The weekend after the full Moon, the weather had improved enough that Duncan decided to take the kids out to a park.  They’d been cooped up at home too long, and needed some time out in the fresh air.  Gwen met him there, coffee in hand, and watched Courtney and Victor run and play.

“Makes you think it’s all worthwhile.  They don’t have a care in the world,” she mused.

Duncan chuckled softly and nodded.  “I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Can you?”

A shrug.  “We’ve done okay so far.  The only deaths I regret are the ones at the hospice, and they had already lived full lives.  Except the intern.  I’m still stunned at how fast that went.”

“You did much better with the rest.  We’re battle-hardened and ready to face the world.”

Duncan laughed.  “I wish I shared your enthusiasm.”

Courtney came up to them then, and waved to Auntie Gwen.  “I’m cold,” she announced.  “Can we go home now?”

Duncan nodded, and gathered them up.  “I’ll give you a fur coat once we’re back home,” he promised Courtney, who grinned happily.

Gwen laughed.  “Which kind?”

Duncan grinned back at her.  “Come for lunch and see.  We can set another place easily enough.  Sidney would like a visit too, I think.  The kids have missed you this last week, and Sidney doesn’t get enough chances to talk with adults.”

“Sounds good to me.  Can I bum a ride?”

Duncan drove them all back home, and called out to Sidney from the door.  “Hey sweetie, I brought a stray home.  Can she stay for lunch?”

Sidney bustled into the kitchen then grinned when she saw Gwen.  “Oh!  Sure, that’d be nice.  Can you stay long?”

Gwen shrugged.  “Club’s not open ‘til late.  And thanks to Donna, I don’t really need the money.  Sunday nights are the pits, I’ll probably skip.”

Sidney asked about Gwen’s new apartment, and Gwen described it in glowing terms.  Duncan was glad he’d renovated the kitchen already, or he’d never hear the end of it.  While they talked, he sought out Courtney and gave her the fur coat he’d promised - this one was just a fursuit, so she could take it off later.  Sidney glowered at him until he pointed out the zipper.

“How have things been at the club?” asked Duncan, once Gwen wound down.

“Oh, the usual.  I’ve burned off a fair bit of the magic you left us, the soap-bubble ones are way easier to use than your marbles.  Mostly upgrades, more among the guests than the staff.  A few fantasies.  Oh, and fixing all Ray’s screwups.”

“Oh dear.  How bad?”

Gwen giggled.  “He accidentally shrank Nissa out of existence, and couldn’t find her to change her back.  I think she may have been hiding from him.  Then Tawny got on his case, and he erased her too.  Turns out he’s stuck with the ‘wish’ thing like the two of us.  Still, no harm done.  I was able to restore them, and neither seemed upset at the rest.  Nissa even called it relaxing.”

“Sounds like the usual, then.  How long did Erin last before becoming a corset?”

“A corset?” asked Sidney.  “There are other people who like to become clothing?”

Duncan nodded and explained what he’d done for Erin and Sandy.  “So she’s stuck as a corset until the next full Moon.  Or longer, potentially, but I suspect they’ll both want something new then.  On the upside, she can still talk, and has more control than Sandy does when she’s being worn.  I wouldn’t be shocked if they asked to swap places next month.”

Gwen nodded.  “Sandy’s already asked me, though she has some new designs in mind.  Do you think you could do colour-shifting skin on a corset?”

“Yeah, easily.”

Sidney leaned in to ask,“Colour changing?”

Duncan nodded.  “Like a chameleon, or an octopus.  It’s pretty cool, but takes a lot of practice to get good at creating the patterns you want.  I’ve done two-state ones before, so you can look normal or have tiger-stripes at will.  Interested?”

Sidney looked over at Gwen uncertainly.  “Is it... safe?  You mentioned people getting accidentally erased.”

Gwen nodded enthusiastically.  “Safe as houses.  Ray didn’t have enough power to change someone straight up, so he had to shrink them to change them.  Didn’t realize just how keen Nissa was on changing, and overshot.  Donna here... sorry, I mean Duncan.  He can change you without the shrinking.”

Duncan noticed a glint in Sidney’s eyes.  “Or with, if you’d prefer.  Moon sets in a few minutes, how tiny would you like to be tonight?”

“You can fix me in the morning?” asked Sidney urgently.

“Yep.”

“And you’ll make me indestructible?”

“Safer than you are now.”

Sidney set her single silver ring on the table, then held her hands about six inches apart.  “This big.  And the chameleon skin, too, please.”

Duncan chuckled softly.  “I always go the extra mile when someone says please.”

Courtney had overheard the discussion, and came running to watch her mother shrink to doll-size.  She giggled and danced and asked if she could pick “Tiny Mommy” up.  After a brief worried look up at Duncan, Sidney nodded.

Unfortunately, none of Courtney’s doll clothes were sized right to fit a six inch tall person with normal proportions.  She did try her best to find something that would fit, and kept at it long after Sidney had lost her sense of humour over the whole thing.  

“That’s enough, sweetie,” said Duncan.  “Next time I’ll make some dress-up clothes for tiny Mommy, too.”

Sidney snorted.  “Hah.  Like I’m going back to...”  She looked up into Courtney’s face and sighed at the quivering lips she saw there.  “Yeah, I guess I am.  Can I be done for now, though?”

Duncan shook his head.  “Moon set a while back.  You’re stuck like this until morning.”

“Poop.”

Which led to Courtney echoing her mother’s statement, and giggling from Victor even though he didn’t really understand what was going on.  To distract them all, Duncan proposed a game of hide-and-seek.  Sidney won, of course.  Even without her camouflage she was hard to find, and hiding next to the couch turned her skin a leafy green to match it.  Once Duncan had finally found her, she expressed her amazement at how easy it had been to blend in.

Duncan chuckled softly.  “I do very good work.  Especially for those who ask nicely.”  He set her on the coffee table, in the middle of one of the marble tiles, and Sidney’s skin adapted in moments.  “You do make a pretty little sculpture,” he said with a grin and a wink.

Sidney held her pose for long enough that the kids lost interest, then held her arms up in the same gesture Victor still used when he wanted to be picked up.  Duncan scooped her into his hand, making her squeak softly in surprise.  Her body was rigid with tension, but soon relaxed at Duncan’s gentle petting.  “Better?” he asked softly once she’d draped herself over his palm.

“Mmm.  I could stay like this.  Your hands are so warm...” she purred.

Duncan kept rubbing her softly, idly murmuring that he should have made it so she could melt.  To his surprise, Sidney nodded along at the thought.  “Making me literally putty in your hands?”

“Something like that.”  He kneaded her flexible body softly.  “You’re pretty firm, but still squishable.  Durable, too.  I could squeeze you as hard as I liked, and it shouldn’t hurt.”

“Are you sure?”

Duncan nodded, and gave her a reassuring but gentle squeeze.  “Certain.”

Sidney looked away, thought about it, then nodded.  “Let’s see.  Stop if I say so or...”  she pulled one arm out of his grip, and waved it above her head.  “Or if I do this.”

“As you wish.”  Duncan slowly closed his hand tighter about Sidney, until he felt her body squish and deform.  “Okay so far?”

Sidney nodded, so Duncan gripped tighter, turning Sidney’s body into a slim cylinder.  Since she wasn’t waving at him, but instead staring down at herself in wonder, he  pressed on until the servos in his robotic hand started to whine.  When he released Sidney, her body sprung back into shape like a rubber doll.

“Wow,” she breathed, once her lungs could once again take in air.  “That was... different.”

“Different good, or different bad?”

“Not sure yet.  But if you were to step on me, I’d be just as safe as I was then?”

“Safer.  I put a lot more force on you than you’d experience underfoot.”

Sidney grinned, and called for another round of hide and seek.  Which she of course won, easily.  Until she hid under the couch, and realized just how filthy it was under there.  That stopped the game, and started a new one, the kids’ least favourite – clean up the living room.

It was somewhat easier than usual, as Duncan’s robotic body could effortlessly lift up one end or the other of the various couches and chairs.  It still took them most of the way to dinnertime.  Some of that was taken up by playing “Chase Mommy with the vacuum cleaner”, which made the kids squeal with laughter.

When it came time to make dinner, Duncan tucked Sidney in his shirt pocket, and had her direct him to the various tasks.  He’d always been good at chopping vegetables and such, so it was hardly unfamiliar work.  As the sauce simmered on the stove, Sidney snuggled against her sweetie.  “This is way easier than doing it myself.”

Duncan laughed extra deeply, to rumble his chest against his wife in a way that made her eyes go bright.  “Think you’d like to spend more time as the tiny queen of the house?”

“When you’re not at work, sure.”

Sidney sat at the table with her family, sitting on it rather than on her chair.  She nibbled at her tiny portion of food, but made little progress.  The kids didn’t notice.  Once they were cleaned up and in bed, Sidney patted Duncan’s foot for attention, and after he’d scooped her up to bring her close to his face she asked, “Do you really need to eat in that body?”

Duncan shook his head as he carried her back to the now-tidy living room.  “It all goes to waste.  But I’d rather not miss out on family dinner time, so it seems worth it.  Don’t worry, I’ll be able to change you back before it becomes a problem in your body.”

“I... didn’t actually eat anything,” admitted Sidney softly.  “Couldn’t taste it.”

Duncan sighed softly.  “Sorry.  I guess I missed that detail.”

“Can you?  Taste stuff in that body, I mean.”

“Yeah.  It’s a pretty good simulation of a human.  Not perfect, but close enough that most of the time I don’t notice.”

“And when you do notice?”

Duncan shrugged.  “The price seems small enough.  Most days.  I can spend half the month human, it’s not so bad.”

Sidney frowned.  “You were human last week?  I thought...”

“Can.  I...” he sighed.  “This body isn’t who I want to be when the magic is there.  I haven’t been human-Duncan in months.  Just inhabiting this body is easier.  Less of a transition when the Moon wanes, too.”

“That’s terrible,” said Sidney.  “Please be real Duncan for me next month.  When you can.”

Duncan nodded.  “You may have to remind me.  Of more than that.”

Sidney tilted her head curiously.  “Of?”

“What it’s like to be human.  Gwen’s my anchor to sanity, but... she’s not really human any more, either.  She’d rather be a creature of magic, and change herself into new and strange things.”

“She looked human today,” said Sidney, uncertainly.

“On the surface, sure.  But she has colour-changing hair, and rainbow-hued tiger-stripes under her clothes.”

“Oh!  That sounds pretty.”

Duncan chuckled softly.  “It’s beautiful.  She’s beautiful, in so many ways.”

“Still love her?” asked Sidney wistfully.

“No more than you.  But not less, either.  She calls to my magic side.  You... call to something more important.”

“More important than magic?”  Sidney’s eyes went wide.

Duncan nodded, and leaned in close, putting his face near hers.  “My humanity.  I’m... going to need that more and more.  You may have to remind me from time to time.  Can you do that for me?”

Sidney grinned, and wriggled out of his hand and into his lap.  “Heck yeah.”

“What are you doing?” asked Duncan as Sidney squirmed under his belt and into his pants.

“Human stuff.  Take me to the bedroom.”

Duncan grinned, and did as his tiny wife bid.  They both had a lot of fun.

In the morning, Sidney was slightly wistful to find herself growing larger.  Duncan nudged the process along, and soon she was full height.  “Sorry sweetie.  The Moon’s power is fading, you’re stuck with a normal body for now.”

Sidney pulled him into her arms and kissed him ferociously.  “Enough of a reminder?” she asked when she broke for air.

Duncan grinned.  “Perfect.”

Later, when he was dressing to go to work, Sidney asked him to stay.  “We have enough money, more than enough.  Why work?”

Duncan shook his head.  “Allow me my anchors.  I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I gave this up, too.  I’d be less... Duncan.  And there are people there depending on me to get certain things done.  We’re making something cool, and I do enjoy being part of that.”

“I suppose.”

Duncan chuckled and kissed her soundly before he left.

* * *

Worse news came later that week, in the form of another call from Agent Mackie.  “The Director wants to see you.  As soon as possible.”

“There is no way I’m going to Ottawa without the full power of the Moon behind me,” replied Duncan.

“He’s not the sort of person who takes no for an answer,” said Mackie.  “You’re going to put me in a very difficult spot.”

“I’m sorry about that, but the answer can’t change.  Not with what’s arrayed against me.  Will he accept a teleconference?  Or send someone here to talk to me?”

Mackie sighed heavily.  “I doubt it, but I’ll ask.  I probably can’t stall him for weeks, but it’ll buy a few days.”

“Do you think he’s compromised?” asked Duncan.

Mackie’s hesitation was answer enough.  “I’ll do what I can.”

When Gwen came over the next day, she found Duncan pacing in the kitchen.  “Careful there.  Don’t want to wear out your new floor.”

Duncan laughed mirthlessly, then pointed out how easy it would be to replace.  He resumed pacing as he talked about the situation with CSIS.

“Do you think they’ll force you to go?”

“They’ll try.  I armed this place sufficiently to make it prohibitive... but I don’t especially want to slaughter the people they might send to collect me.”

“Then go,” said Gwen simply.

Duncan stared at her.  “Ghouls?  No magic because the Moon is new tonight?”

“You are a robot.  Take your crystal out, keep it here.  The resonant communications should handle that kind of distance easily.  Won’t know until we test it, but the theory is sound.”

Duncan stared at her, then started to laugh.  “I did suggest a teleconference.  You’re suggesting I do it without them knowing.”

“Oh, they’ll figure it out soon enough.  If there really is a threat.  If there isn’t, then no harm done.”

Bunhill was brought in on the discussion then, and suggested several steps to “purify” robo-Duncan so that it couldn’t be used as an arcane conduit.  Mostly that consisted of thoroughly cleaning the chamber where Duncan’s crystalline true-self usually resided with a mixture of salt, vinegar and water.  The outside of the body got a thorough scrub to remove connections to Sidney and the kids as well.

When they were done, Gwen held Duncan in her hands as he studied his robot double.  “It feels weird to see myself from outside like this,” chimed the crystal.  “I’d let myself forget...”

Gwen stroked the crystal gently, making it hum softly.  “It’ll be okay.  We’re all here for you.”

“Sidney isn’t.”

Gwen went and fetched Duncan’s wife, who’d retreated when they opened the robot up and started cleaning, claiming that it was too disturbing to see it like that.

“Done?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’ll stay closed up,” chimed the crystal.  “Best if you and the kids don’t touch it until this is done, though.”

“This sucks,” said Sidney.

Duncan snickered.  “Hey, at least you still have a body.”

“So do you,” said Gwen.  “Try turning it back on.”

Robo-Duncan’s eyes opened, and he looked around.  “Fair call.  It’s a bit fiddly to manage two perspectives, but I guess I should learn how to do that when I’m not empowered.”

Gwen asked Sidney if she had a spare jewelry box, and soon Duncan’s crystalline self was tucked away in comfort.  “Better?”

Robo-Duncan shrugged.  “Somewhat.  There’s still a disconnect, but it helps.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about inconsequential things and amusing the children.

Monday, Duncan’s preparations were put to the test.  As he was driving to work he noticed a large black SUV following him as he made his way to the highway.  Two others soon joined it, so he pulled off on a side road and got out of the car.  Agent Mackie got out of one of the SUVs, hands up.  “Look, I’m sorry about this, and I really don’t want any trouble...”

Duncan sighed.  “Figures.  They know I’m not going to do anything to you.  What’s the plan?”

“Military jet waiting for you at the airport.  You’ll be in Ottawa in a couple of hours.”

“Fine.  Let’s get this over with.”

Agent Mackie raised an eyebrow.  “Just like that?”

“I’ve taken some precautions.  Nothing that will cause you harm.  Let’s go.”

Agent Armstrong was with Mackie, and offered to drive Duncan’s car back home.

“Nah.  That’d make Sidney worry.  Can you leave it at the airport instead?”

Armstrong looked over at Mackie, who shrugged.  “May as well.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” asked Duncan.

“Let’s just say it’ll be more useful at your house.”

Duncan shook his head.  “Someone’s going to regret this.  Give Sidney the day, then tell her what you need to.  My boss might like to know something, too.”

“We’ll take care of it.”

Duncan rolled his eyes but let his robot body be led to one of the waiting SUVs.  The ride to the airport was brief, and as they approached the CF-18 waiting on the tarmac he started to grin.  “I get to ride in a fighter jet?”

Mackie laughed.  “This amuses you, after last month?”

“To be honest, yeah.  A model is different from the real thing, y’know?”

“Enjoy what you can.  The pilot’s a friend of mine, so he might be willing to get a little creative if you ask.”

“I’ll be back,” said Duncan firmly.

Agent Mackie studied him intensely.  “I see.  Good.  Now go.”

The flight was every bit as much fun as Duncan had hoped for.  The long SUV ride into the heart of Ottawa, less so.  Especially because even without his magical senses at play, Duncan could feel the growing sense of wrongness.  

It had started with the driver, who was even more robotic of aspect than Duncan.  That briefly impressed him, considering the nature of the body he was using.  The people he passed once they entered the offices looked even worse.  The ones that weren’t acting as robotic as his escort looked furtive or worried, and several flinched away from him and his escorts when they came too close.

It was almost a relief to be finally face to face with the Director.  He, at least, seemed animated.  “Well.  The mysterious Duncan-slash-Donna here at last.  I take it my men didn’t cause too much trouble.”

“None at all,” said Duncan affably.  “So.  What can I do for CSIS that I’m not already doing?”

“You can stop all this nonsense about ghouls.”

“That’s it?  You could have said that in a phone call.  It would have had as much impact.”

Duncan studied the man across from him, then sniffed the air softly and sighed.  “Bother.”

“What?”

“There’s one here.”

The Director shook his head.  “I assure you, I’m quite human, and not acting on behalf of these imaginary ‘ghouls’ of which you speak.”

“Oh?” asked Duncan, curious now.  “Then why all this?”

“Victoria, January 19th.  Almost two hundred dead.  St. John’s, March 19th, thirty five more.  And of course, the previous night in Vancouver.  You’re causing a lot of damage.”

“I’m not the one causing the damage.  Well, except for the property damage in St. John’s, that was a moment of clumsiness on my part.  The deaths preceded the damage.”

“And yet, you were present at each incident.  You’re the connecting thread.  It needs to stop.”

“It will.  Half of them are gone already.”

“Half?” screeched a voice from the adjacent room.  A spry old man stormed into the room.  “What have you done!”

Duncan turned to face him calmly.  “What needed to be done.  Your kind has done enough damage.”

The director turned to face the newcomer.  “What are you talking about?”

“He’s the ghoul,” said Duncan simply.

“You’re accusing the assistant to the Deputy Minister of being... what, undead?”

“You’ve read the reports from Argent Division.  You know magic exists, and what the stakes are.  Why side with it?” asked Duncan.

“Because they’re not the ones disturbing the peace.”

“They kill hundreds of people a month!” protested Duncan.

“Quietly, out of the way, and ones that are already dying.  They’re not doing anything like the harm you have been.”

Duncan turned to the ghoul.  “What are you playing at?”

“I like the life I have.”

“And how many have you killed?”

“Less than you.”

Duncan ducked his head.  “I suppose that’s fair.  Can you keep that record going?  You’re going to need more and more death as time goes on.”

“What is he talking about, Henry?”

The ghoul paced behind the Director’s desk.  “I’ve been careful.  Husbanded what I can.  But I can’t deny it.  Every decade I need more.  There’s enough death around here to get by, for now.  But in time...”  The ghoul closed its eyes.  “Detroit.”

“Detroit?” asked Duncan, worriedly.

“You didn’t think that a gas explosion was the real cause of the worst disaster in US history, did you?”

“That was years ago.  Before I knew about...  What happened?”

“We don’t know.  The Americans will not talk about it, even now.  But we’ve had to evacuate Windsor, and it’s spreading.”

Duncan’s eyes went wide.  “What?  I thought it was under control!  That they’d started rebuilding.  The president went and visited...”

“And nobody has seen him since,” said the Director softly.  “The handful of public appearances since 2009, they’ve all been body doubles.  You understand, that piece of information can’t get out.”

Duncan nodded.  “The problem is bigger than I thought.  Much bigger.”

The director turned back to Henry.  “And you think you could go this way?  The others?”

“Jim was already getting desperate.  That’s probably why he attacked.”  The ghoul frowned at Duncan.  “You don’t feel like power.”

“I wax and wane.  Surely the reports have covered why.”

Henry paced closer to Duncan.  “No.  You don’t have any power.  None.  You’re not alive!”

“What are you talking about.”

Duncan shrugged.  “This is a robotic body.  The real me is elsewhere, controlling it.  You didn’t think I’d walk into a ghoul’s den unprotected, did you?  You could destroy this body and it won’t even slow me down.”

The ghoul cursed in German, then composed itself.  “You’re not going to stop your crusade?”

“The lesser ghouls have to be stopped.  They’re killing indiscriminately.  I will see you on the next full Moon, and offer you a choice.”

“A choice?” asked the ghoul.  “Like the one you gave Jim?”

“Yes.  Purification or death.  If you can live with what you’ve done, I would be happy to go with the former.  You would lose your power over death, but regain a normal life.  Are there others who might?”

Henry sighed then, a very old sigh from deep in his bones.  “I wish I could say yes.  You might have luck with Marcus in Quebec City.  The others...”  He shook his head.  “Jealously guard their power.  I won’t help you, they were friends once.”

“I won’t ask it.  Will you try to stop me?”

Henry shook his head, then looked to the Director.  “Tell him the rest.”

“The rest?” asked Duncan.

The director steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair.  “Detroit was the end of a path that looks much like yours.  Someone in the States had the power to end ghouls, much as you have.  The same record of consistent deaths in dozens of cities can be seen in the records.  Then in city after city the pattern ends, often after a violent spasm.  The trail leads from smaller cities to larger ones, from the west coast to the east... and stops in Detroit.  The night the city died.  It does not continue, despite the fact there are other ghouls still clearly active in the east.”

“So... they lost?  And some kind of empowered ghoul is killing whoever’s left?”

“There is nobody left.  Despite the fiction the media maintains, Detroit is devoid of life.  Nobody who enters returns.  Satellite imagery, spy planes watching from a safe distance... nothing can be seen moving.  Not even small animals.”

“That’s not entirely true, old friend,” prompted Henry.

“It gets worse?” whispered Duncan.

“There is something in the middle of the city.  An opening into... another place.  Things move there, but do not emerge.”

“What sort of things?”

The director slid a drawer open, and pulled a photograph from it.  It was grainy, looking like an over-enhanced image.  Whatever was standing at the gate was clearly inhuman.

“Demons,” said Henry.  “In desperation, the idiot has opened a gateway to hell.”