Concept
(star trek fanfiction) Q appears to make fun of Amanda Rogers for pretending to be human, which triggers a wager that humans are too primitive to even experience happiness. Q sets the stage by reading the boyfriend's mind and choosing to reveal and give him one of his deepest desires, and see if Amanda's right.
Characters
John Eaton - Amada's boyfriend (physicist and warp engine engineer)
Q - instigator/protagonast
Arc
Amanda Rogers and Q are bantering, and Q criticizes her primitive human boyfriend for many things, especially for hiding countless secret desires, which if he ever received, he wouldn't accept.... Amanda defends him insisting he would, but says she promised herself she wouldn't look into his thoughts -- she wants a 'normal' human relationship. Q made no such promise, so he creates one of his "bets".... you say he could handle getting his deepest desires? I'll take a peek and make his fantasy come true.. If you're right, you'll be able to get him to accept it and he'll love you all the more, and if I'm right, his primitive human mind will freak out and think he's going crazy, you can admit defeat and put your life back to normal and boring.
before departing Q drops some innuendo hints... asking if he finds her human form attractive, truly attractive. (i think he does)... well, i'm sorry to say the girl of his dreams is quite a bit different than your boring plain persona, lets see what he thinks when he gets it. You two have fun while it lasts. (And then he disappears)
immediately amanda feels different, and looks in a mirror to see her hair dark and striking, and her chest is visibly larger. She scolds Q, and he retorts it's (her boyfriend's) fantasy, not his.
???? or maybe Q introduces her 'sister', someone who is more his physical ideal.
she tries to dress to downplay the changes, and when her boyfriend gets back, he's pretty surprised by her hair... she makes up a story about wanting to try something different. Then he notices she seems taller, but she denies it, even though she can tell it's true. She ducks away and curses Q in the bathroom, and he giggles and retorts that this is just the beginning. Then quickly, before her eyes, she gets another six inches taller, with notably more fitness definition. / She complains "how am I supposed to explain this?!?" / "This is his fantasy.... You said it would be easy to get him to accept it. Or are you giving up already?" / "Shit."
She straightens herself in the mirror, and heads back out, quickly sitting down to hide her height. "Honey, I have something I need to tell you. Can you come sit?" / (he follows, already noticing something is different)
???? where is this going ???? random ideas ???? tension ????
during the bet Q will give him what he wants, creating tension between what will keep the relationship (what Amanda wants) and John's impetuous desire. (she pleads for him not to turn her into his a living goddess of his dreams)
maybe Q appears himself, playing his traditionally meddlesome role in person.... goading John with his own suggestions from John's subconcious...
ultimately driving him to a fantasy scenerio where he lives in an alien planet of amazon women, where Amanda is their queen, and he is the only man and sex slave to all the women.
if Q wins the bet, she has to invite him to dinner, and he gets to tell her boyfriend about what she really is
when she actually loses the bet, it leads to a strange "new honesty" where she has to admit all the ways she uses her powers in human life...
(cooking, transit, laundry, homework, etc)
Q plays the bad cop,
calls out some of the more nefarious ways she's used her powers (pheramones, making him aroused?)
Intro
John was pouring over his notes as the whisper silent maglev train sped along at nearly 500mph. He felt he was near a breakthrough in warp engine efficiency, if he could just find what he felt must be an obvious error in his calculations. This particular breakthrough might increase warp field efficiency by at least 7%. A jump that large hadn't been achieved in over a decade. The numbers and concepts flooded his mind so much he was out of touch with the outside world, and startled as his chair swung around backwards and he felt pressed to his seat during the rapid deceleration.
"Arriving at Coral Hill stop. Please remember your belongings when disembarking the train." John stumbled out of his seat, still thinking about the figures when he was startled again. "John, you left your digi-pad," the computer reminded him.
"Ohh, right. Thank you." He took a few steps back snatching the computer tablet, and resuming his trajectory out of the train. Outside, as usual, Amanda was waiting for him. "Honey, I told you don't have to meet me at the train *every* day." Amanda was his girlfriend of eleven months. She was a redhead, pretty, and incredibly smart. She was working on her third Ph.D, this one in deep cell brain neurochemistry. Other than feeling intimidated sometimes, he really loved her. Partly because of and partly inspire of a strange habit she had of doing just about whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, and things seeming to almost magically work out for her.
"But I like to. It's nice to walk home together, it's it? And besides, I'm done with my studies for the day, and I'm usually running some kind of errand right near by anyway. Seems senseless for both of us to walk alone." She offered a hug and a quick kiss before locking elbows and turning to walk towards their nearby flat. "How was work? Did you solve that little puzzle you're working on?"
"Amanda, this is no little puzzle! This could revolutionize warp drive technology!" He let go of their embrace to wave his hands, animating his words, "my calculations show that there is a distinct pattern to the subharmonic noise distortion in the theta-band that we always felt was random. If it's not random, it means we could predict it, and if we can predict it..."
"I know, sweetie, we can improve warp drive efficiency by 7%. You've been telling me for months. I'm sure you'll crack it eventually." She had never come clean that she knew everything about warp drives, his theory, and the error in his calculations. "Maybe what you need is to get your mind off work for a while. We could stop by the Holo and have an adventure! I hear there is a new escape from Tarcasian scenerio that everyone is raving about. Then she lowered her voice to more of a whisper, "or we could have sex in the Mermaid's Tale."
"Amanda!" He scolded as he wrinkled his face. "The children's book? That's just weird. And you know it's hard for me to really disengage from a problem my brain is stuck on. Can we just have a quiet dinner in? Maybe listen to a famous opera? Something relaxing." Amanda wrinkled her nose in boredom. She really liked John, but when he was stuck on a problem, he was really stuck. She half considered giving him the solution, just so she could have some fun, but she respected the thinker John just as much as the playful John, and she didn't dare steal his achievement.
They walked the rest of the four blocks in mostly silence, John thinking about warp fields, and Amanda thinking about how she would going to get his mind off it so they could have some fun, preferably with their clothes off. Something about Friday afternoons always made her horney.
When they reached their apartment building, there was a man sitting on a bench not far from the front door. When Amanda recognized his face, a chill ran up her spline. As John made for the door, she stopped short. He looked at her puzzled. "I just remembered, I ordered dinner at Arnold's, and I forgot to grab it. Head up and I'll just run and grab it, okay?" John just shrugged and nodded, passing through the door and towards the elevators.
When she turned around, Q was already upon her. "How are we doing, Amanda? Still playing human housewife with your little pet I see."
"He is not a pet. His name is John, and I quite like spending time with him. He makes me happy. We don't need you meddling. I told you, I don't want to join the Q."
"Yes, yes, of course. You are determined to live out your fakely natural human life, because your parents brainwashed you into thinking you are one of them. You know if they hadn't taken on their fragile human forms, they would still be alive today."
The memory of her lost parents stung. Ever since she had found out what she was, what they were, the story that they were killed in a Tornado accident just didn't quite add up. Though even being an all-powerful Q herself, apparently the nebulous Q Continuum was even more powerful, having the ability to snuff out her existence in a nanosecond. It had become the only thing she feared, and she wanted to stay far away from it. "Perhaps they would be. Yet here I am, and I don't need you meddling. Everytime you show up there is always trouble."
"Ohh, don't be blaise. You like my trouble. You were just trying to get your boyfriend to have some fun, and he seemed quite unreceptive, so I thought I would lend a hand. I could show you the real Tarcasian history that holo-fake is based on, or I could show you an exotic marine world, with a real and beautiful lush ocean and we could just see what strikes you."
"Q!" She scolded, at the implication of taking her up on her sex proposition to her boyfriend. "I'm not going anywhere with you, I'm in love with John."
"Ohh right, human love. You know they can never give you what you really desire, but if I must." In an instant, Q's appearance changed, and he looked just like her boyfriend, only much better dressed.
Amanda winced her face and scowled, "I am not amused. Why are you here? Tell me now, so we can get it over with and you can go."
"So impatient, for someone who will live for eternity. One day we'll cure you of that. I'm not here for any particular reason. I just keep an ear out in the universe, I heard you wanted to have some fun, so I'm here to oblige. Let's see. How about a wager? You say John makes you happy, but John's not. Humans are incapable of it. They define themselves in limitation and misery. Have you ever tried? Tried to make him truly happy? Find out what he truly desires?"
"I promised I would never do that, read a human mind. At least not the one I love, or for anything important. It seems... wrong."
"Phhhht. Right, wrong, when are you going to get over this pedantic human morality and live a little? Nevertheless, the bet still stands. I bet if you give him what he truly desires, he will be overwhelmed with a gamut of human emotion, but happiness will not be among them, certainly not prominently. I will do the dirty work of sleuthing out such desire and delivering it. You merely need to bear witness. If I win, you have to tell him exactly what you are. If you win, I will leave you alone for a while, maybe a millennium or two."
"A millennium!" Being only twenty five years old, her mind still thought in terms of human lifespans, so to be rid of Q for that long sounded like heaven. She could live out her human life without his meddling. She was pretty sure John was happy with her already, and certainly giving him his heart's desire would improve that. Unless... Q always had a way of twisting things on you. "I'll make that bet under one condition. I know he desires the solution to his warp drive problem, but that can't be what you give him. It will rob him of his achievement, and make him miserable."
"Ohh Amanda, you think in such small terms. I wouldn't dare do such a thing, and besides that would be no fun at all. You really have never read his mind have you? If you had, I think you would have considered longer the idea of taking me up on the wager. I've decided on something much more playful. I'm going to give him the woman of his dreams." Suddenly, a duplicate of Amanda's human form appeared in front of her, and she again felt like she walked right into Q's trick.
"Absolutely not, Q. You can't -replace- me. You said 'if -you- give him what he truly desires'. Not your puppet fembot replica of me. Go ahead, tell me, I'll do it, I'll be the woman of his dreams."
"Interesting. She does retain some better than human perception of meaning. Very well. I'm nothing if not true to my word. You can deliver his greatest desire." In an instant, without a word, he showed her what John wanted, what he dreamt of. And as soon as she knew it, her face soured. What John wanted wouldn't make them partners. In a great twist of irony, despite being an all-powerful being already, it was his desire that would make him more of her pet.
"That's right, Amanda, but a bet's a bet. And remember, to tell him what you are is to admit defeat, so we'll have none of that." He held out his hand, and in it a bag of Arnold's take out materialized, "no, run along and enjoy my lesson on the fragility of the human psyche."
Amanda scowled, at first, then took a deep breath and found her calm. She gently took the bag of food. "No, Q. You'll see. This time you'll be wrong. I'm going to give John what he wants, and somehow I'm going to get him to love me all the more." She turned towards the door, heard Q snicker, and felt equal parts dread and challenge.
She'd only made it to the elevator, the doors silently closing, when she felt something strange. A sensation in her body she'd never felt before. She looked to the mirrored side of the elevator, and could see her body changing. Her bustline inflating, her legs and body growing taller. "Q, stop your meddling!"
Q responded, his voice emanating from inside her head, ~on the contrary, Amanda, our bet is for you to give him what he wants, but for me to deliver it. Consider this a first installment.~ Amanda winced at his tricks of language. He was true to his word, but with Q there was always so much meaning packed into a little sentence. And she fell for it, lured in by the cheap bait of being rid of him for a while. She had little choice now but to move forward.
---
Inside the apartment, she set the food on the kitchen counter and puzzled about how she was going to make this work. John was in the study, his mind still lost in his work, and she could use that to her advantage. She made for the bedroom and took another look at herself in the mirror. What had seemed subtle at first didn't appear so when she got a better look. Her bustline had increased enough to strain at the fabric of her shirt, and she was now easily taller than John in her heels. She quickly took them off, and rummaged through her clothing to find something that would make her change less immediately obvious. Her plan was to ease him into it. After shoving around hangars for five minutes, she gave up. Nothing she had would work. He was going to notice immediately.. unless noticing was what she was going for.. She mentally checked John was still in the study, and materialized onto herself some sexy black lingerie. The top was a mesh halter, and the bottom a mesh ultra-miniskirt. (pic) Rather than try to minimize the changes, she could just get him having fun and thinking about other things. At least that was the plan.
Again the emanating voice in her head, ~Touche, Amanda. But remember, this is just the beginning, he will notice eventually. And when it does, you're going to see his feeble human mind crack like an egg over a hot frying pan.~
"I'm not going to let that happen, and get out of my head. Invading my private space was not part of the bet." There was no response, only silence, which really didn't mean anything, but at least he was gone. Amanda made her way to the office.
John was sitting at his desk, still noodling over figures. She leaned up against the doorframe, she put on her most lyrical voice, "John? Oh, John? Your girlfriend wants to play."
John held up his hand, "just a moment, hun. I, um. Yes. That looks promising. Let me just jot this down... and then, what did you say?" He swiveled around to see his girlfriend looking sexier than he had ever seen her. "Uhm, whoa, you look..amazing." He's description fell far short of what he was thinking, that somehow her figure looked absolutely incredible, especially her tits.
"Thanks, hun. You didn't take the hint before, so I thought I would make it more obvious. I want to have sex with you, John Eaton. Assuming you can tear yourself away from your little puzzle for a couple hours." ~more like six minutes~ Q jested in her head, and she realized there was no getting rid of him. All the more motivation to win the bet.
John stood up from the bed, the surge of hormones through his body, and blood through his penis, finally able to wrestle his mind away from math. "Sorry, hun. I know I get a bit absorbed in work. When did you get this outfit? It's really really sexy." He sidled closer, equally aroused and intimidated by her confidence. When he reached her, he gently put a hand on her bare hip as she still posed against the wall, arms in her hair.
"I just got it today, and if I knew how fast it would get your attention, I would have bought it months ago..." She reached a hand out, encouraging him closer.. but before they could kiss, she felt another odd sensation, her lips and tongue moving on their own, as she heard someone elses words come out of her own mouth. "What do you think about me dressing up like this anytime we're home alone?" ~don't blame me, it's what he wants~
"Uhm, yes please!?!? That's a trick question right? Was I supposed to say, no?"
"No, honey. Be honest. We've always been honest." ~except the part about you being human~ ~enough, Q~
"Well, then I certainly wouldn't mind," he said with a confident swagger, as he pulled her in and they kissed. Softly at first, then a bit more passionately, his hands instinctively rubbing against her bare skin. As their kiss broke free, he continued caressing her. She even felt different, more firm and solid. He had been lost in his project so long he hadn't really given her his full attention in months, maybe he'd missed it?
He leaned away, his hand mesmerized touching her skin, rubbing down the front of her tummy, feeling muscle definition he'd certainly never noticed before. The more he touched her, the more turned on it made him, and she didn't seem to mind. "Hun, have you been working out? You feel more fit."
"I just got a new trainer. Seems to be working." She liked feeling his hands on her, though she was more self conscious about her height. How long was he going to stand there before he noticed she was taller. Then she felt that strange sensation, as her body changed again. ~curse you, Q!~ She felt the fabric of her top stretching, and while she feared her tits were getting bigger, it wasn't just that, her whole body was getting bigger. Like Q was pushing a metaphorical enlarge button. She felt her shoulders and torso widen, and her legs elongate. She had to shift her posture and spread her legs to avoid sliding up the wall. She realized that once she stood up, there was going to be no hiding the fact that she was now taller than John. Fortunately his attention lie elsewhere.
John couldn't help take a moment to admire her tits, gently cupping a hand under one of them. They had never looked or felt so substantial or firm or sexy. In fact, there was no way this was just a top. Had she had them medically enhanced? He'd never ask that, but if she had, he certainly wouldn't mind. As his attention widened, he felt a chill run through his spine. Something about her was suddenly very different. "Amanda, are you taller?"
"I am." Amanda knew she was beyond denying it, so she did her best to own it. She stood up straight. She was easily two inches taller than him, and with her entire frame expanding, approaching his weight. Then she felt her voice being manipulated again, "this is what you want, isn't it? A taller, stronger, smarter girlfriend? Tell me I'm wrong, and it'll stop."
"But, how? Are we in a Holo? That's it, isn't it? Somehow you lured me into a Holo. But how did you *know*?"
Amanda felt the surge again, this time she grew more, her shoulders even with his eyeline, and her muscles now slightly but visibly defined. She tried to play coy, "know what, honey?"
"Holy crap!" John exclaimed, his erection now rock hard. It was like the secret holo sims he would run, only this time his girlfriend was playing the female lead. He guessed she must be piloting from virtual, so this was really a projection. Only she didn't *feel* like a projection. Sure, holos were designed to seem real, but they were not, and there was something distinct and perceptable about the difference. He was dying to know how. "Computer, what Holo version is this?"
A distinct chime sounded, and then the monotonic computerized voice answered, "There is no holo version, you are not in a holodeck."
Amanda saw him suddenly look at her differently, confused, dumbfounded, in awe. She considered making up an elaborate ruse. Throwing a backstory onto the news about a rare disease, or a virus, or some other made up junk. But could already hear Q snarking in her ear about the breakdown of her honesty. It's like everything in his being was trying to make her give up human morality. She wasn't going to do it. "John, let me explain. A had a little run in with an extra dimensional being. He's really a bit of a troll. And I was tricked into a bet, and