"I'm afraid that's not my department," mused Petrenko. "I seek only to enhance. I couldn't reduce even if I knew how -- to my knowledge, the Homo zarbaibai wizards never made any point of that. I'm afraid you would require surgery."
Sydney fumed. "What gives you the right?"
"What gives YOU the right, agent of Arvin? To deceive, lie, entrap, possibly steal, even assassinate? We exist in a world outside rights. For us there is only power and the will to apply it."
"I so agree -- !"
Sydney lunged at Petrenko, who swiftly produced a gun. However, upon squeezing its trigger, it made no noise. Rather, Sydney was suddenly aware of a great wave of intense neural sensation crashing all throughout her body. It was an unfathomably huge and powerful surge of erotic power, and she felt herself hopelessly immobilized and entranced by it. She struggled to maintain the discipline of her proud mind's higher functions, but for the life of her all she could think was that this sensation felt really ... really ... really ... GOOOOOD. She gasped and whimpered at the merciless onslaught of pleasure, her knees weakening and buckling, making her sit back down on the slab.
"That is enough for now." Petrenko adjusted his gun and the pleasure stopped. "In most people, this seems to cause almost nothing. But in an enhanced being such as yourself, you are hopelessly vulnerable to its power."
"You're nothing," seethed Sydney. "You just want to play with puppets."
"I want much more than that. I am Petrenko, as in Peter, but whereas Peter the Great was a violent and imposing figure, I prefer to establish my own historic greatness more subtly. Say ... through sexpionage and blackmail, via prostitution. People always wonder: where does he get such fine women for his prostitution rings? The answer, of course, is that I find good raw material, and then mold them to their ultimate femininity. You, dear girl, are a true Amazon, your DNA is most astonishing. You may become the prize of my collection."
"Why, you -- "
Sydney launched herself again, only to hit an even greater crash. She found it simply unbelievable that one could feel so saturated and imbibed with pleasure without actually achieving orgasm. She felt back on the slab, this time severely fatigued.
"No one really appreciates you, not as I do. Not Arvin, or your government, not anyone. Only I know your greatest destiny."
Petrenko walked off, as Sydney fell fast asleep. |