The new Lady of the castle takes control. A narrow escape proves fortuitous. Marco finds Tyra more trouble than he'd imagined. Tyra vs. Angel or how not to free a slave. The final battle plans are made.

Teaser:
The adventures of the ladies of the Eerie Saloon continue. Jessie tries something new, Trisha fights for her rightful place, and Maggie discovers a rival for Ramon's affections.

* * * * *

Eerie Saloon: Seasons of Change - Autumn
By Ellie Dauber and Chris Leeson (c)2005
Part 3 - December

Sunday, December 3, 1871

Trisha stopped a few feet from the entrance to the schoolhouse. The building was filling with people come for Sunday worship.

"What's the matter, dear?" Kaitlin asked.

Eerie Saloon: Seasons of Change - Autumn
By Ellie Dauber and Chris Leeson (c)2005
Part 1 - October

Saturday, September 30, 1871

"You made it, Jessie," Paul said, walking over. "I told you it'd --"

Tyra tells the Borodins about Batuk and is punished. The contents of the cylinder are revealed and a daring plot is hatched. The assassinations begin. The investigation gets too close. A life-changing event for Drago. The Lady of the castle visits Ketrick.

In this episode: does Jonathan's return bode well for our heroine? Can Lindy win the boy of her dreams? What is the breaking limit of a squid tentacle?

Tune in to find out!

Echoes

Berserker Chromosome
a fan fiction by
Valentina Michelle Smith

Same Blouse

by shalimar

There are times when Gabriel and I go out to those dance clubs that we score with the girls, other times one of us gets the action while the other gets to see the girl leave alone, or with another guy. Sometimes neither of us gets the brass ring. Tonight was one of those losing nights. What I don't understand about him is that he is so good looking that all the girls should be falling all over him. As for me, I would be considered an excellent consolation prize.

Tyra confides in her sister. Tyra learns a few lessons about herself during her stay at the slave camp for serum girls. Tyra learns a dance. When a girl goes too far and must be rebuked. Tisa's plan for Tyra, or a brand from a woman's hand makes all the difference. What could happen when a 300 year-old man brols a virgin. A bitter lesson learned.

A successful experiment in The Slave's Dream leads to dreams of a normal life as a freewoman. Tyra tests the final bonds to her former warriors. Ketrick goes too far. The challenge of a foe returns. Tyra's loyalty and warrior honor are tested. A long day as a siolat girl is just a prelude of things to come in the fight to defend her city.

A night at the opera for Grace and Helen and Francesca. And, as is appropriate, and traditional, and altogether in keeping with the reverence for the eternal verities that has so marked the telling of this tale, the end is signalled when the fat lady sings..

Not that anyone would ever call that epitome of svelte elegance, Grace de Messembry, fat! Even if she were surely no-one would dare? No I speak metaphorically only of course..

So no more secrets as we, you and I dear reader, eavesdrop from our privileged position in the back of the Royal Box at Covent Garden on the three guiding lights of the Venumar Foundation. The plain unvarnished, well relatively so, truth that no-one except you and I ........... .

But hush .... Listen .... Look .... The auditorium is stilled in expectancy. The baton raised, twice tapped, raised again. Poised .... Ssshhhhh ....

Tyra talks to Ketrick and discovers that he has plans for her. A unfortunate meeting brings the urges. How not to sell slaves. Tyra fights back. A encounter in the Institute brings her hope. A close call in the western market. Rani's inspiration provides a needed clue. The final test at the slave club brings out her deepest needs -- will it be salvation or disaster?

Tyra meets her former love-slave and makes a decision. Frightened at her changes, and appalled at her sister's plans for her, Tyra forms a daring strategy to stay free at the cost of part of herself. Tyra's changes become complete, and she discovers what a being a sister means. Still, can a woman with the slave gene ever truly adjust to the world around her?

Zhor is a planet where the mysterious Overlords rule, where men and women live for centuries and are permitted to be themselves. There, a young warrior's love and dreams are shattered when he wakes up one morning as a serum girl, a beautiful woman with the DNA of one of Zhor's finest slaves. Her old life destroyed, she must not only fight to hold onto her identity as she is forced to make a new life as a woman, but also to keep her freedom, not easy when her body insists that she would be happiest branded and collared.

The family attends cousin Melissa's wedding. Joan receives an exciting new job offer. The whole family somehow becomes involved in the decision making process.

It was a simple plan, one that would get Princess Kerialla out of something she really didn't want to do, and give her handmaiden a chance to experience what it was like to be Princess. What could possibly go wrong?

        Chris now realized that it was going to take more than just a casual effort to resurrect Christina Chase. It had been foolish to think he could just throw on some old clothes and hop on a bus. It was going to take planned and determined effort. He was going to work on being Christina every day until the end result was flawless. He decided on a few steps early on. First, he was going on a diet. Chris had always been tall and thin, but he wasn't going to take any chances. From now on, it was salad for lunch. Secondly, he was going to change his workouts. He hadn't spent much time exercising, but after his experience in Oak Grove, he'd tried some weight lifting. That was over. He was switching to aerobics or Yoga.

Jacob’s Heart

A story by Allie Elle

It’s about time I got to the heart of the matter to explain about Jacob and his father and some of the reasons why the man is such a pain in the backside. For this I am going to use an old technique and a bit of a mouldy one (giggles)

Part 3

When Jacob woke the following morning he looked around the strange bedroom and remembered the day before. He was still suffering from the blow to his head and he groaned as he also remembered what he had said to the adults.

At Least It Could Have Been Worse

by shalimar

When this started, it was late August 2005 and I was Barry Nardella, a stockbroker living alone on Long Island, NY in my co-op bachelor pad. I was making tons of money, but not satisfied with my life.

Acidalia VIII
By Amanda D

Thursday June 29 8:18pm Reynolds Quarantine Medical Center:

“What’s his condition doctor?” Colonel Jordon asked as he looked at the unconscious form of Major Brady through the four inch thick glass of the quarantine cell.

“I suppose, Colonel that would depend on your point of view.” Dr Stanly answered with what sounded like a small amount of amusement in her voice.

“Madam, I have neither the time for games, nor for a glib attitude.”

        Chris' transition back to his old life hadn't been easy. After only a week in Oak Grove, he'd become accustomed to a slower, more relaxed way of life. Though he didn't know many people in the small town, it hadn't taken him long to recognize the familiar cast of characters on Main Street. His days had been filled with the company of his family or the friendly human interaction of working in the grocery store.

Joan has a run in with an old "friend." Just for a moment, she begins to wonder whether or not the twins are hers.

Deep Cover

Prologue

Harkness Holdings had just posted another astounding quarterly earnings statement that left Wall Street analysts breathless with excitement. The chattering financial commentators were agog. Forbes, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal were all touting the quarter-by-quarter meteoric rise of Beauregard “Beau” Chadsworth, Harkness’ CEO, and his team who’d taken the moribund company and pushed it to the heights of Wall Street stardom. Harkness’ share prices reflected the unbounded confidence of investors big and small. From the get-rich-quick types to the most cautious investors, Harness was what they all wanted.

Beau Chadsworth was the darling of the talk show hosts who outdid one another in their fawning praise. In the post-Enron scandal era, Harkness was basking in its squeaky clean image. And Chadsworth, for his part was all becoming modesty. He was quick to point to the success and support of his team, Jack Levin the COO and Bridget O’Leary the CFO and their subordinates. Then there was the Chadsworth Foundation, already being talked about in the same breath as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, so recently bolstered by the largess of Warren Buffett.

All was golden in the second and third quarters of 2006. Or so it seemed.