Multiverse Networking

Officially the coup had changed little in Iberia.



President Chrissy Lera was still the face and voice of authority in

the Iberian government, and the Mind Flayer Archon was merely a

Minister (albeit one of the two most powerful). While Imperious

Industries was simply the company hired to upgrade Iberia's defensive

(e.g. military) hardware.





The most important official difference was that Minister of Defense

Rosenthrall had been killed. Her death was blamed on foreign agents,

and cited as the reason for giving the Ministry of Security increased

powers when it came to detaining and interrogating people (in order

to combat the foreign menace).



Nevertheless, as far as the Iberian public knew, little had changed.

Their benevolent (as the state media portrayed her) dictator was

still in charge, and most of her top followers were still in power.



Unofficially things were very different.



People wondered why Imperious Industries had bought property in a

seemingly run down and relatively worthless area of the capital, and

was now building a (large) facility there. Having no idea that it

contained a portal to another world.



Those who interacted with the President also noticed something

strange. Chrissy Lera still basically looked and acted the same.

But the drow dictator seemed…different somehow.



And no one noticed this difference more than those in Chrissy's harem.



They couldn't help noticing the absence of the vampire Marian Casta,

who was the most frequent visitor to the secret and well guarded

harem (at least until recently).

This seemed especially odd, since the main point of the harem was to

provide a steady, reliable, and secure source of nourishment for the

blonde vampire.



Moreover, the drow President Chrissy Lera now spent even more time in

the harem. Always accompanied by the strange woman Selene.



With her voluptuous figure, pale skin, and imperious manner, combined

with the fact that she accompanied a necromancer (with a known liking

for vampires) the harem women all naturally assumed that Selene was

an undead blood sucker herself. Many of the harem residents

speculated that Marian had simply fallen out of favor, and Selene was

just Chrissy's new favorite.



But something even stranger seemed to contradict that theory.



The women of the harem had observed that Marian Casta treated

President Chrissy like a friend, lover, and confidant. Nevertheless,

whenever they had an argument, the vampire usually deferred to the

necromancer's authority.



However, behind the closed and secured doors of the harem that they

lived in, they saw Selene actually ordering the President about.

Instead of becoming outraged or offended as the harem women would

expect, Chrissy Lera meekly accepted such treatment, and moved as if

in a daze.



Causing the more perceptive women to suspect that Selene (or possibly

someone working with her) was the real power in Iberia now.



Of course the psychic Selene was aware of such speculation, and would

have moved quickly to end it if the harem women had any way of

escaping or contacting the outside world. But because they did not,

the psychic vampire simply let them speculate.



It was more entertaining that way.



At the moment the raven haired witch Selene was doing something that

seemed to proclaim her power over the President. In full view of the

women of the harem.



Playing dress up.



In the Game Room of the harem, which was not only full of electronic

and board games, but was also the largest room in the harem, Selene

had stripped off the white business suit (and all other clothing)

Chrissy Lera wore and then proceeded to dress the drow in clothes

similar to her own.



The nudity itself was not that unusual.

For they had all seen the President naked, and most of them had also

seen the vampire Marian Casta naked too. Moreover, many of them had

helped Marian or the President dress themselves in the past. What

was unusual was how the President acted.



Chrissy Lera moved as though in a trance or sleep walking. She

obeyed all of Selene's commands without question or comment. Showing

none of her usual arrogance or personality.



The ancient mutant witch Selene was keenly aware of the eyes of the

harem. Knowing that even though all the other women in the Game Room

appeared engrossed in games or private conversations, they all had

their attention on her and her newest `pet.'



Selene considered such attention no less than her due.



The mutant witch caressed Chrissy's black cheek, staring deep into

the dark elf's artificial red eyes. Searching for the woman within.



"She's still trying to resist" Selene thought.

More amused than anything else by it.

Imperious Dakar thought that they should simply break Chrissy Lera's

resistance by force. Employing magic, telepathy, technology, or some

combination of the three to break Chrissy's will to the point that

she could no longer even think of rebelling. Knowing that the

powerful necromancer could still be a potent threat if they didn't

use such techniques and she escaped their control somehow.



Selene however, had no desire to do such a thing.



For the cunning old witch knew that such a process would immeasurably

weaken Chrissy Lera (perhaps even damaging her ability to use magic),

and Selene wanted a loyal servant with the full force of Chrissy's

intelligence, magic, and personality.



So Selene used her power to control Lera's body like a puppet, using

the drow's own memories and the memories of those around them to make

sure that Chrissy Lera acted `in character.'



Imperious Dakar acquiesced to Selene dominating the Head of State

because he felt he still needed Selene's full cooperation.

Considering control of Chrissy Lera secondary to that (at least for

the moment).



Rather than the brute force method Imperious advocated, Selene

intended to use pain, humiliation, and later (once Chrissy had been

sufficiently traumatized) pseudo affection and rewards to break the

female drow necromancer's resistance and will.



"Besides…this way is so much more fun" the mutant witch thought as

she cupped Chrissy's relatively large breasts in her hands. Smiling

as she felt Chrissy's desire to push the predatory witch away from

her body.



Selene ran her hands all over Chrissy's slender form. Luxuriating in

the feeling of the dark elf's soft skin. Then she whispered into one

of Chrissy's long pointed ears

"So long as you continue to resist me…you will merely be my doll."



Chrissy Lera wanted to curse at Selene, she wanted to scream in

fury. But such was the power of the mutant witch's psychic and

mystic grip on her mind that the only sound that escaped her body was

a whimper.



*****



Jenny Calendar watched Selene play `dress up' from the table where

she and another woman pretended to still be engaged in a game of

chess.



She was amazed that the beautiful, confident, and powerful female who

had ravished her a few short days ago was now being so utterly

dominated by another.



At the time Chrissy had seemed so superior.

Strong and virtually untouchable.



Now…



While it was true that Chrissy Lera was still beautiful, she didn't

seem to exude any of the arrogance and power she had previously. The

willowy elf looked incredibly vulnerable next to the taller Selene.



As though the witch were responding to Jenny's thoughts, she suddenly

pinched one of Chrissy's large dark nipples. Continuing to whisper

into one of the drow's ears as Chrissy squealed in pain.



President Lera's face (which had been expressionless for quite

awhile) finally showed something.



Fear.



The Lady of Iberia, the woman who had tamed this lawless country and

forced relative civilization back upon it…was afraid.



"If Selene can do that to someone like Chrissy…what could she do to

me" Jenny wondered in horror.



As the elf/Orc hybrid had that horrible thought, the powerful witch

Selene turned her head to stare directly at her. Smiling

beatifically she as regarded the half-Orc.



It was the most terrible thing Jenny Calendar had ever seen.



*****



The remains of the Mind Flayer Udragoth had been disposed of almost

immediately upon his death. This was Imperious Dakar's customary

practice. For he did not want anyone else to discover all the

alterations he had made to the illithid.



The most recent clone of the original Udragoth was generally

performing well, but Dakar thought the cybernetically enhanced Mind

Flayer seemed slower somehow. Causing the technomancer to wonder

just how many times he could make a copy of a copy before Udragoth

was utterly worthless to him.



But the businessman could still use him for the moment.



As he was doing now, as he used the Mind Flayer who was little more

than a familiar to interrogate his prisoner, the mutant known as

Wolverine.



Minister Archon had given the mutant to Imperious Dakar, and now

Wolverine was being kept in a room inside a building (recently

purchased by Imperious Industries) near the portal facility Dakar's

company was constructing. The only thing in the room holding back

the resentful and deadly Wolverine was the mental power of Udragoth

and Imperious.



Unfortunately for Logan, it was more than enough.



The fast healing mutant stood in a corner of the small, bare room,

trying with all his might and willpower to overcome their psychic

grip and move across the room to rend them with his claws. Glaring

at the tall technomancer and the squid like telepath hatefully all

the while.



Imperious and Udragoth merely stared back. Not even bothering to

glare back or mock him.



Dakar was more interested in what was in Logan's mind than anything

about his physical body.



As the cyborg scanned Wolverine's memories, he was amazed by the

advanced science, potent magic, and other powerful forces present in

the world the mutant was from. When he analyzed this information in

light of the data he had recently received from Selene regarding that

planet, the calculating Dakar came to an unpleasant conclusion

regarding his own abilities and resources.



While his personal powers and the forces under his command would make

him far more powerful than the vast majority of people on that Earth,

he and Imperious Industries were far weaker and more vulnerable than

the strongest individuals and groups on that strange parallel

universe version of his own planet.



It was not the easy source of wealth and other valuable resources he

had been hoping for.



"Selene had better be able to keep her promise" Dakar thought darkly

as he contemplated his pessimistic conclusions.



Still, just because he couldn't strip that Earth of resources the way

he had wanted, didn't mean he couldn't take anything of value away

from it. Imperious Dakar thought as he studied the struggling

Wolverine.



As he considered the memories of fast healing and amazing recovery

from physical injury Wolverine had, Dakar thought about how useful

such abilities could be in shock troops.



"I wonder if I could make submissive clones of this man the way I did

of Udragoth" Imperious thought as he gazed upon the fierce male

mutant.



It was an idea worth exploring.



*****



What little damage Angelus's cybernetic body had suffered during the

battle with Chrissy Lera and her top supporters had easily been

repaired. Nevertheless he was still upset over the quick defeat he

had suffered at the hands of the drow (and that his superior needed

Chrissy too much to let Angelus kill her in retaliation) as well as

the influence that the new comer known as Selene seemed to have

gained over Imperious Dakar.



There was little Angelus could (or perhaps even should) do about

these things, so he was taking his frustration out on the people

under his own authority.



"What is the delay THIS TIME doctor?"



They were in front of the inter-dimensional portal the strangely

alien human known as Wolverine had emerged from. The once dirty

alley was now clean and sparkling, and human and Orcish Imperious

Industries workers surrounded them as they built new walls out of

brick and steel.



The man Angelus was addressing, the pale and potbellied Doctor Samuel

Beckman, licked his lips nervously before answering the fearsome

Chief of Security. His colleagues, the five other Imperious

Industries scientists working on the portal, remained silent.



Being more than happy to let Samuel Beckman deal with the frightening

elfin cyborg directly.



"I am sorry Chief Angelus…but there is simply no more we can do…

according to every test we have conducted the portal is safe for

humanoid use…but we can't be sure until we get a volunteer to test it…

and no one seems willing" Beckman explained almost calmly.



Angelus held in his anger as he considered the problem.

Though very competent in his field, Samuel Beckman was rather naïve

and idealistic by the standards of Imperious Industries. Angelus was

surprised that it had apparently not even occurred to Beckman to

force someone to enter the portal and then come back and report their

findings (assuming they were able).



"You can finish the testing once you have some volunteers?" Angelus

asked in his deep mechanically altered voice.



"Proba…yes" Doctor Beckman replied hesitantly as he stared at the

Security Chief's expressionless black mask. Searching in vain for

some hint of what the dangerous and short tempered elf was thinking.



"Then I shall find you some" Angelus said coldly as he surveyed the

Imperious Industries workers surrounding himself and the scientists.



*****



The master vampire Marian Casta didn't know where she was.



After the werewolf Susan Zweller had beaten Marian senseless she had

taken the voluptuous blonde vampire to this strange little room.



The walls and ceiling looked like they were made of rusty gray metal,

but they burned her on contact (indicating that they were holy

somehow). While the floor and only door in the room were made of

gleaming titanium (there were no windows).



There was nothing in the room except for Marian Casta. Even her

clothing and everything else she had worn had been stripped away.

Moreover, she had not fed since being captured.



Leaving the vampire hungry, naked, and trapped.



However, that was the least of Marian Casta's problems.



Since taking her captive, the female werewolf had violently beaten

and raped the blonde vampire repeatedly. Delighted to find someone

who could take her abuse without dying.



Eager to test the limits of her new toy.



Now the once proud vampire was bruised, humiliated, and afraid.

Hoping her tormentor would not come back.



Yet knowing in her heart that the cruel Zweller would.



*****



Over the countless centuries of her life, the ancient mutant witch

Selene had conducted secret liaisons in many strange locations. But

even for the experienced and jaded Selene this was one of the

strangest.



For she and the beings known as Lex and Cain were meeting in the

twisted mental landscape of Susan Zweller.



Lex insisted that it was the perfect place for a secret meeting, for

it was the one place that she could control all the information that

went in or out. So Selene had used her magic to mentally travel to

Susan's mind, while her body was watched over by Esme Cuckoo (the one

person she trusted at all in this world).



The mutant witch was reasonably confident that she would be able to

leave this time, regardless of whether the meeting went well or not.



Lex, Selene, and Cain were holding their discussion in a section of

Susan Zweller's mental landscape that Selene had not seen during her

previous visit. It looked like a modern day office building, empty

except for the three psychic beings.

They were `sitting' in the reception area. Which Selene thought was

probably an unconscious metaphor on Cain and Lex's part to illustrate

that she still had not completely earned their trust, and thus would

only be let in so far.



Selene felt a brief urge to ask Lex if it was unconscious or not, but

she quickly suppressed it. It suited her present needs and her

general preferences to appear as all knowing as possible.



Lex was wearing (assuming clothes really existed in this place) her

crimson suit again, while Cain was still naked. The bestial male's

long fur his only covering. As for Selene, she was `wearing' her

Black Queen attire, feeling most comfortable in it.



The two females did most of the talking. Cain, not being the

talkative sort (except when it came to gloating or threats) said

little.



"So you and Cain are the only two personalities here?" Selene

inquired.



"The only two that matter" the ice woman Lex replied with a

dismissive shrug.



"So they are NOT the only two" Selene thought.



"I must confess…I am still not sure why you two want to be separated…

your individual qualities seem to complement each other quite well"

Selene said. Eager to learn more about what motivated this strange

fragmented creature (and therefore could be used to manipulate her).



"I want a body so strong that I can simply TAKE whatever I want…

without anybody telling me I can't have it right now cause its not

practical" Cain growled while looking meaningfully at Lex.

"And I want to be free of Cain and his bestial urges…while possessing

a body of my own that is so resilient that I need no protector or

avenger" Lex replied curtly, without looking at Cain.



"So she is a prude and Cain is a brute…well I could figure that out

on my own" Selene thought. A little disappointed that it was

something so conventional.



"When can you give us bodies of our own?" Lex asked. Getting

directly to the heart of the matter.



"The process of creating strong new bodies for you two shall take

quite a while…even preparing the spell to separate the portions of a

mind and soul the way you require will be long and complicated…it

will all probably take as long as half a year…several months at the

very least" Selene explained.



"Could we use already existing bodies?…would that speed up the

process? Lex inquired. Not wanting to remain bound by any agreement

or understanding to Selene for so long.



"Why yes…it would…then I would only need to separate you two and

place you into your new forms…though that alone is still anything but

quick or easy" Selene stated. Closely watching the perspective Lex

all the while.



"Then how fortunate we now have access to other worlds…and all the

people and bodies within them…can you use anyone as the new bodies?"

Lex asked pointedly. Wondering if Selene would admit to any as yet

unknown weaknesses and limits to her powers.



"Yes…so long as they cannot severely resist attempts to replace their

minds and souls" Selene claimed (though it was something of an

exaggeration).



"Then WE shall find our new bodies…the multiverse can probably

provide something for the individual needs and preferences of me and

Cain" Lex decided, and Cain nodded his agreement.



"Very well" Selene said.

After all, it would make her own task that much easier.



"And what do YOU want for all this…ya weren't very clear before" Cain

demanded. Being less cunning but no more trusting than Lex.



"Imperious Dakar and I need each other at the moment to achieve our

goals…but an alliance between people as ambitious and uncomfortable

sharing power as us cannot last forever…when it ends I require that

you side with me…and until then supply me with all the information

you two have on Dakar's plans and weaknesses" Selene demanded. Her

fierce crimson eyes denying the possibility of compromise on this

point.



Lex's icy blue eyes and Cain's fierce yellow ones met as they

contemplated the deal. Seeing the same answer in each other's gaze

they stated simultaneously



"Agreed."



*****



Selene returned to her body to find that it was in the same place she

had left it. On the bed in the Presidential Palace guest room that

she and Esme of the Stepford Cuckoos were now using.



As the Black Queen woke up the teenaged blonde telepath said

pettily "took you long enough…so did you get what you wanted or not?"



Selene got into a sitting position on the bed, then stared at Esme

coldly. Wanting to remind the girl of her place.



"Your just a minion…albeit an important one" Selene thought as she

gazed into Esme's blue eyes.



The younger mutant met the harsh crimson stare for a moment, then she

felt a flicker of Selene's power at the edge of her mind and had to

look away.



"Sorry for my rudeness Mistress" Esme said with false contrition.

Knowing the words Selene required.



Though in her heart she was anything but submissive.

"The old bitch is just lucky I didn't kill her in her sleep…she makes

me protect her when she's helpless and STILL treats me like this"

Esme thought angrily.



Selene caught the rebellious thought but let it pass.

For though Esme didn't know it, she had powerful spells cast upon her

to prevent her from hurting Selene in any way. And the ancient witch

thought it would be more interesting and more informative to let Esme

find out on her own.



"Let's see if your capable of any genuine loyalty child" Selene

thought as she gazed upon her disciple.



*****



The personalities of Susan Zweller were alone in her mind once more.



Now that Selene was gone, Lex and Cain debated what they had agreed

to. Unsure of how much they could trust the ancient mutant witch.



"Do you think we can trust her to keep her promise?" Cain growled as

he looked upon the woman of ice, Lex.



Lex knew she had to reassure Cain, because despite the fact that she

was the dominant personality, the male persona was in some ways

stronger than her. Besides, she had doubts too.



"Perhaps not…but if she betrays us we can simply kill her and tell

Dakar we got close to her just to learn her secrets and get her to

lower her guard" Lex said with a thoughtful expression on her face.



The fierce and bestial Cain appeared uncharacteristically uncertain

as he answered "but will he buy that…I LIKE having Imperious Dakar on

our side…besides…I'm not sure how well we can survive if I'm not

doing the fighting for you and your not doing the thinking for me

anymore."



"You and I are one thing…but do you really want to be chained to THEM

forever" Lex replied harshly as she stared deep into Cain's yellow

eyes.



Cain simply shook his big furry head.

He would give almost anything to avoid that.



*****



Zachary Zimmerman had a vague job title, but he was essentially a low

level manager in Imperious Industries. Zimmerman was generally a

competent manager, however he had recently instituted a policy that

made him unsuitable.



He had told the workers under him (untruthfully) that Corporate HQ

had ordered a pay cut, while personally pocketing the difference

between the money he received for payroll and what he was paying his

subordinates.



The normal punishment for Imperious Industries employees who

embezzled from the company was death. However when Zachary

Zimmerman's crime had been discovered, Security Chief Angelus had

decided to use Zimmerman for something special.



A human telepath who served Angelus had ordered Zachary Zimmerman to

go through the inter-dimensional portal and then (if able) return and

report what he saw. If Zimmerman survived the trip but was unable to

return, he was ordered to kill himself (to prevent anyone from

learning about the Imperious Industries efforts).



Now Zachary Zimmerman was inside the partially constructed Imperious

Industries facility, standing before the portal. Security Chief

Angelus, Doctor Beckman and the other scientists studying the portal,

and numerous security guards, all looked on.



Waiting to see what would happen to Zimmerman.



The tall and skinny black man was dressed in a gray jumpsuit packed

full of hidden sensors and recording devices. A garment which was

heavily soaked in Zimmerman's own sweat.



Zachary tried with run away, afraid of what would happen once he went

through the portal. But the telepathic commands the former manager

was under were too strong, and as his captors looked on, he walked

through the portal.



A process that was anticlimactically without loud noises, bright

lights, or other fanfare. He simply disappeared from view.



A few minutes later Zachary Zimmerman reappeared as he came back

through the portal. Seemingly none the worse for wear.



When asked by Doctor Samuel Beckman what he saw, Zimmerman answered

with a single word that both frustrated and mystified Beckman and the

other scientists.



Trees.



*****



Minister of Security Archon couldn't remember the last time he was

this happy.



He was displeased by the fact that he owed the ancient witch Selene

his life, or that he couldn't kill the vampire that almost killed

him, Marian Casta, because the werewolf who defeated her had claimed

the vampire as her prize.



But none of that mattered compared to what he was doing now.



The tall illithid was in his office with his most trusted Mind Flayer

followers. No words were spoken, for they were all communicating

telepathically.



Fearful of being overheard.



A list had been compiled by Archon's personal aides of all the

Ministry of Security personnel whose loyalty to the Security Minister

and the organization as a whole was considered questionable. There

were hundreds of names on the list.



Archon signed the death order without hesitation.



And Ministry of Security's first `in house' purge began.



*****



Now that the Minister of Defense was dead, there appeared to be only

two obvious and qualified candidates to fill the position.



General Alphonse Chang and the late Minister's personal assistant

Ning Fukui.



General Chang was a human soldier with decades of experience leading

troops to victory. He had served under Rosenthrall since before the

campaign to take control of Iberia began. Alphonse Chang was also

the most highly respected and regarded of the Iberian generals not

only by the military but also by the general populace. However,

General Chang had been bound to the Iberian state primarily out of

convenience and his personal relationship with Rosenthrall. Not by

loyalty to the President or the country as a whole.



Ning Fukui was quite different (though also a human male).



Raised in a government orphanage, Ning Fukui was a part of an

emerging generation that had grown up under the rule of the Lera

regime.



This generation was, by and large, loyal to or at least approving of

the current government. Not only because they had been subjected to

pro-government propaganda their whole lives, but also because

conditions in Iberia really had improved substantially over that

period (there was less crime, corruption, and abject poverty).



Ning Fukui seemed to epitomize this generation.



He truly believed in the goals and ideals of the Chrissy Lera regime,

and looked up to the drow dictator with a respect and admiration

bordering on reverence. Fukui had joined the Iberian military as

soon as he legally could (age 17) and had fought with distinction in

several border skirmishes. His intelligence, bravery on the field,

and attention to detail had soon brought him to the attention of the

head of the military herself.



Minister Rosenthrall had taken the talented young man under her wing

and made Fukui her personal assistant. Teaching Ning Fukui much of

what she knew of military strategy and policy making. As time went

on Ning was assigned more and more of the daily tasks of managing the

Iberian military, leaving Rosenthrall with time free to pursue more

important matters (like her ever growing rivalry with the Minister of

Security).



Now that Minister Rosenthrall was dead, Ning Fukui seemed qualified

to run the Ministry of Defense, for that was basically what he had

been doing for some time.



At least during peacetime.

However, unlike the late Rosenthrall (or General Chang for that

matter) Fukui had little experience commanding large numbers of

troops in combat. He was experienced doing everything to run a large

military except for handling it in wartime.



But despite this huge gap in his expertise, Ning Fukui was still

considered a viable candidate because his loyalty was unquestionable.



Nevertheless, if the decision was up to her, President Chrissy Lera

would have chosen General Alphonse Chang instead. For with Iberia

surrounded by so many hostile powers, war seemed all too likely.



Unfortunately such decisions were no longer up to her.



Chrissy Lera was in her office with the two beings she was beginning

to hate more than any others. The ancient mutant witch Selene and

the technomancer Imperious Dakar (and of course, Dakar's familiar

Udragoth).



Gleaming ebony lamps and other black furniture filled the room, for

Selene had already begun redecorating it (much to Chrissy's anger and

disgust). The President, dressed once more in her immaculate white

suite provided an interesting visual contrast to the new décor.

Moreover, the fact that she was sitting behind her massive desk while

Udragoth, Dakar, and Selene stood before it, might indicate to an

outside observer that they were waiting on her.



However, such appearances meant little.



"Get this straight old girl…you work for US now…and we DON'T want

Fukui or Chang in charge of the Defense Ministry" the muscular male

informed Chrissy as he looked down upon her.



"Go to hell" Chrissy said defiantly as she stared into Dakar's

crimson eyes.



In response, Dakar used Lera's neural implant to directly stimulate

the pain centers of her brain. Causing Chrissy to screech in agony

as her entire body seemed to be gripped by pain.



"Are you going to be a good girl now?" Imperious asked coldly.



Chrissy replied by cursing at him in French. Calling him every vile

name she could think of.



Imperious reacted by increasing the stimulation of Chrissy's pain

centers. Adding to her agony until she lost control and fell out of

her chair. Whimpering as endless waves of pain seemed to course

through her.



Finally it was too much.



"Stop…Please stop!" Chrissy cried out from her position on the floor

behind her desk.



Dakar walked over to the fallen leader and glowered down at her.

Stating imperiously "no more of that…understood" as he ceased the

stimulation of the pain centers of her brain.



Chrissy's gaze was full of hate as she looked up at Dakar. However,

she was too cowed (at least for the moment) to say anything.



The witch Selene moved so fast that she seemed to vanish and reappear

behind Chrissy Lera. She grasped Chrissy around the waist and lifted

the dark elf back into her chair with surprising gentleness and

strength.



Then she whispered into Lera's ear "you're a good little doll."



Chrissy tried to push the witch away, but Selene caught the arm and

then brought the hand to her mouth. Biting down on the elf's index

finger with just enough force to draw blood.



Chrissy cried out and Selene let the drow pull her hand back.



"This blood…your beautiful ebony skin…your synthetic eyes…your womb…

and very soul itself all belong to me now…and the sooner you accept

this the happier you shall be" Selene telepathically `said' to

Chrissy in a seductive mental voice. Licking the blood off her lips

as she did so.



The proud dark elf found herself looking away.

As an experienced necromancer she had seen many things others would

find disturbing or disgusting, but this was a new experience for

her. Ever since Chrissy Lera had declared her independence from her

mother and embraced her own strength no one had been able to treat

her like this.



She was NOT a submissive.



"You can't treat me like this!" Chrissy said defiantly as she glared

up at Selene and Dakar. Refusing to acknowledge Udragoth's presence

at all (for she knew he was little more than an extension of Dakar by

now).



"And why is that child…because you are powerful…but I have conquered

those far more powerful…because you are wealthy…but I have owned

those much wealthier…because you are beautiful…but I have possessed

those even more beautiful…none of that mattered…in the end they all

surrendered to Selene" the ancient witch pronounced. As she wore a

look of confidence and surety.



"Amazing…she really seems to believe her own propaganda" Imperious

Dakar thought as he looked at the pair. Still a bit surprised

(despite the mental link he had shared with her) that the witch was

so conceited.



But while he was learning fascinating details about his new

associate, Dakar was still running out of patience regarding

Chrissy's stubbornness. He just wanted to finish this and move on.



"Your not in charge anymore Christina…your just the front woman now…

we control the Iberian government…not you" Imperious said.

Deliberately using Chrissy's despised birth name as a further insult.



"I AM the government!" Chrissy said desperately. Still in denial

about the current state of things.



Dakar repressed a sigh and held out his hand. In response Udragoth

(who knew his master's desires) handed the technomancer a piece of

paper he took out of his robes. Imperious put the official document

on the desk before Chrissy.



The dark elf quickly read the piece of paper, then scowled as she

realized what it was. An official document naming Captain Alberto

Francisco the new Minister of Defense.



"Who the hell is Alberto Francisco?" Chrissy demanded. Having never

heard of the soldier before.



"Someone Archon suggested to us" Selene replied in a deceptively mild

tone.



Chrissy Lera knew what that meant.

Captain Alberto Francisco was either under the under the influence of

or direct control of the Ministry of Security. They would never have

recommended him otherwise.



"NO…I WON'T APPOINT ONE OF ARCHON'S TOOLS DEFENSE MINISTER" Chrissy

shouted.



Imperious Dakar wasn't willing to argue anymore.



The technomancer used his power to reach into Chrissy and compel her

to sign the order. The female necromancer fought against the

Imperious commands with all her mental might. Gritting her teeth as

she tried to fight off the urge to take one of her pens out of her

desk.



It wasn't enough.



Chrissy found one of her own black hands reaching into the her desk

and taking out a pen. Tears of frustration and humiliation filled

her eyes as she felt her fingers grip the little cylinder and put it

to paper.



"NO…no…no…I won't do this!" Chrissy thought in denial as she exerted

all her will power against the compelling force in her mind.



But the power of the technomancer had sunk too deeply into her mind.

And it would not be denied.



"Noooo" Chrissy sobbed as she put her signature on the official

document appointing Alberto Francisco Defense Minister.



Selene looked at the pretty dark skinned elf, who was so obviously

distraught, and then reached out and softly stroked her hair.



Cooing softly as she did so "your such a sweet doll."



*****



Everything was finally ready for the big event.



The outer structure of the portal facility was virtually finished,

and the few unfinished walls were filled in with temporary plastic

barriers. Shielding what occurred within from prying eyes.



The ancient mutant witch Selene, looking confident and composed,

wrote mystic runes in human blood before the portal. Minister

Archon, Security Chief Angelus, Imperious Dakar, and all their

various entourages, watched closely. Eager to see if Selene's spell

did what she said it would.



Esme Cuckoos stood near an exit. Ready to run if something went

wrong and all these dangerous people turned against her mistress.



"Better her than me" the blonde telepath thought.



Doctor Samuel Beckman and his colleagues studied various scientific

instruments. Wanting to record all the data that they could about

this event.



Then a bound and gagged Zachary Zimmerman was brought in.



The black man was struggling all he could. His eyes full of

desperation and fear. But no one watching had enough sympathy for

the poor man to actually do anything.



Zimmerman was deposited at Selene's feet, in the center of the

strange symbol the mutant witch had written in blood on the floor.

Then the guards who had brought him, quickly retreated from the

powerful witch and her intended victim.



Zachary looked up, and found himself looking into the ancient crimson

eyes of Selene.



He saw his own doom in that terrible gaze, and tried to flee.

However, before he could, Selene struck.



Many of those watching expected the witch to pull out a knife or

other weapon. But instead she simply touched Zachary Zimmerman's

forehead while her other hand touched the floor.



The man felt a brief flare of pain, then his body was turned to dust,

as his life force and very soul itself were stripped from him by

Selene. Then the witch channeled that energy into her spell.



The lines of blood glowed as the magic energy worked on the portal.

The portal itself issued a sound like a great beast screaming in pain

as it was transformed.



Its destination altered and redirected.



Now the portal led to a different planet than the world Wolverine had

come from. A world rich in magic and full of ancient evils.



And the portal siphoned energy from a source of this magic and evil

as it reformed. Draining magic from something called the Hellmouth

as it opened near a city called Sunnydale.