Beneath The Veil

by Ghostly Writer
(comments to: ghostlywriter@hotmail.com)


Chapter 3: Initiation


The young woman walking along the street looked like any other. Plain, unassuming, she wore a dark, long coat to keep out the cold. Her chin-length, golden brown hair was covered by a fashionable, yet warm hat, and she walked with purpose and direction.

The front door of the flat she arrived at looked like any other. Dark and wooden, the door had only a single doorbell to mark the presence of the owner. Her steamy breath rose around her head as she pressed down the bell insistently. It rang once and got no reply. After a moment's wait, she fumbled in her coat pocket and retrieved a set of keys. Selecting the right one, she pushed it in the door and entered the flat.

The stairs she climbed looked like any other. They led to a door, which she also had a key for. She entered the flat and flicked on a light, looking this way and that. Removing her coat, she threw it over the arm of a chair and made her way to the bathroom.

She glanced in the mirror as she entered, looking at her reflection. Her cheeks were red from the cold winds, and she smiled at the flush in her face. She looked closer at her face, smoothed down the flesh under her chin, arranged the bangs of her hair. She liked how she looked today.

Returning to the living room, she sat down and picked up a paper, flicking through it casually. She crossed her legs, relishing the feel of her stocking clad thighs as they passed over each other. She'd had her fill of tights. Ever since she'd started wearing stockings, she'd never looked back; the feeling of them on her legs, and the ritual required to put them
on, were both thrilling to her.

Time passed. She finished the paper, took another walk around the flat, fixed herself something to eat. She watched a little TV, read part of a book. Then, a little more than an hour after she arrived, she heard a key in the door. Smiling, she stood up and moved to the door, standing behind it. Footsteps came closer up the stairs. Her heart pounded in anticipation of what she was about to do.

The door swung open, and then shut again. She didn't move. She wanted to. She had meant to. Meant to leap forward, surprise her visitor - but she was the one who was surprised.

It was a woman. Tall, quite well built, but with a good figure. She turned around to face her, and she got her first look at this unexpected person. She was wearing a charcoal grey wool knit skirt, fashionably cut just above her knees, but loose about her hips. Black suede knee-length boots were on her feet. Her top was a black wool knit too, disappearing into the
arms of a heavy black coat, not too dissimilar to the one she herself owned. Her face was surprised, eyes open wide in shock. Her long, blonde hair fell about her face in waves, complementing the excellent makeup job she had applied. She was, in fact, quite beautiful.

"Who are you?"

The visitor didn't reply, although her jaw moved. Her lips tried to form words, but they didn't come out, didn't respond to her question.

"How have you got Bryan's keys?"

"Fay... I...."

Fay stopped her answer before it started. Who the hell was this woman? What was she doing with the keys to Bryan's flat? Where was Bryan? And why, she had to know, did she look so familiar to her?

"I'm Bryan's sister," the woman said finally. "Uh.. Mary."

"What? Bryan never told me he had a sister."

"Well, I'm a.. half-sister, actually. Same mother, different fathers."

"How - why do you have keys to get in here? Where's Bryan?"

"He.. had to go out. He left me a copy of the keys."

"A copy? I thought I had the only copy."

"Ummm... yes. He just had them made. While I'm visiting."

"Visiting? How long are you here for?"

"Listen," Mary said, smiling weakly. "Could we sit down before we argue? I need to get my feet up. All right?"

Fay considered arguing, but then decided it was pointless. Whoever this woman was, she had Bryan's keys - if she was some enterprising burglar, all she had to do was wait her out. After all, Bryan had to get back some time, she reasoned.

"All right," she said warily. "Let's sit. And talk. I want to know a bit about you, and why I've never heard of you before."

There was a long pause from Mary. "Sure," she said, finally. "That'll be... uh... great."

Fay went to make coffee for her, and her boyfriend's female alter ego.

* * *

After twenty minutes, Bryan stopped panicking.

He had no idea that Fay was going to be in his flat when he arrived home. She hadn't called, hadn't spoken to him in days - it must just have been a surprise visit, which she didn't make too often. He'd almost dropped dead of shock when he'd saw her, immediately assuming she was going to see through his disguise, however sophisticated it might be. But he'd managed
to keep his cool, and his voice; he even thought his cover story was vaguely plausible. Now, with Fay a little more relaxed, he was beginning to calm down. Perhaps even enjoy himself.

* * *

"So, how long are you in town for, anyway?" Fay asked.

"I.. don't know, really," 'Mary' replied. "I'll have to see. I'm looking for work, so Bryan's let me use this place as a base of operations for a little while."

"I was wondering whose black bra was in the washing machine," Fay said, smiling slightly. "For a moment there, I feared the worse."

"Oh, no, don't think of anything like that. Bryan's faithful, I know." It was a lie, but he kept his voice steady. Explaining an affair with a woman he only knew as Samantha, who he might or might not be able to pick out of a line up, at the same time as revealing that 'Mary' was in fact Bryan dressed in a rubber mask and skirt, was a little more than he could handle
right then.

"Really?" Fay said. "You two must be very close... I don't think I've ever told my brothers about affairs."

"You've had - with Bryan? I mean, while you've been with him?"

Fay shrugged. "I've had offers. Passes. I've turned them down. I've even been tempted, occasionally. But I've been faithful to him."

Inside, he sighed relief. Then he had to ask. "Who were these guys?"

"Ah, that would be telling...." Fay laughed.

"Oh, come on. It's not like I'll tell... I mean, this is girl talk, right? It won't get beyond me and you." Bryan sent his best Mary confidential smile over. It did the trick - he'd been practicing.

"Well," Fay began, "it's not actually been guys. Not even a guy. Mostly...women."

"What?"

"Women," Fay continued, matter of factly. "I've had offers, but usually from women. I don't know, perhaps I changed my perfume somewhere along the line, I've no idea. All I know is, while I've been seeing Bryan, I've been fending off lecherous lesbians instead of lotharios. Don't ask me why."

"Wow," was all 'Mary' could say.

"Yeah, it was pretty stunning for me too," Fay replied. "Occasionally, it was tough to say no to, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes... I don't know why, but I do have... well, a kind of secret fantasy, about women. I mean, don't get me wrong, Bryan's fine in bed, and I enjoy his company. But I think it's just one of those fantasies.. that a woman might be able to give me more pleasure, than a man ever could. You know? Would know what to do, be more giving. That sort of thing."

"I... see."

"Haven't you ever had those thoughts? Of seducing another woman?"

Bryan glanced up, realizing he'd been staring into his empty coffee cup while Fay unsuspectingly confessed. "I.. well, yes. Actually, yes. I..often think of it." It wasn't a lie, he reasoned. He'd felt more powerful and sexually charged since he'd been inducted into the Veil than he'd ever done. The outward trappings may have been of a woman, but his male sex
drive was more potent than ever - so every attractive woman he'd met had been an object of desire. The fact that he could so easily be brought into their personal, private space aroused him even more. He was a thief in the night, a Casanova who could steal his way into their hearts.. without them ever knowing they were letting in a man.

"Often?" Fay repeated. She was looking carefully at Bryan now, or rather at Mary. Bryan wasn't sure he liked the look.

"Well, fairly often. I...." His voice trailed off. Fay was getting up, coming towards him. "What...."

"How long will he be out?" Fay asked, in a bare whisper.

"Hours," Bryan replied immediately. Fay was next to him now, reaching down and taking his female hand. 'Mary' rose to her feet, hesitantly.

"I don't know why I'm doing this," Fay said quietly. "But... there's something about you. Something I find irresistibly attractive. I don't know if it's you, or the fact that you're Bryan's sister, or all this talk.. I just don't know. It's just...."

Bryan leant forward, and Mary kissed Fay, her tongue tracing the contours of her lips as they parted. Fay's arms pulled Mary close, crushing her against her breasts, and any talk between them ceased.

Bryan's mind was racing. His girlfriend was seducing him. Or rather, his girlfriend was seducing Mary, his female persona. An image. He was going to be seduced as a woman. Any thoughts of discovery, of the deception being uncovered, flew from his mind as he felt Fay's warm tongue sliding over his, her hands reaching down to feel his ass, then up, trying to pull
up his top....

"W-wait," he blurted out. "I.. stop."

"Stop? Why? We've only just started...."

"I.. this is too fast, too much. I don't know.. I want to, but...."

"If you want to, why fight it?" Fay asked, kissing her again. "Let's make love, Mary. It'll be better than either of us has ever experienced." Bryan took hold of her hand then, and led her firmly to the bedroom. Fay leapt onto the bed - the bed in which Bryan and her had slept - and turned towards him, beckoning to him.

"I have an idea," Bryan said in Mary's voice. "I.. I need you to be blindfolded. All right?"

Fay gave him a mischievous grin. "I'd like that," she said. "We have one here already. I gave it to Bryan." He'd known that already, but he thought it best to suggest the idea. This way, he reasoned, he might get away with not removing his clothes.

"One more thing," he added. Fay looked at him expectantly. "I want to tie you to the bed." She smiled once more.

"This just gets better," she purred. Bryan pulled open one of the drawers next to his bed - one that still held male clothing. He retrieved two leather belts. Fay lay back on the bed, putting her arms out, ready for her consensual captivity.

Bryan stepped closer, and as he kneeled on the bed, one of Fay's arms stretched out, running up his leg, below his hemline. He shuddered in pleasure at her touch, and smiled down as he lashed Fay's wrist to the bedpost. Reaching over to lash down the other wrist, Fay smiled up at him, whispering. "Tie them tight. I don't want to be able to move...." Bryan
did as he was told.

With Fay secured, there was only one thing left. "Where's the blindfold?" Bryan had to ask. Fay pointed behind him. Bryan turned and pulled out the blindfold from another drawer, exactly where he'd left it previously. Then he moved over to Fay, and tied it securely around her head. It was designed to exclude all light, better than just a scarf.

"I love this," she said quietly as Bryan finished with the blindfold. "I can't see a thing... I just love only being able to feel...."

Bryan stepped back and admired his handiwork. Fay was securely tied to the bed, her eyes covered, a smile on her lips. Bryan wasn't sure what to do next. "Come on, baby," Fay teased. "Don't just leave me here."

Bryan was considering it as he stood there. Leaving her, making sure that he didn't screw up his relationship with Fay - in his own mind, if not in hers - was probably the best thing to do. He knew that if he went on now, he might be changing his life forever... even more than he had already.

At the same time, though, there was this woman before him. This woman he loved. This woman who had seduced him. This was perhaps his one chance to give her more pleasure than he had ever been able to before.

He stepped forward, and removed his boots. "I'm coming," he said quietly, listening to Mary's voice echo around his own bedroom. He pulled his top over his head, revealing a white blouse beneath. Then he moved on to the bed, reaching out and taking hold of Fay's left leg, lifting it up. That was the last thing Bryan did.

Mary ran her hands down Fay's leg and listened to her gasp in pleasure. She let her hands move up, then down the stockings that covered Fay's limbs, feeling their silken smoothness beneath her fingertips. Her face came down, and her lips pressed against the dark flesh, kissing it, loving it. The feel of the stockings under her lips was enticing, an opening act,
a prelude to what she wanted to do next. Her hands moved down, past the stocking tops, and encircled Fay's ass.

"Take them off," Fay commanded.

Mary slid her fingers under the edges of Fay's panties, playing with them. Fay moaned and writhed at her touch, and Mary smiled to herself, then with a sudden, quick jerking movement, tore the panties off of Fay's body. She leant down further, kissing Fay in her most intimate place, then letting her tongue move out, working Fay into a state of ecstasy.

"Don't stop.. oh, God that feels good... so good...."

Fay's legs came up, wrapped around Mary's shoulders. She pulled her head closer, moaning aloud as Mary continued to lick her out, smelling the sweet smell of success as Fay got carried away by the feeling of a woman making love to her. Mary's hands moved out to caress Fay's legs again, rubbing them, stroking them as her tongue moved in and out.

"Mary.. Mary, oh, Mary.. you're so good, baby.. ohhhh...."

Mary stopped, and pulled out from between Fay's legs. She knelt again before her lover, and now, spread Fay's stocking-clad legs even further apart. With one hand, Mary began to finger-fuck Mary. The other hand pulled up her own hemline. Beneath her skirt she was wearing dark tights.
Her hand moved to the tights waistband, and moved inside them.

"Baby, that feels so good.. are you hot, baby? Are you? Are you touching yourself?"

Bryan was. His hand worked its way inside his tights, and grasped hold of his cock. It was firmly erect, a hint of moisture just on the end. He grasped the shaft and began to stroke it, steadily. Mary's voice escaped from his lips, almost involuntarily. "You... you horny bitch. You horny slut. Bryan's not good enough for you, is he...." His hands moved faster,
both on his own cock, and in Fay's pussy.

"No," Fay gasped, "I need something more, baby.. I need someone like you. You're fucking me better than he ever could...." Her words were strangled, barely spoken in-between gasps and moans. Bryan was caught up in the moment himself, feeling himself coming close to climax.

"Can you come for me, baby," he managed to say. "I want you to...."

"Oh God yes," Fay yelled. "I want to, baby, I want to... fuck me, baby, fuck me hard...."

Bryan's hands moved faster and faster, his mind whirling, his body doing the same. Fay began to pant, to scream, and he gritted his teeth as he began to come, trying not to yell out in his own male voice. Then he felt Fay come, and as she screamed aloud, he let out his own scream too, not caring any more if she heard him or not.

Then there was silence.

Fay gradually got her breathing back to normal. Bryan stood up, off the bed, and looked down at the woman he'd just brought to orgasm, panting on his bed. He didn't want to look at her, he thought. He didn't want to be there.

"Baby?" Fay said to the room. "Mary? Untie me, baby. I want to see your beautiful face. Please...."

It was too much. Mary ran from the room, slamming the door behind her. She could hear Fay's muffled cries as she stepped into the bathroom, switching on the light. A perfect, beautiful face, with messed hair, looked back at her from the mirror. She reached up to her face and grabbed it, hard. She pulled, and her fingers tore away her skin. Bryan almost cried out in
anger as Fay's face was pulled off, and he threw it away from him. He pulled at his clothes, rage gripping him now, and in seconds, he had stripped down to nothing, discarding all of his female persona. The pieces of it lay around on the bathroom floor.

He leant on the edge of the sink, panting, trying to get his breath back. A shout brought him to his senses.

"Mary! Get the hell back in here and untie me, dammit! This isn't funny any more!"

He looked down at the Mary costume. Then he acted. He picked up everything, including the mask. He threw everything in his laundry basket, and then pulled out some male clothing, which he then dressed in, hurriedly. Stepping out into the hallway, he pushed his feet into a pair
of discarded shoes, and then opened his front door. He listened once more to Fay's cries, then walked outside, slamming the door behind him.

He waited five minutes. Then he walked back inside. He took a deep breath, and walked into his own bedroom, as casually as he could.

"Mary...?" Fay questioned.

"Fay?" Bryan roared, in as masculine tones as he could manage. Fay visibly jumped at the sound of his voice. "What the hell is going on here? Who the hell tied you up?"

"Bryan? Oh, God, Bryan... untie me, okay?"

He set about his task. "What happened? Was it a burglar?" This is a better performance than ten minutes ago, he thought to himself. He pulled the blindfold off of Mary's face, and began to untie her wrists. "Tell me, Fay, what happened," he repeated.

"Well, it was terrible," she said quickly, the look on her face one of pure panic. Bryan wondered what story she was going to invent for him. "I was here, and then, uh... then your sister arrived, and then she left, and then these men, these big men - they - "

"My sister?" Bryan interrupted. "What the hell do you mean, my sister?"

"Well, she was your half-sister, really...."

"Fay," he said slowly, "I don't have a sister. Half or otherwise." He finished with the second wrist binding, and Fay sat up, rubbing at the sore flesh. She looked at him, her eyes wide.

"She... you don't? You don't have a sister?"

"No."

"Then who.. who was that woman?"

"Which woman?"

"The woman who was here. There was a woman here, Bryan, and she tied me up.. and she...."

"Wait, wait a minute. I thought you said she left, and then these men arrived. Which was it?"

Fay was caught in her own lie. "I.. I don't remember. I think.. I don't know."

"I think you do know, Fay. I think you do know and you're not telling me because you're embarrassed." Without looking, he reached down and picked up the discarded, ripped remains of Fay's panties. "How did this happen, Fay. Explain that." Fay had no answer for that. "Tell me, Fay. And be honest. Are you sleeping with another woman?"

Fay couldn't meet his eye.

"I know you are," Bryan said. "I know you are. I saw a woman leave her just before I came in. Blonde, pretty? Dressed in a black skirt?"

"No," Fay replied.

"No? I come in here, you're tied up on the bed with a smile on your face, there are come stains all over the sheets and there's a pair of your ripped panties next to you. What am I supposed to think?"

"It didn't happen like you think," she protested.

"Oh yeah? And exactly how did it happen? Damn it, Fay, don't lie to me! Just admit you did it!"

She looked up at him then, a wicked smile breaking through her sullen features. "All right," she said. "I'll admit it. I did have an affair. But it wasn't with another woman. It was with you, Bryan."

He stared at her, dumb struck.

"Your turn to admit, Bryan."

"Admit.. what?"

"Let's cut the deception out right now, Bryan - I'm fed up of playacting," Fay said casually, standing up and smoothing her skirt down. She looked casual and at ease.

"Playacting? What do you mean?"

"I mean, let's both be honest with each other." She stared at him. "I know about the Veil, Bryan. I know all about it. I know about Mary. I seduced you when you were Mary, Bryan. And I loved it."

Bryan was shocked to the core. He didn't know what to say. Then, a thought struck him. Fay walked out of the bedroom towards the kitchen. He jumped after her, grabbed her, and turned her around. His fingers explored her neck, probing to see if there was a telltale seam there.

"No mask, Bryan," she said, smiling. "I'm afraid this time, it's really me."

"Oh, Jesus," Bryan said. "Oh, God almighty. You know? Everything?" She nodded. "Absolutely everything? What I've done?"

"Yes," she replied. "The box, the first mask, the second box... the trip to the Docklands. The seduction. I was in on it from the beginning."

"What? You.. you were?"

"Of course. How else would the Veil get so much information on you, without my help? And how else could you have possibly hoped to have come this far, if you didn't have an 'understanding' and conveniently stupid girlfriend... or at least one who acted that way." She was beaming from ear to ear now, evidently enjoying herself. Bryan, by contrast, was ashen-faced with nerves and fear.

"Do you know.. about Samantha?" She nodded. "You're not...?"

She shook her head. "No, we're not quite that Machiavellian. No, Samantha is a real operative, or so I'm told. Just like me. She's not a mask I wear."

"But.. but I fucked her. I mean, I have.. feelings for her."

"I know," she said, the smile disappearing. "The fucking I could handle. I'm not so happy about the second part. But I understand, Bryan. Conventional relationship standards tend to go out of the window when you
join the Veil. So do your attitudes towards sexuality, most of the time. Two things which, if you ask me, society as a whole could benefit from adopting."

Bryan felt dizzy. He staggered into the lounge and sat down. This was all too much to take in. It was if the ultimate revelation had now been given to him. He hoped - prayed - there wasn't one final layer to be taken away. Fay made herself some tea, came back to the lounge. She sat opposite him for a few minutes in silence, just drinking the tea. Then she finally spoke again.

"I need to call in," she said. "I need to tell them it's done."

"What's done?"

"The final test, of course. You chose to have sex with me, even though you knew it would damage your perceived relationship.. now you're ready for full access to the Veil. Now you'll know everything."

"I thought I already did."

"I'm afraid not," she smiled to him. "There are many more exotic - and erotic - boundaries to be crossed." Bryan handed her his cordless phone, and she dialed a number. After a short conversation which he barely
listened to, Fay hung up and looked at him again. "You poor thing," she said. "I think we need to get you back in the saddle again. Don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Bryan asked finally.

"What else? I want to get Mary back into shape. After all, I don't want to pass up on the chance to be bedded again by the greatest lay I ever had."

"Me with a mask on?"

"It was always you, Bryan. The mask just helped a lot more, that's all. Don't you think this will be fun? I'll get to dress you."

"Sounds wild," he said, the idea barely registering. She took him by the hand and led him back into the bathroom.

* * *

"Let's start with the most obvious problem, shall we," Fay said, a smile on her face. She got Bryan to stand up, and took his cock and balls in her hand. "We need to get you working a little harder down here, Bryan. Here's a little trick you might try...." She knelt before him, and carefully pushed his testicles up, inside his body. Bryan thought it felt extremely strange, but not too uncomfortable. She followed this by taking hold of his penis, and folding it back on itself, flat against his body.

"That's a little impractical, isn't it?" Bryan asked.

"Well, we'll work with that, don't worry...." Fay murmured. She took hold of a panty liner Bryan had supplied, and placed it where his genitalia used to be, then taped it in place. This done, she held out a fresh pair of black panties for him to step into. He did so gratefully, still enjoying the feel of them as they slipped up his legs. She looked at her handiwork. "A good start," she pronounced.

"Tights next?" Bryan asked.

"I don't know how you wear them, myself," Fay said, but she picked up the pair that Bryan had previously discarded. She rolled up one leg and handed it to him. Bryan sat down on the toilet, and placed his foot inside the dark tights. "So," Fay asked casually as he began to slide the tights on, "does wearing those things turn you on?"

Bryan glanced up. He looked at her for a moment, and then just smiled as he adjusted his first leg, and placed his foot in the other. "Perhaps," he said quietly.

"Perhaps? Really, is that all? Somehow, I doubt it, Bryan." She walked closer to him, and ran her fingertips over his legs as he stretched the tights into place over his waist. He shuddered, just slightly, at her touch. She smiled at that. "I see," she said to him. "Let's get you into some clothes, hmmm?"

The breast forms were attached quickly, and the bra went on top. Fay slipped the skirt up Bryan's legs, and then smoothed the blouse over his false breasts, sighing at the effect. Bryan was bewitched, beguiled by her. She was a different person now. In control. Much more in touch with his feelings, his desires, his needs... he liked the change. "Have you got anything other than those boots?" she asked him, bringing him back to his senses. "I'd like to see your legs in a nice pair of heels. Show off your ankles."

"Of course," he said, walking to his bedroom. She followed him, bringing a top with her. Bryan reached into a cupboard and produced a pair of black, patent leather heels. They were two inches high. He sat down on the bed and slipped them on to his feet, then stood up again, turning around for Fay to see. "You like?"

"Very," Fay replied, holding out the top to him. He pulled it over his head, and stood before her, a picture of femininity. Apart from one important detail. "Will you wear your mask for me, baby?" Fay asked.

"Of course," he said again. Fay signaled for him to follow her, and he did, back into the bathroom. She stood behind him as he stepped in front of the mirror, and took hold of his mask.

"I want to see this," she whispered in his ear. "I want to see you transform yourself. I want to see you give yourself over to it. I want to see you become a woman, right before my eyes...." He lifted the mask
upwards, spreading the neck outwards, large enough to take his head. "Pull it on, baby. Pull it on," she urged. The mask descended, the rubber edges clasping the top of his head. He managed to get it down almost entirely over his forehead before he had to pull out his hands, and tug on the exterior of the mask. Still Fay's voice whispered in his ear. "You like the feel of it, don't you? You like the feel of the rubber, the clinging latex on your face.. the tight, constrictive feel."

"Yes," Bryan's mouth murmured, as his hands pulled at Mary's face, slowly rippling over his own features.

"You like the disguise. You like being a woman, an intruder into my sex. You want to be treated like a woman, used like a woman, fucked like a woman... say it, Bryan. Say it to me."

"Yes, oh, God - yes...." The mask was almost entirely on now, Mary's features covering Bryan's. Fay's hands came around from behind his back, and came down onto his masked face, moving around, probing, feeling. Bryan's hands dropped to the sink in front of him, and held on to the cold hard edge in desperation. This was every fantasy he'd ever known. This was his deep, innermost soul being explored. Fay's fingers continued to press down, shaping the rubber flesh, creating the female in the mirror.

And still she whispered. "Yes.. yes, you can feel it now, can't you? You can feel it. The anticipation is building up, the climax is near.. just a few seconds, and my lover will be here. She'll be here, Bryan, and you'll be gone." Bryan moaned aloud, feeling himself on fire with sexual power and excitement. He closed his eyes, and felt Fay's fingers as they dissolved all trace of his masculinity.

"Open your eyes," she ordered. "Open your eyes and look at me, Mary."

Mary opened her eyes and looked back at her face. It was immaculate. She brushed at a rogue lock of hair, and then turned to face Fay, smiling at her. "Hello there," she said, a husky rasp to her voice. "Long time no see." Fay smiled back, took a step closer to her, and grabbed her face, kissing her hard on the lips. Mary's leg came up, wrapping around her. After a few seconds, Fay broke away.

"I've missed you," she said. Taking Mary's hand, she led her to the bedroom.

* * *

Bryan came out of his doze with a start. He opened his eyes, and saw Fay watching him as she dressed. She was pulling on her coat. "You're leaving?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've got to go, baby. I've got things to do."

"We need to talk.. about this, about everything that's happened. Don't you think?" She leaned over and kissed him.

"Yes, of course. Don't worry, we will. But first you have some more training to do. Samantha's on her way over."

"She is?" Bryan stood up, looking at what remained of his outfit. He still had on his breast forms and bra, but everything else was gone. His mask was still in place, too.

Fay nodded. "Yes.. so you might want to get out of that." Bryan nodded, his hand moving to his face.

"It's funny," he said, "it's almost like a part of me, now. I've been wearing it for so long... it'll be a shame to part with it."

"I don't think you'll have to," Fay said. "Besides, I wouldn't want you to part with it, either. Mary's a part of my life now... a part of yours, too. So don't worry. We'll see her again." She was ready to leave. She moved to the door, giving Bryan a kiss on the cheek on the way past. "See you later, gorgeous," she smiled, and then was gone.

Bryan smiled to himself. It looked like things were working out for the best. He moved to the bathroom, ready to revert to his male form.

* * *

An hour later, a casual observer would have been hard pressed to find anything unusual about Bryan's appearance or demeanor. He sat, sipping on a soft drink, with his feet up in front of his TV. He felt content and happy with the world, and his place in it.

The doorbell rang, and he rose to get it, a spring in his step. He opened the door to see Samantha before him, her hair casually styled, a smile on her face. "I hear you're ready to take the next step," she said.

"Certainly," Bryan confirmed. "Come in." She did so, and they proceeded to his front room once more. Samantha was carrying a large sports bag, and Bryan asked what was in it.

"Equipment," she said, a sly grin on her face. "Do you have a free standing mirror?" He nodded, and went to fetch the head to foot dressing mirror he'd bought recently. He placed it in the middle of the room, and turned the blinds so there would not be any chance of others looking in. "Get a chair, too," Samantha ordered. Bryan hurried to comply. When he returned to the front room, Samantha had placed some sort of device on the floor next to the chair. The chair faced the mirror. Samantha gestured for Bryan to sit down on the sofa opposite the chair, and she sat facing the mirror.

"So. Now what?" he asked.

"Look inside the bag," Samantha said. He picked it up, and realized there were still objects inside it. He looked it, and saw a flash of white.

"What is it?"

"Take them out," Samantha replied. Bryan put his hand outside, and gripped something soft, almost fleshy feeling. He pulled it out, and let it fall down to it's natural shape. His first thought was that it was a mask, but not a realistic one; the color was white, almost translucent. The shape was the same, roughly, as a person's head. There were holes, slits really, where the eyes, nostrils and mouth should be. The neck hole was large enough to easily slip over the top of Bryan's head, Samantha's head - anyone's head, really. Bryan looked at the object for a few moments, and directed a quizzical look at Samantha.

"I say again - what is it?"

"It's a mask. A template mask."

"What the hell is a template mask?"

"I'll have to show you that. There's another one inside there, by the way." Bryan looked and found another, identical mask inside the bag. He handed the first one to Samantha, and took the other one out, still examining it.

"I don't see how useful this is," Bryan commented. Samantha smiled at him.

"That's where you're wrong, Bryan. It doesn't work on its own, of course. But it's extremely useful, believe me."

"What's the point of that?" Bryan asked, pointing at the box-like device on the floor. Samantha turned and picked it up, placing it on her knee. She held the template mask in one hand as she pointed out features on the device.

"It doesn't really have a name," she began. "We just ended up calling it the Transformation Unit. Sounds a little cumbersome, I know, but it's a fitting name. We call it the TU for short." The TU was about three foot long, two feet wide, and a foot high. It was almost featureless, apart from a keypad on the top. It was into this that Samantha tapped a short series of numbers. With a hydraulic hiss, a panel slid back on one side, and six short needles, apparently attached to something, sprang forth. Samantha reached forward and pulled out the needles in a cluster. They were attached, it transpired, to six long rubber tubes.

"What the hell are they?" Bryan asked.

"Well, they're the connection to the template mask. Watch." She pulled one of the tubes out, even further away from the Transformation Unit. Lifting up the template mask, she carefully inserted the end of the needle into the mask, far enough so that a connection was made between the tube and the mask.

Bryan leaned over to see Samantha's work. As he watched, she inserted the five remaining tubes. Finally, all of them were in place, positioned around half of the mask's edge. When she was done, she held it up for him to see. "There. See? The tubes feed into the template mask."

"Feed what?"

"I don't know, to be honest," Samantha replied. "There's still a lot we don't know about this machine. In fact, there's a lot we don't know about this technology, full stop."

"What? How do - what do you mean? Didn't the Veil invent this?"

"No. And I don't know who did. In fact, I don't believe anyone knows who did. It's a mystery."

Bryan chewed upon this for a while. "So, uh.. what does it do?"

Samantha smiled at him. "Let me show you." She lifted up the mask over her head, and carefully pulled it down, over her face. It was far too big for her; it sat loosely about her features, more like a bag over her head than a mask. She cleared her throat as she adjusted the fit of the mask, pulling the eye, nose and mouth holes into place. Then she reached over and punched another couple of buttons on the TU. From within the unit, a large microphone rose, to stand straight up in the air.

"What's that for?"

Samantha responded by pushing another button. "Voice ID." There was a soft ring of recognition from the TU. "User Samantha. Proceed with main program." Another ring. "Adjust to fit." There was a sudden, dramatic rush of air, and a loud whir from the TU. Bryan almost jumped in fright, and when he looked back at Samantha, he realized the template mask had shrunk. It had formed itself around her features, skin tight. With the slightly transparent nature of the material, he could make out her flesh tones from
beneath it. The holes in the mask were now placed over her facial features much more closely. Her hair was also plastered against her head. She looked odd. Bryan wondered where this was leading.

Samantha smiled again at Bryan's expression, and spoke once more. "Correct. Flesh type: Caucasian, temperate zone." Liquid, of some type, started pouring into the mask at her command. Bryan watched in wonder as it flowed through the mask, spreading over her head. In a matter of seconds, her entire head was covered in a uniform, and entirely realistic, flesh tone - almost exactly like her own. Samantha looked at her face and began to talk again, more rapidly this time.

"Eyebrows: dark, not too thick. Correct. Lips: fuller, redder. Correct. Undo. Lips: fuller, just a touch of red. Correct. Chin: larger, down a little. Correct. Cheekbones: higher, wider. Wow.. correct. Facial
features: freckles. Just a few, on the cheeks. A little less. Correct. Hair: straight, not too thick, just a little wave. Auburn to red. Start."

With the last command, as if by some sort of miracle, hair began to sprout on Samantha's skull. Her face itself was already changed, with lips larger and redder than her own, higher cheekbones, a lower chin, and freckles. Now the hair was growing, not too rapidly, filling out over her head, dropping down her back, and falling into her eyes. She giggled slightly as the hair grew, and grew, and grew - until it was right down her back, hanging below her shoulder blades. "Stop," she said, and immediately, the growth ceased. "End main program." She lifted her hands up, and moved the hair back from her new face. She smiled at Bryan. "Hi there. Pleased to meet you."

Bryan was stunned. "My God. My God... this.. this is how all the masks are made?"

"Pretty much," she replied. "Some of the more basic ones - like the first one you used - are made with more simple techniques. This one I'm wearing - if I liked it, I could get the TU to create a rear opening for me, or alternatively, I could make the rubber flexible enough to let me get it off over my head. Or, I could make it so tight, so secure, that it would practically be a second skin."

"Amazing," Bryan gasped. "So.. how do you impersonate specific people? I mean, how did you create a mask of Fay that was so believable?"

"Simple. First, we got Fay to use a template mask. We stored those settings in a TU. Then we got me to use one - and we superimpose the two images, as it were. On the inside - the side that's in contact with my
face - the mask is a reverse image of my face. But on the outside, it's Fay's face. Where Fay's face is bigger than mine, the mask is thicker - where smaller or the same size, the mask is thinner. Simple really."

"Your head would have to be smaller than hers, then."

"Yes, that's the one limitation. You've got a small head, Bryan. One of the prerequisites for working in the Veil."

"So... is it stuck like that, now? One mask, one deal?"

"No. You can make changes at any point in the process, or you can discard everything. Or, make changes to any aspect at any time. Watch." She pressed a button once more. "Voice ID. User Samantha. Proceed with main program. Flesh type: modify: well tanned." Her face darkened, as if she spent her days on the beach. "Hair: modify: platinum blonde." Again, an instant change. Bryan watched in amazement as the face of the woman before him shifted and changed, at her command. After a moment watching, he had to ask something.

"Just how.. radical can you get?"

"Very." She spoke a few more commands, and Bryan's jaw dropped open as she transformed into a black, Afro-topped man.

"Jesus. Jesus H. Christ. That's... that's impossible."

"You believe your own eyes, don't you?" She spoke another group of commands, and her features reformed into another woman - a dark and short haired Oriental. She smiled enigmatically at Bryan. "Seen enough?"

"Yes, yes... God, yes," he muttered. Samantha reached up and carefully pulled out the tubes attached to her mask. Then, after glancing at her new face in the mirror for another moment, she slowly peeled it off. She threw it to Bryan, who looked at it for a moment, and then put it aside.

"Well? Impressed? Stunned? Shocked?" Samantha asked.

"All of the above," Bryan replied. He paused for a moment. "What.. what now? I mean, this is.. amazing, but what do we do now? What are we supposed to do?"

"Ah, well, now that is a question." She moved over, and sat beside him. "There's a lot for you still to discover, Bryan. A lot more."

"Like what?"

"Well, like just how we get you to pass convincingly for a woman. In all situations - not just those that require you keeping your clothes on." Bryan's eyes widened. "You didn't think the template masks were just
restricted to the face, did you?" Samantha continued. "It's fairly easy to make them at full size."

"A.. a bodysuit?"

Samantha nodded. She picked up the Oriental mask, played with it for a moment. "Yes, there's a lot more work to do. But first... first, we can play." She stretched the edges of the mask out and pulled it over her head, letting it slide into place again. Bryan watched, still impressed, as this Oriental creature was reborn. After the mask was in place, she opened her eyes and looked at him. "How about it, Bryan? Want to try out a template mask?"

He nodded eagerly. She handed one to him, and helped him into it. As Bryan looked through the eyes of this new mask, he knew one thing: his adventures in the Veil had only just begun.

* * *

To be continued in 'Removing the Veil'