Test of Five

Flying over the city at night was a breathtaking experience. The colors and flowing lights of traffic were beautiful. Also, if I got high enough it actually felt peaceful. It was just another routine night of patrolling. I'd already stopped two muggings, returned a stolen purse, rescued a kitten, and stopped a run-away truck. Only a few more hours and I could go home. I landed on top of the GinTec building and took a moment to consider my next patrol route. An odd sound rose above the normal hum of the city. If a pack of mice were ice-skating on a blackboard in my head, it would sound something like that. As the noise got louder I swear it made my teeth ache. Was the roof getting closer?

******

A soft chiming woke me. I had to blink a couple of times to get my eyes to focus. I was lying on a cot in a strange room. Nice job girl. You are easily the third best ass kicker in the city and you were caught like a rookie. You didn't even throw a punch. I bounded to my feet, promptly wobbled, and had to put a hand out to steady myself. I was not wearing my costume! My hands flew to my face.

"It was necessary to remove your mask. I can honestly say I don't recognize you. Rest assured there are no recording devices in this facility. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that I am not wearing my usual disguise. If our paths cross in real life I will pay the heftier price of that encounter I assure you." My eyes found the source of the voice. It was the criminal, somewhat genius, Disgruntled Doctor. We'd had several encounters.

"Let me save both of us some time. I've done this simply because I can. Large jobs can take several days, but planning the usual caper takes me two hours at most. That leaves me a lot of spare time - and let's face it, daytime television isn't what it used to be."

"I must have been impacting your operations for you to go through all this," I said filling with pride.

"Dear, you interfere with one in five of my jobs. Half the time I am still able to escape with my primary objective completed." I could feel myself deflate.

"I propose we play a game. There will be five tests, if you complete any one of them I will let you go. There will be a penalty for failure. If you fail all five you will remain in my custody for an undetermined amount of time. Oh, from this point on we will be honest with each other, and you will find your powers aren't working."

I took a moment to consider his words and examine my surroundings. The walls were transparent with visible seams where they met. It was a cube. The walls had the heavy, cold feeling of metal. When I removed my fingers, I noticed they didn't leave any prints. I concentrated and my feet stayed firmly on the floor. He was right: my powers were not working. I considered several questions and dismissed them.

"How do I know you will keep your word if I win?" I asked.

"You don't. I considered this and determined there wasn't an acceptable method to prove my intent to not pursue a course of action."

"Fair enough. The tests?"

"I assure you each has an equal chance of success and failure. Where would be the fun if they weren't fair?"

"What if I choose not to participate?"

"There are benefits for your participation. I do believe a demonstration is in order. Let me direct your attention to the mirror in the corner and the collar you will find around your pretty throat."

I positioned myself so I could see my reflection in the mirror. I was wearing a simple blue jumpsuit. My fingers traced the edge of the metal collar. It was securely attached, but comfortable.

"You might want to be careful. It has anti-tamper measures. Now please watch closely." He tapped with several fingers on a large tablet held in his right hand. A chorus of chirps, beeps, and whistles emanated from it. While looking in the mirror, the edges of my collar gave off a green light and my skin tone gradually changed. It moved from my normal pallor to a light honey color. I gasped. I radiated a healthy glow.

It was an elegant and powerful demonstration. He could do whatever he wanted and I was unable to stop him.

"When do we begin?" I asked.

"Now." He tapped his tablet and section of wall near him slid upwards. As I walked towards him my eyes slid up and down considering him. "My controller is keyed to my DNA. If you are thinking of thrashing me and using my blood to issue commands you should know this device and your collar used diametrically opposed power technologies. Attempting to use both at once would create uncomfortable results."

Damn, I had been considering punching him and taking the device. As we walked away from my cell I noted was situated on a large column rising from the darkness. We proceeded over a small bridge into a separate room.

"This is the first test. For each test you have two hints. Invoking each hint incurs a perk penalty. Obviously, if you succeed no penalty is incurred. You will have four minutes to complete this task. Please begin now"

He waved towards a large pedestal. I approached it and noticed several tiles with markings. It was possible to slide them into different locations. This was a slide puzzle. "Help please," I said.

The doctor tapped some keys and on the wall in front of me an image appeared. Ah, this is what the finished picture should look like. It took me four moves to get the red dot in the upper right hand corner, where it belonged. The blue square found its proper place as if it knew the way. I was getting close. Only the two wavy lines needed to be arranged in the lower left. I heard a horn sound, and the room filled with red light.

"I'm sorry my dear, you failed. Please follow me back to your room." As we returned I noticed a pattern of three concentric circles in the floor. He directed me to step into them.

"It's now time to assess the penalties. I'm feeling generous today and will let you select. Please direct your attention to the screen. You will have five seconds to make your choice. If you are unable to in the time allotted, I will select for you."

The floor in front of me flowed like a liquid and at my eye level a screen appeared. It divided into four equal squares. From left to right then top to bottom they were: "Earthward/Skyward", "Smooth as Silk", "Role Model", and "Golden Ruler". I didn't like the sound of them. If this was supposed to be a penalty then I would take the least vicious sounding one.

"'Smooth as Silk'," I announced.

"Excellent choice." My collar glowed green and I felt a slight pressure against every inch of me. The doctor must have understood the look I gave him.

"Aw, yes. Your skin is being adjusted. All scars and blemishes are being removed as well as all unnecessary hair. You will find your skin always smooth and pleasing to the touch." I ran a finger over my cheek. He was right. It felt like silk. Wait, what did he say about hair? I turned my back to him, unzipped my jumpsuit, and slid fingers underneath my panty. They found perfectly smooth skin. My face was hot as I zipped up and faced him. When I got out of this he was going to receive a swift kick.

"Now for your hint penalty. I'll have my computer select those." His tablet beeped. "Perk number 127, 'Shock and Ooh'." Again my collar glowed green and I felt a slight pressure.

"What was that?"

"Let me demonstrate. Please look ahead and talk for a little bit." I turned my head and talked about how I was going to hurt him in great detail after this was over. He approached and gently blew into my left ear. My knees went weak, I stopped talking, and my train of thought shattered into thousands of bright fragments. Oh boy.

"How many of those do I have?"

"My dear, where would be the fun in ruining the surprise? Are you ready for the next test?"

I sighed deeply and said yes. He pushed several buttons on the controller and I swear the room shifted. Like when you poke Jell-O and it rebounds back into shape, then wobbles a little. It was like that. We walked out over the same bridge and into a completely different room.

"This is a maze. The goal is to make it to the end without being subdued. There is no time limit. Enter when you are ready."

I couldn't see the ceiling. The floor and walls were made of white tiles with lighter white around the edges. They were glowing slightly and provided more than enough light to see clearly. I considered that the first tile inside might be a trap and hopped over it. I heard a chuckle behind me.

"You are over thinking. This might prove to be delightful."

Slowly I made my way through the maze. I avoided one pressure plate pitfall trap, noticed and avoided dart nozzles, and felt the tug of a tripwire before I set it off. The amount of time that had passed was a mystery. My nerves were on edge and I was lightly coated in sweat. I came to a four-way intersection and had to consider my options.

Crossing through the center seemed unwise. The left passage was dark and emanating a humming sound. The other two directions were unremarkable. I had three choices. I took a breath and shouted for help. Floor panels one space away from the walls turned red. Pretty safe bet those were bad. The center was still clear. Well, that only helped a little.

I had a feeling this was the turning point in the maze. So I shouted for help again and two rows in front of the far corridor turned red. OK. To the right it was. I walked carefully between the red tiles and the wall. I was peering down the dark hallway when I heard a loud roar. This caused me to back up half a step. I felt my heel make contact with a tile and found myself encased in white foam up to my chin. It hardened instantly and I tipped over backwards hitting my head on the floor. That was going to leave a mark. The horrible fail horn sounded again and the tiles I could see turned red. After several minutes the doctor was standing over me making disapproving sounds, like my mother used to when I reached for a second cookie.

"Tisk, tisk. You only have three chances left." He took a small box out of his pocket, set it on the hard foam, and took a step back. The box started to emit an impossibly loud whine that grew higher and higher in pitch. The hard foam shattered and fell to the floor. He offered his hand, helped me up, and we walked back to my cell.

Once again I stood inside the circles. The screen rose up from the floor in front of me. Four choices appeared on the screen. Two I really didn't like the sound of, and I didn't understand the third. "'Through the Hourglass'," I said, trying to sound brave.

"Drink this," he said while handing me a large cylinder filled with what looked like a thick brown soup. I drank it as quickly as I could. There was a subtle chocolate flavor and a slight metallic after-taste. "Thank you for not arguing. Your body will need that for raw material. We wouldn't want to hollow out your bones." My collar glowed with a green light and I felt an intense pressure all over me. I gasped and bent over slightly.

I could feel parts of me moving without my consent. My jumpsuit grew tight across my hips, shoulders, and chest. Holy Cow, I had hips! Throughout my adult life I was slim and athletic, not much curve to me at all. I frowned at the doctor.

"You are now a pleasing 34-24-32, and a very full C cup I might add."

"Time for the perks. Please stay within the circles, but you will need to remove the jumpsuit, my dear." I was not thrilled with having to stand around in my underwear. When this was over I was so going to punch his nose.

Slipping out of the jumpsuit allowed me to comprehend the thoroughness of my transformation. My legs were toned and defined without being overly muscular. I could watch muscles ripple under my smooth skin as I moved my leg. My waist seemed impossibly narrow and my hips flared out nicely. I could best describe them as womanly. Running my hands over my backside confirmed my suspicions. It was firm, very curvy, and pushed outwards in defiance of gravity. I took the opportunity to adjust my bra as far out as it would go to lessen the pressure on my chest. I had to admit I liked my new broader shoulders. I was built like a teenage boy's wet dream.

I was snapped out thoughts by the doctor. "Oh, good. Perk number 23: 'Touch Ups'." He furiously tapped buttons. I don't know how his fingers didn't get tangled. I heard him mumbling under his breath "Eyelashes plus 35 percent, eyes green, plus 10 percent, hmm deep copper I think."

"My eyes aren't gree...," was all I was able to say before my collar flashed green and the pressure feeling returned. Once the sensation lessened I swear my head felt heavier.

"Now number 148: 'Decorations'. Please pick two numbers between 1 and 10."

"Huh?" was my brilliant response.

"Please pay attention. You have two perk penalties this time."

I stuck my bottom lip out slightly. "4 and 7," I said. The doctor picked up a long silver chain, dabbed a compound on each end, put it around my waist, and touched the ends together. I heard a faint sizzle and the chain felt warm against my skin. Inspecting the chain revealed that it had no clasp and I could not identify the former ends.

"How am I supposed to remove this?"

"You aren't."

Next he picked up a large oval of glass. One side appeared to be flat and the other cut with many facets. Like those gems shown in the bad treasure hunter movies. He placed it inside my navel, gave it a firm press, and pushed some buttons on his tablet. The gem turned a dark green color and gave off a soft glow. I ran my fingers over my newly toned stomach and the gem. I looked at the doctor and arched my eyebrow.

"Yes, it's permanent as well. Now open up and stick out your tongue. This is going to hurt, but I promise you won't be sore later."

With much trepidation I did as directed. At the edge of my vision I could see him open a bottle, use an eye dropper to pull up a silver liquid, reach out, place a sizeable dot in the middle of my tongue, and two smaller dots slightly forward of the first. Pfft. That didn't hurt. Then I felt icy spikes stab through my tongue. I would have screamed if it hadn't meant biting my tongue off. I'm quite fond of it.

"Let's move along now. I think you will find some better fitting clothes in your room." I pulled my tongue back into my mouth and gave the doctor my best icy stare. When I win and get returned to normal I'm definitely knocking out his teeth, I thought.

I stepped into my cell, the door slid shut, and the walls turned an opaque smoky color. He may be a crazy scientist, but at least he respected my privacy. I took off my remaining clothes and examined myself in the mirror. My jaw hit the floor. This gave the studs in my tongue a chance to sparkle. Man, they were shiny and were going to catch the light every time I spoke. My eyes were definitely bigger and a rich green which matched my belly gem. My eyelashes were thick, long, and simply beautiful.

If I so chose I could effectively bat them at someone and get some free stuff. I giggled at that idea and watched my new breasts bounce up and down. My hair was now perfectly straight, amazingly glossy, a deep copper color, and reached below my shoulder blades. Sadly, this was a big improvement over my normal hair. Yup, my areolas were quarter sized, and after a few pinches I confirmed my nipples pointed upwards and stood out proudly.

I couldn't resist turning my back to the mirror, spreading my legs, and bending over deeply at the waist. My vagina was completely hairless and just as pretty as the rest of me. With a sigh I resolved to win and get my old self back. I searched the closet. The black bra and panty set were a little lacier then I would have selected for myself and the bows between the cups and on the top of the front panel were a bit much, but they fit. I also found black jeans, a dark green shirt, and some tennis shoes. When I was dressed I knocked on the wall were the door was. My cell walls returned to transparent and the panel slid aside.

The landing outside my cell had changed. It was no longer a catwalk, but now resembled a large semi-circle.

"Let's begin the third test," said the doctor as he punched more buttons on his tablet. A large panel in front of us slid aside and up came a platform with a table, two chairs facing each other, a podium on the far side, and in the far chair was a monkey dressed in a tiny lab coat.

"You will be playing cards against Chimp da Vinci here." The chimp raised a hand and waved at me. "To speed things along, you cannot fold, and you both will draw once per deal. You will notice there are five chips in front of our friend. Once you collect all five chips you win."

I took a seat in my chair. "Wait, I don't have any chips."

"Yes, my dear, you will be wagering your clothes. Chimp da Vinci will deal first"

I got a pair of twos right off the deal and asked for three cards on the draw. When we called I proudly laid down my twos, then had the smile wiped off my face when the chimp set down his hand and I saw two threes. A bell sounded, the chimp reached over to the podium, and pushed a button.

A rather stiff female voice said "Shirt". With a sigh I stood up, removed my shirt, and handed it to the chimp. He took the garment, dropped it behind his chair, and clapped. It was my turn to deal. I had nothing initially and got no help from the draw. With a sinking feeling I placed my cards on the table. The chimp did the same and I had to restrain myself from clapping when I noticed I had the highest card. I'd won a chip!

I proceeded to lose the next hand and was requested to surrender my bra. Sitting there topless was humiliating, but it forced me to focus on the task on hand. I won the next hand with a pair of fives. Then I lost my shoes.

Well, I was in trouble. Off the deal I had a pair of jacks! I asked for help and a screen to my right showed me da Vinci's hand. He didn't have anything. I smugly didn't ask for any cards on the deal. The chimp took two and promptly placed a pair of kings on the table. I was nervous sitting there in my small lacey panty. My chance for freedom was slipping away. The next hand I ended up with a full house after the draw. Two more chips to win my freedom. The following deal gave me nothing. I was unsure how many cards to request so I asked for my final help. The chimp didn't have anything either! I felt a sense of hope. I kept a 10, a queen, and asked for three cards. I received nothing useful. Well, at least my queen was a pretty high card.

My hope was crushed when my opponent placed two threes on the table. The female voice requested my final piece of clothing. Hanging my head, I stood up, peeled them off, and handed them to the chimp. He stood and applauded. I had just been outwitted and stripped by a monkey! That infernal horn once again trumpeted my failure.

"Oh my. You aren't much of a gambler are you?" came the doctor's voice from behind me. "Maybe this will brighten your mood. Mr. da Vinci and I are willing to offer you a deal. We will forgo the perk penalties if you allow him to select your primary penalty. I'll give you time to-"

"Deal," I said. I had no interested in seeing two perks at work again.

The screen once again rose fluidly from the floor and this time the choices were numbered. The chimp seemed to consider his options, raised his hand above his head, and extended two fingers. My eyes glanced at the screen and read "Perky and Popular".

I swear I could hear the doctor smile behind me. "Please step into the circles." The tablet emitted a cacophony of clicks and beeps. My collar glowed blue and a tingle travelled down each side of my spine. Hit the bottom and travelled back up. This went on for easily 15 minutes. Once the tingling stopped I opened my mouth to ask what that meant.

"Please remain quiet. I have quite a bit of checking to do. Here, please hold this for me." He handed me a long thin cylinder of heavy glass. It felt cool against my lips. After waiting around 10 minutes I decided I had been patient long enough.