Across the Spectrum Read Online Free PDF Page A

of the mat, was that it was
starting to look tired. Maybe all this springing was wearing it out.
    At the whistle, Hog threw his weight into it again, and
landed flat on his chin. For an infuriating, flustered moment, he thought he
had lost the Ektra, and he scrambled to get up, looking around wildly. Then he
realized that the Ektra was under him; it had splatted out into an enormous
pancake with tiny, starfish legs around its outer edge. He pushed and hauled on
it, but the thing was immovable.
    “Turn it over! Turn it over!” yelled his coach, his
mother, somebody.
    He couldn’t possibly turn it over—unless he got off
it completely and tried to flip it like a throw rug. But that would be crazy . . .
it was too heavy and too awkward.
    “Warning—Ektra—stalling!” brayed the ref.
    “Hog—you’re running out of time! DO SOMETHING!” hollered Harmin’, from somewhere very close to the edge of the mat.
    With a snarl, Hog jumped off the pancake and yanked on the
edge of the thing. It went “Querr reee!” and began contracting into a new
shape. Good! Now he could go to work on it!
    The change took place in a dizzying blur, and it was not
just a physical blur. Hog felt a wave of confusion pass through his mind, and
he blinked and found himself holding the hand of, and staring into the large
brown eyes of, the most breathtakingly beautiful woman he had ever seen, or
imagined. (Come . . . come to me . . . now . . .
) whispered the psicry. She had long, golden-brunette hair; and she was
wearing a clinging silk wrap that did not altogether cover her breathtaking . . .
her breathtaking . . .
    . . . and she was breathing so hard, so quiveringly hard, and pulling him by the hand toward her with a smile that made his heart
stop.
    “Whoaaa—Hog! All riiiight! Go for it, man, go get it!”
    The sound of Harmin’s voice was strangely removed, as though
Hog and his . . . opponent? . . . had been
whisked into a private place for a special little tête-à-tête, with everyone
else suddenly a very long way away, miles away, light-years away. (Yes, yes . . .
come get it . . . you will like it very much . . .
) And, for a fleeting instant, Hog thought that was fine, just fine, very
fine indeed. For the glory of Earth fine. Oh yes.
    And then maybe a whiff of oxygen reached his brain, or maybe
a whiff of astringent alien breath, because the hypnotic spell slipped just a
little, and his heart seemed to beat again, and with a start he realized that
he was sinking to the mat, allowing himself to be drawn into the arms of this . . .
about to pull this gorgeous creature on top of him, this . . .
    “Get that goddamn tramp off you, Justin!” screamed someone,
his mother.
    . . . Ektra shapeshifter.
    “Awwwww, jeeeez!” he panted, struggling to get his brain
clear, and realizing he had about one second before he’d be flat on his back
under this . . . sex-crazed . . .
    The woman’s weight was already shifting for the pin. And his
mind was still fogged . . . but not quite so fogged that he
couldn’t make one last, desperate hopeless move.
    He reached down and tickled her in the ribcage.
    “ Breee-heee-heeeeeee!” shrieked the shapeshifter,
erupting into helpless laughter and losing its hold.
    Hog scooted out from under it, but managed to keep his
fingers in there tickling. He was gasping from the exertion, but his gasps were
drowned out by screams of laughter . . .
    “Kreee-hee-hee- (stop) -hee-heee-kreee- (stop) -heee-hee-hee- (please
stop!) -hee—”
    Hog struggled to disregard the psicry pummeling his mind. He
hugged and cradled this creature, far and away more gorgeous than any woman he
had ever even fantasized about, cradled her in a fabulous embrace . . .
tickling mercilessly.
    “Kreee-hee-hee-(stop please stop!)—”
    “HOG, TEN SECONDS LEFT!!!”
    The thing’s laughter was contagious, and Hog fell on her,
nearly laughing uncontrollably himself. And he pressed her back