Best Laid Plans

The room was small and sparsely furnished, containing only a cot and a sturdy chair. Near the door lay a small heap of cloth. Light from a single overhead fixture shone on the sole occupant, a nude Asian woman who lay silently on the cot. The woman’s eyes were wide with fear, yet her body lay limp, motionless. Soft moans occasionally slipped from slightly parted lips.

Silently, the door opened. In stepped a stooped, aged figure. “Hello, Mary,” the figure said in a rasping voice. “I’m Jason Murdoch. Get used to the name, my dear. You’ll have years to familiarize yourself with the rest.”

Slowly, the man settled into the chair, setting down a smallish leather bag and delving within. Removing a leather strap, the man bent and, using obvious care, secured his left leg to the chair leg. His right leg was soon similarly bound.

“Simple things, really,” he stated, reaching once more into the bag. “Simple, yet they do make this much easier in the end.”

The woman moaned softly. “Oh,” the man rasped with a grin, “no need to worry, my dear. The drug you were given will wear off eventually, with no side effects. After all, I wouldn’t want to do any damage to that body. I intend to enjoy it for a very long time. Now, no more talk until we’re finished here.”

From the bag, the man next withdrew a gag, which he placed in his own mouth, securing the straps tightly, then squeezed the attached bulb to inflate the inner part until his cheeks bulged. Quickly, he removed the bulb and tossed it back into the bag.

Next came a curious set of paired rubber hoses. Leaning forward, the man inserted these into the woman’s nostrils, before placing the other end in his own nostrils. When he leaned back in the chair, the hoses stretched a bit, but remained firmly in place.

Carefully, the man settled himself against the back of the chair, hands curled around the ends of the chair’s arms. One finger on his right hand seemed to stretch, finding a catch placed just barely in reach. When the catch was released, metal cuffs sprang from the chair arms, encircling his wrists and trapping them in place. Now securely bound, the man closed his eyes. Moments later, the eyes opened, showing growing confusion as they gazed at the tableau presented to their view. Muffled grunts emerged from behind the gag, Old muscles strained at their bonds, yet the man remained securely trapped in place.

For long moments, the scene remained static. Finally, small twitches became visible along the woman’s body. Slowly, the twitching grew, until, with obvious effort, she reached up and removed the hoses. Carefully, she raised herself to a seated position, swinging slender legs from the cot and supporting herself with equally slender arms.

“I’ve always hated this part,” she said, her voice soft and melodious. “It takes a bit of getting used to, you see.” Glancing down, she eyed her small, firm breasts. “More so than usual, actually,” she continued, a wry note in her voice.

At a muffled grunt from the bound man before her, she glanced up. “Oh, yes,” she said, “I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on. I’d be happy to explain, though it’s a long story. Telling it will give me the time I need to adjust, at least mostly”.

“It starts,” she continued, “in the year 1182, in Liverpool, England. At that time, and in that place, there lived two young men. Robert Welles and Jeffery Sinclair were fascinated by all things magical. Working together, the two delved deep into long forbidden knowledge, seeking power, wealth, and, most of all, immortality. Unfortunately, their search failed them, yet they found something nearly as good.”

The woman shifted slightly. “What they found,” she said, “was a way to transfer their thoughts, their minds, their very essence, from one body to another. In essence, they were able to trade bodies with someone else. At the same time, they obtained the characteristics of the new body. In other words, if one took the body of a blacksmith, he instinctively knew everything he needed in order to adopt that blacksmith’s life. Nobody else would ever know that the mind within had changed”.

“By this method, the two passed the centuries, changing bodies, names, identities in order to cheat death. They became blacksmiths, cobblers, servants, and, once, a prince. Then, in 1657, if I remember correctly, they discovered the one limitation to their ability”.

In that year, the one who had originally been known as Jeffery Sinclair decided, on a whim, to change places with a young dancing girl. It was meant to be a single night’s fun, after which he would go back to the body he’d originally had. However, when he tried to change back, he found himself unable. Apparently, no body could accept more than two changes. He could have found another man to change with, yet he decided to remain in the woman’s body. And, at some point, he seems to have decided that he preferred being female to being male, for, after that time, he chose only attractive women to exchange with.”

The woman leaned back on the cot, raising her hands to cup and squeeze her breasts, lightly pinching the nipples into hardness. “I never could understand his fascination with being female,” she said, slipping one hand between her slender thighs. “However, now that I experience it for myself, I cannot deny a certain appeal”.

“To continue,” she went on, “it was shortly after this that the two parted ways. Such power as they held carried with it the seeds of enormous ego, among other things. Eventually, the two became rivals, then enemies. For centuries now, each has plotted the downfall of the other, wanting to be the only one.”

Throughout this tale, the old man bound in the chair had listened, eyes wide with shock. Smiling, the woman rose and playfully mussed the man’s thin hair.

“Yes, my dear,” she said lightly, “I was once Robert Welles. For over 800 years now, I have moved from one body to the next, watching the centuries pass as I defied death. I have had many names, many bodies. Now, I am you”.

“Many years ago,” the woman continued, “I learned that my enemy had taken a young Chinese girl as her ward. I knew immediately that the girl would be my means to finally defeat her. I waited until you were old enough, as I have no desire to be a child again. Yesterday, I had you kidnapped and brought here. Now, as you, I will return to my enemy’s home and destroy her from a source she would never suspect”.

“You, on the other hand,” she said with a grin, “will live out your life as Jason Murdoch. Oh, you could tell someone what happened here, but who would believe you? You would, I fear, quickly find yourself in a mental institute, as so many of your predecessors have done. If, on the other hand, you remain silent, you will find that I have left you quite well off, and you will be able to live out your few remaining years quite comfortably.”

Turning, the woman moved to the pile of cloth, which turned out to be a woman’s outfit, which she quickly donned. Dressed, she turned back to the chair and reached beneath one arm, pressing a catch which caused the metal cuffs to retract.

“I’ll leave you to remove the rest,” she said. “Be the time you’re free, I’ll be well on my way to my new life.” Smiling, she swept from the room.

With long familiarity, the woman traversed the rooms beyond the small one, emerging finally into bright sunshine. Walking quickly to the nearby road, she hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address of one Jessica Storm. On her arrival, she strode confidently through the front door of the large mansion, only to find Jessica herself in the vestibule.

“Hello, Robert,” the lovely blonde said, smiling coldly. At her words, the Asian woman froze.

“How…..?”

“How did I know?” Jessica laughed, a harsh sound. “I planned it. I knew that, once you heard I’d taken a ward, you wouldn’t be able to resist. I’ve secretly trained Mary from childhood for this very moment.”

“What do you mean, trained?” the younger woman asked nervously.

“Oh,” Jessica replied, “you will learn all of the delicious details in time. For now, strip.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Eyes wide, the younger woman quickly removed her clothing, standing naked before the smiling blonde. “Why……?”

“My dear Robert,” Jessica replied with a cold smile, “I am disappointed in you. Had you forgotten that, when you take on a new body, you also take on its engrained behavior? From childhood, Mary had been intensively trained for one purpose: to be my slave. When you took her body, you took her place. Now, kneel.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Moving quickly, the younger woman dropped to her knees before the smiling blonde.

“Good girl.” Smiling, Jessica stroked the kneeling woman’s head. “Oh, and don’t worry about changing again. You see, that wasn’t Mary you put in your old body. It was actually James, my bodyguard and lover. Mary is actually quite happy in his body, and she pleased me greatly, both in and out of bed. As you will. Of course, by taking her body, you made the second change, which means you can never leave. You will be Mary, my slave, for the rest of your life. Now, rise and follow me.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Rising, the young woman meekly followed as the blonde led her deeper within the mansion. Within the lovely head, the mind of Robert Welles reeled. After all his planning, all his schemes, he had finally been beaten. Trapped within the body of a young woman, forced by that body’s training to be an obedient slave, he searched for a way out, only to have his thoughts interrupted.

“James,” he heard Jessica call out, “how would you like to fuck yourself?”

07.09.12