Meanwhile, at the mental health building, Dustin sat awkwardly in an interview room as his assessor took notes patiently.
"So, one more time, you insist that you saw a giant demon with your step brother." Dr. Parsons shifted in her desk chair and flipped through notes.
"I... I know it sounds fucking crazy." Dustin rubbed his forehead stiffly, trying to rub the very memory out. "But I know what I saw. This huge monster. It looked like something right out of hell."
"Some kind of lizard creature." Parsons said, lowering her glasses.
"Yes." Dustin sighed heavily, slumping back in his chair in defeat.
"Listen, Dustin..." The psychiatrist took off her glasses and set down her clipboard. "I'm going to level with you. The things you're describing simply don't exist. There's no science or proof that would back them up. I think these episodes are certainly imagined and a result of high stress mixed with flashbacks from your experimentation with mind altering substances. Certainly, you *felt* like your shrank to a little boy. Certainly, you *saw* a giant lizard woman. But these things were not really there. The police interviewed other people who saw your breakdown. They didn't see the thing you saw. How do you explain that?"
Dustin gulped. "I-I don't know."
"Now... we don't want such a promising young athlete to lose everything over mere psychosis, do we?" Parsons said with a slightly threatening tone. "So for your sake and mine, don't you think it would be best if we admit that you were having a drug flashback, stamp some paper work, and get on with our lives?"
Dustin paused for a moment. "We pretend this didn't happen?"
"That's your choice." The doctor put her glasses back on. "I'd make it quickly. I have a very full day ahead of me. Are you crazy or not?"
"I'm not." Dustin said sternly.
"Then I'm going to recommend you take this." She began scribbling a perscription. "It will help with preventing any further illusions from intruding on your mental state. Do stay away from drugs." She said tiredly.
"Yes, ma'am." Dustin took the perscription and pocketed it, rising to exit. "Thank you ma'am."
"Good day." Parsons gathered Dustin's file as he left and waited until he had cleared the office before picking up the phone.
She dialed a strange phone number with an unfamiliar area code and went stiff as the voice on the other end picked up.
"Report." A raspy voice said simply.
"I have an incident in my area that you'll want to come down to verify." Parsons said, almost trembling in terror. "It looks like a gate, but I don't know how."
"What... came through?" The man's voice paused in an inhuman manner, deep voice almost fighting to make words.
"Reptilian. Dracosaurian. Female, from the description. I'm just calling it in." Parsons read back her notes.
"This... is... not pos...i-ble." The voice said darkly. "Do you stake... your name... on it?"
Dr. Erin Parsons paused very sincerely and momentarily questioned if she was, in fact, certain. "Yes." She said firmly.
"Ve-ry... well." The man said, rasping emotionlessly. The line went dead.
As Parsons hung up the phone she gasped as a thin man in a black suit stood in front of her desk. His wide brimmed fedora and immaculate black dress was offset by a truly disturbing and not-quite human face, with almost oriental eyes, above which there were no eyebrows, and strange hairless skin that seemed pale and almost synthetic.
Parsons stared into the man's face as he raised a strange pistol in his hand. Her last moments were spent pleading as a single undetecable ice dart of conch shell poison struck her neck and immediately seized her heart.
Slumped over her desk, dead in seconds, the man in black regarded Parsons and her corpse for a lingering moment before seizing her paper work, Dustin's file, and vanishing without a trace.
* * *
As they approached Ty's house, Narissa in her human disguise suddenly and quite dramatically paused in terror. She grabbed her two young friends, each by the arm, and urged them inside. "Come on. Things just got real."
Once inside, Narissa threw the door locks and began closing windows with a near paniced urgency.
"Okay!" Krissy said in a nervous and wavering voice. "You're freaking us out."
"Good." The lizard said simply. "That's because I'm freaked out."
Regardless of what was going on, Ty rushed to aid his friend/lover, locking everything on the bottom floor up as they headed upstairs to do the same.
"What's going on?" Ty whispered.
"I'm about to take my vow to keep you safe very seriously." She imparted, flipping back to full lizard and sighing heavily as they finished closing everything up and now sat on Ty's bed together, Narissa seemingly staring into space.
"Riss..." Krissy said, putting a hand on her back reassuringly. "You're scaring me."
The reptile turned to her humans sadly and sighed. "I didn't think it would happen so soon." She rose from the bed and paced in front of it nervously. "But... there's a guy on the way to us right now. You'll know him when he gets here."
"Bad guys?" Ty whispered breathlessly, visibly going cold.
Narissa stopped and nodded bleakly. "Maybe."
"What do we do?" Krissy said, going white. She had enjoyed the same briefing over their walk home that Ty had gotten, at least the quick version.
"We will want to cooperate with this man." Narissa said sternly. "No lies. Not even an attempt to hide the truth. He'll know. And no matter what, maintain respect and stay calm. Imagine this is the police."
The doorbell rang suddenly, and Narissa seemed to pale in colour. The trio ran downstairs and Narissa didn't bother to flip back into her disguise, standing at Ty's side protectively.
Outside, a long black Crown Victoria sat, seemingly straight out of the 70's. Ty stepped forward and unlocked the door, throwing it open to see a patiently waiting man dressed entirely in black suit and tie. He looked up from the ground, adjusted his fedora, and stared at Ty with imperceptible and almost dead eyes, from which the boy reeled at the visage. He was completely unphased by the lizard woman standing next to him, only offering her a casual glance as he studied the humans and their response.
"Go-od... afternoon." The man said slowly, in a deep and raspy voice that sounded as inhuman as it did terrifying. He stepped through the door, hands folded in front of him, and turned to regard the lizard. "You..." He waved his hand to Narissa's direction. "Have... be-en causing... quite... a stir."
"I'm sorry, sir." Narissa said calmly, evenly. "That was not my intention."
"So... you... say." The man said, the blinds swinging closed on their own and catching Krissy and Ty off guard. "But... my... em-ployersss." The man cracked an ungodly smile. "Are... well, you kn-ow verywell."
"These humans are under my protection." Narissa said quickly. "If you will honour that, I will cooperate fully and without issue."
The man's dead gaze turned to Ty and Krissy, standing in the corner and trying to maintain composure against this truly terrifying presense, watching with nervous eyes and steady breathing.
"She contacted... you." The man nodded to Ty, hands folded patiently in front of him.
"Yes, sir." Ty said meekly.
"Of... course... she did." The man raised his head to regard Narissa. "So... she... could br-eak therules."
"Nothing was broken." Narissa said firmly, but calmly. "He granted me passage of his own free will."
"You." The man pointed to Krissy. "Wh-at... is... your place here?"
"I am Ty's step brother's girlfriend." Krissy said even more meekly, but calmly. By now, the humans were starting to crack, sweat and nervous shaking becoming evident.
"It is wise..." The man turned back to the lizard. "Not to de-ceive... us." He circled the reptile and offered a smug smirk. "Or to... test... us."
Narissa said nothing, knowing fully well what he was about to say. She looked to Ty with a pleading urge to remain calm, which Ty picked up emotionally and responded to with a slight nod.
"But... using... this... boy." The man stopped suddenly, facing away from the others. "And his... a-bil-i-ties. Does... he know? What... youare?"
Narissa's head fell and she almost teared up. "He does not."
The man in black turned to Ty and stared through him with troubling indifference. "She... has lied. To you." He said, almost savoring the words. "As... all... her kind. Are... pr-one todo." He seemed to reach into Ty's mind, which the boy felt, and he remained on the spot trying not to panic. "You know... this."
Ty gulped, also tearing up.
"Yes." The man nodded. "You... know... that some... thing. Is wrong. About her. She... is use-ing you."
Krissy stared at Ty's reaction and saw the fresh tears falling down the lizard's cheek as she stood trying to comprehend this madness.
"These... gifts." The man said with a snarl. "This... po-tential. Using it for... her ownmeans."
Narissa only turned her head to see Ty's agonized face and sheepishly turned away, clenching her eyes shut to fight the tears.
"She..." The man pointed to Krissy, prompting her to spring to attention. "Would... use him... bet-ter than you. What... say... you, Reptilian."
"I am an agent of the Alliance sent to locate and convince a skilled asset to serve our cause." Narissa said matter of factly, her voice trembling. "I was advised to do so at all costs and to exploit whatever opening I could find in order to retain said asset."
The man offered a sinister laugh and threw his hands up. "And... the truth... willset you... free."
Ty stared at Narissa in shock and then back at the man in black, who came face to face with him. "What... you do... with her." He said, smirking uncannily. "Is not... for me... to de-cide. Do not cross... my em-ployers. Or I will re-turn. And... we will... not be so... cordial."
Ty nodded gently, perceptively understanding exactly what the meeting taking place was. And why.
"Yes..." The man in black blinked once, seemingly for the first time. "You may... use your... pow-er. Do not... disturb us. And you... will... well, it should be clear."
Krissy stared as the man passed to the door and nodded. "Good day." He tipped his hat. "This... is your first. And last. War-ning. All of... you." For emphasis, he held out a picture of Dustin from his jacket so that Krissy could see, and promptly exited, adjusting his tie down the steps and smoothing his suit jacket.
The door shut itself and locked, and Krissy and Ty ran to the window to peer through the blind, watching the man enter his vehicle, turn the corner, and promptly vanish.
Ty turned back to find Narissa reduced to a sobbing mess, leaning into the couch where they had first kissed and crying into the fabric. The sight of the great creature so pathetically broken was more than a little heartbreaking. Both Ty and Krissy came to her side, Krissy stroking her strong back, Ty touching the top of her vibrating head.
The lizard gained enough composure to speak between racking sobs of guilt, and looked into Ty's eyes as he felt his hurt. She could *feel* his hurt.
"Did you use me?" Ty said solemnly.
Krissy stared at Narissa and felt deep pity for the reptile. Although really she was also recalling the feel of her tongue inside of her and shifted uncomfortably. She felt dirty.
Narissa nodded and closed her eyes in agony, fighting off a fresh wave of tears. "I did. Just... send me back."
"I won't. I love you." Ty said simply.
At that, Narissa visibly paused as if she had been struck in the head with a brick. "I lied to you." She said in surprise, more bewildered than sad.
"Yeah." Ty nodded. "You did. But your stupid mission doesn't change the person you are inside. I've felt her. I've seen her. And I know she feels the same way because I've felt it."
Once more, Narissa went teal, in either embarassment or acknowledgement, it was hard to tell. "So you're not going to banish me, are you?"
"No." Ty said simply, arms crossed. "But you're also going to tell me exactly what the fuck is going on and what you want out of this."
"All right." Narissa promised, and then turned her attention to Krissy, both of them seemingly blushing as they made eye contact. "Uh..."
"Do you know I've never experimented with another girl before today?" Krissy crossed her arms.
"I was pissed because you hurt Ty." She shrugged her shoulders. "But I guess he's okay. So we're good."
"All right, then." Narissa snorted. "We're all okay."
"What... was he?" Ty said nervously.
"Like all the Men in Black," Narissa began, composing herself and drying her eyes. "He's an enforcerer of the Cabal and an interdimensional hitman, trained and bred for the sole purpose of destroying incriminating evidence and eliminating opposition. He won't be back unless we give him a reason."
"And then?" Ty said nervously.
"I'll be barred from entering the third dimension ever again." Narissa counted on her fingers. "The two of you will be killed. Anybody we were involved with will be killed. And that's being optimistic that they aren't in a torturing mood."
"But... you can't be harmed." Ty said in confusion. "Since you're not really here."
"Uh..." Narissa rubbed the top of her snout in shame. "Well, that's not *entirely* true. Remember how I said I'm in no less than three places at once?"
"Yes..." Ty said impatiently.
"Well, I have to generate a third dimensional body to be here, according to the rules of third dimensional matter." She explained.
"Meaning?" Ty crossed his arms, feeling shame from the reptile.
"I'm not technically fifth dimensional when I'm my true self here, meaning I can be manipulated, wounded, shot, killed." She said casually. "Uh, transformed."
Ty's face lit up in realization and he laughed in disbelief. "Right! Right! You let me try it on human Narissa, not actual Narissa. Since human Narissa is just a fake projection and not a real person, she wouldn't change."
"Yes..." Narissa rolled her eyes.
"But lizard Narissa is actually you." Ty cracked his fingers together eagerly.
"Yes." Narissa sighed sarcastically, sitting on the couch and putting her arms at her side. She knew what was coming.
"So as long as you're you..." Ty grinned, urging the lizard's breasts to grow forward.
This made Narissa shudder as she felt Ty's power wash over her, and her third dimensional body, apart from her fifth dimensional body, complied with the boy's will. The reptilian gasped as under her jumpsuit her bust became more shapely, swelled more feminine, and pressed out
into a rather voluptuous set of lizard breasts. When it was done, Narissa sat there in shock and a little embarassment.
"There." Ty grinned. "That's payback for telling me half-truths and outright lies."
"Yeah, yeah." Narissa smirked, blushing teal as she experimentally cupped her bigger boobs and squeezed them, her tail flicking out and twitching. She looked at Ty with a smirk and broke into a smile as she simply undid what he had done to her, her breasts deflating back to their original state much to Ty's disapointment.
"Um, guys..." Krissy said, sliding in beside Narissa and throwing an arm around her waist. "I think you both owe me too for this fucked up day."
"Yeah." Ty and Narissa agreed, nodding to each other.