IC - A piece of the Pie

[Pie]

Gerald Fordingbridge sighed as his limo glided over the Seattle skyline. He'd lost count of the number of 18-hour days he had put in at his office recently. Removing his glasses he set aside the pile of papers on his lap and rubbed his eyes.
His trusted driver, Manson, knew better than to spark up a conversation when Mr Fordingbridge was like this. Every time Mr Fordignbridge was engaged in a corporate take-over with a conglomerate of small businesses it was the same routine. Trust no-one, speak to no-one, live in the warded office or the suite at the Shackleton.
The Shackleton. One of the most prestigious hotels in the city, if not the country. Owned by the Shamahl Brothers in New Dubai, this was their flagship western hotel. It catered exclusively to the richest executives, politicians, even royalty were known to the managers. They didn't come to The Shackleton for the food, or the panoramic views, or the pleasant manner of the bell boy. They came to The Shackleton to relax, for this hotel had the most comprehensive warding ever seen on a non military building. Stepping into the foyer was like stepping back in time to a simpler age.
The building was so well protected astrally, and physically, that no spells could be cast or maintained whilst on the premises. No spirits could pass through the ward, even talismans and spell foci had to be checked at the cloakroom along with anything detected as a weapon.
This was a sanctuary to those hounded by spies. A haven where even the most volatile of CEO's could relax, safe in the knowledge that nobody was watching, nobody was listening.

Across the road from The Shackleton was the famous Seattle Academy of Performing Arts. S.A.P.A. was deemed a business worthy of The Shackletons name, and was therefore allowed to operate within a 1 mile radius of the hotel. Other businesses were not so lucky. The headquarters of "Big Del's Zero G Sports Arena" wasn't so lucky, and had it's relocation application refused for fear it would lower the tone of the neighbourhood. SO it was that the streets around The Shackleton were filled with Panucci shops, Vaudi showrooms, and Bvlgari jewellers.

Pie stretched his leg out onto the beam and bent over touching his toes. Out of the large glass windows he saw the Quadromax limo hover over the roof of the elegant hotela across the road and gently drop down into a large glass conservatory atop the building. That was the target. He had plenty of time as he had been studying Gerald's routine for the past 2 weeks. Mr Fordingbridge would eat at 22:00, then move to the Fortnum Lounge to listen to Miss Mercy, the resident singer, and flirt outragiously with the waitresses.

'Too easy' smiled Pie to himself.

[Pie]

Pie had been using the dance school as a cover for a couple of weeks, and had managed to find one of the studets who also worked in the kitchens of The Shackleton. Quite a few students worked at the prestigious hotel. It looked good on the students record, and was cheap, reliable, and importantly reputable labour for the hotel.
Carrera Le Trusk was a talented musician who had mysteriously emailed to say she was sick, and wouldn't be in school today. Pie waited until most of the pupils had left, then walked calmly into the ladies locker room, right up to Carrera's locker. He easily opened it and removed her work uniform, name badge, and entry card. After checking the coast was clear, he went into the ladies toilets and locked himself into one of the cubicles.
From his bag he took his enviro-suit, stripped out of his dance clothes and slid into the figure hugging lumino-lycroprene suit.
Over the top he pulls on Carrera's black trousers, bra, and clean white shirt. Accessing the suit's modified buoyancy aid device, he inflates the breasts until they comfortably fit the bra, then inflates the hips slightly to fill out the trousers, then changes the colour of the material to a neutral flesh colour. Now for the uncomftable part. He checks once more that the toilets are deserted, then leaves the cubicle and walks over to the mirror. Hands palm down on the sink, Pie leans in close to the mirror staring intently at his own reflection. The olive skin of which he has become so fond starts to lighten. It's tone changing from mediterannean to caucasean, with a slight tan. Concentrating, the sides of his nose slowly contract, the nose tip becoming slighly sharper than before. Eye sockets, pushed by the muscles that usually frown, move away from the nose. Lips become fuller, as the jaw bones crack and re-align into a more feminine shape. His ears pull themselves a touch lower down his head. Finally, he concentrates on his thick, dark hair. Slowly, starting from the roots, the dark hairs change to blonde and grow in length. The last touch is the eyes. His dark pupils fade to a piercing blue. Looking in the mirror Pie compares the person staring back at him to the mental image in his head. After a few minutes styling and spraying, the blonde hair looks perfect. Carrera Le Trusk heads out of the toilets, and puts a bag back into her locker before skipping down the stairs to go to work.