SpellsRUs: Urge for Self Loving

My thanks to:

J R Parz, the inventor of the Master PC universe, one of the better class of MC stories.

My heartfelt appreciation to J R D author of the magnetically compelling Witch Chronicles series.

Xanthos Pendragon , his Master PC Eclectic's Edition reminded me of the consequences of messing about with others' actions and how it troubles the conscience of the self-respecting, not to mention frequent mentions in this little yarn.

Bill Hart, creator of the Spells R Us and it's Wizard, master of the fine print, Robert Heinlein for writing such wonderful classics as Stranger in a Strange Land, and finally, all of you out there who read these stories..

And now, on with the story!

*

As best I can recall now, the whole life-changing incident occurred in spring time. You'll have to forgive my blurred memory. At this distance, it becomes difficult to remember exact dates. Anyway, on with the whole sordid story. So, let me just tell my story, and if you want to alter anything to make it fit together better, be my guest. I'd be the last guy on the planet to insist on accuracy if it's lack makes a better story.

It was an average spring morning. The temperature was somewhere in the high sixties, a bit overcast. Since I had the day off work, I decided to spend the day surfing the 'Net.

A few bits of junk e-mail, nothing worth even a first look. Anything in newsgroups? Nope, nothing.

Let's try some of the story archives... Ahh, here we go. A new Master PC story. Download that. Nothing new from J R D. Oh well. J R Parz got anything? Yup, here we go. Nothing else interesting. Must be a slow day.

I logged off the 'Net, opened up MS Word, and started reading. The new Master PC story wasn't all that interesting, just the usual 'geek gets ultimate power, geek uses ultimate power to enslave most of the distaff gender'. How dull.

J R Parz, however, never fails to entertain. Sometimes it's sad seeing what some people do with such a good story idea. Too bad the Master PC doesn't exist. Or does it, and I'm just not finding it?

What the hell, it's not like I've got anything better to do today. I logged back onto the 'Net, and started cruising the search engine sites. Entering 'Master PC' gets me a few hits, but even adding in 'Xanthos Pendragon' and a few other items doesn't give me jack. OK, then, time to take off the kid gloves. I went back to the search engines, but I found the occult ones a much better resource. Most of them only were reviews of various Master PC stories, but a few others were more enlightening. Wait a sec, some of these posts have attached files. Let's see.....

Paydirt! "Master. Exe!" Download that sucker now! As the computer downloads the file, I rub my hands in anticipation. "Wait a sec... If Master PC DOES exist, what're the chances that some of those stories are real? Wha... Xanthos! His backtrack-and-erase add on must have taken effect. So Master PC is limited to those people that had the file before his wipe. Shit!" I was pissed. Xan's actions I approved of in broad terms, 'cause who knew what'd happen if a bunch of repressed computer geeks got a hold of god-like power, but when it came to myself, I thought I was smart enough and selfish enough not to get stupid with it. I pulled up Xanthos' story, and reread the initial few chapters. Aha! He put a back door on the program just in case he had to reload the thing! Now all I have to do is guess what he'd have made the password...

Hell, how'm I to know what he chose? I ruminated for a while, the computer having finally finished downloading. I knew enough programming to know that Xan's virus wouldn't take effect until the program had been unzipped and a set number of failed passwords was entered. If he were really smart, he'd have nested the commands, and used something simple so that if one of his wives had to reload the program, they wouldn't have to work too hard.

"Lessee, what would I use if I were paranoid, but wanting to cover my ass at the same time?"

I unzipped Master. Exe while I thought. The Install Wizard window popped up, and I entered the file path I wanted. I lit a cigarette while I waited, then decided that I had nothing to lose. I tried the first thing that came to mind. When the Master Control Console opened up, a smaller window for password entry popped up. I typed in "Xanthos Pendragon needs the Master PC". No dice. Second try, probably 2 of 3 chances I'd get. Shit! Better make this good! "I need the Master PC!" Failure. What the hell, if it worked, I'd never need to remember it again, and if it failed, I'd forget all about Master PC being real. "Xanthos Pendragon's backdoor." Success!!

I'd done it! I now had the reality-warping, body-altering, mind-controlling program at my beck and call. First things first, though, that nasty little password has to go!

"Please enter User's Name." 'Jason'

"Welcome to the Master PC control center. You now have access to the Master PC, and can act as a god to all those around you!"

Good, I'd hate to think I went through all that work for some damn registry cleaner or something.

"Enter Subject's Name." 'Jason *******' The view window on the right of the Control console now had the oddly-familiar image of my body, wearing the shorts and T-shirt I had on, spinning on a wire-frame globe. Under the Intelligence heading, the original reading was "Genius level intelligence" with a bar extending from room-temperature intellect all the way past Einstein. I decided on just a simple upgrade, to Mega-Genius. The elapsed time was 10 seconds, a decent interval while I pondered if this was really such a good idea. 10 seconds later, I agreed with my initial impulse. My mind was now much broader in scope, with an enhanced memory, and much faster processing speed. Now that I had the brainpower to accomplish the feats, I decided that my first order of business was to construct for myself an override for the Master PC. I didn't want just anyone to be able to use it to ruin all my fun.

I decided to follow Xanthos' lead and input a few password controls over my person, to prevent anyone from altering me with this or any other computer with the Master. However, I knew (from my own recent escapade) that it was possible for someone with enough information on me to reconstruct my thought processes to get the password. Better to have too much protection than to risk my ass on getting fried by arrogance. I gave myself complete understanding of current state-of-the-art electronics, and after a little thought on the matter, decided to construct a micro EMP for my person. Anyone trying to overwrite my own alterations with Master PC would have to get past the EMP to do it. Not bad, and if I happened to be close enough, I could short out the computer running the program. Now, though, I had the diagram in my head, but no materials with which to make it, and less in the way of funds for it. Hell!

Wait a second! Master PC! I could use it to... Typing rapidly, I gave myself the ability to rearrange all non-living matter that I touched into other material of my choice. Great! Problem solved! "Why bother with body-shaping when I've got the Master?" I mused aloud. I left my bedroom and went out into my backyard. I gathered up a few chunks of wood, since I had it to spare. A visualization and touch later, I had the materials I needed. It was the work of a few hours to make the micro EMP, but I knew it was well spent. With a sigh of relief, and feeling a little more secure in my power, I went back inside and proceeded to start playing with the Master. A few tweaks here and there, mostly to immunize myself against diseases and with regeneration to take care of injuries. Also, from my readings on the matter, I knew that women had something like 40 percent more in the sensory nerves department than men, making them much more susceptible to touch and sensation. What the hell. I added in those as well. When that little change went through, I realized why women didn't have to be visually oriented. Why should they, when they can get such a charge out of the fabric of their clothes? No wonder the fabrics marketed to women cost so much, it was a guaranteed sale! An application of my new power over matter changed the nubby cotton I was wearing into silk, but without changing it's appearance. Much better!

Some of my more traditional changes also registered their approval. My new, thicker dick stirred. I hadn't added anything to it's length, just it's width. I was now 40 percent thicker, no longer a pencil dick. As it continued to rub against my silk underwear, I started to get hard. I thought for a moment about just letting it happen, but I was too interested in playing with the computer. A twitch of mental muscle, and my half-erect member subsided into dormancy. Time enough for games later. After another twenty minutes and a few changes later, mostly to make my other changes not noticeable to anyone that knew me before and to keep anyone else from messing around with my computer, I was starting to run down on energy. My new brainpower told me that the energy to rearrange matter had to come from somewhere, and the best source for that was me. I went back upstairs and raided the kitchen, making off with a few cans of tuna fish and some chips, while I ordered 3 pizzas from a nearby pizza place. I transmuted a few extra socks into some cash, and while I waited for the delivery guy to get there with the food, I reread some of my fave stories from the 'Net, gathering more ideas. Downloading the entire Master PC program into my head was interesting, but not interesting enough for me to monkey with my mind any more. A better idea suggested itself from the other extreme of my stories. Bill Hart's Spells-R-Us Wizard's image floated around my brain for a little while, seeming to indicate my subconscious' interest in the idea. I decided to try it. I input the command 'Give to me all of the magic usable by the Wizard of Spells-R-Us and the knowledge to make the magic work." I sat back in anticipation. A shift in my mind came rapidly, filling up my enlarged memory to the brim. "No wonder Wizards use spellbooks. Too much here to risk forgetting." I transmuted a pair of shoes into a large leather-bound tome, and with the aid of a spell in my head, I transmitted all of my spells into the book. I had to transmute more stuff into books to hold all the spells, there were SO many of them!

A knock at the door, and my dog's barking told me that the pizza delivery guy was here. I edged past Savage, and slid out the door. The pizza guy took my transmuted money without a second glance, along with a large tip for getting here early. I waited till he was back in his car, then slipped back into the house, where the dog was waiting. Between the two of us, we polished off all three pies, and I turned the boxes into a long cylinder of balsa wood, since I'd probably need to material for something eventually. Besides which, I didn't feel like answering any questions from my parents on where I'd managed to get the cash for pizza (Yes, I know, what kind of guy lives at home when he's an adult? Only a geek.) Besides which, with Master PC and my new talents to work with, I should have the whole matter under control shortly, so why make more work for myself? Come to that, I thought about the concerns of the federal government, the IRS, and other various political entities, not to mention the other users of Master PC. If I wanted to avoid notice, I should do something not-too-remarkable about my money problems. My concerns were valid, as I couldn't continue to live off my parents forever, but I was now even less inclined to work for a living. All of my material needs could be seen to by virtue of my matter-rearrangement abilities, and who knew what I was capable of with my new spells?

Okay, what was the easiest way to get some money to assuage my worldly financial needs while according the least attention to my personal life? A little thought clarified the matter. I needed a job. But not one as an executive, I lacked the requisite experience, not to mention the toadying skills usually prerequisite with such a job. Also, without a job, I was unlikely to leave the house. Big problem. Okay, now, how do I get a job that lets me live on my own, while not requiring me to either alter someone's mind with the Master or being a bootlicker? Back to the bookstore, I guess. But that job was boring as hell, not to mention stressful.... Hold the phone! What if I had a duplicate? Someone else to work while I played, and if I felt the need to do something ordinary, I could switch places with him! Sounds great to me! A little fiddling with the Master proved fruitless, about all I could do with that was alter someone else to be my duplicate. Boring, not to mention cruel. Why involve someone else, their family, and anyone else that was watching? Maybe the Wizard's spells could help out. I searched through my memory, and found just what I needed. It was possible, via a simple Clone spell, to make an exact duplicate of myself with just a little semen, blood, and hair. I pulled the hair, and nicked my arm with my pocket knife to get the blood. Then all I needed was the semen. I smiled to myself as I released the controls I'd imposed on my dick.

With my enhanced nervous system and a well-practiced hand, I went to work. A few minutes work (and a little lube) later, I had the semen I required. Unfortunately, the dog picked that minute to start barking at my mother's car, which had just pulled up in the driveway.

"Shit!" I yelled at the ceiling. A simple rearrangement of a couple of cigarette butts yielded a small corked test tube, into which I scraped my seed. "Guess this'll have to wait." I put the tube in my junk drawer and sat down on my bed, picking up one of my new spellbooks to kill the time till dinner. My mom came in, I yelled that I was home, and so proceeded a normal evening. I went upstairs an hour or so later, when Paul, my stepdad, yelled out that dinner was ready. Over the meal, my folks asked if I had had any luck with my job seeking, and I replied that I had a few leads, some stuff I was going to work on the next morning. They wished me luck, and I thanked them. No stupid revenge on my folks, hopefully I'd manage to steer around the other distasteful aspects of the average Master PC user as well as I had this one. After dinner, we watched the usual Tuesday night TV, dateline and so forth. After an evening of this, I was anxious to get back to my tinkering. I waited till they went to bed, and went back to work.

"Okay, now, what next?" I muttered to myself as I collected my materials. Blood, hair, and seed. What else did I need for this spell? Enough water to comprise a human body. Well, I wasn't going to spend the night hauling water in buckets into my bedroom. The bathtub would have to do. A like amount of at least once-living matter. Was I going to have to go digging in graveyards like some bargain-basement Frankenstein? No, wait, the wood in the back yard! Once-living, all right! The spell's description said it would take a few hours to complete, so I'd better get to work, since I'd need the darkness for the spell to work at all. A few simple keystrokes with Master PC, and my folks would sleep till morning, and my brother and sister wouldn't come home till after sunrise. Perfect!

Hours later......

I sat on the toilet, staring into the bathtub at what once had been a pile of wood with a smattering of semen, hair, and blood. Staring back at me was my clone, down to the pierced ears and dyed hair.

"Holy shit." We said in stereo. When we heard the other speaking in synch, we both laughed.

"Hiya Jason." I said.

"Hi Jay." He replied. He snickered again. "Did you remember to bring me any clothes?"

"Sorry, I forgot. Here." I stuck my hand into the water still surrounding him and shaped him a pair of shorts and T-shirt like I had on. "Better?"

"Much. Not that I mind seeing me naked, but I don't think we need to get into a bad habit."

"Good point. You want I should give you a minute alone?" I was conscious of my own clothed state, and wanted to give him any privacy he required.

"Please, if you don't mind." I stood and left him, standing out in the hallway. A peek at my wristwatch told me that it was almost 6 am.

"Shit! I almost forgot, Paul's going to need to get up." I turned and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Jay! Better get a move on, Paul's going to be getting up soon!"

"Oh fuck. I forgot." He opened the door and we both went back down to the basement. "Shit, this could get complicated real quick."

"You said it, dude." We heard the master bedroom door open, and someone coming out. Jay looked at me for a minute, then pointed at the computer. My alterations to it had made it impossible for anyone else but me to touch it, but he WAS me! I nodded, trusting him implicitly, and followed him over to the desk. He typed in under Command:? 'Give me the power to mentally communicate with my clone'.

Geez, I'd forgotten that the Clone spell would have cloned me as I currently was, post-Master PC alterations! He had my enhanced intelligence, and all of the other changes too!

As the command kicked in, I felt an extra sense unfolding inside my head. I reached out with it towards Jay, and made contact.

"Damn, that worked even better than I thought!"

"Don't you mean WE thought?"

"True. Now what? We're two of the most powerful beings on this planet, and we're more alike than identical twins!"

"Well, first things first. We'd better change my name, so that any changes we make to one of us leaves the other alone."

"Good point. Any name you prefer?"

"Anything except Steven. I HATE that name."

"How about Peter?"

"Works for me."

I typed in 'Rename my clone Peter *******'. The command separated us from each other, and I felt a little loss at this. Peter remarked mentally that he felt the same, but that the command was for the best. Also at his prompting, I removed his spell-casting ability, and his ability to use the computer. When I asked him why, he simply replied, "Because one of us with god-like power is enough. Besides which, I trust you. And if I need anything done with the Master or with your spells, I can always ask. It's too complicated and risky to have two of us running around." I agreed, and entered the commands. He could no longer manipulate reality with spells or the computer, but I made his alteration commands even more complex and encrypted it with a mirror spell on the program.

While Paul was in the shower and unlikely to hear us, I started up the CD player and took the opportunity to talk with Peter. "So, how do you feel?" I asked.

"Just like you, you dope!" he said with a smile.

"Dumb question, I know, but still, I had to ask." Both of us seemed to regard mental communication as something to used only when other methods didn't work. "Got any suggestions as to how we avoid notice till we get out of this house?"

"Well, we could use Master PC to keep them from noticing that we're twins, just ignore whichever of us comes into the room second or whichever of us they don't expect to see there."

"Good call. We'll use that one." I typed, and so it was done. Anyone that was looking or expecting to see me would only see one of us at a time, and the other would be ignored, completely invisible or unnoticeable. I added in a second command, making it so that when we spoke to each other, noone would hear anything unusual or suspect us of talking to ourself(ves). Peter approved of this addition, and made an additional one. " Cast a spell over us so that if we're together, and two people are looking for each of us, they'll only speak to one of us." I did so, and so we avoided a small hole in my programming logic.

"Groovy. Now we can talk without suspicion. Although we'll have to avoid being together at a party or anything, just to avoid confusion." I smiled, pleased with myself. I looked at my twin, unable to help my insatiable curiosity. I'd always been too prying for my own good. I studied his form, mirror to my own. All I'd done with Master PC was to slightly tone up what muscles I had, not wanting or liking a muscle-bound frame. We were both sleek without being scrawny, and just muscular enough to convey power without the overload of too many hormones. I reached out and started rubbing his chest, causing both of us to shudder.