Sam peeled his boxers off, exposing himself to the two women, one of whom had already seen it before, the other one now seeing it for the first time.
“He’s a grower, not a show-er,” Zoe assured Helena, a mischievous look on her feline face.
Sam pulled his boxers back up, his pants too, annoyed with his ex. “Are you happy now?”
“I’m not fully convinced, but I’m definitely intrigued.”
“Enough,” Helena said. “I’m going to change clothes very quickly, and once I finish, we’ll go to the cosplay café and try to find Ozella. Let’s just hope she made it there.”
“Wait,” Zoe said, catching up to Helena. “You don’t happen to have an extra hoodie, do you?”
Chapter Thirty-Two: Take Your Ghost to Work Day
(Ozella’s back and tripping balls!)
Ozella Rose still couldn’t believe her eyes. Even as she took the trolley to work, as she normally did, the fact that she was able to actually see people’s stats floating before them was still something she couldn’t quite comprehend.
She couldn’t turn it off, either.
This was what was troubling her the most. And while it would be potentially easier for her to just see all this in the air, rather than use her Book of Templates to first classify them, it was still hard to swallow.
Take the blonde lady that sat before her.
Without referring to her book or monitoring the woman for a set amount of time, Ozella had already been presented with the woman’s deets. She even noticed that it had been adjusted some, so while it was based on the “Samantha Lies” standard template for women that she had developed, there were some slight modifications, namely in the corruptness and gullibility.
Even stranger, the numbers and words floating in the air in front of her were written in Ozella’s handwriting.
Samantha Lies
Cleverness: 10
Charisma: 8
Corruptness: 7
Gullibility: 3
Attractiveness: 7
Kindness: 2
Neediness: 2
Known Trigger Points: Doesn’t like dairy products
Exemplar or Non-Exemplar: Non-Exemplar
Astrological sign: Lume
Temperature Preference: Lukewarm
Family Relations: Lives with her brother; romantically linked to a third cousin; father works for Centralian Customs; mother and father are divorced
Idiosyncrasies and Nervous Ticks: Nail biting
Known Lovers and Sexual Preferences: Once had a threesome, currently romantically linked to a third cousin
Willingness to Try New Things: 9
Public Awareness: 4
While Ozella could see all these things floating in front of the woman, she also intuited them, as if seeing them floating in front of her was just a reminder, a floating advertisement in a way.
And it didn’t matter who she looked at, the same thing happened. As the conductor came through the cabin, trading places with another conductor, his stats also appeared in front of him.
Like Sam, the man was a “Good Guy Dave,” although he didn’t have as much charisma as Sam, and he seemed slightly needier.
Good Guy Dave
Cleverness: 6
Charisma: 3
Corruptness: 2
Gullibility: 6
Attractiveness: 9
Kindness: 8
Neediness: 3
Known Trigger Points: Women with authority
Exemplar or Non-Exemplar: Non-Exemplar
Astrological sign: Chrono
Temperature Preference: Cold
Family Relations: On his second marriage with two kids from a previous marriage; father is still alive and lives in his basement; brother lives near the Southern Alliance border
Idiosyncrasies and Nervous Ticks: Rubs his hands together when nervous
Known Lovers and Sexual Preferences: Once had a mistress and likes pegging
Willingness to Try New Things: 2
Public Awareness: 5
It was strange to her that her power, or whatever the hell she was experiencing, didn’t reveal the person’s name, going instead with the generic names she’d come up with a few years back.
As the trolley slowed, and as Ozella continued to ignore Dinah, the ghost woman sitting across from her with her form partially covered by the conductor, Ozella went into her little red backpack to get out her Book of Known Variables.
She turned to one of the front pages, which was where she kept a blank list of the basic stats she had developed since starting the notebook.
“Dinah, go away,” she whispered, and as soon as the words left her mouth, the woman began to fade until she was no longer there.
Now able to focus, at least momentarily, Ozella looked down at her notebook.
There was a ton of other information available about someone, but the things that she focused on allowed her to be a little better in conversation, know enough about them to make small talk if (god forbid) she had to, and to get a better understanding of the person she was classifying.
Known Trigger Points:
Exemplar or Non-Exemplar:
Astrological sign:
Temperature Preference:
Family Relations:
Idiosyncrasies and Nervous Ticks:
Known Lovers and Sexual Preferences:
Willingness to Try New Things:
Public Awareness:
Looking at it, Ozella wrote the word “Name:” above known trigger points. She then looked back up at the conductor, her eyebrows rising in surprise when she saw the change it made.
Good Guy Dave
Cleverness: 6
Charisma: 3
Corruptness: 2
Gullibility: 6
Attractiveness: 9
Kindness: 8
Neediness: 3
Name: John Waters
Known Trigger Points: Women with authority
Exemplar or Non-Exemplar: Non-Exemplar
Astrological sign: Chrono
Temperature Preference: Cold
Family Relations: On his second marriage with two kids from a previous marriage; father is still alive and lives in his basement; brother lives near the Southern Alliance border
Idiosyncrasies and Nervous Ticks: Rubs his hands together when nervous
Known Lovers and Sexual Preferences: Once had a mistress and likes pegging
Willingness to Try New Things: 2
Public Awareness: 5
Ozella slammed the book shut just as he got off, looked around again, and saw the blonde woman that she had seen earlier.
Samantha Lies
Cleverness: 10
Charisma: 8
Corruptness: 7
Gullibility: 3
Attractiveness: 7
Kindness: 2
Neediness: 2
Name: Meredith Banks
Known Trigger Points: Doesn’t like dairy products
Exemplar or Non-Exemplar: Non-Exemplar
Astrological sign: Lume
Temperature Preference: Lukewarm
Family Relations: Lives with her brother; romantically linked to a third cousin; father works for Centralian Customs; mother and father are divorced
Idiosyncrasies and Nervous Ticks: Nail biting
Known Lovers and Sexual Preferences: Once had a threesome, currently romantically linked to a third cousin
Willingness to Try New Things: 9
Public Awareness: 4
Ozella heard the announcement that her stop was coming up and she stood, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, ignoring all the stats floating around in the cabin of the trolley and the fact that what she’d physically written had actually provided an answer for her.
She stepped in front of the exit doors, seeing her reflection, Dinah standing behind her, a soft smile on the woman’s face.
“Dinah, go away,” she whispered again. Ozella looked away, staring off into the distance and hoping that she would be ab
le to contain herself when she got to work.
Which reminded her.
As the trolley slowed to a stop, and she waited for the doors to open, she loosened the bow tied around the collar of her shirt, and stuffed it in her bag, unbuttoning the top two buttons and showing a little cleavage.
As usual, she was running late, really late this time.
***
“Ozella, what have I told you about being late?” Bobby Gass asked. Her chubby boss sat behind his desk, food smudges on the sides of his cheeks, a greasy brown bag resting on his desk, flattened, partially eaten food on top of it.
The place stunk of body odor, fried potato, desperation, and like the people she had seen on the train, his stats were floating in front of them, rimmed in blue.
Chester the Molester
Cleverness: 3
Charisma: 2
Corruptness: 8
Gullibility: 2
Attractiveness: 1
Kindness: 2
Neediness: 9
Name: Bobby Gass
Known Trigger Points: Being late to work, lunch breaks, wearing conservative clothing, paid overtime, vacation days
Exemplar or Non-Exemplar: Non-Exemplar
Astrological sign: Ventas
Temperature Preference: Cold
Family Relations: Lives with mother, sister is an attorney
Idiosyncrasies and Nervous Ticks: Likes to bite his nails, distracted easily by large breasts, wheezes and huffs when taking stairs, farts after lunch (avoid), does laundry once a week (freshest on Wednesday), mother makes his lunches and doubles the onions on Thursday for onion sandwich day (avoid like the plague), likes to talk politics but is easily swayed by
tabloids and the opinions of the janitor
Known Lovers and Sexual Preferences: Tits, still a virgin
Willingness to Try New Things: 1
Public Awareness: 1
As she always did, and feeling utterly degraded by doing so, Ozella brought her shoulders back a little and leaned forward, her manager’s eyes naturally falling onto her plump cleavage.
“What part of a clock do you not understand?” he asked, no longer looking at her face. He licked his lips, snorted, and stuck his hand under his desk. “And three hours late, mind you,” he said, his arm slowly starting to move south.
“What are you doing?” Ozella asked
“What does it look like I’m doing? I have a scratch on my leg.”
“Okay, well I’m going to go to work then.”
“No, you’re going to sit here in front of me for a moment until I think of a punishment,” Bobby said, breathing heavily now, his arm moving up and down.
Ozella took a seat, and naturally started to fix her top when Bobby harrumphed, both of them knowing exactly what he meant.
“You’re one of my worst employees,” he said, his voice shaking now, a bead of sweat appearing below his temple, his hand still under his desk. “You know that?”
“I didn’t mean to…” Ozella said meekly.
And at that moment she saw Dinah float up from the ground and stand next to Bobby, a furious look on the ghostly woman’s face.
Ozella sensed that Dinah was waiting for her instruction, and it was then that Bobby moaned, pardoning himself, getting back to the “scratch” on his leg.
“You know what?” Ozella said. “I quit!”
Bobby snorted.
“I’m serious!”
“Sit down.” Bobby stood, revealing that his hand was on his chubby little cock, his paw gripped tightly around his purple choad, moving up and down. “You aren’t going to do shit but sit there and take your punishment,” he said, breathing heavily.
And without a word, Dinah sprang into action, her face pressing next to Bobby’s, her form growing in size as she exhaled, veins appearing on Bobby’s face, the look of shock twitching his mustache, causing him to let go of his beefy cock.
“Dinah,” Ozella whispered, but she couldn’t find it in herself to say the word ‘stop.’
Only a few moments later, Bobby fell forward, cracking the side of his skull against his desk, toppling his chair as well.
The door behind Ozella popped open and Sam entered with Helena and Zoe.
“No!” Sam shouted, pointing a finger at Dinah, who was hunched over Bobby now, severely injuring the man as she transferred damage to him.
Dinah stopped what she was doing and stood. She placed her hands behind her back, looking at Sam with an indecipherable look on her face.
“I’m sorry,” Ozella said, her cheeks growing red.
“What the hell is happening in here?” Zoe asked as she made her way around the desk and saw the front of Bobby’s pants open, his shriveled dick hanging off to the side. “Was this fat ass masturbating with you in his office!?”
“Yes…”
“That’s despicable,” Helena said, lifting her chin.
Zoe brought her foot back and gave Bobby a hard kick which caused him to wheeze. “That’s right, you piece of shit!”
“You will never work here again,” Helena told Ozella, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Do not worry about money. Let’s go and never come back.”
“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” Ozella said.
“And it’s not your fault,” Sam assured her. “We should really just lay low until we better understand the side effects, and catalog them.”
“Like my face,” Zoe said under her breath, still glaring at Ozella’s manager.
“My stats are becoming real,” Ozella said, still looking at Bobby’s desk.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked.
He took a knee before her and slowly lifted a hand to her face and turned her chin to him. Sam’s details flashed before her eyes:
Good Guy Dave
Cleverness: 6
Charisma: 7
Corruptness: 2
Gullibility: 6
Attractiveness: 9
Kindness: 8
Neediness: 2
Name: Sam Meeko
Known Trigger Points: Smells
Exemplar or Non-Exemplar: Exemplar
Astrological sign: Ventas
Temperature Preference: Hot
Family Relations: Now living with Helena Knight
Idiosyncrasies and Nervous Ticks: Smells
Known Lovers and Sexual Preferences: Zoe, Helena
Willingness to Try New Things: 5
Public Awareness: 2
“All the stuff that’s in my book is now here,” she said, slowly lifting a finger to her eye.
“I’m not following…”
“It’s floating in front of me,” she told Sam as she lightly moved her fingers through the air. “Both of yours as well,” she said, looking to Helena and Zoe, and ignoring the floating text.
“So you are seeing the details you’ve…um…devised?” Zoe asked, her human eyebrow raised. “In midair, right?”
“I think… yes, yes, I am,” said Ozella. Bobby was slowly starting to regain consciousness, and she knew better than to be around when the pervert finally woke up.
“And that’s why we should be back at my mansion,” Helena told them all. “We need to wait for all the side effects to play out before we mix and mingle with the general public. There could be more transformations to come.”
“I don’t know how much mixing and mingling I’ll be doing now,” Zoe lamented.
“Helena’s right. Like I just said, let’s lay low for a few days, and then decide how we want to go about handling it,” Sam told them. “Who knows? Maybe all the side effects will go away. But if they don’t, we need to be prepared for whatever happens next.”
“I’ll call a teleporter,” Helena said, stepping out of the office. “It smells terrible in here.”
“Thanks for coming to get me,” Ozella said as she fixed the front of her blouse. She buttoned up the front, covering her swangers, not making eye contact with Zoe as she left the room.
“Okay, and I thought I had big
tits,” Zoe said to Sam after Ozella and Helena were gone.
Sam shook his head, not sure of how he should respond to something like that. “I’ll see you out there,” he finally said, leaving Zoe alone with Bobby for a moment.
Zoe was just turning to the door when she stopped, went back over to Bobby, and gave him another solid kick. “Serves you right!” she growled.
Chapter Thirty-Three: Break a Leg
(Centralia’s worst doctor done fucked up.)
Dr. Hamza Grumio sucked in a breath of air as he sat up, the pain spreading through his body, confusion setting in as he saw the hole in the wall of his laboratory, smoke still coming out of the space.
The names of the chemicals in the air and their molecular structures came to him. Infermostate magnitious, kevderam green, nitrogylde...
Everything that had happened came back to him; he didn’t know how long he had been out, but it was night now, the ground cold, stars overhead.
With a huge breath in, one that filled his lung with more chemicals, Dr. Hamza tried to get to his feet but fell, realizing that his legs had been asleep for some time, that he had fallen awkwardly, numbness tingling in his toes.
“Ah hell…” he whispered. His legs were asleep, a temporary compression of nerves, the fibular nerve to be exact, which Hamza knew traveled around the side of the knee and could easily get pinched if someone sat in the wrong way.
More chemical names came to Dr. Hamza. Something was off, and he knew it had to do with the explosion that had torn through his laboratory, exposing him to high amounts of the chemicals he used to create his serum.
Not able to move, Dr. Hamza lay back down, looking up at the night sky, the names of constellations coming to him instantly as he waited for his nerves to settle.
He was glad he lived in a mostly secluded area; an abandoned stretch of offices behind him that was once used for a paper company gave him plenty of separation from a busy street.
Had the authorities come…
This was partially his fault, and Dr. Hamza wasn’t the type of guy that avoided shouldering blame.
No, it wasn’t partially his fault, it was entirely his fault.
We Could Be Heroes Page 18
