I slapped my alarm as I sat up in bed. Another Monday, another long week of school. At least my birthday is coming up soon. Surprisingly, for a Monday morning, I was feeling pretty good. Life had settled into a nice little routine and it wasn't overly bad. Meeting Laura the day before had been really cool. Just knowing that there's someone else in the same boat as me really helps. Now I don't feel so alone.

I went about getting ready for school. Shower, then breakfast, then back to my room to get dressed. My hair still had a bit of curl left from the day before, and after brushing it out a bit, it looked good with the soft waves in it. I took the time to do my makeup just right, picked up my clothes for basketball and put them in my backpack. That went on my shoulder as I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs. I slipped on a pair of heels and was out the door just in time to meet up with Amy as she was leaving her house.

We walked hand in hand until we got within a block of the school. For the last block we simply walked together, talking about nothing in particular. We arrived at school, got our books for morning classes out of our lockers, then headed for homeroom. I spent most of homeroom daydreaming about Amy. I didn't seem to be quite as infatuated with her as I had been. I could now think clearly around her, but I was definitely in love with that girl. She noticed I was looking at her and smiled, then put her palm out towards me and I could see writing appear on her skin as her cells changed colour. The writing became clear and I smiled as I read, 'hey there beautiful.' The words faded away and class continued on like normal. Soon the buzzer sounded and we all rushed out of the room to get to our next class. I pulled Amy aside while the room emptied, brought up a shield around us for privacy and kissed her passionately on the lips.

“Nura!” she whispered in my ear. “What if someone saw that?”

“Amy, relax. No one can see through my shields, don't worry.” I kissed her once more and then pulled back and retracted the shield.

“I'll see you at lunch,” she said as we rushed out the door and down the hallway in opposite directions.

~~~

“The target usually departs the school after her basketball practice at 4:00. We will commence the mission when she crosses the field on her way home. I want this done clean and fast, and I want the girl unharmed. Dispose of any witnesses.”

“Yes sir.”

“Under no circumstances are you to open the cage once she has been detained.”

“Yes sir.”

~~~

‘That Cali girl is stupider than I thought. No only has she already tried to attack me in the bathroom once already, so I'm already on my guard, but now she's trying to do it again when I can see her in the mirror.’ She swung her fist at me as I turned towards her. I caught her punch in my hand and used some energy to help me bend her wrist back a bit. She whimpered and dropped to her knees.

“What did I ever do to you Cali?” I asked.

“You stole my place on the team!” she screeched at me.

“I didn't steal anything from you. You got yourself put on probation because of your prejudices.”

“I hate you!” she screamed, as even more of her body turned metallic and she pushed back against me.

“Yeah?  Well the feeling is mutual!” I said. She continued to push against me. I was pretty much against the wall and mustered up more of my strength to push back. I once again let out a low growl as I pushed back and sent her falling backwards a few feet. Something about being cornered had got me fired up. I was standing there, breathing heavily, still growling, with my claws extended. I saw the fear in Cali's eyes as I looked down at her. I shook myself, trying to keep myself in check and forced myself to leave the bathroom before I did something stupid.

I hurried through the hallway, trying to calm down. I didn't like the feelings I had. They were the same raw primal feelings that I’d had when I had first been attacked a few weeks before. I felt as if I wasn't in control of myself, and the feeling scared me.

By the time I had got to my class I was back to feeling pretty much like I normally do.

The weather was nice by lunch time and a lot of students ended up eating outside. My friends and I found a slightly shaded area near the field. I sat next to Amy as we ate. I wanted nothing more than to be with Amy at that moment, and fought the urge to hold her hand, but I knew she wasn't ready to make our relationship public, even to our friends.

I distracted myself by focusing on my lunch, not looking up till Shine came jogging towards us. Having known her for so long, I could tell she was excited about something. "Hey Shine, where ya been?"

"I was showing Coach something. Can you guess what?"

"You managed to hold your energy for forty five seconds this time?" Mike quipped.

"Better than that. I figured out what I've been doing wrong."

"And that is ...?" Jade asked.

"I've been pushing all my light energy out of my body to try and form the balls of light. But then I realized that when I do that, I don't have any energy left to control it."

"That's great to know," said Cody, “but how does that help you control it."

"Watch." Shine's eyes started to glow like they usually do when she uses her powers, but nothing else was happening. Suddenly her dark skin started to lighten and become transparent. It was hard to look right at her as her body began to emit an intense white light. I formed a pair of shades with my powers and kept watching.

It was strange watching her glow like that. I could see her bones through her now translucent body. They seemed to be shining even brighter than the rest of her. She put her hands up beside her and formed two bright balls of light energy which she held longer than I had ever seen her hold them.

She turned towards me,  "Hey Nura, Catch," as she tossed the energy at me.

I caught both of them in my hands and quickly absorbed the energy. I replaced the light with two balls of my dark energy and tossed them back at Shine. She dodged quickly. Not quite at the speed of light but pretty damn fast. "Nura! I can't catch energy like you can."

I regained control of the rogue energy and absorbed the energy back in to myself. "I had everything under control. No worries."

~~~

I spent my next two classes lost in thought. Shine seemed to have control of her powers now. That got me thinking about whether I could use my powers internally too. I had a feeling that that wouldn't be a good idea as I pictured myself blowing up like Aunt Mika's restaurant.

Eventually, classes ended and I headed to the locker room on auto pilot,, changed, and headed into the gym for practice. I was able to focus on practice and did as well as I normally do. I had my first game with the girls’ team next week and I wanted to be ready for it. I had been spending most of my time practicing my free throws and jump shots, learning to compensate for my lost height.

After practice, Coach pulled me aside and gave me my team uniform. It was pretty much the same as my old boys team uniform, but naturally, a lot smaller.

I hurried to the change room and tossed my uniform in my locker. By the time I got out of the shower, all the other girls were gone. I used my energy trick to dry myself off and started getting dressed. My hair went into a ponytail because it was easy to do, then I gathered my stuff and left the room.

I was pleasantly surprised to find Amy waiting for me. No one else was around so I gave her a kiss and took her hand in mine. "I've missed you."

She kissed me back, "I love you too."

"You wanna do something tonight?" I asked as we started across the field towards home. "I don't have any homework."

"I’d love to. Mom and Dad are working late, you wanna come over?"

"Sure. I just ... “ I stopped walking and sniffed the air.

"What is it, Nura?"

"Something isn't right. Get behind those bushes and hide."

"What about you?"

"I’ll be fine. I don’t need to worry about you getting hurt if I'm right, and something bad happens. So please hide." Amy hid in the bushes as I asked, however I saw her stick her head out so she could watch, but then it quickly changed to shades of green and was camouflaged in the bush.

I slowly made my way further into the field. I knew something wasn't right. There was an odd smell of metal and sweat in the air. I extended my claws and continued forward..

I spun around at the sound of something moving in the tall grass, but there seemed to be nothing there. I sent an energy shield in that direction. It moved fast, and when it hit something, I dropped to all fours and ran at whatever it was that it had hit..

I pounced and landed on a soldier. "Smart camo!" I growled at him, then, then hit him with a punch that knocked him out. I knew there would be others and stood up to look for them just in time to be hit by a tranq. I pulled the dart from my neck and shot off as many energy blasts as I could before the world went foggy and I dropped to the ground.

~~~

Amy watched in shock as two dozen men emerged from the tall grass and picked up Sanura. An airship came into view and landed beside the group. Amy crawled closer as the men unloaded a metal box from the airship.

The box was about eight feet high and had cables running around the outside. A thick power cable ran from the box to the airship.

Sanura was strapped to a metal table as one soldier opened the box. The table was lifted in and locked in place in the box. Several cables were attached to her restraints.

The box lit up in many places as it was activated and a soft hum spread through the air. The box was quickly loaded into the ship, followed by the soldiers. the ship immediately lifted into the air.

Amy rose to her feet, noting which direction it was headed as the airship took off, passing almost directly overhead.

Not sure what to do, she ran across the field and into the forest. She was in her hidden area under the tree within minutes. "Gryok!" she called. "Gryok! I need your help."

Hearing was a rustling behind her, she turned around to see the winged creature bound towards her.

"Gryok! Someone kidnapped my girlfriend. Can you help me follow them?"

"Kidnapped?"

"They hurt her and took her away."

"Gryok help Amy. Amy ride Gryok."

"We need to get one of my friends. Are there any more eagox she can ride on?" Gryok raised his head to the sky and let out a strange screeching howl. A moment later Amy heard similar sounds coming from deep in the woods.

"Pack coming to help."

Amy pulled out her eCom while she waited and placed a call. "Hey! I need your help ... I don't care if your parents want you to finish your homework first. They took Sanura ... I don't know who! But she needs your help ... Meet me outside your house in five minutes ... Your powers may be all that can save her."

Amy got on Gryok's back and held onto the animal's fur as its powerful wings lifted them into the air. When they rose above the trees, Amy was amazed at the number of eagox circling in the air. She was frightened at the thought of being in the midst of all these large animals and concentrated on releasing as much pheromone as she could.

"Gryok, we need to go this way."

~~~

“uhhhh …,” my head was throbbing as I tried to open my eyes. Everything felt fuzzy, but soon the memories came flooding back. I felt something around my legs and feet and tried to pull at whatever it was before I realized I was strapped down. Unable to move my head more than a few inches, I look around myself, trying to figure out where I was. I was lying on a table inside some sort of metal cell. There were bars of blue light running all around the inside, and something was emitting a low humming sound.

I tried to break free by using my energy fields. I felt the pressure building in me, but as I tried to expand the field outside of my body, the blue lights brightened, the pressure inside faded and the field didn’t appear.

A voice came through a speaker. “Don’t bother trying to use those powers of yours, girl. The cage you’re in neutralizes the energy you create.”

“What …” my mouth was dry and it was hard to speak. “What do you want with me?”

“I want your powers, of course. I’ve studied MORFS since before the outbreak. I know that makes me old, but it also makes me the most knowledgeable on the subject.”

“Before the outbreak?”

“Yes, the early human tests. In those days, most didn’t survive the change, since we didn’t have the assistance of the energy packs. We were very disappointed when that fact was discovered so soon in the epidemic. Not nearly enough people died. But we are placated by the hatred it has spawned around the world. Parents against children, brothers against sisters and nations divided and fallen against themselves.”

“What’s that all got to do with me?” I asked.

“In nearly fifty years of studying the effects of our MORFS, every case has had some scientific explanation. Each power or ability could be proven on physical findings. There’s never been anything magical about MORFS. Its all purely science. An advancement of human biology. But you’re different. You control something undiscovered. Something not of this earth.”

“Why abduct ‘me’? How does this concern you? I didn’t do anything.”

“Well in a way, you’re my creation. And on the other hand, it simply intrigues me. You have in you the potential to unlocking the mysteries of our universe. Research of your abilities could change the very foundation of astrophysics.”

“So what is it you want me to do?”

“My dear, I don’t want you to do anything. All I want is for you to lay right where you are. The secrets of the universe are inside you, and I’m going to go inside you and take them out for myself.” I tried pulling at my restraints again but couldn’t get away. “Calm down. I’ve done this many times. Don’t worry yourself, it won’t hurt for very long, I promise. Then everything will be over for you.”

The speaker clicked off and I lay there alone, thinking about my friends and family. Being afraid I wouldn’t see them again hurt more than anything else. I cried freely as I tried to absorb as much light energy as I could. The bright blue lights were an excellent source. One way or another, I’d meet my end with a fight.

~~~

The flock of eagox quickly grabbed the attention of the many tourists in Sun City as they bolted through the sky. Cameras flashed and many holos were taken as the elusive beasts flew low over the city. Some of the people wondered aloud the possible reasons for the urgency of the animals as they quickly went north. Some thought they saw a person riding the largest one, which was leading the pack.

Amy gripped tightly as the flying beasts followed her directions. They traveled several blocks in mere minutes. Finally, Gryok and one other large eagox dropped to the ground, landing smoothly as the rest of the pack circled in the air.

“Amy,” said Gryok in his rough voice as she dismounted. “Get friend, they will ride Flaxok.”

The other eagox bowed it’s head at Amy, saying, “Flaxok is swift. Flaxok will carry friend with speed.”

“Thank you, Flaxok.” Amy stroked the fur of the beast with affection.

*What happened?* came Trance’s steady voice as Amy ran to Shine’s door.

*I think you already have a good idea what happened.* Amy knocked on the door impatiently.

*I’ll be there in a minute. Hang on.* The door finally opened and Shine hurried outside, closing the door behind her.

A moment later, Trance came running up the street. *Shine filled me in on most of the details after you called her. You can fill me in on the rest while we’re flying.*

“We’re riding on those?” asked Shine, looking a bit intimidated.

“Eagox, it’s the only way to travel. But do I get one of my own or do you expect me to fly there on my limited TK?* asked Trance.

Gryok let out a screeching cry. A moment later another eagox landed on Shine’s front lawn. This one was even larger than Gryok or Flaxok.

*Hello, Trance. It’s an honor to help you.*

*Brok? You’re …*

*Not human? Not all telepaths are, Trance. You should know that*

*We’ve been friends since I received my powers. Why did you never tell me you were an eagox?*

*It never came up? Now will you accept the help of an old friend or not?*

“It would be an honor to ride with you, Brok.” Trance got on the back of the large beast as Shine and Amy looked on in confusion.

*Amy, Shine, Brok here is an old friend and fellow telepath. Stop trying to figure out what just happened and let’s get in the air* The girls rushed to their respective animals and held on tight as the three eagox launched into the air and back to the field where Sanura was taken from.

~~~

Time passed quickly as I was poked and prodded by robotic arms inside the cage. Blood samples were taken and various tests were run, all while I struggled for escape. "They'll come looking for me, you know."

"I very much doubt that," said the same voice as before. "We'll be finished with you before they even know you're gone." I heard someone approaching the cage I was trapped in for the first time since I woke up. I heard several electric locks turn and slowly the front of the cage opened to reveal a white skinned man in a white suit. His solid red eyes seemed to burn as he looked at me with a cold stare.

"At last I meet my creation." It was the man I had been talking with.

"You're a Morf?" I asked.

"How very astute of you to notice. I was the first. or at least, the first to survive, thanks to my idea of injecting the necessary nutrients into the morfing patient. People thought I was mad for morfing myself, but I've always understood the basics of how it all worked. As I said, I was the first. I am the creator."

"Then you're a monster!"

"Sanura, we've already had this discussion. I'm here to talk about you, not me." He held an x-ray in his right hand, then held it to the glowing blue lights on the cage wall. "This is an x-ray we took of you. Tell me if you see anything odd."

The x-ray showed my chest. The bones and organs were clear to see, but the middle of the chest was completely black. "I think you need to learn how to take an x-ray."

"Very funny, girl. This void is being caused by your powers, so now I know where to look. Maybe the source of you power is in your heart, maybe your lungs. I guess I'll have to just remove everything in there and see, won't I?"

"I'll kill you, you bastard!"

"Actually, I believe that role will be reversed."

~~~

The eagox took turns sniffing around the field where Sanura had been taken. Finally Brok let out a call and the other eagox followed him back into the air. *Trance, it’s going to get cold once we leave the city limits.*

*I'll be fine, Brok*

*I was more concerned about the girls.*

*So am I. But there's nothing we can do, is there?*

*I'll have Fyrol fly ahead of them. She isn't as fast, but she is a heat elemental, and will keep the wind warm.*

*Can we afford to slow down?*

*If we don't keep them warm, we'll have to turn back.* Brok let out a call in his native tongue and a smaller eagox pushed ahead of Flaxok and Gryok. The air took on a rippled effect as the heat poured off of the lead creature. They left the city and plunged into cold air. There was snow swirling about but it melted quickly as it entered the heated area.

~~~

*Thu”‘Thump... Thu”‘Thump... Thu”‘Thump...* Sanura's heart beat faster and faster as the robotic arm moved closer to her with its razor sharp blade. *thu”‘thump thu”‘thmp thu”‘thump thu”‘thump* her breathing became deep and rapid, and her heart rate rose higher. Her blood surged through her body, under such pressure she could hear it. She was sure her captors must, too. Her adrenal gland opened and she felt a rush of strength spread throughout her body. She struggled to free herself from her restraints but could not break free.

A feeling of impending doom washed over her as the scalpel came within an inch of her skin. It moved slowly, with delicate precision. She couldn’t get away. She felt the energy stored within her, but she couldn't release it. Then a familiar feeling of pressure built in her center, tightening like a knot in her chest. 

*THU”‘THUMP THU”‘THUMP THU”‘THUMP THU”‘THUMP* Her heart beat still faster with each passing second. The blood rushed from her heart, surging through her veins. A monitor started beeping as her blood pressure spiked.

As the blood rushed through her chest towards her lungs it passed a strange black organ near her heart, which swelled with tremendous pressure, then suddenly contracted as a gland opened and released its contents into the surging blood.

The red and white blood cells were quickly outnumbered by billions of tiny black cells. Her blood darkened like ink as it flooded through her system.

Sanura began convulsing from the shock as the black fluid poured throughout her. All the arteries near the surface of her body became visible through her skin as the blackened blood was pumped through them.

Still, the black organ used the energy it had stored to charge more dark matter as it drew it through the vortex from where it where it had previously resided, turning it into still more of the black cells.

She gasped for breath as the raw power of the black cells overcame her. The cells started to absorb into her entire body, becoming more differentiated, no longer just stem cells. Her muscle tissue became heavier and denser as the black cells permeated her entire muscle system. Her whole body tensed as it was taken over by the black cells. Her skin thickened and her muscles bulged.

Her restraints tightened as her arms grew larger and stronger. Thick coarse black hairs sprouted from every follicle, covering her body in thick fur. Her clothes ripped and fell away from her as she continued to expand in muscle mass.

Before long, Sanura stopped convulsing as the growth stopped. Her eyes rolled back and closed as she lost consciousness. Her blood began  to return to its natural colour as the last remnants of the black invaders was absorbed into her muscles.

The scientists rushed in as her heart rate spiked even higher and then stopped. The monitor emitted a single long tone as the men rushed over with a defibrillator.

They were charging the paddles when … *thu”‘thump... thu”‘thump... THU”‘THUMP THU”‘THUMP THU”‘THUMP* Her eyes flashed open as her back arched off the table and she released a deep menacing roar, pulling against her restraints. The metal gave way to her strength. Her claws extended and she cut away the wires and tubes attached to her body.

The men in the room dropped their medical tools and drew their weapons. "Get back on the table and no one will get hurt girl!" one of them ordered as she rolled off the table on all fours.

 Sanura lunged forward at the men, who opened fire and hit her several times before she crashed into them. She whirled around, striking with precision, first disarming them, then cutting them down with her claws. One of the men managed to sound an alarm moments before she impaled him from behind. She threw him aside and let out another roar.

Her body tensed again as it pushed out the bullets lodged in her skin. The open wounds closed over with a black skin within a second as more thick black hair grew over the already healed wounds.

~~~

As the perimeter scanners started beeping, they woke the guard from his nap. He took a look at the radar and watched as over two dozen little blips moved toward the base. He grabbed his radio and called it in.

“Do you have visual confirmation?”

“They’re not close enough for visual yet, sir.”

“Get visual confirmation and open fire if they get any closer. We can’t afford to have this mission … Aaahhh!! Skshhhhhhhhhhhhh …” the line went dead

The guard nervously armed the perimeter weapons and activated the motion detectors before going to check out the disturbance on the other end of the radio. He picked up his weapon before leaving his post and made his way to central command.

As he walked quietly down the corridor, alarm lights started flashing and the alarm suddenly sounded, making him jump. He grabbed his chest and forced himself to settle down after the shock wore off.

Rounding the corner, he stopped abruptly. The door to the command room was half open, a large dent in it keeping it from closing. The rest of the door was covered in scratch marks. He cautiously entered the room and surveyed the carnage, seeing bodies strewn about the room. He raced over to the main computer and activated the lockdown sequence for the facility. It would also arm the weapons in the hallways, which were programmed to attack anyone not entered in the system and not wearing their electronic ID badge.

He exited the room through another hallway, making his way down to the next room. The autogun in the corner turned towards him. He started sweating as it scanned his ID, even though it was only a second before the gun retracted. As he took another step forward, the gun turned back towards him and started firing at something just behind him. He ducked out of the way as a large black catlike creature dodged the shots and charged at the autogun. A swipe of it’s claws and the gun dropped to the ground.

He quietly pulled and aimed his gun. As he released the safety, the cat turned quickly and slashed at him before he could pull the trigger.

~~~

“Sir, our sources have confirmed it. The girl has been captured. What are your orders?”

“Move in. we don’t want the girl harmed, and we definitely do not want her powers falling into their hands. Assemble as many operatives as you can for this mission. I want all colours who are available to lead this mission. White will lead the colours. She’s been briefed already.”

“Yes sir. The teams will depart in 20.”

~~~