by J. J. Green
A second female approached. “We could pull back those rounded shoulders. And wouldn’t you prefer to be a little bigger here?” She lightly poked one of Carrie’s breasts. “And a little smaller here?” She patted her bottom. “A little thinner all over?”
Carrie flinched and tried to step through the circle the three dandrobians were forming around her. She glanced sideways at Dave, but a dandrobian blocked her view. She opened her mouth to speak, but the leading female held up a hand.
“Don’t answer straightaway. Take some time to think about it. Body modifications are something that should be considered carefully. But have no doubt...” She leaned in until her face was only centimetres from Carrie’s. “...we are experts. We can achieve the very best results.”
“I wasn’t going to give you my decision,” said Carrie.
“Oh?”
“No, I was going to point out a flaw in your plan. If I undergo the body alterations you suggest, my manager will see immediately that I’ve changed, and it’ll be clear that dandrobians did it. If I turn up in an altered body, it’ll show the Transgalactic Council that you’ve been illegally engineering things again.” Her heart rose into her mouth. Maybe she shouldn’t have pointed that out.
“Ohhh.” The dandrobian turned her head and waved a hand dismissively. “Transgalactic Council managers are drawn from the same species, which perceives the world almost entirely through smell. When we’ve finished with you you’ll smell exactly the same. Your manager will never notice any alterations, but you certainly shall.” She prodded Carrie’s chest.
Carrie thought back to her first meeting with Gavin, her manager before Errruorerrrrrhch. He had mistaken her for a squashpump, but at the time she had not realised how outrageously wrong he had been. The dandrobians were correct. Neither Gavin nor Errruorerrrrrhch would notice a change in her appearance.
“Don’t you realise, my dear, how much easier your life would be if you were devastatingly attractive? Everyone loves beauty. You’ll have so many friends, everyone will want to spend time with you or have you work for them, or not work at all. You’ll be richer, more successful—everyone will love you. Wouldn’t you like that?
The dandrobian stepped back. “But, before you decide, let me show you what we can do.”
Carrie had a clear view of the room once more. Dave was gone. “Hey! Where’s my friend?”
“Don’t worry, the others have whisked him away to show him the wonderful transformations he can undertake.”
“No.” Carrie clenched her fists. “Take me to Dave right now.”
“Calm down, my love. There he is.”
A cubicle wall on the other side of the room slid back, revealing her friend. He was looking at a long, high screen like an oversized dressing room mirror. On the screen was an image of a taller, even more attractive Dave.
Carrie called his name, and he turned and gave her a wave before resuming his contemplation of his alternative body and face. She frowned. Why would Dave be tempted by such an offer? He was already attractive. Surely he was satisfied with how he looked?
“This way, darling,” trilled a dandrobian, and another cubicle wall slid back.
Unsure of what to do, Carrie followed the dandrobian to the cubicle. She glanced over her shoulder at Dave, who was preoccupied with studying his image. She shook her head.
Two dandrobians awaited her in the cubicle. One rubbed his hands together. “This is my favourite part,” he said. Sitting down, he picked up a wire that was lying across a table, and after he had clipped one end of the wire behind his ear, an image flickered to life on the screen.
Carrie winced. The image was like a mirror, reflecting her exact appearance. Her rounded belly bulged out of the front of her too-tight jumpsuit; lumps of fat curved at the tops of her thighs; her hair was a windblown mess; and on her ordinary, average face she had a few pimples.
The dandrobian with the wire said, “Never fear, my darling. There’s sooo much we can change. So much!” He turned to look at the screen. Carrie’s image grew taller, as tall as a tall human, though not as tall as a dandrobian. The fat on her stomach and thighs melted away, her hair became long and flowing, and her face evened out. The image was still her, but it was the Hollywood version. Film star Carrie smiled, and her teeth were straight and white.
For a long moment ordinary Carrie gazed at beautiful Carrie. Memories of her adolescence came flooding back: the realisation that, even if she learned the mysteries of makeup and other beauty skills girls her age had been interested in acquiring, she would never look like the models in the magazines; the fear no one would ever find her attractive; and the dread of being singled out as ugly or even just plain. Thoughts of how wonderful it would be to have a perfect body and perfect face formed in her mind. Clothes shop sales assistants would no longer patronise her; people would notice when she entered a room; men would be queueing up for the chance of a date.
The female dandrobian clasped her hands together. “Oh, do say yes. Your friend has already agreed.”
Turning, Carrie looked at Dave in the other cubicle. She couldn’t believe what she saw. He was nodding and shaking hands with a dandrobian. Dave was agreeing to a whole body makeover? Dave? The most good-looking man she had ever seen in real life, who was not only drop-dead gorgeous, but also had perfect taste in clothes. While her brain was trying to process this information her mouth struggled to form words. “B—but.”
The female dandrobian was nodding. “Yes, your friend is a fine specimen of a human being, but even he could use some improvement, and he was sensible enough to take us up on our offer. Now, what do you have to say?”
Her mind a haze of confusion, Carrie blurted, “But...it isn’t only my Transgalactic Council managers I have to consider. No one back home will recognise me, and I won’t be able to go back to my job.”
The female shrugged. “When you’re beautiful you can get new friends and a new job. Your life will improve in every way. You have simply no idea of the benefits beauty brings.”
Carrie clasped her head, but the action did nothing to stop the whirling in her mind. “I’m sorry, I have to think.”
A fleeting tension crossed the dandrobian’s face, replaced by a charming smile. “Of course.” Turning to the others, she said, “Let’s withdraw and leave Officer Hatchett to make her decision. If you have any questions, we won’t be far away.”
The three aliens went out, leaving Carrie alone with the beautiful version of herself still smiling from the screen. Her eyes roved the image longingly once more. How many times had she wished she was taller, thinner, more shapely? That her hair was smooth and flowing, her skin clear, her face beautiful? Plenty of times was the answer, especially since arriving in Dandrobia. And here she was, being offered the opportunity on a plate.
She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away, forcing down the yearning in her heart. If only Dave was here to tell her what a bad idea it was. She needed him to talk some sense into her, like he had the night she had taken Apate to the pub. But Dave had agreed to the dandrobians’ offer. And just when she needed his calm, sensible approach.
She shook her head. It was no good. She could never agree to recommending the dandrobians be set free. And yet... She peeked again at the beautiful Carrie, and found herself turning around and drawing close to the screen. Her hand reached out to touch the smooth surface and lightly traced the figure’s eyes and mouth. The dandrobians were right. It wasn’t just a matter of feeling better about herself, being good-looking could make many things in life easier. People warmed to an attractive face. But she couldn’t, she mustn’t. With a great effort, she turned away from the screen.
If Dave wasn’t going to talk some sense into her she would have to do it herself. She held up a finger. One. What was the squashpumps’ message about, and what are Apate and Notos doing on Earth? The dandrobians aren’t to be trusted. They mustn’t ever leave their planet. She lifted a second finger. Two. How can you even think about never seeing your fa
mily and friends again just for the sake of being gorgeous? A third finger joined the others, but an accompanying reason would not come. Carrie’s brow wrinkled. Maybe there were only two points? What would Dave say? The Dave that hadn’t transformed into some strange, vain creature she did not recognise, that is. The finger wavered a moment, but then she had it. She could hear her friend’s voice in her head. Looks aren’t important, Carrie, not when it comes to things that really matter.
The haze in her mind cleared. Dave had been right, even if he wasn’t following his own advice. The dandrobians were beautiful but they were also deceitful and tyrannous. The attractive Carrie on the screen behind her was flawless, but though she looked like her, it was not her, it was someone else. The Carrie she knew, the Carrie she was, was average-looking, short and little bit podgy. Lastly, Dave’s inconsistency told her something important. If someone as good-looking as him could see room for improvement, would she ever be content with herself, no matter how beautiful the dandrobians made her? The dandrobians weren’t content with their paradise.
She could never agree. But what would they do when she refused their offer?
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Superhuman Race
Peeking outside the cubicle, Carrie saw the three dandrobians standing only a short distance away, chatting. Their voices were low, and she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She drew her head in.
They would never let her go if she didn’t agree to their proposal. She knew too much, and the Transgalactic Council would impose even stricter sanctions when she told them what the dandrobians were up to. What would they do to prevent her from passing on their secret? She swallowed. Her only hope was to get away from them, right now.
She took her translator out of her bag. If she could manage to pronounce Errruorerrrrrhch’s name, she could contact her and ask for a gateway out. As a realisation struck her she closed her eyes. It would mean leaving Dave behind. She put the translator away. She would have to get her friend away from his dandrobian makeover artists so they could escape together.
But if she went into the open area the dandrobians would see her. Scanning around, Carrie’s gaze alighted on the table. She climbed onto it and grabbed the top of the cubicle wall. Scrambling up, she pulled herself over. She landed softly, allowing her knees to fold under her. She was in another cubicle, empty of dandrobians, but here there was no table to climb onto, and still she couldn’t leave in the normal way without being in clear view. She looked at the top of the cubicle wall. It seemed too high for her to leap up and reach, but maybe in the lower gravity...? She had nothing to lose. Starting at the opposite wall, she ran, jumped and clasped the top, using her forward momentum at the last moment to throw her leg up and hook a foot over. After a breathless, silent struggle, she clambered up and slipped down the other side.
Something soft was beneath her when she landed, and it let out a muffled groan. “Dave,” she squeaked, sliding quickly off her friend. He was trussed and gagged with fine dandrobian cloth. Pulling a long piece from his mouth, Carrie whispered to him while he worked his mouth so that he could speak. “What happened? Why did they tie you up after you agreed to a makeover?” She frantically undid the knots binding his wrists and ankles.
“I didn’t agree to a makeover. What are you talking about?” Dave’s voice was barely audible.
“But I saw you.”
“Whatever you saw, it wasn’t me.” He was rotating his hands and feet. He stood and flexed his legs.
“We’ll have to talk later,” murmured Carrie. “We have to get out of here now. They’ll be back to check on me any second. But we can’t go out there.” She indicated the open space between the cubicles. “They’ll see us. We have to jump the wall.”
“Won’t they see that too?”
“Not if they aren’t looking this way. And if we’re very, very lucky.”
Dave assessed the wall’s height. “I’ll never make it.”
“You can. I did, and you’re taller than me. It’s lower gravity, remember?”
“Then what do we do? We’re trapped in here.”
“Maybe not. I think the doorway’s just an illusion. Why would they need a door they could lock? If we can get to it, we might be able to run straight through.”
Her friend looked doubtful.
“We have to try. Now, before it’s too late,” pleaded Carrie.
Dave nodded. Setting his lips, he backed up to the wall, one leg out behind him, and ran at the opposite wall, before springing up and grabbing the top. He tried to hook his knee over, but it slipped and he was left hanging. Carrie ran to him and grasped his feet, pushing him up the extra few inches needed for him to scramble over.
“Hey,” a dandrobian shouted. He had been spotted.
There was no point in hiding now. Carrie ran into the central area just as Dave left the cubicle to join her. Together, they pelted down the room, away from the pursuing dandrobians. Carrie feared the athletic aliens would catch them easily, but in the lower gravity she and Dave flew. They reached the end of the room in moments, but Dave turned one way and Carrie the other.
“This way,” shouted Dave.
Carrie turned back and followed on the heels of her friend down the narrow space between the cubicles and the wall. After a moment she glanced behind, but the dandrobians were not there. Where had they gone? “Watch out,” she called as a cubicle wall just in front slid open and an arm reached out. Dave barrelled through and Carrie ducked under just as the arm’s owner appeared.
“Missed them. They’re heading towards you,” called a voice.
Dave was flying around the corner, and Carrie was right behind him. The wall they were passing looked the same as all the others. Carrie hoped her friend knew where he was going and would see the door’s faint outline, because she was lost. Then Dave veered right, and in a blink he was gone. Her heart bounded. She kept her eye on the spot where her friend had vanished as she headed for it, but when she reached the place a male dandrobian stepped out and grabbed her. He lifted her off her feet.
There was no time for anything other than dirty fighting. Hoping male dandrobians were made in the same way as male humans, she drove her knee between his legs. He dropped her like a hot coal and fell soundlessly to the floor, curling into a foetal position. In a second Carrie was through the illusory wall and out into the open.
“Get on,” called Dave.
Directly outside was a pegasus, and Dave was on its back. Carrie needed no encouragement. Not pausing in her stride, she ran, leapt up, grabbed a handful of mane and prodded the creatures sides with her heels. The animal started forward at a quick trot as the dandrobians emerged from the hill. They grabbed at its tail but the pegasus pulled away. In a moment it was at a canter and moving steadily farther from their pursuers. Carrie gripped tighter as the canter became a gallop. The great wings opened and began to beat the air.
As the distance between them and the dandrobians increased, Carrie’s fear began to melt away and her excitement surged. The pegasus’ wings beat more strongly, generating blasts of wind that whipped her hair.
“Nooo...” shouted Dave, “stop it.” The animal’s hoof beats became lighter against the ground. Then suddenly they were in the air, and the Parthenon, the hill, the trees and fields and shining sea were dropping away below.
Chapter Thirty – Flight into Danger
“Make it land,” shouted Dave. “Make it put us down. We’ve got away from the dandrobians. Carrie, make it stop. We’re going to die.”
“Just hold on tight. We’ll be fine,” Carrie called over her shoulder. She glanced behind and had to stifle a giggle. Dave was chest-downward with his arms wrapped around the pegasus’ broad back, his face white. “Actually, I don’t know how to make it land.”
“What? B—but you said...you were all excited about the flying horses.”
“I was, but I never rode one. I never had the chance. Calm down and enjoy it.” The pegasus had flown high enough for her ears to pop, but the
animal didn’t seem intent on going any higher. Dandrobia spread out below them. In the distance was a mountain range and to their left was the sparkling ocean. The landscape was a deep, rich green. There was no sign of the squashpumps’ drying dust as far as she could see. Another subterfuge by the dandrobians. The damage was probably confined to the complex around the receiving hall to be used as evidence to show Transgalactic Council staff.
Carrie frowned. She needed to find out what the dandrobians were up to and tell Errruorerrrrrhch so that she could go back home and find Rogue before he got into danger.
Warm, fresh air flowed past them as the pegasus’ wings carried them steadily on. The creature’s mane was thick and silky in Carrie’s hands, and its fine, long ears were turned backward towards her. Of course! The animal was waiting for her to tell it where to go. Would it understand English? And where should they go? There was only one place that she thought the creature might know.
“I’m going to try something,” she called to Dave. “Hold on.” Gripping the mane tightly, she leaned as far forward as she dared, and said, “Library,” into one of the pegasus’ ears.
The broad white wings spread wide and the animal began to bank and turn, gliding swiftly to a new direction. Carrie’s heart soared.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” called Dave.
To distract her friend from his predicament, Carrie called, “How did you find the pegasus?”
“I didn’t. I didn’t have time. It was right there, like it was waiting for us.”
Or maybe waiting for me? Was this the animal she had befriended back at the complex? Had it followed them to the Parthenon?
“And what happened before we escaped?” asked Carrie. “I saw you agreeing to a makeover.”
“I told you, I don’t know what you saw, but it wasn’t me. Why would I agree to something stupid like that?”