Theia and company finally make the move to California to see the grand new office building for the first time, and the surprises continue to trickle in.

WARNING: If you have a fear of snakes, then this story isn't for you. A large nonpoisonous snake figures prominently in this story.

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Gaia's Avatar
by Terry Volkirch

Part 3

In late spring, on a cold, rainy day, most everything had long since been packed up and moved to Theia's new office building in California, leaving just two women, a python, and some office furniture that wouldn't be needed.

The old black leather couch still sat against the wall and Clementine lounged on it, refusing to let go. She coiled all around it and hissed when Theia tried to pull her away. The avatar had enough strength to separate the snake but she was afraid of doing any harm.

"Bed. Mine. Soft." The upset snake refused to accept that her couch could be replaced.

"Why don't we just bring it along?" Gloria suggested. "It's not too late. Clementine really loves that couch." To a casual observer, the python's behavior might have been confusing at best and hostile at worst, but Gloria correctly understood the problem.

Theia actually wondered how Gloria knew what was going on but she shrugged it off. The three of them had been together long enough to know that Clementine really did like lounging on the couch.

"Okay," Theia stood up to rest after wrestling with the powerful snake. "You're right. I know when I'm licked."

"I'll contact the moving company right away while you two have a talk." Gloria left the office to make a phone call while Theia apologized to her loyal friend in her own way.

"Mommy's sorry. We're bringing your bed. Okay? All better now?"

"Bed. Me. Go?"

"Yes. We're all going to a nice warm place. Is my hissy kissy snakey wakey happy now?"

"Yes. Warm. Good."

"That's my baby."

The python let Theia lift her up and she coiled around the woman so they could all leave, and the family of three were soon going down together in the elevator for the last time. The two women quietly lost themselves in their fond memories of the place. Then Clementine suddenly started hissing again.

"What's the matter, snakey wakey?" The avatar asked.

"Don't be afraid, Clementine." Gloria suddenly said. "We won't let anything happen to you."

The blonde woman started stroking the snake's head to calm it and Theia was amazed. They weren't in a familiar situation. Gloria had never seen the python in such a mood so there should've been no way for her to know what was wrong.

"Gloria, how did you know?"

"Huh? Know what?"

"How did you know she was afraid?"

"Didn't you say it?" The blonde looked puzzled, almost distracting Theia from her question. The young woman looked so beautiful when she was puzzled about something.

"No," the avatar said, roughly shaking her head to help her focus. "I just asked what was bugging her and you told her not to be afraid."

"Well ... it makes sense, doesn't it? We've never taken her down the elevator before. It is kind of cramped in here. I don't like it much either."

"I don't know. I think something more might be going on. We should check into this later. Perhaps on the flight?"

Gloria just shrugged.

"Maybe I'm rubbing off on you somehow," Theia mused.

"You can rub me anytime, lover." Gloria smiled suggestively.

The avatar felt a pang of desire but restrained herself, something that was easy enough to do with a large python coiled around her. They also had a large group of bodyguards waiting for them in the lobby, and an endless sea of reporters, sniffing for a story. It was going to be a long day.

When the elevator door opened, a crowd of guards surged forward to shield the small group and further agitated Clementine, causing Theia a little breathing trouble. The large snake squeezed her out of fear, and the squeezing continued as they slowly forced their way past the reporters. The avatar had to use a lot of her enhanced strength to protect herself from the muscular snake.

Getting to their hybrid SUV proved to be a media circus. Cameras recorded every step, every movement, and they got an eyeful of the avatar with the large python. One of the reporters shouted, "Snake!" and the questions flew. Theia had a short prepared statement that she rattled off from memory, though she had nothing new to say. She'd already informed the world of her intention to move to Sacramento. Still, the reporters wouldn't let go and she finally just groaned and let her security force fend them all off while she pressed on.

Once they were safely tucked away in the back of the black SUV, hidden behind tinted windows, Gloria worked her magic fingers on Clementine's head and the large snake relaxed, letting the avatar breathe easily. They spent the rest of the trip discussing business plans to distract them from their travel woes.

A new president of New York operations would soon be taking over, and it was a woman, naturally. Theia and Gloria thought it was about time women were fairly represented in the upper levels of management. Until that happened, they'd only consider hiring women.

There were certainly more than enough qualified male and female candidates but if anyone had a problem with an office full of women, they could complain to Theia's new complaints officer, Clementine. The python was actually a very good judge of character, and she was very fair, but most people with a grievance took one look at her and walked away. It minimized the number of frivolous complaints and made the large snake's job easy.

For the moment, Clementine had no duties except travel in style with her two human companions. She coiled around Theia and the three of them made their way to the airport to begin their journey across the United States. It wasn't until they got within view of their chartered jet that something looked fishy.

"Oh oh," Theia said quietly. "Trouble."

A group of uniformed police officers could be seen snooping around the jet, and they didn't look very friendly as they spoke with some of the members of Theia's advance security force.

After the avatar arrived at the jet, the officers went from unfriendly to downright hostile, and they all pointed their guns at her and her snake.

"Freeze!" one of the policemen shouted. "You're under arrest!"

"For what?!" Theia and Gloria shouted back in unison.

"Some idiot decided he wanted his snake back," one of the members of the security force said.

"You mean Clementine's former owner suddenly wants her back?" Theia asked. She couldn't believe her ears.

"He saw you both on the news tonight and I guess he recognized the python," her guard said after having gotten that much out of the police. "He had enough photographs and other evidence to prove he owns her and he claims you stole her."

"This snake came to me," the avatar said to the police. "I did not steal her."

"Just hand over the snake, ma'am," a police officer said.

"This snake is leaving with me. She's free to go where she wants and she wants to go with me to California."

The police moved in to try to take Clementine by force, causing the python to squeeze Theia very tightly.

"Stop it!" Theia shouted as she backed away. "You're scaring her."

"I suppose she told you all that?" one officer said with a sneer. Most people didn't react well when Theia said or even implied that she could communicate with animals. Few people believed her so she tried to be careful about mentioning it.

"It's obvious you're scaring her because she's squeezing me," the avatar gasped out. She had a little trouble breathing and had to use most of her strength to keep Clementine from accidentally constricting her to death.

Meanwhile, during the altercation with the police, Gloria slipped off to make some phone calls. She quickly tracked down Theia's accuser after having correctly guessed what the man really wanted. She figured he didn't really want the snake because she'd followed Theia's suggestion long ago and looked for a missing snake report. Since she'd never found anyone looking for the python, it was obvious the man just wanted money. He probably hoped to sell the suddenly famous snake to make a lot of money, and Gloria gave him what he wanted so they could all move on. It wasn't right, but it was for the best. The blonde arranged to transfer funds to the man's bank account and quickly went back to interrupt the arrest.

"You'll want to call your headquarters," she told the police. "I'm sure you'll find that the man will be dropping all charges."

The police soon verified Gloria's statement, and after some posturing and muttered apologies by the police officers, the two women and the python were free to go. The journey to California could resume, and New York City would soon be nothing but a distant memory. The avatar and her little family had a new life to settle into, and a lot more work to do.

***

The small chartered jet had lifted off three hours late and Theia couldn't be more relieved to finally be on her way. She'd had enough of living high up in an office building and looked forward to her ground floor office in Sacramento. It might be considered unusual for someone of her high status but it made sense. She'd be much closer to Gaia.

A large part of the avatar's security force flew along in the jet and took up most of the room, leaving the little family of three with a small section to themselves in the back. The two women sat one seat apart in the same row of the central section of three seats, with their loyal python lying in the seat between them. They both chose to fully stretch their long legs out into the aisle that ran along both sides of the narrow aircraft, but they made up for their separation by reaching out to hold hands and indulging in a little conversation.

"I still say something's odd about the way you handle Clementine," Theia told the blonde. "I don't think you're communicating directly but it's like you can read her mind."

"Whatever," Gloria sighed, stroking the python's head that found its way into her lap as usual. She wasn't really listening because she was briefly lost in thought. It amazed her how just under a year ago, she was scared to death of the large snake and now she couldn't imagine life without her. The three of them really were a family.

Theia noticed the python's contentment and smiled. Being together with Gloria must have some effect, and if that was true, it could be a big help. They could handle more visitors and get more done. She hoped she was right, and hoped there'd be other shared effects, like a longer life span. The dark-haired woman couldn't imagine life without her true love.

The avatar let her mind wander a little until she could think of something else to talk about. For the moment, it didn't really matter who could talk to Clementine as long as they were all happy together.

"Would you like to hear more about what we'll be doing in California?" Theia asked, changing the subject. They hadn't talked much about operations in California. Their schedules kept them too busy during the day as they scrambled to find a replacement for Gloria and continued to handle all the official visitors to the avatar. What little free time they had was spent in private, celebrating their love for each other.

"Sure." The young blonde focused on her lover again and favored her with a big smile.

"Believe it or not, I've actually been able to give it some thought over the past few days. I had to change quite a bit to accommodate you, my dear." Theia grinned back.

"Oh! You must've been multitasking then." Gloria teased. "Are you sure you were ever a man?"

Theia stuck out her tongue.

"Good answer," the blonde said, getting a giggle out both of them.

"Anyway ... I've decided to create a new position: Director of Pacific Rim Operations. It's a lot of responsibility so I'm having a little trouble. Do you have any ideas who I could hire?"

"Not really." Gloria thought about all the new contacts she'd made in New York City but those people were all busy with the same type of work, and they were all needed back in New York.

"What about you?"

"Me?! Oh! You did it again! I didn't see that coming at all." Gloria looked down and blushed.

Theia laughed.

"You'll pay for that," the blonde growled.

"I hope I get a fair price then."

"Mmm," Gloria licked her lips suggestively. "I love it when you talk financially to me."

"Not with the child present," Theia pointed to Clementine and they both laughed.

The avatar got back to business and talked about their future plans together. Besides the office layout, things wouldn't be much different in California from what they were in New York. There was only one major issue that needed to be discussed.

"Sustainability," Theia said.

"Sustainable growth, you mean?"

"No. Not at all. We need a sustainable economy, not sustainable growth. Long-term growth isn't sustainable."

"Oh. Right. I get it." Gloria had been dealing with environmentally friendly business ideas long enough to understand. Growth of any kind was impossible in the long-term. Eventually, businesses would use up all of Earth's limited natural resources, leaving everyone to fight over recycled scraps. Mass expansion out into the solar system might help but resources would still dry up as long as growth continued.

"It'll be difficult," Theia continued. "It's a bit tricky to halt growth without slipping into a global recession, but I think I can handle it."

"You mean, we can handle it."

"Exactly."

***

Disembarking from the jet took a minimum of fuss. No one bothered to discuss the flight plan with the news media so only a few reporters waited to hassle them -- those few who'd correctly guessed which airport they'd arrive at. The security staff easily blocked the unwanted visitors and the avatar and company breezed to their new office building.

As they rode in the back of a hybrid SUV that matched the one they'd leased in New York, Gloria could barely contain her excitement. Her life had changed so much and so quickly, it left her breathless, but she had to speak. Being in a new state and seeing it all for the first time filled her head with questions.

"Why Sacramento?" She started with what she thought was an easy one.

"Well ... it's warm here. Clementine likes it. Don't you, baby." Theia reached down to stroke the happy python's head that found its way onto her lap.

"Yeah, but there are lots of warm places."

"True. Besides being warm, I wanted the location to be in the U.S. and Gaia thought it should be somewhere near the Pacific Ocean. Does that narrow it down enough for you?"

"No."

"Okay. I also wanted to be in a capital city for political expediency and Gaia wanted a certain tree for a special reason."

"A tree? Which one? Why?"

"The Coast Live Oak ... Quercus agrifolia. Birds and butterflies love them and they make great raw material for a desk."

"You're not going to cut one down just to make a desk, are you?" the blonde said with a horrified look.

"Nope. Gaia has done something infinitely better. You'll see."

"What? What are you planning? Come on. Tell me." Gloria pouted but it didn't do any good. Theia countered her pout by not looking at it. The blonde had to move on to her next question.

"It sounds like you and Gaia collaborated on the office building. Did you?"

"Not exactly. Remember I told you I dreamed all of this. I can't control my dreams but my desires and insight mixed with Gaia's and she displayed the results to me."

"That's really interesting." Gloria said, and then held her tongue. She wanted to continue her questioning but they'd arrived for the grand tour.

After much cajoling to remove Clementine from the comfortable black leather seats, the family of three and their security escorts left the SUV in the multi-level parking garage and approached the nearby 10 story office building. Theia looked down at the snake, coiled around her and frowned. She hated to mislead the python about the black leather couch but she had to do something. Hopefully, the couch would arrive very soon so everyone would be happy.

The new building was very unconventional but very beautiful, standing alongside the Sacramento River and surrounded by various native trees. It divided into two sections, with Theia's office taking up the entire huge atrium to the south, and the rest of the offices and other rooms taking up the northern half. The avatar's living quarters were in a lower level beneath the northern section.

The north office section was terraced on the east and west sides with all manner of native vegetation filling the outside decks. The walls were covered with gray limestone panels to give the building a more natural look and the windows were wide but fairly short and recessed. Most of the light came in through skylights and mirrored tubes to make the most of natural light.

Theia's atrium office had several outside entrances set up for her animal visitors. There were several flaps at ground level for small to medium-size four-legged animals and several small sliding windows high along the walls with platforms and motion sensors to accommodate birds and flying insects. There was also a single large underground tunnel from the river. The tunnel was added for aquatic visitors and it connected to a large pool inside. Theoretically, scuba divers could use it to arrive unannounced but the avatar wasn't too concerned. She had plenty of protection from her animal friends as well as her security force.

Animals of all species, including lizards, amphibians and insects, could be seen everywhere. Hawks, eagles and vultures soared overhead, with smaller birds perched in the oaks and larger ground birds roaming the campus. Fish jumped and splashed, sharing the river with water fowl, while several different types of four-legged omnivores stared longingly at the display but didn't do anything about it. Theia had declared the area around her building to be a no kill zone and every animal including humans were expected to honor the declaration.

Everyone had a good look around outside, and thankfully, the animals didn't mob the avatar for attention, though Clementine's presence had something to do with that. They all kept a respectful distance and waited patiently for an audience. In the meantime, they kept the grounds free of reporters and policed themselves. It was an amazing display.

Gloria noticed all the well-behaved wildlife but she wasn't surprised. She'd seen a small example of it back in New York. The only thing she was interested in was seeing in the inside of the atrium and Theia's desk. She and the others entered the building through the huge automatic double doors to the north and walked straight in. The security force spread out to get familiar with the offices, leaving her, Theia and Clementine to check out the atrium.

The first thing to catch their eye was the huge array of skylights overhead. The skylights let in nearly enough light that it seemed like they were still outside. The humidity also caught their attention, being noticeably higher inside due to two huge pools, one of which connected to the river through the short underground tunnel and the other containing saltwater for oceanic visitors. The saltwater pool couldn't hold most whales and large sharks but it was large enough for almost any other single sea creature, though it wasn't clear how saltwater visitors would arrive. Theia said she wanted it just in case.

A wide, black marble walkway led to the center of the atrium, with the freshwater pool to the left, closest to the river and the saltwater pool to the right. The start of the walkway was lined on both sides with a few soft chairs, small tables with a phone, and floor lamps, and gradually gave way to potted ferns, shrubs and small trees, just before Theia's desk. The greenery obscured part of the desk at first but as they got closer, it soon became apparent that the desk was very special indeed.

The desk was actually made from the wood of a Coast Live Oak as Theia suggested, but it wasn't assembled from pieces, it was actually a living tree. Gaia had started growing the tree at an accelerated rate a year ago and everything was built up and around it.

The tree itself was already very large and bent towards the river at a 90 degree angle to create the base of the desktop. The base stood about three and a half feet above the ground and the tree firmly held a polished slab of red granite with four branches at each corner of the slab. After the bend, the trunk curved up to grow vertically and mostly naturally, with several specialized branches growing out wherever they were needed. Theia's "chair branch" curved around and back on itself to create the seat before bending 90 degrees up to form the back. Several other branches bent in and out to create areas that could hold trays for papers and various other objects, and two smaller guest chair branches extended from the base of the trunk opposite the river. Gaia thought of everything and even added thick moss to pad the seat branches. When she was done shaping the desk, she slowed the growth of the tree to normal and would make sure everything stayed in place as the tree continued to grow. It was an impressive and very unique sight.

"Wow," Gloria whispered. She'd never seen anything so remarkable and beautiful, other than her true love.

"Would you like to take a seat?" Theia asked the blonde. "The branches that look like chairs are actually very comfortable to sit in, so I understand. I haven't been here to try it of course so I don't know firsthand."

The happy blonde bounced into Theia's chair and found that the stiffness of the back varied with where she sat. She could slide one way and lean way back with one branch, or slide the other and remain rigidly upright. Looking down she saw a large indentation in the trunk that allowed her to stretch her legs out underneath, and there were several smaller indentations to the sides for additional storage.

"It's wonderful!" Gloria gushed.

"You're welcome to sit there whenever I'm not around, or you can sit in one of these side chairs when I am."

"It's functional and beautiful," the blonde continued. "I love it!"

"I agree," Theia said. "A desk light and computer will be added in a couple days and it'll be complete." She smiled and then described the rest of the atrium since it was mostly obscured by shrubs and small trees.

The other two quadrants of the atrium contained lots of native vegetation and two large open pits. The pit farthest from the river contained sand for desert creatures and the other contained soft dirt for burrowers.

Except for the marble walkway, the entire floor would be dirt until randomly seeded native vegetation happened to take root. Most of the ground already contained sprouting grasses that the two women were careful not to trample.

The atrium could accommodate nearly every type of creature. Only the largest creatures and those from the coldest regions on Earth wouldn't be comfortable there. It was the perfect office for Gaia's avatar and she beamed with happiness.

"Couch. Want couch." Clementine suddenly reminded Theia that not everyone was happy.

"Oh, Crap!" Theia looked over at Gloria. "We forgot Clementine's couch. Would you check on it please?"

The blonde woman sprang up from the chair and trotted back out, her heels clicking on the marble floor. After several minutes, she called ahead as she came trotting back.

"It's coming! It should be here in less than an hour." She toned down her voice as she got closer. "It got held up at the airport because someone thought it was junk. I neglected to have it properly packaged because I was in a hurry. Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to her." Theia pointed to her back where the python hung its head.

"Sorry, Clementine." Gloria turned to address the snake's head. "Your couch is coming."

"Sad. Tired. Want bed."

"Awww. Don't be sad," Gloria responded. "I know you're tired. We've traveled a long way today, but don't worry. You'll soon have a place to sleep." The blonde reached out to stroke the large snake's head.

Theia's jaw fell open. She couldn't believe what she just heard. There was no way Gloria could've responded as she did unless she understood Clementine.

"She speaks snake," the avatar whispered.

"What? What did you say, Theia?"

Hearing her name got her attention and she shouted back. "I knew it! You speak snake!"

***

It turned out that some of Theia's powers did indeed rub off on her lover. The two women spent so much time together that it became a natural process according to Gaia's will.

The blonde easily understood Clementine and most other reptiles since the various species of that ancient class of animal communicated much the same way. By staying alert for opportunities to listen on Theia's conversations, she also soon related well to amphibians and added several bird languages to her list. The minds of birds were somewhat more complicated than reptiles so they weren't as easily understood.

One of the benefits of speaking an animal's language meant she was able to approach it and earn its trust. That pleased her to no end because she didn't want to scare them. She wanted to talk with them and help Theia share the work load.

Her favorite bird to talk with was the crow. She found crows to be very intelligent and ever since one had a hand in getting her and Theia together, she had a soft spot in her heart for them.

Speaking to animals turned out to be very useful but she also received an added gift. Her strength greatly increased. Theia added a recreation room with lots of exercise equipment and Gloria found out about her strength quite by accident one day when she tried lifting weights. She was as surprised as the men she out-lifted, going on to lift three times more than the strongest man in the room. She wasn't nearly as strong as Theia but she was easily strong enough to try something she'd wanted to do for a long time.

"Clementine! Where are you?" the blonde called as she entered the atrium and approached Theia's desk.

"Here. On bed," the snake answered. The black leather couch sat behind the desk where it got a little filtered sunlight in the late afternoon.

Theia looked up from the computer screen, wondering what was up but she didn't say anything.

"Hi Lover," Gloria said, stopping to plant a kiss on her girlfriend's lips before quickly moving over to Clementine.

"Hi yourself," the avatar said with a smile before returning to what she was reading. She wanted to finish while the light was still good. Artificial light bothered her eyes.

The blonde hurried over and stood in front of the python, looking down at her. She wasn't sure how to start so she just copied Theia.

"Clementine want a hug?" she asked.

"Hug. Warm. Yes."

Gloria lifted the snake and waited as it coiled around her. Then she squealed with delight.

"Theia! Look! I can hold Clementine!"

Theia turned and tried to hide her surprise but failed miserably. "What? How?" She liked to think she was in control but Gaia occasionally threw something new at her to keep her on her toes.

"I'm really really strong," the young blonde said proudly. "I can hold our child now. Isn't that fantastic?"

Theia agreed, and they talked about what the enhancements might mean and how they could be used. They also wondered what other abilities Gloria might gain. The avatar hoped a greatly extended life span was included but they'd have to wait a dozen years or so to tell for sure.

***

Several years passed and the two women made a lot of progress in their life's work. They got a steady stream of human and animal visitors and occasionally traveled to see some of the more serious problem areas, helping out the local inhabitants when they could. Everything looked good but they still had a long way to go.

Gloria sometimes went off on special assignments by herself or with Clementine wrapped around her. She liked to travel more than Theia and jumped at the opportunities. It would've been preferable to have her lover join her but she recognized that the avatar was too busy for a lot of travel. As long as she could always return to Theia's loving embrace, she was happy.

Their business model changed and evolved as they learned what worked and what didn't. They ended up integrating a lot more environmentally friendly business practices and drastically altered the office landscape in more ways than one. In addition to the 'reduce, reuse, recycle' mentality, they added infinitely more greenery, similar to Theia's office building. Thanks to the richest person on the planet, going green was the wave of the future.

Theia left her office for the moment, letting a gardener tend to her desk. It needed occasional pruning and the moss needed misting. Gardeners became as important as janitors in the new office style and they were paid well.

She had a little business to attend to anyway. She had to make up for a slight oversight on her part so she made her way to her lover's nearby office.

"Gloria?"

"Yes?" The blonde sat at her desk and busily typed away while trying to entertain her very first mammal visitor, a playful young river otter. The otter sat on her desk in a small pool, chirping and lightly splashing her with water. It felt she wasn't paying it enough attention.

"Now now," Theia mildly scolded. "That isn't nice. She's trying the best she can."

"Hungry. Fish?" The otter asked hopefully.

"Sure. Just a moment." The avatar reached into a refrigerator to the side of Gloria's desk and pulled out some fingerlings for the otter. The fingerlings, along with lots of other fresh game for animal visitors and residents, had been mercifully killed outside the no kill zone around the building so they were fair game.

She slipped the fish into the pool and let the otter pretend they were still alive. It happily chased them around, trying to get them in its mouth without using its front feet.

"Sorry," Gloria finished her typing and looked up. "Sorry to both of you. I had to get that finished."

"It's okay," Theia said with a loving smile. "I've been working you too hard."

"Only because I've let you. There's so much to do!"

"Yes, there is a lot to do, and you need help, just like I once did."

"Oh?" Gloria looked suspicious. "What did you have in mind? You're not going to promote me again, are you?"

Theia laughed. "No. Nothing like that. I'm getting you a personal assistant. Ah, and here he comes now, right on time."

A tall, good-looking young blonde man walked through the open door of the office. He looked around at all the vegetation and the otter and smiled before he faced the two women.

"Welcome, Derek," the avatar said. "Meet your new boss, Ms. Gloria West."

"Hi. Thanks. It's good to be here. I love this building and I can't wait to get started."

Gloria liked his enthusiasm, but she wondered why Theia chose him without consulting her. She hoped he had a good résumé and made a mental note to check it out later. First though, she had a little discussion she wanted to have with Theia and she didn't care to wait to have it in private.

"This is a surprise. Why wasn't I asked about it?" She turned on the avatar with a little fire in her eyes. She didn't like being left out of the loop.

"I'm sorry but you just said it. I wanted it to be a surprise. I hope it's a nice one. I hired Derek based on the same criteria I used to hire you so I think he'll make a fine assistant."

"Okay, but I'd still like to be involved in the hiring process."

"You were very busy and I'm trying to help. I'm sorry."

Gloria couldn't fault her lover for thinking of her but there was a little flaw in the avatar's logic.

"You're very busy too," the blonde woman accused.

"True, but Derek just so happened to be one of my appointments. He came to discuss the waterways around here. It seems they're having some problems with water rights because agricultural interests insist on sucking up the majority of the water."

"Oh." Gloria blushed.

"Derek and I talked about his background and I realized he'd make a good fit so I offered him a job on the spot."

"And I accepted," he suddenly cut in. "I hope that's okay with you. I'd love to work here."

Gloria liked his manners and his forthrightness, if not his gender. Having a man for an assistant would help keep her from getting distracted at least. She wasn't attracted to men, only women, and she found it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes off other women in the office. It made her wonder if her sex drive had been affected along with all of the other enhancements that she shared with Theia.

"Sure," Gloria said. "I think you'll do nicely. Welcome." She held out her hand and he shook it gently, though she was the one who had to remember her strength. He'd find out in time. She didn't want to scare him away.

"I set up a temporary station for him in the lobby closest to your office." Theia broke in. "It should do until we can get a more permanent arrangement. I hope that's okay." She said, turning to the man.

"Sounds great," he said with a broad grin, causing Theia to stare a little too long before she led him out to show him around. She seemed very friendly towards the man, more so than usual.

Gloria recognized her lover's behavior and didn't like it because it was normally reserved for her. She thought she might have to have a little discussion about their relationship if it kept up, but for the time being, she had an otter to talk to.

She gave her little visitor her undivided attention before moving on to the next, and the next after that. The visitors continued to trickle in, and a pattern slowly started to form. Some areas that originally showed progress reverted to their former states and even got worse. It didn't draw too much concern for the present time because so much progress was being made elsewhere, and because they were so busy.

So peace reigned over most of the planet for several more weeks and Theia and company relaxed into a comfortable routine. But it wouldn't be long before Gaia brought her avatar back down to earth to deal with a few loose ends.

*** to be continued ***

 © 2008 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.