Part 24 (by Barbara)



Location:  Waldorf Astoria, New York City, front desk  

  

"Liz!  It's that weird guy again from the thirteenth 

floor......", Angela hissed.   

  

"Oh, good Lord," Elizabeth moaned, feeling suddenly very 

cold and clammy.  "I suppose it's the usual?"

  

"Yep.  The Kitchen just called.  He's ordered a tuna 

sandwich and a Coke, and he wants you to bring it to his 

room.  Just you.  He asked for you specifically.....AGAIN.  

And he said IMMEDIATELY.  I don't get it, chick, you're a 

front desk clerk.  Why does he want you delivering his room 

service lunch?  That's what the KITCHEN STAFF is for.  Am I 

wrong?  Am I?  Tell him to get lost."

  

"Oh, well.....uh.....I don't mind, I guess," Liz smiled 

weakly.  "Maybe I'll see Paul Stanley on the elevator or 

something."

  

"Yeah, right.  I don't care what you say.  That guys a 

freak".

  

******************************************************

  

As Elizabeth got off the elevator, shaking hands trying to 

carry the tray of food without spilling it on the carpet, 

she again felt herself beginning to go numb.  Ever since 

she had answered the phone on that fated day, her life had 

not been the same.  First off, the hand had taken forever 

to heal and required prescription medication for the 

pain.  Whether it was due to the medication or other 

factors, her nights had been filled lately with agonizing, 

torturous dreams, which invariably were filled with 

nightmarish visions of Gene Simmons, his eyes rolled back 

in his head, his mouth spurting blood, his tongue wagging 

ominiously at her.  She was a Gene Simmons fan, but these 

dreams were truly horrific, because in them, he was coming 

for HER, for her SOUL, it seemed.  "I will own you," he 

says to her in the dreams and he plods forward toward her, 

hands outstretched toward her neck.   At this point, she 

would always wakes up, screaming in the night.  Odd that 

they just started right after the fated phone call 

from that dreadful E.V.I.L. man who she was now being 

forced to see yet again.

  

Elizabeth knocked tentatively on the door and was beckoned 

in.  Unfortunately, she knew the routine.  She blindly felt 

her way to the table, where she placed the food tray down 

carefully.  The room was kept dark at all times and she had 

no idea of the looks of this man, and maybe that was best.  

Something told her he was NOT a sight she longed to see.

  

"SIT DOWN", he said, not a trace of friendliness in his 

voice.  She did so quickly.



"Did you do what I asked?  Did you give my message to Val?"

  

"Well, uh....you see.....errrrr....I DID call up to her 

room and I was GOING to tell her, but well....you won't 

BELIEVE who answered her phone.  Paul Stanley!  And 

well...I didn't know what to do so I hung up....sort 

of.....".  She heard him growl angrily.

  

"That Desiree girl who helped you the other night?  I asked 

you to give her my room number and tell her it was Bruce 

Kulick,  wanting a good screw.  I had "plans" for her.  Now 

since no one knocked on my door, I can ONLY assume you 

failed there too," he said sarcastically.

  

"Well, you see, she was so nice, and I just couldn't....", 

Elizabeth braced for the words that she knew full well were 

coming.



And Buttercup did not disappoint her.  His lunch tray went 

flying within inches of her head and crashed violently into 

the wall.



"I AM GROWING VERY TIRED OF THIS F***CKING GAME!!!," he 

howled indignantly, "I have given you task after task and 

repeatedly you fail me.  I have never had a more pathetic 

and useless speck of dust under my control than you, you 

WORM!  I should have fried you alive when I had the chance.  

Do you want to live?  Well, DO YOUUUUUU?"



As a hot flush fell across her face, Elizabeth found 

herself saying, "Yes, I do".  Please God, just make him go 

away was her silent prayer.



Buttercup turned to the wall and rolled his eyes.  This one 

was certainly not the best choice for a helper, that's a 

certainty.  In the beginning, he had chosen her, as he felt 

her front desk hotel connections would be helpful, plus he 

sensed that she was basically weak and was ripe for his 

mind games.  The first phase had involved ridding her of 

her love for Kiss, hence the nightmares of Gene he had sent 

her.   Can't have her sympathizing with the enemy, now can 

we?  Was he successful?  He wished he knew that answer.  

Time for another test, he decided.  That's it.



"I have something for you to do.  There's a young lady here 

named Shannon.  She's in room 2300.  We have tried to 

capture her and learn what she knows by force, but it 

was...well....less than successful.  I want you to find out 

what she knows.  I am not yet through with her.  She will 

talk to you and will tell you the secrets that she and the 

other girls share.  She will give you information about 

Gene Simmons too. I WANT that information.  You get it for 

me, or you die.  Got it?"



Elizabeth blinked hard, "I don't understand.  Why would she 

talk to me?  I'm just the hotel desk clerk.  If she's got 

secrets, surely, she's not going to just give them to a 

stranger".



"No, of course not," Buttercup leered, deep in thought, and 

Elizabeth suddenly felt a very warm and strange sensation 

fill her body.  "That's why you will look familiar to her.  

VERY familiar"



Suddenly, Elizabeth was filled with a wild panic.  She 

raced into the bathroom and threw on the light.  She gasped 

in shock as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.  

Only, it wasn't hers any longer.  Her hair was suddenly 

brown/blonde and shoulder length.  Her brown eyes 

were now blue, and she easily looked as if she was at least 

15 years younger.  "Who.......who am I?"



"Your name is Shandi.  You're the list moderator and one of 

her best friends.  She'll talk to you, my pretty.  Oh, 

she'll talk........"  Buttercup laughed heartily, "Tell you 

what.  You be a good girl and get me the information I want 

from Shannon, and maybe, just maybe I'll let you keep that 

16 year old body.  You wouldn't miss that fat ass you USED 

to have one bit, would you, Elizabeth?" he chortled, "You 

were no model, you know".



"And one other thing, there's a lady checked in here named 

Raven.  Give her hell too.  I do NOT want her stay here to 

be pleasant.  Something tells me her credit card should 

bounce, or her room should get trashed.  Something.  Be 

creative.  I am becoming annoyed with her too.  Now get the 

hell out of my room and give me a reason to keep you 

alive.  Do not fail me".



As Elizabeth slowly walked down the hall to the elevator, 

she heard his words in her head again, "Do not fail me".  A 

single tear rolled down her cheek.