this neighborhood, it was a typical two-story home that was neither fancy nor shabby. For a long time I had suspected it was a jumping point from Andersonville to Peace River, and the fact that Judge Herns had been brought here only confirmed my suspicions. Dennis was quiet, as if something heavy was on his mind.

"Anything you want to talk about, Dennis?" I offered, trying to come to grips with what I had learned. Together Judge Herns and Dennis had filled me in on what had happened. Their tone indicated this was a very serious situation.

The director sighed. "I was just thinking about our past. So many mistakes, and so many hard feelings because of them. Maybe I'm a fool for thinking Andersonville will bring us all together."

"All?" I questioned. "You mean humans too?"

"Yes Linda, humans too. How can you have peace if only two of the three races are involved? Your people have matured, I guess in part due to the Olympians. They've slowly but surely introduced technology into your society to force you to grow these past hundred years."

"Why did you do it, Dennis? Why did you and your people prevent us from growing into what we could've become? Why did you keep us static all these centuries?"

A serious frown crossed his face. "Because the Olympians don't see you as a mature race like we do, Linda. They have another agenda, for your people and mine. I know it and they know I know it, yet the Olympians still deny it. Even Judge Herns thinks it won't happen now…but she's fooling herself."

"What do you mean, Dennis? What is it the Olympians want from us?"

The director pressed his lips together tightly and shook his head. "Not yet, Linda. In time, but not yet."

"Why, because you don't trust me?" I asked in a tempered tone.

"Because you still have doubts," he stated frankly. "Deep inside you keep twisting back and forth between the Olympians and us as to who the bad people are. Yes, both of us have committed terrible acts against your people in the past, so neither can stand out as your knight in shinning armor. However, my people regret what we did, while the Olympians continue with their agenda started centuries ago. Until you accept that, I can't tell you."

"But I do accept that what you just said is the truth," I told him.

"No you don't," he replied firmly. "I don't blame you for this…not after what you know."

"So you want me to side with you, is that it Dennis?"

He shook his head sadly. "I want you to understand that the Olympians are not an evil race in general any more than we are, but they may not have your people's best intentions in mind. Even the Medusa is not evil; it's just that its agenda may not be in the best interest of your people."

"And what is the Medusa's agenda, Dennis?"

"Control," he said with no emotion. "Not for evil, but for what it thinks will protect your people and theirs. If they succeed, they'll set up a very pleasant world for everyone, only they call 'all' the shots. Your people will have no say in how your world is run. How do you feel about paradise being controlled by another race, Linda?"

I swallowed hard at the idea. "It doesn't sit well with me, Dennis."

"I thought it wouldn't," he said quietly.

There was something else that bothered me. "Dennis, does my government know where Peace River is located?"

"They have a general idea, but the location is a secret to them. The Olympians are able to hide their town well. Even with your sophisticated satellites they still can't find it. A few times search patrols have come close, but the Olympians were able to trick them into thinking nothing was there. Your government knows the town is somewhere in the Dakota's, but not where."

"Why not tell them?"

"What happens if I do, Linda?"

I thought about it. "The president will order the military to find a way to free those who want to leave."

"Then what?"

"Since Jupiter is not likely to give anyone up, there would be a war. Many of our soldiers would die, but based on what I've seen Jupiter can't hold them off forever.

"All true," Dennis agreed. "In the end your military would prevail, but not until 25,000 or more of your soldiers perish in the battle, along with the 15,000 citizens in Peace River."

"What?"

"Think it through, Linda. What will Jupiter's reaction be when he realizes your military will be victorious and they have to flee?"

"He'll kill them, won't he?"

"More than likely. You can't use force against the Olympians and expect to win without taking heavy casualties. If he leaves, he's going to need an abundance of power, and most of the people in his town will be useless to him. Put two and two together, and you get your answer. Which is why I've never told your people its location. If I do, their blood will be on my hands."

"The mailman knows."

"Yes, and he's a danger to your people as well as theirs, Linda. I was hoping Juno wouldn't break your contract with Jupiter when she picked you up. He needs to be stopped, before someone higher up discovers where Peace River is and starts a war that should never be. If…when Andersonville works out, they'll be freed and no one else will have to suffer like they have. Unfortunately, too many people want to see Andersonville closed down for good – General Grim being one of them." Dennis stopped talking and frowned. "She's back already."

Judge Herns walked to the car and got in. "The old goat will help us find the Medusa under one condition."

"What is it?" Dennis asked.

"You have to get your people to agree to help – in particular Crius."

"Why?" I asked. "That doesn't make sense."

"Yes it does, Linda," Dennis frowned. "Our race has…'had' a pact with the Medusa to fight the Olympians before we came here. Our word is everything, even more important than our own life and Jupiter knows that. He wants us to prove our commitment to him. He wants to see that peace with his people is more important than old loyalties."

"He's a clever old goat," June agreed.

"But you don't know if the pact with the Medusa is valid anymore," I argued.

"We don't know that it isn't," Dennis countered. "Only the Medusa knows for sure, and unfortunately we can't ask it. If we agree to Jupiter's request, we could be breaking an agreement that dates back thousands of years.

"Dennis, we need the Olympians help. If the Medusa succeeds, everything will be lost. Surely Jupiter can see the danger in all this."

"There is only one Medusa, Linda," Judge Herns explained. "At best, about 15,000 people will be infected. The danger doesn't come until more of them arrive, which wouldn't be for a while. Jupiter will deal with the Medusa before that happens."

"And thousands of my people will die while he waits."

"Yes, I'm afraid that's so, Linda. I tried my best, but his mind was set. Frankly, I can understand his thinking."

"I'll talk to Crius," Dennis said while starting the car. We drove around the block, and parked in front of a smaller, single story home. "Wait here, Linda." I noticed that he didn't say anything to Juno, who didn't attempt to get out of the car. I guess that was a given.

*****************************************************

"Welcome brother," Crius said as one of his assistants let Dennis in. He spied Juno in the car and frowned. "She's not coming in, is she?"

"She knows better, Crius." Dennis took a seat. "I'll get right to the point, Crius. I'm in trouble and need your help."

"What sort of trouble, brother?"

"A Medusa."

A thin smile appeared on Crius lips. "I would say we're not the ones who have trouble, brother. It's our Olympian masters who should be worried."

"It's our problem too, Crius. This Medusa threatens the peace we have built with them."

"Peace!" Crius spat like it had left a bad taste in his mouth. "Where was this 'peace' when they ambushed my assistant, Leo? Have they returned him as a sign of this 'peace' you talk about, brother? I don't see him with you."

"Leo committed a crime against their people, Crius. Under the terms of the treaty I signed, they had a right to go after him once he left Andersonville. Besides, this visit isn't about Leo. They want our help."

"And what do our Olympian 'masters' want us to do," Crius sneered.

"Help us track down the Medusa. Reason with it if we can, but destroy it if we must."

"Destroy? Have you forgotten the pact we signed with them?"

"I haven't."

"Then you know I can't help you. We have an alliance with these people."

"We don't know that."

"Until you prove otherwise I'm going to assume that we do," Crius stated firmly. "I will not help you or anyone else hunt down the adversary of our enemy."

"How many times do I have to say this, Crius…the Olympians are 'not' our enemy!"

"A matter of opinion, brother. I will not help."

"Crius, please," Dennis begged. "I've never asked you for anything before, but I'm asking now. You owe me."

"You ask too much," he replied firmly. "I will not hunt down my allies. They represent the biggest advantage we have over the Olympians. Look at our history my brother. It shows that the only way there can be a peace between the Olympians and us is if we have control over them. I will not give up our advantage."

"And the humans, Crius? What happens to them?"

The Titan God shrugged his shoulders. "They will grow to like their new situation. Those who the Medusa's take over all do in time."

"Crius, please help…"

"NO!" he stated strongly. "You should be ashamed of yourself for even approaching me with such a suggestion, Rhea. Go now! I will not discuss this with you any more."

The old god quickly stood and exited the room, leaving Dennis to ponder if there was hope for his friend. He left the house frowning, and got in the car.

"He didn't go for it, did he," Juno stated the obvious.

"No," Dennis answered. "Is there any chance Jupiter will change his mind?"

"None," she replied.

"Then we're screwed," Dennis said.

"You're wrong, Dennis," I pointed out. "It's the human race that's screwed." For once Dennis and Judge Herns had nothing to say.

*****************************************************

"We'll almost there," the Medusa told its new mate while pulling over the car. They had been driving for almost 17 hours, but strangely the Medusa wasn't tired. The excitement of being in a new world was keeping it going. Except for stops to get gas and use the bathroom, the Medusa hadn't felt safe enough to rest until now. "You need to change, so you will feel more comfortable."

"I'm comfortable in my own clothes," Tim said. He still couldn't believe what had happened to him. He was a girl, a real girl. He had the long hair, the firm breasts, and the vagina to prove it. But inside he wasn't a girl…inside he was a young man screaming to get out.

The Medusa frowned. "How could you be comfortable in clothes meant for the male species?"

"Male species? Girls wear blue jeans and tee-shirts all the time," Tim yelled. "What planet are you from?" The question had been asked sarcastically, but the Medusa didn't know that.

"We come from many worlds," it said.

"Wait! You're a…a…a fucking alien?"

"Alien?" The Medusa searched the memory of his host and found the meaning. "Yes, a visitor from another world, that would be me."

"I'm getting the hell out of here!" the teenager said. Tim tried to open the door, but the Medusa stopped him.

"I warned you not to do that," it said and sent a wave of energy raging through Tim's body. The result caused the teenager to scream in pain.

"That was a mild punishment," the Medusa explained. "I can increase the pain so you will feel the effects for days. You will obey me, or I will punish you again. Do you want me to do that?"

"No, I don't," Tim sniffed and now scared shitless. What else was this thing going to do to him?

"Neither do I," the Medusa replied. "I don't like hurting others…it's not in my nature. I only do this to keep you in line, but I don't want to. Don't force me to do things I don't want to do, little girl."

"I'm not…I'm not a girl."

A smile appeared on the Medusa's face. "Yes, you are my mate…a very pretty one. I can feel this man's…feelings for you."

"Oh no, please," Tim begged. "Please don't do that to me."

"It's okay, little girl. We need to get you dressed and think up a name for you."

"My name is 'Tim'."

The Medusa did some more searching and frowned. "Tim is a male name. You need a name that better suits your female species. Fortunately I have found suitable names in my host's memory for both of us. I will be called Ken…and you will be…Barbie. They must be popular with your people in some way. This person gave a statue set to his niece last year for…a birthday."

"No, not Barbie. Call me Tammy or Kim. The thought of being named after a doll is…is too humiliating."

The Medusa shook its head. "This host is excited by the thought of making love to Barbie. He also has other images, of you wearing exciting clothes. Short skirts, high…heels." The Medusa hesitated for a moment as it tried to clear up the thoughts. "Pink and lacy baby doll nighties made of nylon with feather trim. Lacy French…"
"Enough!" Tim yelled, tears forming in his eyes. "I don't want to hear anymore."

Tim's reaction caused the Medusa to be confused. "I would think you would want to know…to help improve your own feelings for the joining of our bodies. I am getting…what's the word…horny thinking about it."

"Well I'm not so leave me the 'fuck' alone. Don't you understand; I'm not a girl! I don't want to wear sexy pink lingerie and screw you."

"But I made you a girl," the Medusa replied totally perplexed. "I made sure of that."

"My mind is still male though."

"Oh, well I am afraid I can do nothing with your thoughts. I am sure you will adjust in time. Perhaps if you got into the…what do you call it? Aww yes, the spirit of the enterprise, you would like it. Now, you must change so we can get a room. You will take off your old clothes and put on your new ones so you will look the part."

"No!" Tim stated defiantly and clenched his jaw tight.

"I could punish you," the Medusa mused. "No, I have a better idea."

It grabbed Tim's left hand, and suddenly the young man found himself picking up the clothes from the back seat with his right hand. His mind seemed detached from the rest of his body, for nothing he did could stop his hand from doing what the alien had ordered. The Medusa guided him out the door, making sure it never let go of him.

"Now Barbie, get out of your old clothes and into your new ones," it said in a chilling fashion.

Tim tried to prevent this from happening, but found he didn't have any control over what he was doing. With his right hand, he removed his shoes and socks, and slid out of his pants and underwear. When Tim started to take his shirt off, the Medusa switch hands so he could get his left arm out. It stared at Barbie's chest in admiration.

"Stop…staring at me," Tim squealed, sounding like the frighten schoolgirl he had become.

"Get used to it," Ken replied. "We're going to be seeing each other naked quite a lot from this point on. Now finish up before someone drives by."

Tim pulled the lacy panties over his waist and fastened the bra the way he had seen Jamie do it after they had been fooling around. He slid the blue and white dress that once belonged to his girlfriend over his body. It fit much to his horror, like a glove. Without a second thought, he slid his feet into the brown sandals as if it were the natural thing to do. The Medusa admired Tim's new look.

"Much better," the Medusa smiled, moving one hand lovingly through Tim's long hair. "You look like the perfect little girl that you are. I noticed some jewelry in their purses. You can find what you like and put it on while I drive. Maybe some makeup too, and ribbons in your hair. Yes, I like the thought of ribbons in your hair. Get back in the car."

The Medusa got in first and slid over, never once letting go of Tim's hand. Tim did the same and closed the car door. His new clothes felt funny, and he twisted his butt and pulled on his short dress to make it cover more of his exposed legs. It didn't help. When Tim's new unwanted lover told him to finish getting ready he refused. However, the threat of being punished was enough for the teenager to do as he was told. He placed a necklace that had belonged to Nancy around his neck. Then he searched both purses for ribbons, and used a couple of them to tie his hair into ponytails. They weren't very good and Tim was sure they wouldn't stay. He simply had no experience being a girl. He lightly added some lipstick and touched up his cheeks with some blush. He cringed at just how a little bit made him look even more feminine and attractive.

They pulled up to an old log cabin surround by trees. It was a place where the soldier had been before with his wife while they were trying to get pregnant. It seemed like the natural place to go for what the Medusa had in mind.

"I hope we have enough of your money." The Medusa pulled out a wad of cash it had found while searching the purses. "You will come with me, and I will control what you say. Please do not try to fight me, Barbie. If you do I will punish you, and neither of us wants that. Now, be a good little girl and come with me."

The Medusa stepped out of the car and pulled Tim with him. Holding onto one hand, they entered the lobby together. An older gentleman in his sixties greeted them with a smile.

"What can I do for you, sir?" he asked.

"We require a room with a bed…a cabin," Ken replied clumsily. "My new mate and I are on…our honeymoon."

The manager looked the young woman over, who didn't appear to be any older than 16. She gave him a nervous smile. "How long?" he asked.

"About two weeks. We want a secluded cabin. My mate and I are going to be making plenty of noise." Ken flashed the manager a knowing smile that the older gentleman didn't return. He sensed there was something wrong with this picture. The man was dressed in a camouflaged uniform as if he had just come off a mission. As for the girl, there was no way she could be of legal age.

"Just the two of you?" he asked, noticing that the man had a wedding ring but the girl didn't.

"Yes. How much will that be?

"It's the off season, the cabins are only $95 a night. Will that be cash or charge?"

"Cash," Ken said as he counted out the money, most of bills in fives and ones.

"If you're going to stay for two weeks you need to pay for it in advance," the manager insisted. "That will be $1,330 plus tax." The Medusa knew it didn't have that kind of money.

"Look Mac, the rest of my money is in my car and I'm…we're kind of in a hurry if you know what I mean. My mate is still a virgin…and she can't wait to have me turn her into the whore she is. I'll pay for tonight and give you the rest tomorrow." The manager noticed the young girl fidgeting and looking embarrassed at what had been said. It was more than the old man could stand.

"Don't you have any respect for women, mister?" he snapped. "You don't talk about them like that, especially your wife…if she is your 'wife'."

"What do you mean by that?" the Medusa asked suspiciously.

"I mean she doesn't look 18 to me. Miss, is everything alright?"

"She's fine," Ken insisted.

"I asked her," the manager growled.

"Tell him, Barbie. Tell him everything is fine."

"Everything is fine," she repeated like a parrot.

The manager didn't think it was, but unless she said otherwise there wasn't anything he could do. He pushed a small card toward the soldier. "Fill out the information and sign at the bottom. That'll be $100.70. If you plan to say longer I'll need the rest of the money by noon tomorrow. I'll give you cabin 14. There's another honeymooning couple in cabin 16 just so you know. Maybe you can hook up with them later on."

The manager watched the soldier fill out the form and then leave with the girl in tow. She looked back at him as they left, giving him an almost pathetic smile as if something were wrong. The manager shook his head. What was this world coming to?

***********************************************************

The cabin was sweet. It had a large, furnished living room with a small kitchen off to one side. A stone fireplace sat in the wall that was shared by both the living room and bedroom. A hot tub big enough for two people was just outside the back door. Ken picked up his new bride and carried her in. On the way to the bedroom he dumped his backpack on a chair

"I'm so horny, I can't wait," Ken smiled evilly as he set his new bride down on the queen-size bed. Now free from its grasp, Tim was able to speak freely.

"Get away from me you…you alien monster!" He started backing up toward the head of the bed and ran into the wall. Ken followed, smiling.

"I'm not a monster, Barbie…not unless you want me to be. He grabbed him by both hands and forced him down. Tim found his resistance fading away. "Soon you and I will be joined, and our great work will begin. This is indeed an historic night, my love. Think of it…the dawn of a new age for your people begins tonight. We will create an army to do our bidding, and then I can signal the others to follow. Come now; let's not wait. Remove your articles of clothing so we can be one!"

The Medusa released one of his hands and lifted the dress off. Tim closed his eyes as if this were a bad dream and pressed himself tightly against the mattress. He felt his dress being maneuvered off, followed by his bra and panties. He wanted to scream, but something prevented him from doing so. At least the room was dark, reducing his embarrassment of being naked in front of his captor. Ken grabbed his free hand and held Tim in placed. Then he followed by French-kissing his mate. Slowly the Medusa lowered itself onto him.

The soldier smelled terrible from the long trip, making the experience even worse for Tim. He noticed Ken had removed his own clothes, and felt something stiff punching him in the leg. The teenager knew what that stiff something was and tried to fight, but his body refused to follow his command. Ken placed one hand over Tim's breast, and the teenager was surprise at how good it felt. His body reacted favorably, as his vagina turned moist.

"No…no," he was able to gasp a few times as the Medusa concentrated on other things. Tim felt it reestablish its control over his feelings so the mood wouldn't be broken. Then it inched its way up his female body, until its manhood was in the right spot. With one quick jerk it penetrated inside. Even with the control over him, Tim was able to gasp in shock and disbelief. This thing was inside him…and it felt good. But he refused to give in, and tried to push it out. Ken seemed to enjoy this. It played with him; acting like he was succeeding and then swiftly sticking it back in again. Then it had an orgasm, and what an orgasm it was. There was a strong, rhythmic motion to it and Tim felt something warm and squishy entered him. The once young man felt sick to his stomach at what that something was.

Ken continued to push until he went limp, then rolled off and smiled. "I think I'm going to like your planet a lot, Barbie." He grabbed his hands, and rolled Tim on top of him like a rag doll. In the darkness the teenager could make out the white teeth as his captor grinned. "Yes, you and I are going to work out quite well. I knew you were a good pick when I first saw you."

"Bastard," Tim spat, surprise that he could say what he wanted even though Ken was still controlling his actions.

"No," he replied. "My host parents were married long before I was conceived."

Tim cursed – he couldn't even insult this alien properly.

******************************************************

Ken made love to his mate three more times throughout the night. Each time he did, Tim's resistance to what had happened got a little weaker. By the fourth encounter the young man found he had accepted his fate, at least part of it. He was a girl now; there was no arguing that…at least not after what his captor had done to him. He could live with that…at least for the time being. What he had problems accepting was that his body was being used by an alien to take over the Earth. He had to stop that from happening, but how?

Well, first he had to gain Ken's trust. Once that was accomplished, Tim would figure out what to do next. That meant he really had to accept his new identity, and his purpose for being here. Tim swallowed hard, and closed his eyes. He concentrated on the words, "I'm a girl…I'm a girl…I AM A GIRL."

He ran his hands over his female body, touching his breasts and experiencing the tingling that came from it. He explored other parts, all the time convincing himself that Tim didn't exist anymore. He liked girls, so he could live as one if he needed to. Being a female wasn't the worst thing to happen to him.

Tim said his female name, and thought of himself as a she. A couple of hours pasted, and slowly his mind adjusted until it wasn't 'he', it was 'she'. Barbie was born, and she had a mission.

As the sun rose over the bare trees Barbie rolled over on Ken and kissed him like a new bride. "Hello lover," she grinned in a sexy manner, her long, blonde hair falling over her head.

"Well hello," Ken smiled back. "What's gotten into you?"

"You," she giggled. "Four times if my math is correct. It's all a little fuzzy after the second time." She giggled again and added, "Want to make it five, lover?

Ken chuckled. "I would love to sugar, but my body needs to regenerate its fluids. Tonight I promise." The Medusa kissed his mate and softly stroked her back.

"Why don't I fix you breakfast, dear," Barbie said as she stared down at Ken and gave him her best smile.

"I'll go with you," he grinned, not completely trusting her. Was it normal for humans to give up so easily? It seemed too soon, unless this one had been weaker than he thought. Until he was sure, the Medusa wouldn't take any chances leaving her alone.

Barbie started to get up, than stopped. "I don't have anything to wear?"

A frown appeared on Ken's face. "Clothes…yes, I must do something about that…later. We'll walk around in the nude for now."

"Anything you say lover," Barbie grinned as she stood. Ken admired the fresh, tan body with its smooth legs and firm breasts. The Medusa knew that in human terms his mate was quite beautiful. He had done well when transforming this young boy. Together they walked to the kitchen hand in hand. Barbie checked the cabinets and refrigerator but found nothing.

"I guess foods not provided with the deal," Ken stated.

"We can go shopping," Barbie suggested. "How much money do you have?"

Ken frowned. "About three of your dollars. How much food will that buy us?"

"Not enough to feed us."

"Then I will go find some money so we will remain strong. Already this body feels weakened by the lack of food." Ken walked over to his backpack and dug inside for a few moments. From the contents he pulled something out. "Come here, Barbie."

"What have you got there?" she asked sweetly while moving closer.

"Something for you," he replied, holding up a set of restraints. "The army thinks of everything."

"But…but you don't need to use them on me," she protested. "I don't want to leave you."

"This will insure that you don't," he answered while placing one end over her wrist. "You see Barbie, I don't trust you yet. I know one day you will be loyal to me, but for now I have to be careful. Too much is at stake."

"I…I understand," Barbie replied with tears in her eyes. "I hope that'll be soon."

"After you give birth," he responded, leading her to the bathroom. He sat her on the toilet and connected her to a metal pipe next to it. "There, you'll be fine until I get back. I'm sorry my love, but for now this is the way it has to be."

"I understand," she sniffed. "Please hurry back."

Ken left the bathroom and retrieved his clothes from last night. He stepped out into the cold morning and cursed the chill. His people liked a tropical climate. The sound of people laughing caught his attention. It was the couple from the cabin next door having a snowball fight. They were both in there mid-twenty's and fairly attractive. The Medusa studied the woman carefully, and concluded she was about the same size as Barbie. The man was much heavier than he was, but there might be something useful he could borrow. Shivering in the cold, the Medusa brought his coat together and walked toward them.

"Hello there," he shouted. The man and woman stopped throwing snowballs and looked in his direction.

"Hi," the man replied. His wife flashed him a killer smile.

"I'm Ken Trump. The manager told us you're newlyweds just like us."

"Really," the woman grinned. "What a coincidence."

"I'm Arnold Cass and this is my wife, Becky," the man said as he held out his hand. "We got married last Saturday."

"When did you get married, Ken?" Becky asked curiously.

"Last night. It was a small wedding, just the two of us."

"Justice of the peace, huh," Becky smiled knowingly.

"Something like that," Ken grinned back. "Are you two staying here long?"

"Till next Saturday," Arnold replied. "We wanted a nice, quiet honeymoon."

"Can't get much quieter than this," the Medusa agreed. "So, you must have enough food to last you till next week."

"Yes," the woman remarked. "In fact we went grocery shopping last night after dinner. There's a nice market in town. If you like, I can draw you a map on how to get there."

"I would appreciate that," Ken said. "We got in late and don't have anything to eat. We're getting kind of hungry."

"Well come inside and I'll draw you a map right now," Becky insisted. She entered the cabin and both men followed.

"You in the military, Ken?" Arnold asked as they kicked the snow off their boots.

"Special forces, Arnold. I just went on leave after eight months of training. I was so excited that I didn't even bother changing. I got married in my uniform."

"What's your wife name?" Becky asked, pulling out a pad of paper and a pencil from the desk.

"Barbie, like the doll. Say, you mind if I look around? The manager told me the cabins are all the same, but I swear your place looks bigger than ours."

"I'll show you around," Arnold offered. They did a quick tour, stopping to look at the bathroom before going to the bedroom. On the bed the Medusa spotted a sexy, black nightgown and some fluffy slippers."

"Um, my wife didn't pick up her things this morning," Arnold stated rather embarrassed.

"Nice closet," Ken remarked. He slid the door open and peered at several feminine dresses hanging there. Unable to resist, he pulled out a short, black number and looked at it carefully. The Medusa felt the excitement build as he thought about Barbie wearing it.

"Excuse me, but what the hell do you think you're doing?" Arnold asked unpleasantly.

"I was just thinking how nice this would look on my wife," answered Ken. "She didn't have time to pack any clothes before we left."

"Put it back," Arnold commanded in a harsh tone.

"What's going on, honey," Becky said as she entered the room to investigate the commotion. "Why is he holding my dress?"

"I was thinking how you two are about the same size," the Medusa explained. "I know she's going to love trying this on – and that sexy nightgown on the bed. Do you mind if I take them with me now?"

"I think it's time for you to leave, Ken," Arnold said firmly, his hand resting defensively against the Medusa's chest.

"Wrong answer, Arnold," the Medusa smiled as it raised its finger. Two darts flew from underneath the skin and struck them in the chest.

*********************************************************

"Breakfast," Ken announced as he walked into the bathroom to release his mate.

"Wow, that was fast," remarked Barbie. He couldn't have been gone more than 15 minutes.

"Our neighbors from next door were very generous," he chuckled. "Come and see what I brought." She followed him into the living room where there was a box filled with can goods and some clothes, including the sexy black nightgown.

"It's beautiful," Barbie gushed as she examined the short nightie."

"At least now you don't have to walk around naked, although I don't mind," he beamed.

"Oh you," Barbie replied, playing the part of a love-struck bride to the hilt.

"Why don't you get dressed while I fix breakfast. Afterwards I'll bring back some more stuff."

"They don't mind us borrowing their clothes?" Barbie asked.

"I didn't hear them complain," the Medusa grinned.

******************************************************

The manager was making his morning rounds when he spotted Mr. Trump coming out of the Cass's cabin carrying a box. Raising his suspicions, the manager stopped his truck and got out. Ken approached with a friendly smile. "Morning. Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"It could be," the manager replied dryly. "What's in the box?"

"Just some clothes Becky didn't need anymore. She's giving them to my wife."

"I see. Are the Cass's in?"

"They're at our cabin having coffee. Becky asked if I would get these clothes for her."

"Humph," the manager grunted. That didn't sound right to him. Why didn't Mr. Cass get them instead; or at least come with Mr. Trump.

"By the way, I didn't get your name last night."

"It's McCoy…Andrew McCoy."

"Well Andrew, I was going to drop by your office after this and pay my bill."

"That's Mr. McCoy to you," Andrew said firmly. For some reason the manager didn't want to get too friendly with this man. There was something strange about him.

"Of course," the Medusa grinned. "Anything you say, Mr. McCoy." Ken's smile did little to put the manager's suspicions at ease.

"Give me fifteen minutes," Andrew replied. "Oh, and when you see Mr. Cass tell him there's a bad storm moving our way. They're calling for 17 inches tonight."

"Inches of what?"

"Snow, Mr. Trump. What else would we get 17 inches of this time of the year?"

Of course, snow," Ken grinned foolishly. "I'll make sure Arnold knows."

"Much obliged. There's plenty of wood behind the office if you need it. I better get back to my rounds. I'll see you at my office in fifteen minutes, Mr. Trump."

"Okay," the Medusa grinned and waved. The smile quickly turned into an ugly frown after the manager drove off. Mr. McCoy was going to be trouble. The Medusa played around with the idea of storing him, but concluded that would be too risky. A couple on their honeymoon disappearing for a few days was understandable. The manager of a busy resort was not. The last thing the Medusa needed was the police snooping around. Well, just to be on the safe side, the Medusa decided it would move the Cass's to his cabin after dark. It wouldn't do to have Mr. McCoy stop by and discover them. The Medusa just hoped the snow wasn't to deep by then.

***********************************************************

Dennis was part of the loop, but it was a very large loop and the information that came to him was usually a couple of hours old. The Medusa had vanished without a trace. Without the help of the Olympians the military was forced to rely on the State Highway patrol and sheriff's department to do the main searching. Having armed soldiers going door to door asking people if they had seen their missing man wouldn't go over too well. The media would be down on them in a minute and then panic would set in. For now they had to play it cool.

Once more the director opened the file in front of him and read the contents. Sergeant Robert Charles Sprint, Special Forces. Radio operator and qualified in high explosives – ranking a five A, the highest mark you could get. Married for four years to his childhood sweetheart Donna, who just had a baby daughter less then a month ago. Sergeant Sprint wasn't planning to re-enlist after his hitch was up. His supervisor indicated that Robert wanted to get a civilian job so he could spend more time with his family. A real family man. Dennis took it all and felt miserable. If only he had been told about the spacecraft before it got here. Mr. Sprint would be alive today, holding his child in his arms.

"That bad, huh?" June asked when she saw Dennis sitting there.

"Just reading the file on Sergeant Sprint," Dennis replied while closing the folder.

"Why do you punish yourself like this?" Juno asked as she sat down next to him. "If General Grim had brought you in when the spacecraft was first spotted, he would still be alive."

"And if I had told him about the danger years ago, the same would be true," Dennis replied. "How many more Sergeant Sprint's will die before this is over, Juno? How many more lives will be shattered because I didn't warn him ahead of time."

"There is plenty of blame to go around Dennis," Juno chastised. "General Grim, Jupiter, Crius. Don't put this all on your shoulders. I could have told General Grim about the Medusa's long ago but didn't; so I'm to blame too. It's a matter of each party not trusting the other. If we had, this wouldn't have happened. Maybe we'll all be a lot more trusting of each other after this is over."

"Perhaps," Dennis said glumly. "I just hope we have a chance to try."

"No leads on the Medusa?"

"None," Dennis shook his head. "It simply disappeared. How could it do that with so few resources?"

"Like you told General Grim, they're smart and adaptable. But I'm not worried. Sooner or later it'll screw up."

"Let's hope its sooner, before too many people are infected."

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(continued)  

  

  

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