FGI 3: The Crystal Commander

Charlie

We are led to our private rooms where we will be further briefed— I guess there is more to this Fairy Godmother extravaganza. I take a shaky breath.

I have been sitting here for an hour, and something does not seem right. I always have great intuition, and I am nervous. A part of me wants to get up and see what the hell is the hold-up.

Hopefully, they are not doing a credit check—kidding.

I twiddle my thumbs.

I freeze when I hear voices coming near. I stand as the door opens, and in walks Pierce and a creepy-looking girl. I gasp, looking at the waist-high creature that is not human. I am sure of it.

“What is that?” I say, then blush, knowing that sounded rude.

She looks human in a sense, just her eyes are more prominent, almost like CGI effects.

“Charlie, this is Dolly, your agent for this mission,” Pierce says, and looks at the agent. “They are shape-shifters and will be your walking computer when on this mission. You will be a team, relying on each other for the next three months.”

“Seriously?” I glance back at her and she is creepily smiling at me—what a strange creature.

Dolly has blond hair and pigtails like Harley Quinn. Her heavy makeup, paired with her tight black dress, gives her a dangerous air. The platform heels do not help.

She is giving off some definite Harley Quinn vibes.

“Do I get to kill anyone?” she asks with a big smile at Pierce. “I can. I brought a knife just in case.”

Maybe she is the original.

Pierce sighs and rubs a hand down his face. “You take your meds? You know the deal, Dolly. Meds or you lose your license.”

She giggles. Her dark eyes are wide as she stares at Pierce. “Of course.” Then she frowns and takes out a white pill from out of her cleavage. “Oops, maybe not. I'll take it now.”

“Dolly,” he warns.

She glances at me and winks, then looks back at Pierce. “Piercey-poo, you can trust me.”

I am terrified to be alone with her.

Not lying.

Pierce looks back at me and takes another breath. “We have some significant issues to talk about now.

“I do not get the full file on any mission until positions are drawn, that’s just how it works. I apologize for being late, but I had to confirm your backstory, and it’s very complex.” He walks over to a white couch and sits in it.

“This is going to be very hard for you—more than the other girls, I’m afraid.”

“What? Why? I am just a rich girl, right?” I say, feeling the dread.

“I think Fate is trying to kill me slowly with these complex positions,” he mutters. “Whatever happened to sweet Cinderella stories?”

“How bad?”

“Bad.”

I swallow. “Crud.”

He leans up with his elbows on his knees. “Sit.”

I sit and see Dolly wink at me again and I look back to Pierce. “Tell me.”

“You are a very wanted woman. I had no idea the plot was so deep on this. Let me put it to you in a straightforward way, if I can. You have a mechanical heart that everyone wants,” he says and looks down.

“I do not have a real heart?” I ask in awe, and a little nervousness.

“No. You are taking over a life that has passed away, the real granddaughter of Bentley Gaylord Bray. When Fate does this, it’s always complicated.” He continues, “Bentley is now dead, died at seventy, but left quite the mess in his wake.

“He was a mad scientist, a brilliant man to a fault. He found a rare crystal called Blue Moonagite. It controls the dark matter of this world—extremely powerful. Dark matter is what holds up the sky colonies, Solace Isles.”

“Okay, so why am I a wanted woman? Do I have the crystal or something?” I ask, very intrigued.

Pierce nods. “Yes, you do.”

My eyes widen. “Where?”

“In your heart.”

“Oh shit,” I say.

“Damn! Piercey, this is going to be fun!” Dolly says and claps her hands. “Our Charlie is like a sexy little machine. I think the men will find that super hot!”

“No one can know, Dolly,” Pierce says, and continues. “It powers your heart, almost like Iron Man. I am sure you are aware of that movie, it’s a classic.” He continues at my nod.

“Here is the problem I am having. Julius Cole Bagstock, Louis’s brother, wants it desperately. Well, everyone wants it, but he wants it the most. Why? Because it’s the force that carries his sky colonies, as I said before.

“If someone destroys your heart or shatters the crystal, it could cause the land masses to fall. Killing hundreds of thousands.”

I swallow. “This is very complex.”

“Yes, it is. I am not finished either.”

Right then the door slams open and the Fairy Godmother marches in with two white robots. “I don’t like it, Pierce,” she says, her hands on her trim hips. She really is a stunning woman, with timeless beauty.

“Fuck,” I hear Pierce say under his breath, and he gets up. “Zora, let me do my job.”

I can see the flush wash over Zora’s face. “I am not sending out my girl with some faulty, mechanical heart, Pierce!”

“We don’t have a choice, Zora,” he snaps back, making me flinch.

“Yes, we do. I am canceling Charlie’s position,” she says to him. “It’s too risky. I caught so much heat from Red’s mission last year. She almost died twice—she was lucky,” she whispers loudly.

Pierce closes his eyes. “I know, but it worked,” he hisses back.

She laughs. “Right, thankfully. But what of Sandra? She died, Pierce; I don’t like it when Fate uses pre-existing lives! It’s too dangerous. You will be sending Charlie to the chopping block!”

He glares at her. “You will never let me forget Sandra, will you? That was not my fault. The girl knew the rules.”

She looks away and touches her neck. “I can’t have Charlie go into this world with some half-assed heart. The child died because of it. In real life.”

“We will fix the fucking heart then,” he says dangerously. Pierce points to the robots. “Ar-R7. Graphs on Charlie’s heart, re-work it, now,” he orders.

“Of course, right away. Will assess defects and upgrade it,” says the robot as it pulls up a virtual screen.

Zora takes a minute. “What of Julius? He is infected by the crystal. He is not of sound mind, Pierce. He killed Bentley Gaylord!”

I suck in a breath, just watching the two fight. It’s almost like watching Mom and Dad fight at the dinner table. I am getting vibes from the TV series House.

Pierce is the genius like House, and the Fairy Godmother tries to avoid disaster like Cuddy.

Pierce puts his hands in his pockets. “We do not know the intentions of Julius. But we do know that Louis will protect Charlie if he fancies her.

“And may I remind you that Julius, from the file I read, hated Bentley with a passion. Charlie being his granddaughter might be a deterrent.”

Zora laughs. “Charlie is the prettiest girl we have, and Julius loves the ladies. He is going to notice her; he will want to know if she has any information about the stone. If he finds out it’s in her heart, he might kill her to get it.”

“Maybe, maybe not. I think we need Charlie. This world needs a solution for that damn stone. If it’s not Charlie, it will be someone else,” Pierce says, staring at Zora.

“It needs to stay in her chest where it is safe and stable. Julius would be wise to leave it in Charlie and not mess with it.”

“That’s a fantasy. Julius is rumored to be crazy from the crystal,” Zora adds.

“And, that’s not all of the drama,” Zora says. “This is a competition. All of the girls want to win, and if they out Charlie, Charlie is done for. That is one less player.”

I frown. “The girls know about my heart?”

Zora pulls out a paper and frowns over it. “Yes, but they do not know which girl has it. Do not let them know it’s you. They could blackmail you. You only have three lifelines, then ejection from the game.”

“Lifelines?”

“If you are in a dire situation, you may say, ‘Lifeline activate.’ We will remove you from harm, or give you leverage,” Zora says. “You can die, so be wary.”

“This is crazy,” I say, thinking about all of the information. I feel like a double agent, which I technically am. “If this stone is so poisonous, how come I can have it in my heart?”

Zora looks up at me. “Great question. Your mother died in childbirth, and your grandfather saved your life with the heart, or you would have died too. Since it was placed in you at such a young age, your body adapted to it. Very lucky.”

“Wow,” I say. “Wouldn't the girls assume it’s me with the heart issue because he is my granddad?”

“No, Bentley did a lot of experiments on a lot of people. It could be anyone,” Pierce says. “They would need proof.”

“I am going to have to be careful,” I say. “I am not interested in men like Julius, so it should not be a problem to avoid him.”

“Perfect,” Zora says. “We must be quick. I will leave you to it then,” Zora says, then nods at Pierce, leaving the room.

When she is gone, Pierce winks at me. “She’s a hard-ass.” He sits on the couch and continues, “You get to pick three things to change about yourself. We need to hurry.”

“What does Louis like?” I ask, then look at Dolly.

“Really large tits and a big ol’ ass.” Dolly looks at me with a broad smile. “Men love curves!”

Pierce frowns at Dolly. “Tone it down just a bit,” he says.

“You got it, Piercey.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Okay, boo-boo.”

He sighs and gets up. “Decide quickly, please. Popular choices are being in the best shape, and a skill to protect yourself.”

I think about this. “I will pick being in the best shape and a straight shot. I love guns,” I say, and feel a surge of excitement.

“You have one more,” Pierce says.

“Okay, something physical.”

I hear Dolly crack up. “You have tiny boobs, and FGI has the best cosmetic surgeons in the universe! They did mine after I won a mission a few years back.” I can see her proudly displayed cleavage. It does look nice.

I frown and look down.

Being a dancer, I have always lacked in that department. Being super skinny all the time meant not enough meat on my bones to grow them.

“Sure. I always wondered what it’s like to have them.”

Pierce chuckles. “Let’s go then, into the pod.”

The robot in the corner turns to Pierce. “I have confirmed and fixed all errors for her heart.”

Pierce nods. “Perfect.”

I take a large breath, feeling anticipation course through me as I step into the large pod. The doors close around me and I can see the writing on the screen.

I hear a pressurized sound, making me nervous.

I hear Peirce’s voice over the intercom. “Breasts, in-shape, and gunslinger ability. Is this correct?”

I blush a bit. “Yes.”

“Take a deep breath for me,” he says.

I am about to ask if it’s going to hurt when a bright flashing of lights and intense heat all over my body make me scream.

“Shit!” I yell, then hear the machine power down. I am dizzy and my body feels fuzzy.

Oh, I feel weird.

I look down and immediately see my large breasts. “Holy cow!” I grab them, and they feel like Ds—so foreign. I didn’t even tell him what size! But I decide that I like them. I walk out, and I see Dolly clap her hands.

“I feel really weird.”

“Yes, you will get used to it. Dolly, I need you to be Charlie’s personal bot.”

“Fun!” she squeals. In a few moments, she has shapeshifted into a cute looking robot.

She is all copper with a metal skirt and glowing green eyes. She is the height of my waist with a little metal black bun. A large wind-up mechanism is on her back. She looks amazing!

“Holy cow,” I murmur. “That’s amazing.”

“I can hover too,” Dolly says, her eyes glowing when she talks.

“Perfect, Dolly. You still got it.” Pierce pats her on her metal hair. He glances at me and pulls out his virtual pad. “Now Charlie, how does your heart feel?”

I suck in a breath. “I have a mechanical heart already?” I hold my chest and I can faintly hear a ticking. “Unreal,” I get out. “It feels good.”

“Perfect, now spin.”

Dolly claps her little metal hands. “Oh, Pierce's gonna make you look hot!”

Pierce smiles. “Spin.”

Like Cinderella?

I spin and feel my skin tingle and heat, then a white light flashes. I scream when I look at myself. “Holy shit!”

I am in a black Victorian dress, with a tight black corset. I am wearing a beautiful dark silk shirt under my corset that shows off my lovely new assets. My hair is in ringlets down my back with a lace hat.

“Can I see a mirror?”

Pierce claps his hands as he eyes me. “Of course! The black looks fetching with your hair, just like I thought it would.”

I look into a long mirror that appears suddenly on the wall. I suck in a breath, feeling my smooth golden skin. “My eyes are light periwinkle!”

“Yes, that’s from the stone. Julius has the same eye color as you,” he says. “When you arrive, you will have dark-colored contacts to wear.”

Such a pity I have to cover my eye color, it’s gorgeous. I wonder if this Julius guy’s eyes are as pretty as mine. Bad thought. I hope I am attracted to this guy Louis, I forgot to ask if he is handsome.

“I see. Wow.” I look stunning, my skin is perfect, and my new breasts look very eye-catching. “I don’t even recognize myself.”

“You ready?”

My heart starts to pound. “Is anyone ever ready?”

I feel a little sick.

“No,” Pierce says. “You will be arriving at the train station in St. Uspolia. And you will go straight to The Dahlia. Just be yourself and charm the socks off of Louis.

“They know you are coming and are pretty shocked that you are alive. Dolly will give you better details once you arrive,” he says with a smile.

“Okay,” I say.

“Extraction,” he touches his earpiece, “in, 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1!”

Shit.

I hear Dolly’s squeals as I tense. Everything goes black, yet again.